Don't Look Back (Short Story)

Part Four

It took fifteen minutes of running from one side of the city to the other to find the two. I don't know what I was thinking, trying to save the life of a total stranger, but I regret it, that's for sure.

I felt like I was going to die from the cold, when I finally heard a scream echo through the night. My feet were bleeding and numb, and I was leaving bloodied footsteps in the snow, I don't know what was wrong with me, to think that I wouldn't be followed.

By now I had decided that I was going to use my gun, however reluctant I was to pull the trigger, I would. When I finally traced the scream to its source, I found the girl I had been so diligently searching for, as well as five others. Without giving up my element of surprise, I took a deep breath, and surveyed my circumstances. Two women and three men towered over the shivering girl, smiling as one of the men pressed a foot onto her stomach. "So are you going to explain to us how you found out, or will I have to break your ribs?" All five of the captors had red hair, and I could see someone I recognized. The barmaid.

"I-I d-don't kn-know wh-what you-" The girl screamed as her 'date' stamped his foot down, crushing her ribs.

"What was that?" She was crying, and I leveled my gun at the man, taking note of the crab tattoo etched onto his forearm. Matching tattoos? Sure enough, all five gang members had a similar design drawn somewhere I could see it. The barmaid, on her shoulder, the other woman, on her neck, the 'soldier', his arm, the remaining two, twins most likely, on their ankles.

I readied my gun, aiming it at the man towering over his captive. My fingers shook, and regardless of the cold I could feel sweat drip down my neck. After a brief hesitation, I pulled the trigger.

I missed.

Wonderful.

The bullet, instead of piercing the man through the heart, grazed his side. He yelled, and backed against the alleyway wall, gritting his teeth. "Find who fired that shot!"

Dammit. I took off, fumbling with the cartridge of the gun, not bothering to look behind me. I heard someone yell for me to stop, and then multiple gunshots. I kept running. Someone caught me be the sleeve, I shrieked, and pulled the trigger in the general direction.

I killed the woman. She looked a lot younger than I expected, not much older than I was. I took a moment to panic at the thought of killing someone, before turning and bolting as far away from the body as I could. I couldn't hear anyone shouting, I couldn't process anything.

Before I could realize, no one was behind me. They were in front of me. The barmaid had both my guns, and I was surrounded, with my back pressed against a building.

"So what did you hear?" Three people were in front of me, and two were lying dead a few streets away. I couldn't breathe.

"That she figured something out." I said, my voice surprisingly calm. "And that you guys are Virus." I would have found the whole tattoo thing funny, the crab being cancer and therefore a virus, but the situation wasn't one for laughing.

"That's right. Congratulations." The man I'd shot first sneered, "Could you explain why exactly, were you out in this ungodly weather? Most of all, carrying a gun?" I didn't have an answer that would please them, in fact, I didn't have an answer at all. I kept silent, noticing how my captor himself had his uninjured arm around his shoulder.

"Well?" Someone piped, and I shook my head.

"I don't really know. I was at a bar, and I woke up to it snowing, I assume someone spiked my drink." I chose my words carefully, sending the barmaid a sideways glance, "I was heading home, and I'm a soldier, and-"

Someone sent a fist flying at my stomach, and I grunted, "Damned liar, all government officials are given metal plating, and seeing that I didn't just break my fingers, it's clear that you aren't one."

"Just kill him already!" The voice shook, and my eyes followed the voice to one of the twins. He was crying, and the realization hit me hard. I'd killed his twin. Images I didn't want to see flooded my mind, and my vision began to tint. "He- he k-killed-!"

"I- I didn't want-" I killed people. I was just like them. I'd killed someone's brother; I'd killed someone's twin. I'd done the same thing they did, I'd-

I took a shaky breath, blocking everything from my mind, squeezing my eyes shut. Not now. Survival was the most important right now. I had to live through this.

"You killed him!" A fist smashed into my face, and an audible crack could be heard. I didn't move, how could I? I'd killed someone, I'd turned into a murderer. I'd done the same thing they had done. I'd killed someone that people cared about. I'd done it twice.

My vision blurred with tears, and I locked my knees to keep from falling. I posted a hand on the building wall, and someone hit me again. The barmaid grabbed for the boy, lifting him off his feet. "You-!"

"Relax Keen." The boy screamed, twisting in the woman's arms, tears running down his face. "You can do whatever you want to him after this is sorted out."

"I-" My voice was shaking now, a terrified gasp reaching my lips as the boy's fist made contact with my skull.

I brought my free hand up to cover my spinning head, bringing it away sticky with blood. When had someone cut me? I couldn't breathe. I'd killed someone. "I-"A vengeful scream echoed through the empty air. I brought my eyes to the boy. The boy whose brother I'd just killed.

He was crying. He must've hated me. I was a killer.

I was a killer. Stop it!

I snapped out  of my trance, and looked my captor in the eye. "I went looking for her, our mother was worried when she didn't come home." My voice was unsteady, and I hated it. Whats wrong with me?! My fingers were shaking, my vision was doubling. It was the drug, it had to be the drug. I was spiraling out of control. Focus, focus, focus. The man in charge seemed to believe this answer, but that didn't mean my safety.

"Let's go." The leader of the group commanded, nodding to the boy who's brother I'd just killed, "Keep him quiet." And that was it, the worst part of my day.

The boy took a shaking step forward. He was unstable, that much was clear.

I was on the ground, weaponless, and towering over me was a madman with a knife. Great.