Fatal (Winchester Sister 2)

We Are So Screwed

The first thing I did was open the vault door, letter opener in hand. "I'm gonna leave this open, give you guys some fresh air. No one leaves this vault or you'll get this trusty little thing through your voice box, understand?" I explained, holding up the silver knife. 

"I don't understand," Sherry said. "Why are you helping him? You're so young."

The phone rang behind me. If the power lines are down, the cops would have only opened the phone line for communication. 

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I explained.

"Hello?"

Good God!! I wanted to scream at Ronald, shoving the letter opener through his heart. He just doesn't know how to handle stuff like this. 

A guard gripped his shirt, leaning over the table. "I think I gotta get out of there."

"Sir, I'm very sorry but you're just going to have to stay put for the time being. Until the situation is resolved, all right?"

"What? What do you mean, 'demands'?"

"Ronald! Hang up the friggin' phone!" I yelled at him.

"No, I'm not a bank robber," he continued.

"I've really got to get out of here," the guard said with a pained look on his face.

"Sir, you can't leave!" I exclaimed louder than intentional. I wouldn't be in this mess if Ronald wasn't so friggin' crazy!

"...kind of a crime fighter, I guess."

"Ronald!" The guard struggles towards the door with the aid of several other hostages and a well-built, middle aged, dark-skinned man. "Look-" I said to them. 

"No, I'm acting alone."

I groaned and slammed the phone back on the receiver. "The less the cops know, the better, okay? So next time that phone rings, you leave it, understand?"

"Hey!" The man yelled at me. "I think this guy's having a heart attack!"

"Get a doctor!" Another person exclaimed.

"Great," I said. "Could be our guy. Could be a trick."

"You're just going to let the man die?" The man supporting him exclaimed. 

"No one's dying in here." I turned to Ronald, picking up the phone, "cover the door." I put my ear to the phone. "Hello?"

"What's your name?" A detective asked from the other end.

"I can't tell you but I need you to send in a paramedic."

"Can you tell me how many hostages are with you?"

"Look, one of these people could be having heart trouble. You need to send a paramedic in here now."

"Just stay calm, we'll have you folks out of there."

"Just send in a paramedic, okay? And please don't try anything else." I slammed the phone on the receiver for the second time, turning back towards the people in the vault. 

"Paramedic? We don't have time for that, girl!"

"I'm sorry," Ronald stammered, "but no one is getting out."

"He's dying right in front of you!"

I studied the man with the guard, he seemed too calm. I turned the handle of the letter opener over in my hands. "Come on, man, you've gotta unlock the front door. We've got to get him out of here." He stepped forward with the guard.