How I ran away

How I owed

The guards are at us in seconds. They come pouring out of every hallway to the exit where we stand.

"Stand back!" Van Zyl yells. His gun materializes in him hand. He looks at me and throws his knife my way. I catch it by the hilt.

Bang. Bang, bang.

Three shots. All meet their target. Three bodies fall to the ground. Dead. Dan Van Zyl is one of the best if not the best. We have skill. But they have numbers.

Two dozen guards erupt into the hall. If we turn our backs to run, we die. Those first three were just the first. Now it's almost impossible.

Over twenty guns are trained on us. Dan has his aimed to kill. Twelve is weaponless. I can barely stand even with his help.

But I paid Van Zyl to help us. And he makes no mistakes.

There is a Boom down one hallway leading here. Smoke billows out. A distraction.

Within seconds the room fills with smoke. Blinding everybody. I know at once that it was Dan. He definitely placed that earlier on our way up. His mind is ten steps ahead of everybody. That is why he never fails.

Gunshots. People are shooting blindly through the heavy smoke. But we are already long gone. Ducked to the ground as soon as the smoke appeared.

I catch sight of Dan shooting expertly from the ground at things only visible to him before a wisp of smoke blocks that out. I am also blind. All I have is Twelve's hand. I grasp onto it with all my strength and he squeezes back. Unwilling to let go to the only thing there is.

Crawling. I can manage that.

"Ah!" a whispered yelp of pain.

"What's wrong?" I say back.

"My knee, I banged it," the smoke is beginning to clear up. I can make out Twelve, crouched with a hand to one knee. A sharp pointed rock.

"Stop, leave, I'll come after you!" he says when he sees me pause and wait.

I shake my head, "c'mon Twelve." The smoke is clearing up. They will see us in seconds if we don't hurry up and get out.

"Holly," he says softly, "Leave!"

I take his arm and pull him to the sunlight. The bright light streaming through the door Van Zyl blasted open as soon as the smoke came on.

"Stop it, go!" he yells quietly.

But he saved me more than once. I have to return the favor. Have to. Even if it costs me my life. I can't live on anyway if I know I owe someone everything. Like I do him. The guy who saved my life. Also he is too young to die. Twenty-five at most. I don't know who he is. But I'll stay with him.

"I see them!" the shout is barely out of the man's mouth when a knife slits his throat. But I am too late. The damage is done. The smoke is clearing up. Suddenly I feel exposed. Suddenly I am exposed.

I dive to retrieve my knife from the neck. Shadows of fallen guards meet my eyes. Van Zyl's work. A man with a gun. He points it down at me. His eyes widen and he falls back. Onto the ground.

I look back. Dan is at the door, firing.

There are not so many left standing. Five. Maybe less.

Twelve jumps to his feet to block me from sight. He winces as he puts pressure on his knee. No! A man with a gun at the far end of the room. He doesn't see. I have one chance. One knife. If I miss, Twelve dies. And probably me too.

I level the blade in my hand. And throw it.

It misses. Misses by just an inch.

He aims. The gunman.

He misses. But he has more bullets.

Misses again. Just off by an inch this time. An inch to Twelve's death. He won't miss this time. Takes aim.

He missed before. But Dan Van Zyl doesn't.