Page 75 of Coup De Grâce
He slid down the wall, a smear of blood dribbling down his lip.
Turning to Harry, I forced him to listen to me. “You need to get the hell out of here. At the end of the hall is a secondary elevator. Someone will be waiting there. Get to safety now before it’s too late.”
“Are you kidding?” he laughed. “This stuff is amazing!”
“This isn’t fake, Harry! We really are under attack!”
He laughed raucously, not believing a word I said. “Sure.”
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed another knife and crept around the corner, trying to pinpoint where the gunfire was coming from. With the smoke filling the air, it was impossible to see anything.
Fear snaked its way around my insides. A high-pitched squealing filled my ears as I tried desperately to concentrate on anything other than the sheer terror of the situation, that I might die at any moment.
And right then, I could have sworn I heard my mother’s voice in my head, in her nasally voice, asking why I had to be so inconsiderate to die while she was on vacation.
Sucking in a breath, I closed my eyes and forced myself to focus on the task at hand. Not dying. Sweat clung to my hand as I twisted the knife in my hand. I could do this. One guy dead. Only a few more to go.
Hopefully.
I rounded the corner, squealing when a man grabbed me around the neck, jerking me around. His arm was tucked around my neck, choking me painfully, cutting off all my air. I twisted and tried to scream, but I couldn’t get loose, couldn’t let anyone know I was over here dying.
I caught sight of Harry, signaling to him that I needed help, but he was saying something to the guy filming. I was on my own, and that light was quickly dimming.
With one last-ditch effort, I twisted as much as possible and thrust the knife into something hard. I didn’t know what I hit, but the pressure eased slightly, if only for a moment. Then I was being strangled again, and the light was fading.
“Get your hands off her!”
A crazy-looking woman ran at me, her fierce expression sending terror through me. Then something was flying through the air. I gasped as the arms around my neck suddenlydisappeared. Then something pierced my leg and I cried out, falling to the ground.
“Son of a bitch!” I shouted, coughing as air rushed to my lungs.
“Oops!” Zoe winced, falling to her knees. “Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” I shouted. “You threw a knife at me!”
“Right, but I was aiming for the guy who was trying to kill you. I mean, it took a few tries, but I finally got him.”
I turned and grimaced at the knife embedded in the man’s eyes. “Bullseye,” I muttered.
She held out her hand, helping me to my feet. “We have to get out of here.”
“Where’s everyone else?”
“Rae’s holding a one-woman show, taking down everyone with her wit and cunning skills. Bree is freaking out, getting everyone else down below, and Tahlia has turned into some kind of IRIS freakshow and is threatening to blow the whole place up.”
“Fuck, let’s get out of here.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Zoe retorted, turning and running straight into Harry. “Uh…Harry! What are you?—”
“This is the best live-action film ever! We’re streaming right now.”
“Right now?”
“Yes! You make a brilliant action hero!”
“Uh…thanks?”
“What are you guys doing?” Sarah shouted, racing toward us. “Get down!”
