ALICE

Chapter 58: CHESS

 Alice was gradually getting more clothes on as they dried. She wasn’t that tired anymore, luckily.

 “So I guess we aren’t going to be getting ZERO then.” Taco said as he pulled on his boots.

 “No, unfortunately.” Redd said. “We need to get back here soon.”

 Alice was still shivering slightly, “I don’t think we want to come back here. I don’t, anyway.”

 Angel carefully reassembled his submachine gun, trying to get it to work again. Most of the team’s guns were buggered, including Alice’s handgun. She rolled her knife over her hand, spinning it around and doing other tricks before throwing it wickedly by the handle and getting the blade stuck in her homemade target on the wall.

 Leanne sat against the farthest wall, her feet and arms bound with the still wet rope. Her gag was still around her neck, although she hadn’t spoken a word since they got out of the water.

 “Do you think the LSF are still up top?” Nine asked as he set his damp coat aside.

 “They might be. I don’t know how we’re going to get out of this.” Redd said lying back and clutching his side.

 “Anyone else think that they might not be coming for us?” Krew said.

 The group went quiet, thinking it over.

 “Shut up Krew.” Nine said. “That’s stupid.”

 “Hey, leave him alone.” Angel said as he put the final piece back onto his weapon.

 “Deal with it.” Nine said as he sneered at Angel.

 “I am dealing with it. Leave the man alone. It was just an idea.”

 “Yeah a dumbass idea. You two are both morons.”

 “You really want to do this?” Angel said, standing up and raising his voice.

 “Yeah. Come on asshole.”

 “You’re making a mistake.”

 Angel stood up fully now. He raised his fists, and paused as a closed hand flew towards his face. He dodged the fist, and then sent one back at Nine. The punch hit him in the mouth but Nine didn’t stall.

 The fight escalated. At one point Nine got a good hit on Angel, getting him right in the eye and breaking a bone in his face. Angel got Nine in a spectacular head and arm lock, putting both the arm in jeopardy and having total control over the head. He held his face over the fire, pushing as hard as he could as Nine resisted. Finally, Nine managed to do a back-kick on Angel, giving him about three seconds of breathing room, enough to draw his knife.

 Angel pulled his knife from his vest, holding it commando style so that the blade was pointed to his right. He charged in, immediately parrying a slash from Nine. Angel didn’t have time to turn the blade around for a stab, and so opted to smash Nine in the head with the heavy brass ball on the hilt. Nine fell over like a house of cards in a stiff wind, but got up quickly. Blood trickled down from his temple as he took a solid stab at Angel, who splayed out but was still stabbed by the first inch of the knife. Nine pulled it out as Angel paused to look at his wound, and then prepared for an uppercut stab that was intended to get Angel through the bottom of the jaw, under the chin.

 The knife grazed Angel’s face but he dodged it. Unable to stop, Nine pushed the blade into the snow above him, the momentum carrying the handle and a lot of his forearms into the ice with it. He was now stuck, unable to pull his hands from the snow.

 “Would you look at that.” Angel said through heavy breaths. “Trapped.” He pushed the tip of his knife against Nine’s cheek, drawing blood, “Are you done, Nine?”

 He got a sneer for a response, which was replied to with an astounding right hook. The blow knocked him right out of the snow and his entire body onto the far wall. Angel started to laugh.

 “He-“ Angel smirked. “He’s out cold.”