R.I.P.E. part 2
She listened closely at the door. It was quiet. She opened it slowly and stepped out into the hallway. Vacant. Perfect.
As she entered the reception area, she noticed the girl was on the phone. "Not yet", she thought. Her baggy slacks threatened to drop by the weight of the AK braced against her body, but she caught it quickly. By this time, the girl was off the phone.
"Who are you here to see?" the receptionist asked without even looking up.
"Everyone." she answered.
Before the receptionist could look up, a bullet blasted the left side of her head. She didn't even know what happened. She never knew it was coming.
Knowing what just occur ed might cause a bit of attention, she quickly darted for the stairwell. This had to be as fast as possible. Though timing was important, she couldn't run the risk of not achieving her goal. One floor up, she quietly cracked the door. This floor was essential. She couldn't have anyone following her, or god forbid, a wannabe Hero. She wanted to paralyze those left behind with fear, under their desks, waiting for another blast. This way she could reach her destination the easy way and keep her element of surprise. That was most important. The hallway was empty, but the stretch of fluorescent light in front of each open door ensured their occupation. She could hear talking - but wasn't sure if she could hear panic in their voices. Once that happened, she knew she wouldn't have long.
Throwing the semi-automatic over her shoulder like a backpack, she grabbed both .45s. She walked swiftly but calmly, guns at her side, up the hallway towards the first door. The name on the door was unknown to her. The man at the desk had his face buried in paperwork. He did not pay her any attention. The news hadn't spread yet. She passed to the next door. The name plate was recognized immediately. She stopped briefly in his door way. He looked up at her. He had not seen the guns. He looked slightly confused, "Don't I know you?"
She answered with a shot in the forehead. Yes he knew her. Bastard.
She trotted quickly to the next office. She knew the occupant again. Another shot.
She could hear screaming somewhere down the hallway. Faster this time to the next door...another shot. More screams. Yelling. In a full run, she plowed past office after office. It was as though the spots were marked, like when the Lord punished Pharaoh for holding his followers captive. She imagined red, sloppy slashes marking her targets. Doors, meticulously picked out for her taking. She continued to run, randomly shooting until she felt the heat behind her. "STAIRS" She gasped in relief and slammed into the door. She ran up the flight of stairs in twos and stopped suddenly...to listen.
The pandemonium unveiling itself on the floor below. They were looking for her now, no doubt.
After a quick glance out the 8 x 8 window, she exited the stairwell and turned directly toward a board room. She was met by a man who attempted to close the door and in a panic, but the items in her hands proved him wrong. They were exactly where they were supposed to be. It was perfect timing. For once in her life, she was going to get exactly what she wanted. It was right in front of her, ripe and ready for the picking.
She ordered the small group into the corner. After securing the door, she allowed her mind to focus on the task at hand.
"Sit down." she commanded. They stared at her in disbelief. They recognized her. They were confused. They were afraid. "SIT DOWN!" she screamed. They obeyed.
The conference phone suddenly began to ring. Realizing she could buy more time, she looked at the girl in red and said, "Answer it. Tell them that everyone is fine and this room is secure. And if you don't," she said putting the .45 to the head of the girl next to her, "Her death will be your fault." The girl in red complied.
"Now that I've got your attention, I have a few things I came here to say" she began. "One word out of any one's mouth will cause problems for all of you. If anyone would like to test me, now is the time."
The room was silent.
"Good. You.." she pointed at the man in the grey suit. "Stand up. Why am I here?" The man rose slowly, not taking is eyes off her.
"How do I answer this?" The man rationalized in his head. He really had no idea why she was here. Saying so would likely bring bad results. He did his best to appease her. "You are here to discuss some issues?"
"Not at all." she mused. Head shots were the quickest. He learned as just as fast as the receptionist had. "I'm here to SOLVE some issues."
The girl in red screamed as the man in the grey suit slumped to the floor. She quickly turned her attention on her. "Did you have something to say?"
The girl in red shook her head vigorously, crying, her face now matching her suit.
"You all only get reminded once" she instructed. "And your friend here just screwed you out of a freebie." The girl in red was doing her best to compose herself, staring at the dead hand inches from her foot on the floor. The grey fiber in the suit soaked the blood up well. It must have been very expensive. "Suck it up, bitch." Her eyes shifted to each person at the table. "You've all made your bed, now you will lay in it."
The woman in blue slowly stood up and in desperation, attempted to made a plea for the remaining three.
"Defiant. Its almost funny. I knew if anyone was going to open their mouth, it would be you." she said. "You always have something to say, don't you?" The woman in blue turned silent.
"How rude!" she exclaimed. "You interrupt me, then change your mind?" She considered shooting her then and there, but instead, she turned her attention to the man in khakis.
"You know me, yes?" she asked the man in khakis. He nodded slowly. He did not want to speak. He was the smartest of them all.
"Although I can associate you with these two bitches, the fact is, you have not wronged me as they have. I'd like for you to go out and tell them that everything is OK and no one else will be shot. I just have a few more things to clear up."
The poor bastard. He believed her. Humans were so simple when it came down to it. Give the one hope, one aspirations and they cling to it. She would give him the luxury of not knowing. Ignorance is bliss. He would pass over in a sudden surprise.
As he walked toward the door, she waited. He would turn around. They always do. He wanted to look at the two women left with her...the psycho serial killer. He knew their destiny and he felt guilty at the same time he was feeling relief. Sure enough, almost to the door, he turned to look back. "Straight ahead" She stated.
He tuned his head and went to move the chairs in front of the door. As he bent over, she raised the .45 and shot twice in the head. Immediately, she turned the the girls. She thought that maybe they expected it. They were silent.
"You know your fate, don't you?" she asked.
The woman in blue said, "If you didn't have those gums you wouldn't be so powerful, would you?"
She smiled. "Really? Why do you think that? Maybe I don't want to touch the filth that is you. You want me to give you a chance without the guns? No problem." She laid her guns on the table. The girl in red widened her eyes. She knew immediately why. She laughed. "You think I'm leaving those for you?" she asked.
The girl in red shook her head.
"You look excited. Are you?"
Again, shook her head.
"Well then. Hands behind your back." The girl in red complied.
She placed the heavy duty plastic ties around her wrists. She turned to the woman in blue. "Let's do this." She lunged toward the woman in blue like wildfire. The woman in blue attempted to fight, but in her high heels and restrictive expensive blue suit, she didn't have much movement.
She took the woman in blue down with a quickness. Towering over her, knees on the woman in blue's shoulders she said, "How do you feel? Defeated? Small? Stupid?: A tear streamed out of the woman's right eye. "Oh I see. Humbled. You know what you have done. You are suddenly feeling remorse and wishing you could take all of it back, right? Your condescending tone, attempting to screw those who are innocent, filling the ignorant full of your drugs because they know no better."
The girl in red was sobbing. She turned to look at her. "Can't do a damn thing can you? Doesn't that make you feel weak? Vulnerable, unable to help or fix the problem? What a familiar feeling for me." she stated. "You both have done your best to belittle me. You act entirely too important for two stupid fucking bitches. Not so smart now are you? I am willing to give my life for my cause. Are you? Are you ready to take responsibility for the pain and suffering you have caused others?" The were both crying. She felt power unknown to her. A sick, twisted power. She grinned.
"I have no guns and you are beneath me. Right where you have always belonged. Your $1000 suit was of no assistance to you was it?" she asked. "Years of college for this waste of a life. Am I correct?" she mused. The woman in blue was doing her best not to begin sobbing.
"Straighten up!" she hissed. "This is the greatest moment in your life and you are ruining it! Be anything but a coward...hiding behind your words and your colleagues...well, where are they now? That's right, I KILLED them. They are all dead." She leaned back slowly and went for the right pant leg. The bowie knife slid out easily. With one swipe, her neck parted. Blood spilled and the girl in red screamed.
She smiled. "Boy, oh boy, did you fuck up." She stood up, the soon to be corpse jerking below her. "I've already warned you. " The girl in red struggled. She laughed in response. Suddenly a bang at the door.
"FBI! Open the door! "
The girl in red looked relieved. She smiled at her. You think you're getting out of this alive?" The victims eyes widened.
"FBI! Is this room secure?" the question was not directed at those in the room. "This door is coming down!"
As she steadied her knife, she hissed, "As this person of faith, of resurrection faith, I see death as a friend, not a foe; and the experience of death is, I am convinced, a transition from life to life, from fallen grace to golden glory. May God have mercy on the Soul of this Wicked Woman!" she commanded. With a quick swipe, the woman in red bled....the color was darker than her suit. She looked into her eyes. The girl in red's eyes began to dilate, but not stopping the fear, pain and loss that infected them like a virus.
This was justice. Justice was not just work, but a way of life. There are wicked ones, ones who require punishment. Those who need to feel the fear they instill in others. As oxymoronic as it sounds, this was her calling. This was her destiny. She would go as far as she could take it in order to deliver the message, until they took her down. And she wouldn't go down easy.
Knowing her time was limited, and, unless she planned to die right away (which she did not) she knew she had to act fast. She rubbed her head and face in the blood of her victims, grabbing chunks of flesh and matting it in her hair as quick as she could. The door was giving. With the .22 from her ankle, she fired an un-silcenced shot. Tossing it to the side, she then positioned herself on the floor, stomach first, partially under the conference table. She lay with her head facing the door, her arms in front of her. Both .45s were reloaded underneath her chest, ready for easy access.
After a few more moments, the door gave way and there was silence. She could see several pairs of legs emerging into the room with caution. Suddenly a man with brown hair knelled down with a powerful high powered rifle, looking at her thru the scope. She maintained her position, not breathing. Her eyes open, but looking upward. Her mouth gently drawn. The man saw no weapons in her hands, but he did see the the mass of bloody gore on her head. He assumed the obvious.
"There is a .22 on the floor" one voice said. The brown haired man stood up and walked away. She took a few small shallow breaths while the other bodies were examined.
"The assailant was shot in the head, probably self inflicted. Don't touch anything. Place a call to CSI, tell them we have a number of bodies here. Lock down this entire building. No public. Even the remaining employees are to be interviewed and released until further notice. No media, understand?" the man with brown hair announced. Her anxiety grew. She would wait for some to leave. She could not take all these men down by herself. She would remain in a dead like state and take her chances. She could always fake shock, or a mental breakdown, worst case scenario. The man with brown hair barked orders and one by one, they would leave. Thankfully they worked quickly and the only men left were to guard the scene and wait for CSI and the coroner to arrive.
She took a deep but quiet breath when she has she had a chance...it would be any moment now.
"Man, that was one crazy bitch. I wonder if she came to kill a cheating husband." the man with brown boots said.
"No, look at the way she's dressed." the man with brown hair said. "She planned this. She has gear, guns, a knife. This was not some spontaneous crime of passion. There was some sort of vendetta behind it, no doubt."
She smiled. Seizing her moment, she rolled over quietly and with fast precise silenced shots, she took down both by bullets to the head. They dropped to the floor and another man ran in. She shot his knees from underneath the table. When he fell, a shot to the head finished the job. She jumped up and yanked a jacket off one of the officers and went running out the door towards the stairwell. She heard shouts behind her. She opened the door. The police radio on the jacket burst out - "North Stairwell, shoot to kill" She slid down the railings quickly. The door to floor two began to open as she slid towards it. She aimed her guns and shot, some when thru the door, the others hit their targets. Landing on the first floor, she went for the side door pulling the hood over her head to hide the blood as best she could.
She could hear a helicopter. They meant to find her. The alley was narrow, but apparently not narrow enough. Location unknown, a sniper took a shot at her. She went over the fence with no problem. She landed in the back lot of a grocery store. She ran into the open loading dock.
"What the hell happened to you?" She heard.
Turning quickly, she saw a small old woman peering at her with squinted eyes. "I just came from that building! There is a man in there with a gun shooting everyone in sight!"
The woman took a good look at her now, seeing the blood and gore. She immediately went for the phone.
"No!" she yelled. "The police are already there! I need help. Please, please, I just want to get to my children. Can you please give me a ride? Please!" Tears spilled. She should have been an actress.
The old woman obviously felt for her and decided to do so. She went for her purse and keys. "Are you sure it is safe to be leaving here right now?" the old woman asked as they hurried towards her car.
"As safe as it's going to get." she said, putting the .45 to her back. "Now, quickly. Get in and drive."
1 comment:
I am loving this...I can't help picturing you as the "heroine". You are such a good writer! I was rooting for you the whole time!
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