Page 300 of Shadowman
Glancing left, I spot Kent, gun in hand. My stomach seizes. He has a clear shot. I shield Felix and prepare for death…
But then he turns and fires at Russo’s men instead.
What the hell….??
I can’t believe it.He’s protecting us!
I’m basking in relief when Kent falls to the ground. He’s been hit.
“No!” I scream, breaking left to check on him.
He’s down, bleeding from the chest.Jesus fuck… they shot him in the heart!
“Run! Go!” I yell at Felix, dropping to my knees in the dirt at Kent’s side.
I don’t even care that they’re shooting at me. He sacrificed himself for us. Kent is a good man… He doesn’t deserve to die over this.
Putting pressure on the wound, I get as low as possible to avoid the gunfire. “Stay with me, man,” I gasp, tears welling in my eyes as I watch him… fuckingdying. Coughing up blood. “Don’t die.Please…”
Rapid gunfire pops closer to me, and I jump.
“You gotta move, bro!” Joy shouts.
She and Rook are covering Velle. Everything is echoing. I can barely hear them over how loudly my ears are ringing, the air rippling from all the gunfire.
As much as it hurts to do so, I leave Kent, scrambling between the trees. Taking one last look, I see that both of Russo’s men are down, lying dead in the sand next to the Governor of New York.Deaddead.
Good. Fuck you.
The Ivory’s men are still shooting at us, though. We’re not in the clear, not even close.
Velle peels out, taking off while laying down cover fire.
“Retreat!” Rook calls out, he and Joy bolting in my direction.
“Get the lead out,” Joy croaks, grabbing me and pulling me with them.
So I just run. Run and run andrunsome more, with my heart hammering so hard it’s threatening to break my ribs. I run and I don’t stop until I make it to the old armory. Before I can even knock, the door whips open.
And there’s Dash, waving me inside.
Oh, thank God.
Catching my breath takes minutes. Between the adrenaline of being shot at, seeing multiple people killed in front of me,and then sprinting like I’ve never sprinted before, I’m worried I might collapse. I’m just pacing inside the cold, weathered stone structure for seconds that feel like hours, attempting to get my bearings. Until the haze begins to fade and real-time speeds back up.
Joy and Rook burst through the door, latching it behind them. I want to ask where Velle is, and if he’s okay. But I have to assume they’ve got it covered. Plus, I don’t have the capacity to speak right now.
I’m reeling. Rocking down to my goddamn core.
Motherfucking fucker… what the hell just happened??
Was that even real?
I know it was. I can feel it everywhere; my skin is alive and buzzing with adrenaline. I’m covered in dirt and Governor Russo’s blood.AllI can smell is gunpowder.
When I’m finally able to breathe better, I take in my surroundings. The armory is basically an old run-down shack, except that it’s made of stone and concrete, which pacifies me just enough. No bullets will be penetrating this place.
Next, I take stock of my friends…
