It All Came Falling Down

twelve

    “Don’t move, or you’ll die!” yelled one of the soldiers.
    “Woah, woah! Comrades! We’re friendlies,” I shouted, not moving a muscle. Then, remembering all the blood on our uniforms, I added some groaning and grunting. “Help…” I pretended to be out of breath. “We need… help.” Controlling myself, I collapsed onto the floor. 
    “Help us!” Hero chimed in, stooping over as if she was assisting me. 
    The patrols looked at each other and hurried over to us. “Forgive us, comrades. What happened?” the other soldier spoke, examining the bloody clothes. As he bent over, Hero used the butt of her scoped rifle and knocked his standing partner unconscious. The remaining one realised what was going on and tried to fight back, but stopped right after he moved because Hero’s gun was aimed directly at him. Without wasting more time, I pulled out my combat knife from my belt and stabbed the sharp blade into his neck; the soldier went lifeless to the ground next to his battle buddy, whom I then slit in the throat to finish him. I didn’t enjoy killing, but I had to do what needed to be done. 
    “Let’s throw the bodies into the catacomb,” Hero said, already dragging one of them. I agreed, and we tossed the fresh corpses down the stairs and pulled the wooden board back over it. 
    “Done,” I said. “Now, for the lieutenant. Follow me.” We snuck through the alleyways of the town to avoid the main streets, where we could be easily exposed by patrol soldiers. Rats that ate litter off the ground squeaked and used their tiny legs to scatter away to their holes as we dashed down those dark roads. 
    As we neared the end of an alleyway, I stuck my hand out to signal for Hero to prepare to stop. I slowed down, my feet sliding across the cobblestones just a few more times to stop the momentum, and came to a halt right before I would’ve left the alley only to emerge from the shadows. Using one hand to pull Hero back, we leaned against a building wall. I peered around the corner and saw two more Esdrusian soldiers on duty. They faced our way but were too busy talking to each other to notice my head stick out. 
    “There are combatants out there,” I whispered. Then, noticing a door in the side of the building across from us, I pointed to it and hurried there. We were just in luck: it must’ve been breached by the soldiers before because the frame was broken, and it swung wide open when I pushed it.
    “The buildings here should be connected. Maybe we can use the rooftops. Come on,” said Hero, aiming her rifle forward and stepping in first. The place appeared to be a civilian clothing shop. There was a big glass window up front that allowed lamplight to shine through, but other than that, the inside was black and took some time to get our visions used to it. 
    “We have to find the stairs,” I stated the obvious. 
    “There’s another door over there, behind the counter,” Hero pointed towards the far end of the store. We hurried to the back, and sure enough a flight of stairs was waiting for us. Without hesitation, we dashed up, skipping every other step. On the second floor, it didn’t take long to find the rooftop exit, but we encountered yet another problem. 
    “Damn it!” I groaned. “The ladder is broken.”
    “Hey, take a look,” Hero said, pointing to a huge window, or glass door rather, as I examined it closer. “It’s a balcony. There’s a chance that the next building also has one,” she told me. 
    Running over and pulling the sliding glass door open, I stepped outside and turned to the right. Hero had guessed correctly: there was a balcony on the next building, but the two were not connected; a gap divided them. Before I could say anything, Hero raised her legs and climbed up the edge onto the ledge, maintaining her balance just for a bit before taking a leap and landing within the other balcony. 
    “Darn! Are you serious?” I muttered to myself, as I peered at the street two storeys below from where we were. Taking a deep breath and seeing no other option, I cautiously climbed the edge. “Woah!” I exclaimed quietly as I sprung across. Everything at the bottom flashed before my eyes, and quickly after, I landed with a soft grunt and a thud. 
    “Shh!” Hero rolled her eyes but held still.
    “What was that?” asked a soldier on the street. 
    “Just the rats maybe. There’s not a damn soul out at this time except us,” responded his partner. 
    Hero pulled on the balcony door, which slid right open. She headed inside to what appeared to be the second floor of a house with closed doors that probably concealed bedrooms and a bathroom. This time, we found a sturdy and intact leader, which led to the trapdoor that was the rooftop entrance. Climbing outside, I noticed that the roofs were identical to Hero’s house. The only difference was that the slanted parts were facing front and back instead of right and left, and the narrow central sections were all connected between buildings. This created a new path we were able to take. Conveniently for us, we did not have to go very far, and only several rooftops down would’ve placed us directly across from the building Lieutenant Truxin took the liberty of staying in. So, running across the tops of the roofs as if we were chasing the moon, we had arrived at our designated location. 
    “You ready?” I asked, but Hero didn’t bother to answer me. She already positioned herself and aimed her rifle across the street and peered through its scope. 
    The evening breezes had left, leaving the night with clear weather and little air resistance. It was perfect for a sniper to make a distant shot. Hero had now aligned her muzzle to what we assumed was the window of the second floor bedroom.
    “For Androleus Kamisteo, whose life was cruelly taken away by the orders of this man: I, Hirokulysia Kamisteo, have come to avenge your death. Long live the Resistance, dear brother.”