The Death Game

Chapter 17

Don't? Don't what? Don't open the door? Too late. The doorknob turned slightly. The door creaked opened. Juliet's phone suddenly fell to the floor with a loud thump, her eyes enlarging at the sight before her. In the small room stood five tall men dressed in perfectly black, fitted suits. In their hands, they were each holding pistols. Their head jerked towards the girl who stood there frozen. A moment later, all were distracted by the sound of a smoke alarm beeping insistently from the downstairs.

Out in the hall, John had set light to the end of a rolled-up magazine, blown it mostly out again and allowed the smoke to drift upwards. He waved his hand over the magazine and blew on it to try and put it out completely. Everyone in the house was distracted by the sound of the smoke alarm that continued to beep loudly. Upstairs, the men in the room made their way passed Juliet, one of them quickly grabbing her wrist and tagging her along with them.

Downstairs, John had started thwacking the end of the magazine on the table as his head quickly turned towards the five men running down the staircase. The first one raised his pistol and fired it up at the smoke alarm, shattering it. The beeping stopped. One of the other men hurried towards John in the hall, aiming his pistol at him. The doctor instantly raised his hands, looking at the first man as he walked over and stopped in front of him.

''Thank you.'' Watson stuttered with a stressed smile.

Answering John's statement with a smirk, one of the men burst opened the front room where Sherlock and Irene Adler were. As the door jolted open with a loud and awful noise, the leader of the group, a name named Neilson, barged in, aiming his pistol at the detective. He threw Juliet towards Sherlock who caught her in his arms with a confused and alarmed expression. A man pushed the short man inside, a pistol placed carefully behind his back.

''Hands behind your head.'' the second man said walking over to Irene only to shove her to the floor near John who was being bundled in by the third man, ''On the floor. Keep it still.''

''Miss Waters, on the floor.'' Neilson announced as he shoved her to her knees beside John who had also been pushed down and was now doubled over with his hands behind his head and a pistol pointed to the back of his neck.

 ''Don't you want me on the floor too?'' Sherlock mocked with a smile on his face.

''No, sir. I want you to open the safe.'' the man replied savagely.

A safe? In her house, Miss Irene Adler, a dominatrix, had compromising photographs taken with a female member of the royal family. The photographs were stored inside her mobile phone, along with other valuable information, which made her a great target of various political factions. This phone Sherlock was looking for, and so it seems the five men too, was placed inside this safe. Yet only The Woman knew the password to open it and she wasn't prepared to reveal it.

 ''American. Interesting. Why would you care?'' the detective answered clocking his accent. He quickly glanced around the room. Irene Adler, John Watson and Juliet Waters were on the ground, on their knees. Their hands behind their head, a gun pointed towards them.

''Sir, the safe, now, please.'' Neilson sighed between his teeth. As Sherlock stated that he didn't know the code, annoyance washed over the armed man's face, ''We've been listening. She said she told you the code.''

''Well, if you'd been listening, you'd know she didn't.'' the tall man replied with a small smile.

''I'm assuming I missed something. From your reputation, I'm assuming you didn't, Mr Holmes.'' he mocked back.

''For God's sake... she's the one who knows the code!'' John exclaimed, ''Ask her!''

''Yes, sir. She also knows the code that automatically calls the police and sets off the burglar alarm. I've learned not to trust this woman.'' the armed man sighed followed by a loud grunt.