The Dream Team

I Am Not Afraid To Die

“I am not afraid to die.” My voice was strong and overpowering. The words that escaped my lips were not a death wish, but merely the truth. The thought of dying and death itself did not strike me with fear but with courage and strength. The revolver that was pressed up against my head did not make me nervous. Logan and Jared watched me carefully as I stood inches from my attacker. “I’ve been faced with death multiple times; the thought doesn’t even make me shiver.” I hissed to the gunman.

“You’re pretending to be strong and tough, inside your begging for me to not pull the trigger. You are afraid.” He told me as if he thought he could get away with killing me.

“I am not afraid.” I repeated. In all reality, I was not afraid of death. The only thing that sent the feeling of fear in me was how my friends and family would take it if I died. “You realize you can’t get away with murder, correct? My team will take no pity on you. You’ll spend the rest of your life in jail, which is if you don’t die first.”

I could tell he was processing the information I just told him. “I’ll let you go, but you must admit to me that you are afraid dying; everyone is.”

This was my negotiation, not his. I looked up at the man. It was the first time I had really looked at him. He appeared to be in his late thirties. He had facial hair and depressed looking brown eyes. “I won’t beg nor negotiate for my life.” I told him. “I am not afraid to die.”

Logan cleared his throat. I knew he was trying to tell me he was growing impatient. I hit him with an irritated look; impatience could cost me my life and possibly theirs. We had to rely on negotiation skills more than physically force. The department was sketchy on letting three teenagers use lethal weapons. Logan’s seventeen and Jared and I are eighteen.

“Let her go.” I heard a familiar voice demand. It was a relief to hear Captain’s raspy voice, although I really wanted to negotiate my way out of this one alone.

I felt my body being jerked closer to the gunman and the grip around my abdomen tightened, crushing my rips. At that moment, a cluster of gun shots rang in my ears and I saw the floor come flying at my face.

“Danica.” I heard the muffled sound of my name, “Danica.” I felt my body being shaken lightly. My ears were still ringing even though the gun shots had ceased. “Hey kiddo, can you hear me?” I rolled over and looked up at Logan who was leaning down over me.

The already small room seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. I felt as if I was suddenly becoming claustrophobic. I knew that couldn’t be. It must have been an effect of being dazed.

“Y…yeah.” I stuttered. I shook off the strange feeling that engulfed me. “My ears were just ringing. Hey wait, how are you going to call me kiddo when I’m older than you?” I asked playfully.

He chuckled. “You’re only a year older.”

I heard Jared in the background. “Little bit, you alright?” His voice seemed too casual for the current situation, but I forgot, it was Jared. Jared seemed to loom over me, bigger than he normally was. Out of the three of us, I was the shortest at 5’5”. The only thing we all seemed to have in common appearance wise was we’re all brunettes.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I’m alright.” I hated when one of the guys referred to me as ‘little bit’. There was only one person that could get away with calling me that and it wasn’t them, but I knew it would do no good to try to change them from their ways. They acted much like children, especially when it came to me. Generally, they teased me or mocked my words or actions.

Logan picked me up off the hard floor. I was still a little shaken, but not with fear. It was a sensation words could not explain. I looked back and say the limp body of the man who had attempted to make me attempt fear that did not exist.