MICHELLE
“What the hell is this?” The man sets Erin down on the stairwell and bends over to pick up the cuffs. He picks them up and examines the lock. The marks from Maddie’s hairpin trace the metal giving a clear picture of what just happened. He looks up at us, his flashlight illuminating his dark features, “What the fuck do you think you are doing?”
The man from upstairs, Addison, screams towards his guard, “What’s going on down there? I told you to grab the dead one and get upstairs, not fool around.”
The guard in our room looks at us, a slick, devilish grin forming around his lips, “You’re gonna wanna come down here, boss. The girls have something to show you.” He walks towards me slowly, and my heart races. Each step, I hunch down lower, grasping to the wall and pole for support. My mind goes completely blank. If this is going to be my last minute, I am going to sit here and think about the people I love and care for: Maddie, my parents, Erin, and Cal. All of my favorite moments replay in my head as I imagine what it will be like on the other side.
He grabs me by the hair and has me crouch down before him. “Let me see your cuffs too, lady.”
I reach my arms out slowly to him, praying he’ll see mine haven’t been tampered with and let us go. Maybe it’s just a fluke. Maybe Erin’s was just a bad lock or someone upstairs not getting the correct, working handcuffs. Either way, I can’t bear to look as he turns my hands over and back.
He clears his throat as he says, “Well, well, well. It looks like we—"
There’s a loud bang that vibrates over my head and I feel myself falling fast towards the ground. A weight is next to me, holding me down in place as I catch myself with the strength of my bare shoulder. I open my eyes in complete shock, expecting to see heaven around me, or at least a gun pointed at my head.
But there’s only Maddie and a large, rotted wood plank. She’s holding it high over her head with both hands around the ends as if she’s ready to strike again. She shouts at me, “Move, Miss Springer!”
I roll to my side just in time as the guard attempts to stand back up. Maddie, again, nails him directly on the head with the board, causing him to collapse in a heap, his arms and legs sprawled out like a star on the ground. I see a large pool off blood forming behind his head, and I instantly back away from the puddle seeping slowly towards me.
Maddie runs towards me, hugging me tightly. I kiss her forehead and thank her over and over again in a soft whisper. But the man above us’ voice is getting louder and footsteps are getting closer. He’s distracted, on the phone again. We listen as he says, “The warehouse is what? On fire! Fuck! Cal Ross and Jager Harris will never forget the day I take them down for this!”
I turn towards Maddie. “We have to go. We have to get out of here now.” She nods, shaking her head as her eyes dart around the darkened room as the man’s voice grows more and more hostile. “I need you to promise me something first, though, okay?”
“What? Anything. I’ll do anything,” she replies desperately.
“When I say ‘run,’ you run. You don’t look back. Not for me, not for Erin, not for your dad. You run as fast and as far as you can go and you don’t stop until you are safe.”
“But what about—”
“No, Maddie! You have to promise me that you understand what I am saying to you. You and your dad are the most important people in my life, and I am not about to let you or him die trying to get out of here. So I need you to be brave and listen to every single word I say.”
“Okay. Okay. Okay.” She is crying again as she pulls me in for a long hug around my neck. I push her back and brush away the tears from her stained and dirty face.
“Good girl. Now we have to find a way out of here – fast. I have an idea, but I need you to do something for me first. When I say ‘scream,’ you need to scream as loud as possible. It has to be louder than me breaking that window so the man upstairs doesn’t hear it and think we’re running.”
I walk quickly over towards the pole I was holding onto. It’s just heavy enough to break through the glass with a whack or two, I figure. Maddie’s screams should be enough to mask the muffled sound through the boards and make him think that his guard is doing his job.
“Ready? On three.” I turn to ask her, the pole in position in my hand like a large baseball bat. “One… two…three!”
She screams as loud as she can as I punch the pole into the glass. The blocks don’t shatter but move on their plaster. I kick at the soft spot, watching a few of the bricks fall to the ground. The sun blasts in, the mid-afternoon light shining the way for Maddie and me. Maddie turns to me, distracted from her job.
“What’s going on down there?” The man upstairs is alarmed by the Maddie’s sudden stop. She screams again, but he’s even more agitated now than before. “Theo? What the hell are you doing? Bring the fucking girl upstairs now so we can get this over with!”
Maddie is screaming for Erin, playing her part. I kick at the blocks one more time, freeing just enough space for Maddie and us to crawl through. I pull on her shoulder and whisper over her screams, “This is your time, Maddie. You’re going to get low and run far away from this place. Go! Now!”
She looks at me, wide-eyed and terrified. Her mouth is still open, still screaming her “Help”s and “No”s. And I know this isn’t going to be easy. I push her towards the window and pick her up from the waist. The motion motivates her as she climbs through the hole and begins to run.
Now I know my time is even more limited. I could run out with Maddie, but I can’t do that. I, instead, run towards Erin and lift her limp body up off of the ground. Her weight falls into me as I try not to stumble backwards. She stirs a bit, her head twisting back towards her shoulders and into me. I hear her whisper something. Maybe it’s “Help” or “Look.” But her lips are too dry, her voice too weak, and I don’t have time to try to make it out. All I can focus on is getting her to that window before the man upstairs comes for me next.
I pull her body up towards the window and then manage to hoist her a bit above my head. It’s just enough for me to hitch her upper half on the ground outside and then push her legs through. As I throw her last leg out, I hear the sound of the man rushing down the stairs in a loud clamor. He turns the corner and spots his man instantly.
He then turns to see me reaching to grab hold of something outside for support. But I’m coming up with twigs and dirt. I jump one more time, desperate for help. I scream out, but the man pulls me back down towards the ground, my head hitting the cement floor with a stinging bang. I’m paralyzed as I watch him look around the room for the other two. He screams out in a rage when he realizes his worst fears.
The man turns his attention back to me. His black hood pulled over his head paints shadows over his tan, withered face, but I can still make out the tattoos on his body as he lifts his fist towards me. I roll just out of miss and shoot my hand up, catching his chest as he tries to fall on top of me. With all of my might, I push him off as he tumbles into the body of his fellow Coyote.
I leap up, using the wall for support. The metal pole rolls towards me, and I have just seconds to pick it up before he comes running at me again. This time, he gets me by the waist, but my hand is free to smack his back with the metal rod as hard as I can. He stumbles back, taking me with him again as we freefall into the floor. My legs hitch around his as I land another hit to his head, this time managing to cut and bruise his eye. It shuts on itself almost instantly, blinding him.
I know this is my chance to run, and I don’t miss a beat. I take the pole and hurry back up towards the window. This time, I grab onto Erin’s leg and yank myself out. My body scrapes against the glass of the window, ripping into my outfit and skin. But I don’t scream or cry, I just move. All I can do is move, and I don’t have much time to do even that.
There’s a click and a loud shot. The man’s gun goes off, missing me by mere inches. My ears ring as I try not to panic. But he fires again; this time the bullet flies through the opening of the window, grazing my shoulder. I spring back from the force, falling towards Erin. I can feel the warm, red goo runs from my arm as I scream this time, hoping someone, anyone, will hear me.
“Get back here, you little bitch!” the man is calling as he fires off a third shot. Through the opening in the window, I see him spot me as he grins. Despite his bad eye, he knows he can hit either Erin or I with one, easily made shot. I stammer back, pulling Erin with me. My hands grasp onto the grass and ground, desperately trying to move out of the way of the window.
I hit something hard with my back and head, falling towards the side. The object vibrates as it screams out, “Don’t you fucking move, Addison! We’ve got this entire place surrounded.”
I look up behind me to see Cal and two men from the Mustangs standing completely still and strong on the lawn outside of what looks like a repair shop. Cal’s small black handgun is pointed into the window. I cry out towards him sobbing as he steps in front of me and uses his body to shield Erin and I.
He repeats his order towards Addison again, but he doesn’t budge. Cal shouts, “We’ve got your clubhouse, your warehouse, and now you. Mountain’s already surrendered. Are you going to let this go on so we have to kill you, or are you planning on coming out nice and quiet?”
There’s a long pause, neither man saying a word. I try not to even breathe. But then I hear the small clamor of a gun falling to the ground. The man next to Cal runs straight towards the window, his gun still held in the air. I watch as he pulls the man out and uses ties to bind his arms behind his back.
When the man is safely secured, Cal turns around, still on his knees. He looks at me, studying my body covered in dirt, blood, and cuts. But he doesn’t care. His hands move around the bruises of my face and head, gingerly touching each and every one of them. And then, his mouth barely open, he whispers, “You’re alive. You’re alive. You’re alive.”
I try to reply, but all I can exclaim softly is “Cal!”
He pulls me into his arms, cradling me towards his chest as he leans down and kisses me. Every bit of pain and sorrow I am feeling melts away in one perfect moment when our lips meet. I’m here. He’s here. And we’re together. Finally together.