Shantrice from The East: The Anthology

MANIFESTATIONS: INTRUSION, Pt. 03 [Story No. 04]

"Dammit, Shan—why do you always get me hemmed up in your shenanigans?!" Sinead shrieks, almost out of breath from the gang of goons chasing them.

"Awww, c'mon, Nady! You know you love it! I'm sure this is much more thrilling anyway than texting Dexter all your days!" —Shantrice turns to Sinead and winks, speeding ahead of her— "Get some excitement in your life, boo-boo!"

Being excited was a feeling Sinead wished she could experience right now, more than anything in the world.

She had reached a fever pitch of exhaustion, her legs morphing into gelatin, while Shantrice was still going strong as they dashed down the alleyway, her leather trenchcoat fluttering in the wind. The two had narrowly avoided the gunshots being sent their way and it was becoming harder to run since a fierce rainstorm had seized the area, quickly flooding the streets.

"Seriously though… I-DEE-EEE-KAY how you can move so agile in those high-heels! I'd have fallen over a long time ago!" Sinead expresses with a heavy wheeze. She was beginning to buckle from the strain of running for almost thirty minutes straight, but Shan was going strong in her high-heeled boots.

"Weeell, when you're in shape like I am, it becomes second nature," Shantrice starts. "but I also practice every day. I can do parkour in these bitches now!"

Shantrice conveniently forgot to mention that years upon years of being the top gymnast at The Herm had helped her maintain this almost superhuman athleticism. She pauses momentarily to pose in the pouring rain, cheesing and flashing the V-sign. Despite there being danger right on her and Sinead's tail, she still finds time to showboat, which greatly perplexes the latter.

"Shan— W-W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! Will you stop playing around—these guys have guns!" Sinead barks, pausing as well in order to admonish her.

"I mean, I'm not scared of their guns. Are you forgetting that The Eastside Pelican is bulletproof?"

"Only your mask, Shan! Only your mask!"

"It's not just my mask, Nady-Baby, it's also my FABULOUS scarlet trenchcoat! Did you forget it's armored? Anyway, I highly doubt these guys would kill a couple of— AAAGH!!"

Shantrice suddenly tumbles to the ground, her cocksure speech ending in the same moment. In the aftermath of a simultaneous crash of thunder and resounding gunfire, she realized she had been struck in her calf.

"F-F-FUCK! Help me, Sinead! I've been hit!" she wails, reeling from the searing pain of the bullet. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!"

***

Things were never supposed to turn out like this. It was just supposed to be a routine investigation as Shantrice had been supplied with info on who may have kidnapped her cousin, Zuri Farrese, a little over a year ago. The tips provided had led her to start trailing and spying on one of Aves Bay's most notorious crime bosses: Dominic "Fatso" Malveaux.

It all could've been so simple, as her and Sinead were just supposed to sneak into his hideout, gather the needed intel then be on their merry way. Instead, they ended up with a gang of trigger-happy thugs trying to eliminate them.

"Shitshitshitshitshit! I don't know what to do, Shan!" —Sinead is panicking about, flailing her arms in the air like a tube man— "Should I call 911?!"