Verial 147

Chapter 7: Close Call

The scream was feminine, erupting from around the corner of where we were.

It lasted mere seconds, but it causes everything around us to be silenced. My immediate reaction was to keep going on towards the hotel. I was going to walk by, but as I started moving again, Ian grabbed my arm and pulled me back, stopping me.

The woman's voice shrieks out again, her words rushed, "I think he's going to jump!"

It's then we finally turn around and start running to where the voice is coming from.

As we turned the corner I see a tall building. It's gray, with lots of clear windows and I can tell it's filled with rich men and women obsessed with nothing but money. But even as I take in the gigantic building, I quickly realize it's not the problem.

The problem is the man standing over the balcony eight floors up. It became an even bigger problem when I noticed he bore quite a resemblance to the man we were looking for. The man with a jet we needed.

Ian intakes a sharp breath beside me, "Yah, he looks stable to me."

Turner's voice comes out in a hoarse whisper, "We need to stop him."

I take in a sharp breath, trying to bottle up all the fear inside of me, "No shit."

I looked around. People were already videoing what was happening. "I'm going to try to run up. Cover for me. Turner, come with. Ian and Matt stay here, do whatever it takes."

I grab Turner's arm and run across the street. As I turn around the building into the dirty alleyway, I immediately notice the rusty staircase leading up the side of the building. After grabbing a large rock, I quickly climb up, Turner following right behind me.

I pass the first floor, then the second and so on.

When I finally reach the eighth, I pull out the rock and smash it through the glass window of the door. My arm is sliced open from the glass as I push open the door, but I ignore the feeling completely, stepping into the hallway.

I start rapidly knocking on doors, Elizabeth doing the same. Within a few seconds, an old man opens one of the doors. I ignore his immediate questions and push him aside, leaving Elizabeth to explain to him what is happening.

I run to the balcony, quickly opening the sliding doors. I open the doors and look from side to side and first see nothing, causing me to assume the worst. My brain starts to panic as I frantically turn my head, trying to find anyone on any of the porches on this side of the building.

Finally, I notice the man sitting in a plastic chair at least five rooms to the right of me.

He turns to me slowly, most likely having heard the sounds of our sudden search for him. Tears are falling down his sickly face, leaving red streaks behind, "I was really going to do it. I was so close to stopping it all, I was going to become nothing at all."

Turner finally comes out and looks at him, but he looks away when she does. "You might as well take me now. Know that I won't tell you a thing though. You'll have to kill me first. You can tell Knight whatever you want, but I will never help her again."

Turner's voice is shaky as she speaks, "We're not here to kill you, we're here to kill Knight, we need your help."

He turns back to us, wiping the tears from his face, "You think you can kill Knight?" I nod, but he scoffs, "Look in front of you. She's everywhere, she can probably see us now. You can never escape from her. Once she lures you in there's no way out. It's like a maze that leads you back to the start, you can't get out of the cycle."