Beyond the Horizon

54. Starcrossed

The bullet lodged into the wall less than an inch from Shion's head. He dove back into the protection of the stairwell, just in time for another gunshot to go off and ricochet off the metal frame. Shion didn't watch to see where the stray bullet landed; as long as it didn't lodge itself in his body, he counted himself lucky.

          There was a single officer standing at the end of the small hallway. Shion had only managed to catch a quick glimpse of black and silver before the gunshot went off and forced him to retreat into the shadows. The lightbulb suspended over his head buzzed, mixing with the terrified pounding of his own heart in his ears.

          Somewhere partway down the stairwell, his companions reacted to the sound of gunfire. Aki brought up the procession, his bare hand stilling on the railing. His eyes shot wildly to the open door where Shion stood tucked off to the side, safely out of range of the officer's aim.

          Shion vaguely wondered if the officer had even recognized him as a VC or if he were firing blindly at any movement that came his way. Paranoia and terror could do that to a person. He considered pretending to be another officer for a moment, just to throw the guy off his guard―shout something into the hallway like, "Are you crazy, why are you shooting at us?" and use the officer's confusion to his advantage.

          The metal of Hitomi's mask flashed in the light as she angled her head to the side and listened nervously for another gunshot. Rin buzzed anxiously at her side, peeking over her shoulder and twitching their fingers at the prospect of another fight.

          Shion took a moment to peek over his shoulder and out into the hallway. The short white corridor led to a small doorway that Shion supposed led to the area where the worst of the gunfire sang. He could hear it through the thick metal walls: the cacophony of screams and the shouts of hatred and fury that accompanied it. His heart stalled when a shout sounded too familiar, when a gunshot cut off a scream that he thought might have belonged to someone he knew.

          "I know you're there, asshole," snarled the officer at the end of the hall. "I saw you. Why don't you come out and face me like a man?"

          Shion ducked back into the protective wall of the stairwell. As strong as the bullets might have been, it seemed they weren't powerful enough to break through the wall itself. His heart pounded, his stomach tight with a mixture of terror and faint relief. He had enough wits about him to know that he needed to keep a distance between himself and the officer guarding the door.

          How many bullets does he have left? Shion tried to count the rounds the officer had let loose since Shion had attempted to round the corner. One in the wall, two others in the frame itself. At least three had been fired. But how many bullets could a gun of that caliber hold in its cartridge? How many had the officer fired before stationing himself in the hallway to block the door? For that matter, how many additional cartridges did he have strapped to his heavy leather belt, and how quickly could he reload that gun of his once he ran out?

          Shion tried to remember the outline of the officer's gun. It was small enough to fit comfortably in his hand, not the massive machine guns many of the other officers had been brandishing. This particular officer clearly wasn't intended to be a combatant like the rest, but that didn't make him any less dangerous.

          Aki slowly ascended the stairs and crouched down on the top step. He leaned forward just enough to peek out into the hallway, catch a glimpse of the officer, and then duck back before he could be spotted. "Not an oppression officer," he said to Shion under his breath. "Probably a deputy or a higher up that got stationed to lock down the stairwells."