The File

The File ~ Chap. 12

I like this chapter. I'm not sure why, but I do.

Hope you enjoy it too! Even though it's kinda sort. Sorry...

comment.vote/fan, the usual... :)

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Cole

One of the guys had a gun that I had not seen before. I knew they had one before-it had almost shot me-but I thought I had kicked it away. The other one was empty handed. And he was the one that advanced on me as I stood up to put myself between them and Tate.

"What do you think you're doing?" the guy asked as he stepped forward.

"Protecting my friend," I answered.

Tate clutched to my arm and we both slowly moved backwards.

"You can still get out of here in one piece while you still can," the other said, lifting the gun and pointing it at my chest.

I successfully tried not to show them my fear. My heart was pounding hard in my chest.

"Don't hurt him," Tate said quickly from behind me. I felt her cower into my back as he moved the gun from pointing at me to pointing at her.

"I'm not going to let you get her," I said firmly.

"Do you even know why we want her?" the guy without the gun asked.

"Not specifically," I admitted. "But I get the gist."

"The 'gist' is what killed her father."

"I know," I said after a pause.

"And it can kill you, too."

"No," Tate squeaked. I placed my hand over hers, and she continued. "He only knows that you are after me because of what you tried to get from my dad. He doesn't know what the information is."

I glanced back at her, and she looked on the verge of tears.

"That doesn't matter. If he doesn't move and allow us to take you, he's going down. Dead."

Both Tate and I stopped walking and tensed, expecting the worst.

"Please, Cole," Tate begged. "This is your only chance. Get away while they allow it."

"No. I won't. I'm staying here with you." I turned to her, my back now to the guys. I knew that wasn't the best idea, but I did it anyway. "Do you have a water bottle?"

"Yeah, plenty. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Give me one that has the least water in it."

"What?"

I stared her directly in the eye. "Give."

She hurriedly opened her bag and rifled through it. Every second it took her to do that, I prepared to hear a gun shot. But by the time she pulled out a water bottle, there still had been no shot.

I looked at the inch of water. "Just finish it," I said softly.

She drank the rest of it.

"Here." I took it.

"What are you doing?" both of the men asked at once.

You should've shot us when you had the chance, I thought mockingly.

But I ignored them, and blew as much air into the bottle as I could. Then after I screwed the lid back on, I twisted the bottom of the bottle, gathering all of the pressure in the top. I opened the cap a little, aimed it at the man with the gun, and popped off the top.

There was a loud boom noise, and the bottle cap flew, and made a direct hit with the guy's eye. He staggered back in surprise, and held his eye. The other glanced at his partner, confused and surprised too.

Tate laughed and leaned into my chest, relieved.

I laughed along with her. "We should go," I said.

"I'm right behind you."

I chucked the bottle at the other guy's head, hitting dead on, and we ran away as fast as we could.

"Hey!" the one uninjured yelled. "Get back here!"

"I don't think so!" I called back.

I heard arguing behind us, and after one of them said a rough, "Get up," I heard more running feet.

"Oh boy," I mumbled.

"What?" Tate asked.

"Nothing, just the usual."

"Of course."

We went back to the town, and when we were out of sight of the guys, we quit running. But, just our luck, a police officer walked up.

"Is there a problem?" he asked. "You two were just caught running away from someone just a moment ago. It's making the citizens worried."

"There's no problem, officer," I assured him, trying to cover up my loss of breath.

"What are your names?" he asked. "I don't recognize you."

"I'm Tate Karsten," Tate said.

"Tate Karsten?" the officer repeated. "That name sounds familiar."

Tate and I shared a worried glance.

"Oh, I know why," the guy finally said. "You went missing on your trip to New York. Why are you here?"

"Just sightseeing," she replied quickly.

"You're on the Missing list. Please come with me." He grabbed her arm and started to pull her along.

"No!" Tate begged, trying to pull her arm out of his grip. "No, I can't come with you."

"You're mom must be worried sick."

"No, she's fine. I'm sure of it."

"You need to be sent home."

"Let her go!" I ordered, taking hold of her other arm.

The officer studied me. "I never caught your name."

"I never gave it," I snapped. "Let her go."

"Please," Tate added.

"What's your name, son?" the officer asked.

"Cole," I replied. No need to say my full name.

"Are you Cole Denwood? The other kid that disappeared on the trip." The way he looked at me, I doubted he was actually expecting himself to be wrong.

Shit. "No, I'm not."

"I think you're lying. You come with me, too." He grabbed my arm as well, and tugged us along.

"Let me go!" I shouted. Digging my heels into the ground, I managed to stop our movement.

"Don't be difficult, boy," the officer snarled.

"Listen..." I glanced at his badge. "Officer Whitson, we really can't be sent home right now. It's not safe for us."

"May I ask why?" Officer Whitson asked while managing to start dragging us down the street again.

Tate shot me a fierce glance.

"Not exactly," I said. "But you have to let us go about our business." I managed to yank my arm out of his grip, and quickly pried Tate's arm away before Whitson had a chance to react.

"Hey!" he shouted as we ran.

"Hay is for horses!" I shouted back and laughed.

"We are in deep," Tate moaned as we ran from the officer.

"Deeper than the ocean," I agreed.

Tate glanced back to see how much distance we had made between Officer Whitson. "He has company," she said nervously.

"You're not talking about...?" I didn't need to finish my sentence when she nodded. "Just what we need. Run faster."