Fighting For My Soul

Who Wants Some

They weren't sure how long they had been sitting there, but the sound of footsteps echoing through the abandoned structure let them know their company had arrived. Raylan took with this back against the wall out of direct sight why Liz the same on the other side. Liz prayed with every hope she had this wouldn't turn violent. She was about to find out the answer.

"Raylan Givens you up there?" Boyds voice came floating up the stairs.

"Ya," Raylan replied, "and Ive got company so dont think of doing anything dumb."

The silence told them that they were contemplating what he had just said. Raylan kept himself steady. He listened for the slightest sound to let him know their position.

"Raylan," Boyd came again, "old friend, I don't know if you can tell. But we've got a whole lot of men down here."

"I told you I have company," Raylan called, "You willing to find out who all is up here or play it safe?"

"I don't think you understand Raylan," Boyd's voice pleading with his old friend, "It's all on the line."

"Where's Thompson!" Picker's voice snapped.

"We don't have him if that's what you're wondering," Raylan answered.

"If you don't tell me where he is..."

"You'll kill us?" Raylan asked, "then you'll never find Drew."

Then the eerie silence that followed made Liz's skin crawl. She knew the anticipation was growing. Everyone was calculating their next moves. Boyd's voice broke the silence.

"You heard him," Boyd commented, "You can stay and kill the marshals but that's not what I signed up for."

"You will stay here!" Picker hissed.

It was like everything was lining up the way it shouldn't be. Down to the very reaction, it wasn't long till something set her off. She was walking on eggshells at this point. A gunshot rang out and the noise was amplified through the whole building. Raylan felt himself straighten up and go on the alert. He wasn't sure if the shot had been directed at them or if Picker had just executed Boyd. The sound of feet climbing the stairs let him know they had a problem. Raylan moved around the corner to see one of the thugs appear at the top of the stairs. He fired a round taking him out. More of them appeared, Raylan and Liz both popped them before returning to their cover. Shots rang out in opposition and debris flew as bullets hit the walls. Liz found an opportunity and fired a few more rounds at the enemy. Raylan stayed hunkered down, listening to the gunfire not wanting to allow the thugs to clear the stairs. He found a moment and fired more rounds hitting another man.

Liz moved out of her cover and fired rounds. But the second the bullet left her gun, her vision snapped and she was back in Baghdad. Her eyes got wide and she felt fear take over. She pushed herself into the wall she had for cover and closed her eyes. She could hear them, all of them. The screams plagued her mind, the cries for help, and the assorted arrays of gunfire.

Take cover! Help me! Man down! There's too many of them! Protect the witnesses! They've breached the border! Hardstead!

Her eyes flew back open and she looked around. She was back in the school and she could hear herself screaming but she couldn't determine what was real and what was in her head.

"Liz!" Raylan called out to his fellow marshal.

He was pinned down and unable to return fire. He wasn't sure where anyone was and prayed that they had backup coming. He looked out to assess the situation and saw a gunman at the top of the stairs. Raylan fired a round but missed. The man opened fire pinning Raylan back down.

"God Damn it!" he snapped to himself.

Liz felt instinct take over. She checked the ammo in her pistol then took a deep breath. She felt a wave of determination and flew up and out of her cover position. She body slammed the gunman at the top of the stairs and he fell down into a couple of his comrades. She took out two more of them before taking over on the other side of the stairs. Bullets clipped the wall next to her. She turned and fired more rounds.

"I suggest standing down!" Liz yelled, "We've got you pinned!"

"There's still more of use then there are of you!" Picker shouted.

"Doesn't mean you have the advantage!" she hollered.

She was answered by gunfire.

"Fine!" she snapped, "have it your way!"

She reached her gun around the corner and fired blindly. The sound of someone hitting the ground let her know she had hit someone. The sound of sirens entered the air.

"I suggest you leave now before my reinforcements get here!" she called.

No response made her slowly peak around the corner. She barely saw someone standing with a gun right next to the stairwell she was against. She quickly fired, taking him down. He went backwards down the stairs hitting some people on the way down.

"Give up now!" she reloaded her sidearm, "it's your only chance to escape!"

The growing sound of sirens made Picker consider his dilemma. He wasn't getting Drew this time. His options were to stay here and risk getting arrested or leave now and fight another day.

"Fall back!" he ordered his remaining men.

Liz felt herself grin. Then she stood up and moved so she was just looking around the corner of the staircase. All she saw were the men they had taken out. This was when her vision swayed and she started seeing double again. She could hear sounds, but they were far away and echoing inside her head. She looked from side to side and her world rotated between the school and the base in Baghdad. She looked down the stairs again, but instead of seeing dead mafia members, she saw her fellow fallen marshals.

"No!" she cried to herself, "No! No! Please no!"

He tightened her grip on her gun as her brain started to create a gap between her imagination and reality. She heard footsteps behind her and she swung around. In her mind, there was a Taliban member standing across from her with a large knife. The same one that haunted her every time. She raised her gun, getting an angry look on her face.

"You will not win this time!" she hissed, "I will not be the victim anymore!"

Raylan stood across from her with his hands raised. He knew she wasn't in her right mind. There was no talking her down the way he usually did. He knew she didnt see him. She was seeing an enemy that had long haunted her mind. It was going to take more then he knew to bring her back.

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