There was a polite knock at the front door. The men halted their assault, looking at each other quizzically. My eyes flew open, and my heart lifted. Would this be my rescuers? Emergency?
The knock sounded again, louder this time, but not threatening. With a kick to my ribs that had me curling in on myself, the leader stood, all his men following suit.
Just like that, all the men dropped to their knees, swearing like sailors and holding their legs. I took advantage of the moment, dragging myself under the piano and collapsing there on my side. My body ached, longing for rest, but I kept my eyes open to see who was responsible for this.
The windows broke into glittering shards of glass, and two men came through each. Each one tied up one of the four men, but left the leader sprawled on the floor. The front door opened, and I saw another man walk through.
"Well, well," He said, laughing. "Finally caught you." He crouched in front of the leader, who attempted to spit in his face. Instead, the saliva dripped disgustingly down his chin. "Now, why don't you tell me why you're here."
"There are more of us," The red-clad man growled. "Kill us. It won't matter. We won't stop hunting."
"Tsk, tsk," The other man said, shaking his head. "What a shame." He proceeded to draw a pistol from inside his jacket, taking the time to inspect it thoroughly before pointing it at the man and firing. The others did the same, killing all the red men. "Gentlemen," He said, holstering his weapon. "Clean up."
