My Masked Assassin

Chapter Twenty Two: "I Do It Because No One Else Will..."

"HOLY!!!" I wasn't even allowed time to curse properly as I raced forward, kicked the killer away, and grabbed for the person identified as Jeff.

I just barely caught the corner of his collar.

I hear a faint ripe but I reach for his under arm and yank him back up. Jeff frantically kicks back up onto the roof. But we'd accidentally upset the person's stance next to us and they began to tip side to side.

"Shiiiiiiit" I reached for them too and yank them back.

I turned and yelled, "EVERYBODY! FALL THE-FUCK BACK! Before he-"

I stiffen.

The madman had already reached another person and was coming full force to push them off. There'd be no way for me to get to them and grab them in time, and even with that if I managed to save them he'd just push another person off!

Without hesitation, I reached for my gun and put three bullets through the guys back. I see his body convulse with every shot that entered him, and next he fell sideways to the ground.

I wasn't worried about the bullets flying cleanly through him and hitting any of the other hostages. I'd made sure the angles at which I shot him would let the bullet cleanly pass through his body, and lodge themselves in places that would kill him too.

Well...wouldn't kill him instantly...

"Please everyone," I call out, much calmer now. "Fall back, you're safe now."

Everyone hesitated a moment, but one by one fell backwards.

The people who'd been directly in front of the man and had heard gun fire aimed so close to them shook violently as their bodies probably weren't even responding to their command. They shivered and shook as I heard small whimpers emanate from them.

I walk towards their side of the roof and pulled the three people frozen in fear, back down.

As everyone was breathing, crying, and generally overcome by a sense of relief and security, I give myself 5 minutes.

First I rest the palms of my hands on my knees, but the crushing weight of relief weighed down on me and I fall next to my knees and breath out heavily.

I take deep breathes to calm my nerves. I reach behind me and look at my knife as I pulled it out.

"Shame I never got to use you" I say out loud.

I put the knife away and get back up to my feet.

"Anybody got a phone?" I call out, holding onto my chest as I tried to catch my breath.

The psychopaths of this town are gonna give me a heart attack!

I groan out in annoyance when I saw most people who were able to process what I was saying shake their head.

I walk towards the killer and check his body.

He had a phone...but the screen was hopelessly shattered from when he fell to the ground.

I look towards the roof entrance, but then remembered what Sally had said, that the killer had deviously laced the corridors with bombs.

I could diffuse them?

But it'd take too long, and only lord knows how many there were hidden throughout this building.

I sit down in the lotus position as I think of how to get us down.

"We've got no phones, no way down, and no one can risk coming up here to check if we're still alive" I say out loud.

All the hostages look at me, and I look back at them.

I need to think...

Maybe if they don't see anyone fall down for a while they'll get the hint?

"No, Sally won't still come up and check" I answer my own question.

I see some of the people around me begin to get freaked out by me talking to myself, but I liked doing that to people.

I was silent for 30 more seconds till...

"I have an idea!" I say suddenly, snapping my fingers as the thought hit me.

I walk over to the edge of the roof and see the huge stunt air bag fully inflated and placed towards the entrance of the building where a good amount of people had fallen from.

I reach for my gun that had been lying a little distance away. I pull it up and aim at the airbag, firing three bullets at 5 seconds interval, puncturing them and deflating it immediately.

I get looks of confusion from the hostages on the roof. I pull out my knife and decide to cut them free. I liked the silence of them being tied up but it was kinda sadistic to leave them that way.

"I shot the bullets at it to inform them it was me" I explain.

The first person I go to cut was Cindy, "But they might think he was the one that shot it," she says, referencing to her dead workmate with as much disgust and distain as humanly possible.

"That may be true, but if it was him wouldn't he just push someone off the side that didn't have an airbag under it?" I reply.

"Fair point." The man I initially saved named Jeff said as he pulled the scarf from his mouth free.

Those that I cut free went to help those whom I hadn't reached yet. Once everyone was untied and freed, they gathered at the center of the roof and all looked at me earnestly.

"What?" I asked.

Quite ensued for a few seconds, it slowly ticked till-

"Aren't you gonna do something?" an elderly woman just asked.

"Like what!?" I say back.

"You know...!" A dude in the back jumped in, "Your superhero vigilante thing!"

I raise an eyebrow at that.

"Look," I place one of my hands on the side of my hips. "My job is to save you, not take you home." I say with alittle sass dripping into my voice.

Then I pointed at the dead corpse, "I've already done my part!" I add.

I see the look of worry and panic glaze dozens of eyes and I realized that some of them were beginning to worry that I might ditch them.

"Calm down" I say next, trying to put some warmth and friendliness into my tone.

I lean back toward the edge of the roof and rest my butt on it. I see some people flinch and I didn't blame them. Most of these guys might never go near the edge of anything ever again after being so traumatized.

Imagine having PTSD every time you see the edge of your desk?! I internally mused.

"Now it's no secret that I don't have to do this" I inform the slightly shivering crowd. "But I still do it anyway"

A moment passed.

"Why...?" Cindy asked.

I thought about it a bit before finally saying, "I don't know"

That caught people off guard.

I chuckled. "What? Did you expect a noble story of my parent's dying that drove me to do this? Never met my folks, sorry." I smile again. "I guess I do it because no one else will..." I say honestly.

Then I shrug, "Plus it's really fucking fun," I add bluntly.

I look out into the distance and just admire the city skyline.

"One thing I've realized," I continue to speak, more to myself then the former hostages. "Is that someone is always willing to help. And when it's your turn, you lend others your help as well"

And with that a rescue chopper flew up behind me, sending my hair flailing and bringing smiles to everyone's faces.