Five men rush in with guns and ski masks on. Of course, this would happen, to me, of all people. Just my luck that I would get caught in a robbery, or something like it, when I am trying to get somewhere important.
“Get on the ground!” The man yells, his voice like steel, hard, sharp, and capable of killing. Most people are still running in panic, others stay cowered under their chairs, like me. With courage, I don’t feel, I spare a glance at Esmond. His tan face is ashen, yet he holds my stare, trying to tell me something. I notice a man trying to make it to the back exit, but one of the men sees him. Oh, god. A grin spreads across the robber’s lips as he carefully cocks his gun. How could somebody kill another person, out of spite? Sick twisted pleasure? It’s bloody fucked up.
I’m unprepared to watch an innocent man die as the bullet strikes him in between the eyes. Revulsion bubbles within me, keep it together, Sloane. You’ve taken self-defense classes, you know how to fight. But not against a gun, I was never prepared for this.
“Sloane.” A voice whispers and I look over at Esmond, my chest tight. His eyes are grave and flecked with panic, but for some reason, they calm me.
“Don’t look,” he says, and I try to keep my eyes on his, but they go back to the men. 181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWF2VnCxv5
“Everybody stay silent! For your god is here!” my brows furrow, what the hell? The middle man, with eyes of stone gray, stares down at everyone like he owns us. What kinda deranged moron is he?
“I will pick and chose who dies and who lives.” He continues, and I spare a look at the surrounding people, there are roughly 20. Maybe I have a chance at still living. Maybe.
“He’s going to kill us off like sheep to the slaughter.” Someone says an older woman, and the man hears her. He grins and walks up to her, the rest staying at all exits. Making sure no one can leave and no one can enter. Where are the police?
“You can call me, Sir. I will decide who is worthy, so you best start acting like it.” He motions to the dead man bleeding on the floor.
“Or end up like him.” The woman shudders and bows her head, her little girl clinging to her legs. Please don’t kill her. Sir crouches down beside the little girl, and panic surges in my veins. She has blonde hair, just as my sister does, well did, thanks to the chemo. Images of my sister rise to the surface, I have to save the girl. She can’t die, she’s too young.
“How old are you?” The man asks, and the girl starts to cry. The man takes out his gun and the woman gasps in alarm.
“No! Don’t! Please, not my baby.” She cries and without a second of hesitation, the woman drops dead to the floor as a bullet tears its way through her eye. Horror fills me and I grip on to Esmonds hand out on instinct. No, no, no, this can’t be happening. This isn’t real. The little girl cries out, and courage I don’t feel surges so powerful and strong as Sir cocks the gun at the girl. Who cares if I die now, I may die seconds from now, or minutes. At least I’ll die for something, someone.
“Sloane, no,” Esmond whispers as if he can see my thoughts clearly on my face. I let go of his hand and shoot to my feet, one word tearing from my lips.
“No!”
~~~~~
The man pivots to face me, and a chuckle leaves his mouth as he sees my skinny frame and plain black dress. I look pitiful, standing in front of the tall, broad shouldered man. Nothing but a wisp of a girl compared to the intimidating size of him.
“Well, what do we have here?” Sir asks, his meaty hand stroking the trigger of his gun. Fear wraps its way around my heart, but I can’t let the little girl die. My sister, she reminds me of my sister. Hazel, my little sister, my everything. I hear Esmond suck in a breath as Sir comes up to me.
“Do you think you are brave? That you could possibly beat me?” Don’t say anything, please don’t ramble. I keep still as his hand goes under my chin, up close, I realize the man is in his mid 40’s. Why would someone do something like this, he’s killed two innocent people already. Maybe three in a few seconds.
“You are quite a pretty thing.” He murmurs, and I suck in a harsh breath as his hand slides lower. Don’t move, don’t move.
“We’ll need to teach you some manners though,” Sir says and one second his hand is on my hip, the next there is a burning pain racing across my cheek.
“Sloane!” Esmond shouts, crawling out from underneath the chair. I stumble back into him, my face burning. Sir’s eyes glint with madness as he looks at us both. He motions behind him to one of his helpers, a man in a gray ski mask comes up, his eyes the color of coffee.
“Hex, grab the boy,” Sir says and panic flutter in me, for some reason I care what happens to Esmond. Sure, I don’t know him that well, but still... I care.
“No, don’t you dare,” I say, somewhat surprised about the steel in my voice. I step in front of him. Esmond tenses behind me, I feel him shake his head as if trying to save his life is the wrong thing to do. Hex shoves me out of the way and I hit the chairs with such force, one of them snaps beneath me. Apparently, my save Esmond mission has failed. A pained groan leaves my mouth, but I look up to see Hex leading Esmond away. Fear shines in his eyes, but Esmond doesn’t show it on his face. Rather, he looks like stone, but his eyes keep darting back to me. Why? I have no idea. I should be nothing to him, nothing but a shadow in high school. Somehow he noticed me.
“Now that your little boyfriend is being taken care of, I have you all to myself.” Sir grins and snaps his fingers, a man puts a pair of handcuffs into his awaiting hands. No, I won’t be able to escape with those on. Let alone get Esmond out, and the girl, and everyone here. I need a plan, shit, I need a plan. Sir comes closer and grabs my wrist, no!
“Wait…” I gasp and Sir raises a brow, actually waiting. I point to my abandoned violin.
“Can I play you something?” A startled chuckle leaves his mouth, and one of his helpers picks up the violin, making sure nothing dangerous is in the case.
“Why, of course, serenade me on my tour of vengeance and death.” He says, somewhat giddy. A boy beside me glowers at the ground, shaking with either fear or anger. Most likely both, I know I am. My bones quake and I feel it hard to stay stand. Everybody else is silent, but all I can think about is what is happening to Esmond. Gingerly, I take the violin and let out a breath. It’s not every day I play for the man who currently decides whether I live or die. Let alone in a train station with two corpses, possibly three now.
“Play.” Sir orders the gun now pointing in my direction. I swallow, my hands shaking as I take a deep breath. Breathe, hard to do when the stench of blood is all I can smell. My fingers find the positions on the neck and I begin to play.
Time seems to freeze as I let a mournful song pour out of my fingers as I play. A song for the two innocent people laying here on the floor, a song for Esmond and the pain he’s surely going through, a song for me, a song for my sister. The melody bursts from my violin and I swear even Sir looks slightly awed. People stare at me, playing for a murderer in the middle of the train station. I finish the song with one last sweep of my bow and slowly lay down my instrument.
“My, my, my, you have a talent,” Sir says, but I feel like something bad is going to happen.
“Please don’t hurt my friend.” I motion to the door where Esmond was taken through. Sir’s eyes darken, and before I know it, his fist flies at my face. A sharp, pained gasp leaves my mouth as I topple over a bench and land in a heap on the floor. Blood, sharp and metallic, coats my tongue as Sir stomps up to me.
“Don’t tell me what to do, I control you!” Sir waves the gun around, insanity burning bright in his eyes. I glare at him, knowing I am going to die so might as well go out with a bang, literally.
“Just because you have a gun doesn’t mean you control people.” I snap and people urgently whisper stop, don’t push him, he’ll kill you, but I don’t listen. Esmond is probably already dead. But...my sister, my mother, my father, Randin. I have a family. Sir stomps up, and he grabs me by the collar of my dress, yanking me up.
“Do you need me to prove to you that I can take your life away?” He states deadly calm, but also bursts with untamed rage. My eyes stray to the little girl, still sitting beside her mother’s corpse, and anger fills me. Where are the police?
“I know you can, you could do it now, maybe in five minutes, maybe hours later, I’m going to die anyway. It doesn’t make you a god when you kill people.” I must have struck some kind of chord in I’m because his leg comes up, and I groan as he knees me in the gut, then the ribs, his hand coming from my collar to hit me in the diaphragm, knocking the breath out of my lungs. A gasp leaves my mouth, then followed by a pained groan.
“Hex!” Sir hollers and the man comes out, not a single bloodstain on his shirt. My head pounds with pain, and blood runs from my nose and lip.
“Take her in with her boyfriend, I’ll deal with them later.” Esmond’s not dead? Hex drags me along the floor, and the little girl looks up at me. I give her a small reassuring smile, all I can manage through the pain. The door opens and Hex shoves me in.
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