Killer Move

by T E Stouyer

  “We’re surrounded,” Doc bellowed. “Just do it.”

  “All right, all right.”

  Rock hurried to his room to grab a black sports bag, and then returned to Ashrem’s room and dropped it on the floor.

  “What’s in the bag?” Soran asked.

  “I’m glad you asked,” said the mercenary. He unzipped the bag and pulled out an assault rifle.

  Soran took a look inside and whistled. “You’ve got a small arsenal in there,” he said.

  “Just grab something,” Rock told him. “Hurry up.”

  The young man took out a pair of handguns and some extra clips.

  Both men then took position by the window and observed the assailants as they methodically moved in on the house.

  “We’re not dealing with amateurs,” said Rock. “They’re taking their time, and keeping their exposure to a minimum, because they know we’re not going anywhere.”

  “If all of them make it inside, we’re in serious trouble,” said Soran.

  “I’ll help too,” said Ashrem. He bent down and reached inside the bag. But when he tried to straighten up, he grimaced in pain and dropped the weapon he had picked up.

  “No offense, buddy,” said Rock. “But you don’t look like you’re in any shape to help anyone, right now.”

  “Don’t worry, Ash,” said Soran. “We’ll handle it.” He then turned to Lucielle. “And you, stay close to him, understood?”

  The young girl took Ashrem’s hand and nodded.

  Soran looked at Rock and asked, “Shouldn’t one of us cover the back of the house?”

  “No,” the mercenary replied. “Our goal is to help the others make it up here safely. The staircase is on this side. We’ll be more effective if we stick together.”

  Meanwhile in the living room, the small group had clustered at the hallway entrance, making sure to keep their heads down. They were preparing to make a run for the staircase, which was less than fifteen feet away from them.

  Doc turned to Marie and the professor. “Once the shooting starts, run. Don’t stop, and don’t look back.”

  “What about you?” Marie asked.

  “We’ll be right behind you,” he said. “All right, everyone ready?”

  Three heads nodded.

  “OK, Now!” Doc shouted.

  “That’s our cue,” said Rock.

  He and Soran immediately engaged the assailants from their high vantage point.

  At the same time, Professor Fournier began to run as quickly as he could, closely followed by the detective. The pair rushed up the steps and ducked into a corner as soon as they made it to the second-floor lounge.

  Doc and Sonar had been covering the other end of the hallway, in case the enemy entered the house from the back. But once Marie and the professor reached the second floor, they decided it was time for them to move.

  Sonar was the first to arrive at the staircase, but as he circled the post and started up the steps, he saw four men charge around the hallway corner. “Behind you, Doc!” he shouted.

  Reacting quickly, Doc knelt down, half-turned. He placed one hand on the ground to balance himself. And with the other, he leveled his gun behind him and took down the first assailant.

  Sonar wasted no time backing up his comrade. He leaned over the railings and opened fire on the three remaining men with his semi-automatic rifle.

  The assailants retreated behind the corner and returned fire.

  While still shooting, Doc and Sonar hustled up the stairs.

  When the two mercenaries made it to the second-floor, Marie and the professor came to meet them.

  “Are you both OK?” Doc asked.

  “Yes, I’m quite all right, thank you,” Fournier replied, in a disturbingly cheerful tone.

  Marie nodded.

  The detective was still trying to figure out what was going on. Ever since the previous night, nothing seemed to make sense anymore. She had come to this house in search of answers, but instead, each moment she spent there pulled her deeper into a labyrinth of confusion. A confusion which grew even further when she saw a child with silver-gray hair and a huge man come out from one of the rooms, accompanied by two other men.

  “So, who’s the babe?” Soran asked as he ogled the detective.

  Marie raised her eyebrows at him, surprised by his carefree attitude given their predicament. Did I come to a madhouse? She wondered. And come to think of it, now that she saw him up close, she thought this one too had an unusual appearance, with his different-colored eyes and short salt-and-pepper hair.

  “Not now, Soran,” said Doc. He then turned to Rock. “Good job laying down that cover fire.”

  “Thanks,” said the giant. “But it was odd. They didn’t shoot back at us, for some reason.”

  Doc Chen and Sonar exchanged a surprised look.

  “Really?” said the redhead. “Well, lucky you. They didn’t seem to mind taking shots at me and Doc.”

  But there was no time to ponder the giant’s intriguing observation. The group could now hear the sounds of multiple footsteps scrambling around the ground floor. The assailants were inside the house.

  The three mercenaries took position near the top of the stairs and prepared for the enemy’s impending charge. Soran and Marie stood right behind them, ready to provide support, while the others remained huddled near the center of the room.

  Chapter 10 – Ultimatum

  “Jonathan Kincade!” a voice shouted from below.

  There was a moment of silence as all members of the party upstairs exchanged startled looks.

  “Jonathan Kincade!” the voice shouted again.

  “He’s not here right now,” Rock shouted back. “Would you like to leave a message?”

  “This is no time for your usual nonsense,” his redheaded comrade told him.

  “How about Hulin Chen?” the voice asked.

  Doc cautiously leaned over the banister. “What can I do for you?”

  A man appeared at the base of the stairs. “We meet again, Mr. Chen,” he said. “I didn’t get a chance to properly introduce myself the first time. My name’s Randall Carson. I work for Mr. Leicester.”

  “I know who you are.”

  “Good, it’ll make things simpler. Listen, you’re outnumbered and outgunned, and there’s nowhere for you to go.”

  “Even if that were true,” said Doc. “After all those gunshots, I’d say there’s a good chance the police are on their way here, by now. We could just hold out until they arrive. At which point, each of us will get to tell their story. I don’t mind either way. But I’m guessing that’s something your employer would very much like to avoid.”

  “Nice try,” said Carson. “But I don’t think you’re eager to end up in police custody. Not that it matters. You and I both know there’s no one around for miles. The police aren’t coming. But more of my men are.”

  Rock turned to the professor and whispered, “Did you have to live in the middle of nowhere?”

  “That was the whole point,” said Fournier. “I was in hiding.”

  “Like I said,” Carson continued. “You don’t have any outs. We could set the house on fire and shoot down anyone who tries to leave, or we could just sit back and wait for the rest of my men to arrive.”

  “And yet,” said Doc, “here we are, talking. Why is that?”

  “Either one of those options would result in casualties on both sides, especially on yours. In fact, it’s doubtful any of you would make it out alive. I don’t want that, and neither do you.”

  “What do you propose?” Doc asked.

  “My employer gave me strict instructions to avoid bloodshed whenever possible. If you hand over the analyst and the fugitives, we’ll let your team go free. You have my word.”

  “The professor comes with us too!” another voice shouted from below.

  “Ah, I see you’ve found our guest,” said Doc.

  Carson’s men had freed the prisoner held in the basement. Mark Stanwell—Leice
ster’s assistant—was fuming about the treatment he had received. There was a lot he wanted to get off his chest. He was about to voice his outrage at his former captors, but Carson silenced him with a wave of the hand.

  “What’s your answer, Mr. Chen?” said Carson.

  “Give us ten minutes to think it over,” Doc replied.

  “You’ve got five,” said Carson. He then moved away from the stairs and disappeared into the hallway.

  Rock turned around and glanced at the group. “Well, if anyone’s got any bright ideas, now’s the time to share,” he said. His gaze then lingered on Lucielle, “You! Got anything, yet?”

  “Me?” the girl asked, a little taken aback.

  “You’re the big shot analyst, aren’t you? I thought you were supposed to come up with all kinds of strategies.”

  “You’re oversimplifying it,” she said. “It doesn’t work that way.”

  The giant rolled his eyes. “Yeah, figures.”

  “Give her a break, will you,” said the redhead mercenary. “She’s only eleven.”

  “And a half,” Rock corrected as he stared at the girl.

  “Take it easy, big guy,” said Soran. “You’re not helping.”

  Rock immediately turned his attention to the young man. “Speaking of which … you’re supposed to be some kind of big shot too. Well, isn’t it time for you to do your thing?”

  Soran gave a dubious frown. “And what is my thing?”

  “I don’t know,” said the giant. “Go down there and beat the crap out of them or something.”

  “Are you crazy?” Soran protested. “There’s like a dozen of them. And they’ve got guns. I’ll get killed if I go down there. Getting killed is not my thing.”

  “Keep your voices down,” Doc snapped. “We need to come up with a plan. And soon.”

  Everyone turned silent as they each racked their brain, trying to find a way out of their predicament.

  There was now less than three minutes left.

  Doc had gone through a number of scenarios in his head, but none of them ended well for his side.

  Their situation seemed hopeless.

  “Maybe we should try to shoot our way out,” said Rock. “I’m sure they’re not expecting it.”

  “No, that wouldn’t work,” Soran argued. “You said it yourself, they’re no amateurs.”

  “Some of us could sneak out the windows and attack them from outside,” Sonar suggested. “We could cover the others and give them a chance to make a run for it.”

  “No, that wouldn’t work either,” said Ashrem. “If we split up, it’ll only make it easier for them to pick us off one-by-one.”

  Doc was half-listening to his companions as he continued to think. But then, from the corner of his eye, he saw Lucielle discreetly nod to him. She and the professor had moved to the other end of the room, and she had silently asked the mercenary to join them.

  While the others were still busy trying to figure out their next move, Doc furtively went over to the pair and found them arguing in hushed tones.

  “You’re not seriously suggesting this, are you?” Fournier whispered to the girl.

  “I don’t think we have a choice,” she whispered back.

  “It’s a terrible idea,” the old man insisted.

  “What’s all this about?” Doc asked, in a similarly low voice.

  “It’s something Rock said,” Lucielle murmured.

  Doc rolled his eyes. “Don’t pay attention to him. Everyone else tries not to.”

  “Actually …” the girl said.

  “Actually, what?” Doc asked.

  “There may be a way to solve our problem,” Lucielle declared, still whispering. “But it’s extremely dangerous.”

  Doc’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “Really? Let’s hear it then.”

  By then, the rest of the group had noticed the trio’s odd behavior and had started to get curious about their mysterious conversation.

  “What’s going on?” Rock asked.

  “Yeah, what’s with all the secrecy?” said Soran.

  “You have one minute,” Carson shouted from below.

  Doc Chen turned to Lucielle and said, “All right, we’re out of time. We’ll go with your plan. What do you need?”

  “Just a moment,” she said.

  The young girl walked over to Rock and waved for him to lean down. She then whispered something in his ear as the others looked on with increasing curiosity.

  All of a sudden, the giant jerked back away from her. “Is this a joke? Because we don’t—”

  “It’s not a joke,” she interrupted. “There’s no time to explain.”

  “What’s going on, Luce?” Ashrem asked.

  “She has an idea on how to get us out of this mess,” said Doc.

  “She does? Right on!” Sonar exclaimed.

  Marie had not said a word since Carson’s ultimatum. Even though she still had no idea what was going on, one thing, at least, was clear: as far as the men downstairs were concerned, she was in the same boat as that strange group. Therefore, in the immediate future, her only option was to work with them to try to make it out of the house. Which was why she could no longer remain silent. “You want to do what the child says?” she asked the others, in a tone that emphasized the absurdity of their decision.

  “Don’t worry,” Soran told her. “Lucielle knows what she’s doing.”

  “Can I get everyone’s attention please,” said the analyst as she moved closer to the edge of the stairs.

  The rest of the group assembled around her.

  She gazed up at them and said, “The plan’s actually quite simple. But it’s very risky. And it’s going to seem rather strange to some of you. Even so, I need everyone to remain calm and do exactly as instructed.”

  Rock was fidgeting. And he kept casting strange glances at Lucielle. “Are you sure about this?” he finally blurted out.

  “Will you please just do what she tells you,” Doc told the giant.

  Rock sighed in irritation and said, “Fine.” Then, without warning, he turned to Soran and grabbed him by the collar. “Sorry, buddy.”

  “Huh?” The young man stared at the giant in utter bewilderment. But before he could say anything, Rock tossed him over the staircase railings.

  “Whoaaa!” Soran shouted as he fell down to the ground floor.

  The others looked on, stupefied.

  They all heard a thumping sound as Soran hit the ground. And then, nothing.

  “What the hell was that?” Doc shouted at his comrade.

  “Now, hold on a second,” Rock shouted back. “You’re the one who told me to do what she said,” he added, pointing at the girl with silver hair.

  All eyes turned to Lucielle.

  Seeing all those accusatory stares converge on her, the youngster became defensive. “What? I told you the plan was simple.”

  Ashrem moved closer to his sister, and said in a calm voice, “That’s a big gamble, Luce. And even if it works, we’ll still be in danger.”

  “Yeah, I said that too,” she told him, in a belligerent tone.

  At that moment, muffled voices rose from the living room downstairs, where Carson’s men had taken Soran. The words themselves weren’t clear, but it sounded like threats were being made. Carson was probably asking the young man why he had been delivered to him in such a fashion. And although he couldn’t be sure whether this had been an incredibly sloppy mistake, or part of some strange ploy, it was clear that Leicester’s associate was starting to lose patience.

  “That doesn’t sound good,” said Rock as they all stood still and listened.

  “Hey, at least they’re talking,” said Sonar.

  Doc stared at Lucielle with searching eyes. “You don’t really expect your brother to talk us out of this, do you?”

  “No, I don’t,” she replied, with a worried frown on her face.

  The voices downstairs had gotten louder.

  Then, all of a sudden, nothing. There was
complete silence.

  But the silence only lasted an instant. It was soon followed by an eruption of screams and gunfire.

  “Argh, crap!” Rock exclaimed. “I knew I shouldn’t have listened to you.”

  As the giant headed for the stairs, closely followed by his two comrades, Ashrem stood in their path.

  “You shouldn’t go down there, right now,” said the young man.

  “What? We have to go help him,” said Rock.

  “Don’t!” said Fournier. “All of you, stay where you are!”

  “Please, trust us on this,” said Lucielle.

  Meanwhile, it sounded like a war was raging on beneath their feet.

  At that point, it occurred to Doc Chen the fighting had been going on for nearly half-a-minute. Is he really holding up against Carson’s entire squad all by himself? He wondered. He gazed at Ashrem, Lucielle, and the professor in turn. All three had the same troubled look on their faces. But oddly enough, they didn’t appear to be focused on what was happening downstairs. They were staring vacantly into space, as if pondering some other matter.

  Doc noticed his two comrades casting pressing glances at him. “We’ll wait,” he told them.

  “This is insane!” Marie exclaimed. “Are you really going to let your friend get killed without lifting a finger?”

  “He’s not our friend,” Ashrem told her. “He’s our brother. And he’ll be fine.”

  “If you actually believe that, then why do the three of you look so worried?” Marie countered as she cast an eye over the two siblings and the professor.

  “We’re not worried about our brother,” said Lucielle. She approached the staircase banister and cautiously peered below. “We’re worried about the rest of us. Especially, about the four of you.”

  Chapter 11 – Stay Away

  Before long, the lower half of the house had turned completely silent. Although, sporadic shots and loud voices could still be heard in the driveway outside.

  Ashrem decided to head over to his room to take a peek through the window.

  But as soon as the young man moved away from the stairs, Rock shouted, “This is nuts!”