{interactive} Detective You

The Gun

Ash covered Regina's hands as she traced an sign of a nearby bar.

The Southern Slums. The part where Regina do not know whether to feel pity or to be to look as if she was indifference. Abuse, terrorism, and much more crime had happened in this part of the city but at the same time, the victim were the one who deserves the attention of supports.

The rooftops of the various apartments and shops were lined with golden light from the setting sun. Roars of shouts and shatters of glasses were the sounds that filled her head at the moment; the band music deafened. 

Ignoring any distracting screams, Regina carefully watched as three men pulled up in front of an empty building, the navy car illuminated the sunlight. 

Two pistols were slacked in either side of her hips begging to be used. Whatever those men were up to, it wasn't anything of good. The ring leader, Rafael Black was a supposedly known crime lord. She would've checked up more about him in the police database.

Perhaps she supposed to pay a visit towards the police station before going into action. She narrowed her eyebrows. Perhaps she had been stupid.

She stood up from her spot on a rusty bench and moved towards the nearby tree, her coat trailing behind her. The tree was some spot nearer to the car, making it easier to spy on them.

As the men took in various boxes from inside the car, Regina made to get a closer look into the building. It would be riskier to go in through the windows, considering she didn't know who or what would be waiting for her. The alleyway leads towards the backdoor which seems to be a better option for her. 

Backdoors in this type of buildings were used for either maids or cooks, if it was to be any different. Still, less risky. So Regina went towards the shadow alley to meet a locked door. 

Click.

The metal hairpin fell into the stone floor as the door flawlessly opened to reveal a not-so-spacious room packed with boxes and various of other basket stuffed with clothes. A woman sat in one corner, scrubbing some fabrics. 

A deep cut was visible on her right arm. 

As Regina had though of before. Abuse. One of the most common thing to happen in the southern slums. Something corrupted police officers and social workers gave to their own victims too. 

But the cut was suddenly the least of her concerns as the woman turned around to meet Regina's eyes. Her eyes were bruised and lips, cracked. And as she opened her mouth to scream a warning, she shocked Regina instead.

The woman was suddenly begging. Begging for Regina to leave. 

Regina didn't know why. Why give such a sympathy for someone who just happened to be an enemy. So Regina asked, her voice hoarser than what Regina wanted it to be, "Go."

"Let them kill me." Was her only answer.

Regina crafted a confused look. "Why."

The woman looked towards the door towards the main room. She chewed on her lips before bursting into uneven sobs. "They'll find me."

When Regina didn't answer, the woman added in a brittle voice, "They'll kill my children for punishment."

"You've never gone back home?" A careful question.

A nod in a chorus of sobs.

There was a loud bang on the main door which was followed by a shout which made Regina hurtled to hide behind the piled boxes. 

A crooked man came in, a cigarette in his mouth. "Breakdowns again?! You know the rules. Keep quiet and keep scrubbing!" A slap so fast and so painful, a crack echoed the room.

"I-I'm sorry." The woman's voice was weak. Weak and defenseless.

So as the second slap was to be initiated, the crack was louder than the last. The crooked man fell to the ground, his legs knocked out by Regina's own boots. 

And the woman ran.

A raspy voice came out of the injured man's mouth. A low, humorless laugh. "You don't know who you just let escaped. You-." His eyes went lifeless.

Regina's stalker put her pistol down as her eyes met Regina's.

"You." Regina didn't know why she was so surprised by her appearance.

"Me." The golden-blonde journalist casted a bland smile. 

"What do you want, Heather?" 

The golden-blonde journalist stalked towards the corpse. She passed a shrug. "Nothing more than a helping hand." She picked up a knife from the crooked man's hand. "You would've been dead if it wasn't for me."

Regina kept her face neutral as she took the knife from the journalist's hand. "Thank you for that but you-, " Regina casted her a disgusted look. "You never come without a somewhat payment."

A frown formed on Heather's lips, flicker of worry was visible in her sky blue eyes. "I'll loose my job if I don't get such a scoop by the end of this week. I need this."

A lie but Regina played along with it. "You know how to shoot?" The bullet didn't precisely go through the man's neck.

"Amateur but I can still use it. Learnt it all by myself." An arrogant smile was painted on her dazzling face as she stood from her position.

Regina didn't bother giving her a mirrored smile. "I thought myself how to use various weapons, amateur. Don't look so proud yet."

But as the more shouts appeared from the doorway, they stopped talking. "Ant? Ant?!"

Two down in under three seconds. 

"Hide." 

Heather slid towards an empty barrel as more people come in to check out what had knocked down the people. "Show yourself!" A tanned man pointed a gun towards the empty box in one corner as if suspecting someone to be hiding there.

A dagger whirled towards the nearest crook's neck. Then another. 

Regina followed slowly raised her pistol afterwards, pointing it towards the tanned man's exposed neck. "Bye-bye, general."

He went down.

Faster than the desert snake, Regina sprinted towards the nearby boxes and whirled two daggers towards a man's leg. To spread enough panic. 

Sure enough, two careless men started to fire in random directions while the rest rushed to help the injured man.

Heather appeared from her hiding spot and immediately shot the two careless crooks. Again, the aim weren't precise but it gave them a temporary disability. 

Not precisely towards the heart or the neck is what Regina meant but the fact that Heather could actually shoot the men in places where they were actually temporarily disabled.

In places where Heather knew wouldn't cause much damages. 

And suddenly their encounter together just didn't add up. Suddenly, Regina knew where she was coming to.

Regina shot home.

Heather tumbled down towards the bloody floor. 

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CHOICES:

- Retreat now, find back up

- Go explore, find more clues

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A/N

WOO, Regina didn't die y'all. 

Yes, Heather would've absolutely kill Regina on her way towards the police station, why? You'll find that out soon!