The elevator connected to the basement parking lot opened. Someone came running out. Looking around, the basement parking lot seemed deserted from when he arrived with Gregory Illéa.
He didn't know how long she had been asleep with Walther, but one thing was for sure, the night was already halfway over.
"GREGORY ...!" shouted Noel. If his cell phone hadn't been taken from her by Rolan, he wouldn't have had such a hard time finding him.
Noel had been running for sixteen minutes while enduring the cold night wind that felt like it was piercing his skin, Noel was only wearing a white shirt with two buttons open, exposing his kissmarked neck, which Walther had done while Noel was sleeping. That man had also taken off Noel's coat.
Even though he was getting tired, it didn't stop Noel from trying to find Gregory.
As Noel bent over, clutching his knees and gasping for air, a car came barreling towards him at full speed. The car then stopped, its headlights blinding him.
Noel squinted and blocked the light with his hands.
Several footsteps rushed out of the car after the lights turned off. Several people armed with pistols and wearing ski masks formed a circle.
Noel was surrounded, unable to escape. Resigned, he stared at the group of men with a tired gaze. Just as Noel thought his fate would end here, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Need help?"
Noel came to his senses instantly, his lips uttering a single word. "Nate!"
*
It was getting late, and Gregory Illéa was still waiting for Noel in the car. It had been over an hour since he had called and the call had been answered by a teenage boy. Gregory was sure that Noel was currently in Walther's custody. If not, in just a few minutes Noel would be back.
Seconds became minutes. Time was moving forward. His index finger tapped the steering wheel in rhythm. One hand held the cell phone, waiting for a call from Noel.
The cell phone vibrated again. From Noel. Gregory answered the call and put the phone to his ear.
"Uncle, where is your car parked?" A teenage boy's voice asked on the other side. Not someone Gregory expected.
The sound of labored breathing accompanied by the tapping of footsteps on the floor echoed in the basement.
Gregory let out a short breath. "In block 23," he replied, and got out of the car. His eyes narrowed as he saw a teenager running towards him from afar, waving. He did not fail to smile at him.
Once the distance between them was ten meters, still running, Rolan called out, "Uncle, don't move!"
Gregory frowned, but he still followed Rolan's order not to move. When Rolan was only five meters away, the teenager took a gun from his pocket and shot straight at Gregory.
The bullet that Rolan fired raced behind the man, hitting the stranger in the back. Immediately, the man collapsed motionless, dead with a hole in his forehead.
Unexpectedly, another man appeared from behind Rolan, aiming a gun at him. Knowing the danger threatening from behind, Gregory pulled Rolan who was already in front of him to take cover behind the car.
"Look out!"
A moment before the sharp screeching sound was heard, Gregory had already managed to pull Rolan's body to the side of the car. The man squinted, staring in various directions in an alert position.
"So you realised someone was stalking us?" he asked quietly to the teenager on the side.
Rolan nodded. His hands were busy reloading 17 rounds of ammunition into his Glock 17 pistol. "I've already shot two of them on the way here."
Gregory understood, he gave Rolan a quick glance. This teenager, in his early teens, had the nerve to hold a gun. Putting that aside, what mattered now was the enemy.
"Who exactly are they ?" Gregory asked curiously.
Rolan answered after he finished reloading. "Most likely they are Malevsky's bodyguards."
"... Malevsky?" A surname Gregory was already familiar with.
"Yes, some time ago he wanted something from Walt Daddy. A sample of a liquid that is still under development in the laboratory. However, Daddy refused. So, I guess he came here to provoke Daddy into handing it over," Rolan explained calmly, as if this kind of incident was commonplace. Finished taking care of his weaponry. "Uncle, let's go!"
"Wait, don't act rashly!" Gregory exclaimed. But his exclamation went unheeded by Rolan, the teenager continued to run after the target who had no idea how many people there were.
*
To Noel, the basement of the car park now was like the other world inhabited by hundreds of zombies in the Resident Evil game. The atmosphere felt so tense. He felt lost and adrift, his mind reeling uneasily.
One of several well—built men came forward.
"Long time no see, Nate."
Noel didn't answer. Another man in a ski mask approached him from behind and suddenly kicked Noel so hard in the back that his body lurched forward and fell.
Damn it! Noel cursed them silently.
The man in the dark gray leather jerkin suit and black trousers smiled dismissively. In his downcast position, Noel could see a pair of feet in black derby shoes walking closer. He winced as he felt the fingers of a large hand lock one arm behind his body, while the other hand pulled a handful of his blonde hair from the back of his head. In this close proximity Noel could see a wild and stern looking black eye on the man's face that showed arrogance.
"You haven't changed at all, Nate"
Noel knew who this man was.
"Rudolf, let go!" He squealed from the pain of his scalp being pulled hard.
Instead of letting go, the subordinate of the man whose full name was Rudolf Javer Malevsky raised one lip.
"I'm actually dealing with Director Zwick. It's a coincidence that I met you here. Tell me, what made you come back and leave the life in Manhattan?"
It was not an answer that Rudolf got, but a glare along with teeth that could be heard chattering from the man whose hair was still gripped by one of his men.
Rudolf just grunted harshly, one hand picked up a knife wrapped in a sheath at his waist, then pointed the blade right at Noel's left cheek.
"You know, for the past sixteen years I've missed you, missed the times when I'd run a hot dagger through your body like that." Rudolf stroked the knife down Noel's jaw.
The coldness of the iron against the skin along with the fear brought a shivering sensation.
Noel pleaded silently, Nate, help me!
Rudolf's vicious smile faded, giving way to a scornful gaze after his attention was accidentally drawn to the mark Walther had left on Noel's neck.
"The current you is nothing more than a rabbit under the paw of a hungry lion, waiting for death to come, or like a son of a whore following in his mother's footsteps." After the diatribe, the man ordered his subordinates to let Noel go.
As Noel faltered, a kick hit him in the stomach. The culprit was none other than Rudolf.
Wincing, Noel fell to the ground clutching his painful stomach. A moan of pain escaped his mouth as Rudolf kicked again and stomped on the back of Noel's hand.
Noel's moans grew louder as his fingers were crushed under Rudolf's shoes. Two large men squatted near Noel, twisting his right arm behind his back.
Satisfied with stomping until the hand of the man he knew as Nate was covered in red blisters, Rudolf sheathed his knife again. "Put him in the car, father I'll be happy, the pet that once ran away is now caught again."
Without waiting long, the two men dragged Noel to the car and threw him into the back seat.
"Let go of me!" Noel struggled with fear. His heart was pounding like it wanted to break his ribs as Rudolf pressed down, sitting on his stomach in the position Noel was lying. Pain was evident in every line of Noel's face. It took him a moment to realize that Rudolf's left hand was around his neck and his right hand was holding a gun, pointing it at his temple.
"If you mess up, I won't hesitate to shoot you in the head!" Rudolf's threat was no joke.
"Asshole!" Overcome with anger, Noel spat in Rudolf's face, his saliva running down the man's cheeks. Rudolf gave Noel a sharp look as he wiped the liquid off his face.
One punch hit Noel's cheekbone, Rudolf's fist. So strong was the blow that it left a bruise. The pain brought tears to his eyes, though they did not spill over. This time Noel managed to stay strong and hold it in. He saw an evil intent in the black eyes of the man holding him now. Rudolf was looking for something in a black bag under the car seat.
While Rudolf looked away, Noel explored the surroundings trying to find something. Bingo, he found it.
"Now!"
In a flash Noel pulled a knife from the sheath hanging from Rudolf's belt, slicing it right into its owner's face.
"Arrghh! Fuck you!!!" Rudolf shouted, his grip on Noel's neck loosening.
Noel kicked the man hard in the groin, knocking him backward and into the glass door of the car. As Rudolf's bodyguard turned to look, Noel snatched the gun from Rudolf's hand.
The gunshot rang out loudly as the ammunition pierced the head of the man in the ski mask. Blood red colored the windows of the car that was not being driven uncontrollably.
Hurriedly taking a thousand steps, Noel opened the car door beside him, jumping by rolling to the ground.
A loud bang of metal sounded, the car hit the basement pole and emitted smoke on the hood. Shortly, someone came out from inside the car.
"Catch the Killer Rabbit! I don't care if he lives or dies." Rudolf shouted while holding the wound on his face. Blood continued to flow out from between his fingers covering the wound.
Noel could hear the man's voice commanding his subordinates, his tone filled with anger. And sure enough, on the other side, a car arrived with five men carrying long-barreled pistols in hand. Spreading out in various directions to surround Noel. Unlike the previous members, this one did not wear a mask.
Noel saw them from a distance as he ducked to hide himself between the parked cars. His body still ached from the blow.
"What do I do now?" Noel asked someone whose half-soul was still in the body he now occupied.
The voice whispered like the sound of a river splashing in spring. "Stay like this for a moment, breathe and calm yourself."
Nodding twice, Noel complied and exhaled trying to calm down.
"Nate, why are you forcing me into this crazy game of yours?" Noel asked in the middle of an emergency situation. His heart was beating hard in his chest, as if it was about to break his ribs. Fear was coursing through his veins, shaking his entire body until he burst into tears.
Noel in his original body fifteen years ago was an innocent young man of seventeen. One's first year was considered an adult and once his soul returned to the mortal world after death, Noel's soul was in the body of a hit man and was often caught between life and death situations.
"Follow the instructions, let's get this done!" Nate's voice was firm, sweeping away all the images of Noel's past that had surfaced unbidden.
Noel nodded with hesitation. He tightened his grip on the gun even though his fingers and palms were soaked with sweat.
"Alright, watch their position!"
Carefully, Noel peered behind the windshield, he counted. "Two in the southwest, one in the north and the remaining two in the east." Both of his hands changed into firing positions.
"Shoot all the lights!"
"You mean the lights of this parking lot?" Noel asked in confusion, not understanding Nate's plan because the man didn't explain.
"What else is there besides that?"
"But the room will be dark."
"Just do it! We don't have much time." Nate's voice snapped.
That's right, they didn't have time. Whatever Nate said would definitely get him out of this situation. All Noel had to do was stay focused and follow all of Nate's directions.
Taking a deep breath, Noel pointed the gun up and pulled the trigger.
DOR DOR DOR!
The basement's not-so-high ceiling made it easy for Noel to hit the bullseye. But that was an even bigger problem, his position was already known to Rudolf's bodyguards. So when the shot hit one of the lights, Noel carefully changed his position as well, hiding under the narrow undercarriage of the car to avoid enemy fire.
In the dim light Noel could see a man and a long-barreled gun approaching him. The man was looking in various directions. Noel understood now, so this was Nate's plan, shoot the enemy in the dark.
The man was right beside the car Noel was using to hide.
"Shut up and ... wait." Nate's voice rang out again.
The moment the man saw the shadowy silhouette, Noel pulled the trigger first, shooting the man with the raging bull pistol he had taken from Rudolf.
Good boy has the nerve to take someone's gun now.
The sound of gunfire shook the air, Noel shot the man twice. Return fire from the enemy invaded the distance. Noel switched from one car to another, ducking to roll under the car. The dodged bullets ricocheted off some of the windshields, making prank noises amongst the ongoing gunfire.
Nate's voice rang out again. "Don't hesitate, listen to me. If you see someone just shoot, shoot them in the chest or head, keep shooting until they fall down and keep your composure."
"Wait, Nate! You're not leaving again, are you?"
There was no answer after that. Nate is silent in Noel's mind
Noel's breathing was ragged, trying to stay calm as his heartbeat sped up.
Four people still remained, Noel could faintly make out the outlines of the shadows, one standing to the left not far from where he was.
"Damn, it's dark in here." One of them admitted.
A light jutted into Noel's sense of sight. A flashlight? They were carrying flashlights. The light of the flashlight passed slightly over his body that was peering between the rows of cars.
"There he is!" One of them said.
Noel chuckled, they were so thorough. Several shots were fired at where Noel was hiding. Noel hurriedly ran towards the elevator doors to get back into the building.
DOR DOR DOR!
A barrage of bullets whizzed by. The men shot blindly, not caring if their actions damaged almost all the cars parked there. Some of the cars set off alarms, adding to the deafening noise of the bullets.
As he ran through the dark, Noel let out a cry of pain. He felt something graze his left shoulder and leave a terrible sting. Before reaching the elevator, his steps turned left to hide behind a pillar.
DOR!
Noel fired back, the sound of them screaming could be heard indicating that he had hit another target. Remembering how good he was at shooting, a faint smile spread across his face as he endured the pain. His shot hit the target, Noel just happened to be lucky.
Catching his breath, Noel ventured a quick glance at the wound. A chill ran up his spine as he saw the skin on his left shoulder torn away. Blood continued to ooze out between the gaping wounds, running down his arm and dripping onto the floor. Red stained the white shirt at the wound.
"He must still be nearby," said one of the remaining men.
That's right, behind the wall, amongst the darkness Noel was hiding while pressing on his wound. The throbbing pain he endured while biting his lower lip to keep from wincing.
His attention flickered as he noticed the faint outline of their shadows quite close. Pulling the trigger again, Noel's heart froze as he realized he only had one bullet left. Fear crawled up his spine. How would he take out the remaining man?
As their footsteps got closer, Noel appeared desperate, ran up to the two men and fired his one remaining round at one of them.
DOR!
As soon as the shot rang out, it was Noel's last shot to distract his opponent into ducking. He took this opportunity. Noel forced a second time towards the elevator door, rushing in and closing the door before the retaliatory bullet from the one remaining man hit him, the door was closed and the elevator rose to the top floor.
Bright lights dazzled the eyes. Noel placed a hand between his eyebrows to block the light from piercing his retinas. After looking to his right and left, he was a little confused as he had no idea where this place was headed. Without thinking, Noel walked towards the bend in the path on the left. Just as he came back to the intersection of the hallway, someone appeared pointing a gun right at his head.
[]