Phoenix

Chapter 15: Call 911

I turned to ashes and reappeared in the stairwell facing the locked back door. With my phone still in hand and the Glock holstered in my belt, I worked quickly. Keeping to the shadows, I ducked down and dismantled my phone, taking out the SIM card.

'This should be enough for them to track me,' I thought before slipping it into my boot.

They tugged at the locked door, rattling the door frame. Nick opened up the door that led from the stairwell to the lobby. Max stalked forward, baring his teeth at the doorway. Nick looked towards me on the stairs to the door then back to me.

"Get under the stairs," he mouthed.

I treaded lightly down the rickety steps before crouching under the stairs, watching through the skinny slites of the steps.

I watched as Nick approached the door with his black Glock 31 hidden behind his back, safety off. Slightly shaking, he unlocked and opened the door just enough that only he was visible.

"Can I help you, gentleman?" he asked as Max crouched down. His back leg muscles were tensely tight as he readied himself to jump.

"We must be lost. Can you, by any chance, direct us to the Elements hotel?" a man asked. His voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't pin it at a time like this.

"Yeah, come inside, and I can show you on one of the computers," Nick suggested as he swung the door open to reveal Max.

The poor bastard didn't have a second to pull his gun before Max had his nuts locked in his jaw. He screamed as he hit the pavement. Max tugged and whipped his head around, keeping his jaws shut. I stepped out from under the stairs and fired at the first target I saw, Benito. 

Gunshots rang out as he dogged for cover behind the van. Nick crouched in a corner at the bottom of the stairwell as concrete dust mixed with the air. I remembered the third gunman and searched for him, but he wasn't in view from the doorway. Nick pecked around the corner and fired two rounds, but the shooting continued.

"You suck at this," I said, taking cover in the corner opposite to him.

"Speak for yourself," he joked. The laughter lasted momentarily as an unforgettable sound echoed in the alleyway, causing my heart to stop.

"Shit," Nick breathed as Benito came out from behind the van with a fully loaded semi-automatic double-barrel shotgun.

"Get down," I warned as the first shot rattled the wall we were using for cover.

Nick laid flat on the ground next to me. Looking out the small 6-foot wide frame, I noticed Max had dropped the man he played with as though he was a chew toy. Instead of sinking his teeth into the partially battered man, Max stood staring at Benito, almost as if he was having a flashback to war.

"Max, go!" I yelled.

My voice seemed to catch his attention. He ran towards the street as Benito stepped closer to us. Suddenly I heard a high pitched yelp. 

My lungs stopped pumping as I looked back and saw Max's warm camel fur laying in a heap, not moving. I stood up and walked into the door frame to get a better view. I wish I hadn't.

"Max!" I screamed in pain as Benito lobbed another shell towards me.

The bullet melted before it could impact me. I was enraged and in pain, the perfect making of a wild storm. I shot wildly at Benito, not aiming until the magazine was empty. 

He stayed hidden behind the corner of the van as I stomped forward. Forgetting about the other shooter and my second mag as I dropped the gun.

Benito loaded his weapon again, but I was quicker. I grabbed the barrel and yanked it out of his arms before he could react. Quickly Benito shoved the butt of the gun into my shoulder. I lost balance momentarily before regaining it.