Forget Me Not

The Long Vacation

The explosion gave Sarawat the opening he needed. He elbowed the guard behind him, seized his gun, and swiftly incapacitated another guard with a twist of his wrist. The man dropped to his knees, whimpering. Sarawat delivered a decisive knee to his face and commandeered the weapon. In a seamless exchange, Man passed him another gun, and Sarawat skillfully dispatched two more guards who were closing in from behind.

Meanwhile, Renault was being whisked away by someone else, leaving Sarawat and Man engaged in a fierce firefight with Renault's men. They moved with synchronicity, a well-oiled team operating as one entity.

Taking cover to catch their breath around a corner, Sarawat and Man exchanged a glance. "I'll draw their attention," Sarawat suggested.

Man nodded. "I'll find us a ride."

With a quick agreement, Sarawat dashed out, guns blazing, heading upstairs. Simultaneously, Man slipped away in the opposite direction, diverting the guards' focus.

Navigating through the building, Man encountered a guard at a doorway. He swiftly incapacitated the man with a precise blow, swiftly moving on. "Boss, get ready to pick us up," he murmured into his earpiece. As he exited, another guard appeared, gun drawn. In a swift motion, Man subdued him, snapping his neck before he could react. He heard a faint, high-pitched squeal, recalling Sarawat's earlier warning, and shrugged it off.

Breaking through a window, he spotted Boss driving a van disguised as a cleaning service vehicle. The door slid open, and Man leaped inside. "Let's go! Sarawat's on his way!"

Meanwhile, Sarawat emerged onto the rooftop, locking the door behind him. The sound of approaching guards echoed up the stairs. Spotting a helicopter, he quickly assessed his options. Down below, he glimpsed Man preparing the van alongside Boss.

Making a swift decision, Sarawat forced open the helicopter door just as the guards breached the rooftop entrance. They rushed toward the aircraft, only to find it empty.

Sarawat, now wearing a hastily grabbed parachute, sprinted toward the roof's edge. He leaped off, pulling the ripcord as he plummeted. The parachute billowed open, catching the wind from the helicopter rotors and lifting him clear of the building.

Below, Boss revved the van in reverse, evading gunfire as guards poured out of the building. Sarawat descended toward them, his parachute guiding him into the path of the reversing van. Bullets peppered the windshield as he landed.

Man swung open the van door, covering Sarawat as he scrambled inside, discarding the parachute. Their vehicle, far from ordinary, accelerated with a speed rivaling a sports car. Inside, they exchanged incredulous looks.

"That was insane," Man gasped, catching his breath.

Sarawat nodded in agreement, adrenaline still coursing through him. "Damn right."

"Hold on to your butts---" Boss interjected.

The van crashed through the gates in reverse, leaving chaos in their wake.

At the exit, the young man who had been knocked out by Sarawat earlier groggily awoke. He sat up just in time to witness the van hurtling backward past him, followed closely by pursuing cars firing wildly. Rubbing his head, he lay back down, resigned to the madness unfolding before him.

◇─◇──◇─◇

Boss swerved erratically, dodging gunfire as they careened through trees, narrowly avoiding plunging off a cliff on the other side.

"I hate to backseat drive, but staying on the road might be a good idea," Sarawat remarked dryly.

Boss nodded, skillfully maneuvering back onto the road amidst continuing gunfire. Sarawat and Man returned fire, their movements fluid despite the chaos around them. Sarawat reloaded his gun mid-action.