By Day and by Night

Chapter 11- All and Nothing

Adelae broke the door down within two attempts, ramming into it with her shoulder. Just inside, the old musty brick building's open layout had been transformed into a battle zone. Several bodies littered the ground– men and women who hadn't even been able to defend themselves, wearing business skirts and suits, riddled with bullet holes. Desks had been pushed together, some were tipped over to make cover, and a few remaining men crouched behind them, ready to take on anyone who moved.

Adelae tucked herself behind a brick pillar that was barely wide enough to conceal her with perfect timing as bullets sprayed around her, almost nonstop for a minute straight.

The idiots.

Adelae waited for them to reload, checking her own ammo in the meantime, before stepping out at a crouch, and with perfect precision, shooting each one twice in the chest, moving to the next pillar and hiding to change her gun's magazine.

No more movement met her ears and she dared to peek around the corner into the carnage. She'd hit all of them, as far as she could tell. Adelae dropped down and rolled to the desk a few feet further into the room. When no one shot at her, she stood slowly, surveying the room. Finding it clear, she sprinted across to where a sign indicated "STAIRS". Two more men stood ready and waiting around the corner at the top. Adelae listened carefully but didn't think Varrin would be that easy to reach, so she carefully removed a grenade from a pouch on her hip, clenched the handle, removed the pin, and threw it up over the railing.

The explosion killed both men and blew up a desk. Dust, wood chips, glass shards, and paper bits flew through the air, causing Adelae to cough as she scaled the remainder of the stairs and leapt into the hallway.

The windows lining the whole floor were already boarded up – it seemed that the top half of the building had been out of commission for some time now. The wooden floor creaked loudly at her first step, and seemed weak enough that it might break through in other spots.

Cautiously, Adelae crept close to the walls, moving down the hallway. She met minimal resistance, quietly sneaking through a side room to avoid detection from two men who were on high alert. She snuck up behind them, imagining doing the classic movie-style knocking-their-heads-together thing, before deciding that that should stay in the movies, and instead, kicking one in the back and the other in the knee before smashing the second's face into a brick pillar and elbowing the first in the gut, giving her the perfect opportunity to kick the first in the head, effectively rendering both unconscious.

Then came the last room at the end of the hall. Adelae stilled herself, noticing the racing in her heart and the thudding in her ears. The floor seemed to move before her. The sound of fighting on the street below echoed not far off. A closed pair of sturdy oak double doors now stood between her and Varrin. She checked her ammo once more. Only six bullets left. She counted her knives just to be sure, and stepped up to the doors. With a deep breath, she delivered a swift kick and the doors burst open. Adelae rolled to the side, pressing her back to the wall, expecting a spray of bullets. When none came, she rose, sneaking a peek around the corner to evaluate the room.

Near the back wall of a poorly lit old office space, Varrin sat between two pillars with a gag in his mouth and his hands tied behind his back, a blindfold covering his eyes. A man stood beside him with a gun to his head. Varrin looked sweaty and dirty, with a scrape on his cheek that bled slightly, and his suit jacket torn and dirty. Otherwise, he seemed unscathed. There were also two men with guns just in front of Varrin, obviously to guard him, and another two in the center, off to the side. None of them raised their guns when Adelae squared her shoulders and stood in the center of the doorway. She watched them carefully, making a plan of attack. She pointed her gun at the man holding Varrin and took a measured step into the room. She only had six bullets, so she needed to map this out and move carefully.