Overhead, clouds roll in like waves and cover the sun’s brilliant rays. Not a soul occupies these streets, but we move carefully to avoid the cameras.
I spy a bouncy ball and know somewhere there’s a child missing it. The thought makes me ache inside. Another child whose life is riddled with violence. I can’t change what happened to me at my stepfather’s hands, but maybe—just maybe—if I ever escape from the Hole, I can make a positive difference for the sake of another child.
The intensity on Cole’s face keeps me from speaking. I can tell the surrounding area has him and Bruno on eggshells as they check each corner, alley, and street that we pass. Their hands tightly wind around their weapons and their eyes widen, surveying the area for any suspicious movements. First Bruno moves and then motions us with his hands to follow. The dull thud of our footsteps echoes through an otherwise ominously quiet block.
One block down. We follow Bruno into a narrow alley and stop to gather our thoughts for a minute before moving on. “Hey.” Bruno motions from the front and Cole comes around me with his gun cocked and ready. “We’ve got four blocks to go. You want me to stay point?”
“Yeah, Zeus and I don’t mind bringing up the rear,” Cole whispers.
Bruno nods, then squats down as a troop of guards runs past the entrance to the alley. We all hold our breath and pray. Cole pulls Zeus close to his body to keep him from sounding the alarm. I squeeze my eyes closed and hear the blood rushing through my ears. My heart pounds with adrenaline.
The guards seem too involved in whatever they’re doing to notice us hiding between the buildings. Thank God, I think. That counts as two strokes of luck today. But as soon as we leave the alley, I hear the sound of boots following us. First slow and then quicker, as if they’re sharks catching the scent of blood.
“Stop!” A voice cuts through the air.
But of course we don’t. Bruno sprints, looking for cover, as we tag along behind him. My breath comes in short, ragged bursts and I feel like my lungs will explode before we find somewhere to go.
“By order of the commander, halt!” the voice yells again.
I know it’s only a matter of seconds before they open fire because we have no intentions of stopping—for anyone. Come on, Bruno. Come on! My insides scream in desperation thinking about Cole behind me and our lives hanging in the balance. I lick my cracked lips, imagining how good water would taste as I puff along with them. Zeus’s tongue hangs out as he runs without effort. I know he could outsprint us all if he wanted, but he’s loyal and won’t leave us.
Seeing nowhere else to go, Bruno kicks in the door of a small house and weaves through it. Just as Cole enters, I hear the automatic rat, tat, tatting of guns open up outside. Dirt spits off the ground where bullets hit. A lone man sits at his table about to eat when we startle him. He jumps under the table with wide eyes and his dentures clatter to the floor as he yells for us to leave.
“Sorry, sir!” Cole apologizes as he runs through the kitchen. “Just passing through. Oh Lord, Zeus, put those down!” Cole yells and it’s not hard for me to guess what Zeus picked up.
We crash through the only other room of the house and barge through the back door into another shanty. Where are we going? The muscles in my legs burn from trying to keep up with Bruno, who’s a physical machine. Sweat drips down my face and stings my eyes, forcing me to wipe them with my dirty hands.
“We have to move faster. Try to pick up your pace,” Cole says behind me.
I can’t stop to check him, and as long as he talks, I know he’s there. I don’t want to lose him. I don’t want to die yet… I’m not ready. Not when I’m this close to being safe and seeing my brother for the first time in years. I don’t want this all to be for nothing.
We stumble through three, four, five more shanty houses before spilling into another street adjacent to the one before.
“Oh, this is great! Now where the hell are we?” Cole says under his breath.
My heart’s in my throat and I gasp for air as my chest heaves up and down. I look down and one of my slippers is missing. No time to stop though.
Bruno hooks a left and moves along the buildings. As I follow, my fingers touch the buildings for support, feeling the difference in texture between the brick and cement. Hoping against all odds we survive or can at least find a place to hide.
Cole’s hands grip his pistol, following along and checking to make sure the guards didn’t catch up.
Only two more blocks to go. But two blocks seem like an eternity when fighting for your life. Every breath, every stride, and every sound is magnified in my mind. The colors are more vivid, the feeling of suffocation more powerful than ever.
A loud crash lets us know we haven’t escaped them. They come thundering after us, firing nonstop. I don’t have time to scream or cry, just sprint with all my might after Bruno, hoping Cole follows with Zeus. The guards outnumber us as they pin us in another alley.
There’s nowhere left to go. We don’t have the manpower or firepower to take them head-on. Bruno and Cole take turns shooting back at them, but we know it’s only a matter of time before the guards figure out we’re at their mercy.
“Maybe I should have a gun,” I say.
Cole glances at me. “Have you ever shot one?”
“No. But it’s not hard to figure out.”
He thinks for a second. “Here goes nothing.” He places his other black pistol in my right hand. “It’s already loaded. Just aim and pull the trigger.”
Bruno empties a full magazine, hits the slide, and then slams in his spare. Then I shoot Cole’s other gun and empty it. It’s the first time I’ve ever touched one, and it feels good to fight back, although I’m sure my shots are nothing more than a deterrent.
The spray of bullets answering us forces us to shoot blind. Zeus barks ferociously while standing in front and Cole reins him in by pulling his collar. Dirt, dust, and pieces of debris shower us, leaving flakes of blood behind, but we rotate shooting until the ammunition is spent. After the last shot, Bruno and Cole lock eyes knowingly. They press against the wall and communicate with hand motions. I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to block out the sounds of hell being unleashed around us. Then we wait for the inevitable onslaught of violence from the guards. Cole pushes me behind him to protect me, and Zeus growls low and deep in his belly in front of us.
By now, we’ve sweated through every layer of clothing possible. The acrid smell of hot lead bores through my senses. I swear I feel a raindrop on my cheek as we wait and wait for the guards to kill us.
The gunfire continues but fades, confusing all of us. Male voices, some yelling and some moaning, creep across the street like ghosts. I want to look around the corner and find out what’s happening, but I know Cole would never allow it.
Bruno shrugs his shoulders and Cole furrows his brow and shakes his head in response. Nothing happens. “They should be here by now,” Bruno says to Cole as he swipes his forehead with his large hand.
“Stay here—let me look.” Cole ducks his head around the corner slowly to get a better look. “I see nothing. No eyes.”
Bruno’s jaw tightens as he thinks. “I don’t know, dude. Could be a trap.”
“Why would they trap us if we’re already cornered?” I ask in a whisper.
“Damn if I know… These guys are mentally sick.” Cole’s intense eyes rest on me for a moment. Despite his glistening face with dirt smeared across the side, he still looks amazing. The desire reflected in his expression and the way he protects me make me want him even more. My whole world hinges on how I feel about him. I’d die without him. If Alyssa could see us now… Maybe she can.