Page 62 of Archer
“Fuck you!” Unable to get his face with my fist, I made a desperate move. Swinging my fist back until my knuckles brushed the dirty floor near Ron’s desk, I squared my elbow, so the odds were good I’d hit something. With all my strength, I rammed my elbow bone down, so it smashed into his eye and my bicep muscle smashed his nose.
Blinded temporarily, with the hand that wasn’t holding the knife, he covered his eye. “You fucking cunt!”
In his moment of lowered defense, I reached for my pistol. Only an inch or two from my reach, I clenched my jaw as I stretched my fingers, brushing the barrel.
“Archer! Behind you!” Rose yelled from above and I didn’t need to look to envision what was happening. Guaranteed, Ghost was merely a second, maybe two, from plummeting his knife into my spine.
With Rose’s voice still ringing in my ears, it felt like I fell into a different dimension of time. All the blood and chaos in the room halted. Everything blurred away, all except me, Rose, and my pistol. I could feel Ghost’s body weight on me, but it was as though the weight held no significance. Nothing mattered except the gun and Rose.
All at once I was flooded with imaginary moving photographs. All of them hovered in front of my eyes, all showing different scenes. Some were real, memories of Rose yelling at me or lying in my arms. Others were hypothetical.
In one photograph, I saw Rose and myself laughing in a hammock in the middle of a forest. An obviously whimsical setting, with gorgeous sun rays falling on us through the green leaves. Behind the knitted hammock was a waterfall plunging off a tall cliff into a nice, clear pond where the water was steady despite the physics not being logical. Pollen floated in the air around us and I could practically smell the fresh grass and moss.
All of it was fake. I’d never been anywhere like that in my whole life. I lived in Arizona, not the mountains. But Rose was in my arms, and there was a feeling that felt so real it brought life to the photo. It brought life to me. She smiled at me delicately, brushing her nose against me. The small touch filled me with an urge to ensure that she always felt as safe and relaxed as she did in that photograph.
Then there was another photograph that was so terrifying that it made my brain feel like it was bleeding. It was the exact same scene as where I was, only minutes after. I was lying on the ground, dead with a knife in my back. Ghost was untying Rose as she shrieked and cried. Once the ropes fell free, he swung her over his shoulder. And while the other Rebels were busy protecting themselves, he sneaked her out the door and no one heard from her again.
My fingers gripped the magazine of my pistol.
A third photograph floated in front of my eyes. It was a real one, a simple one. It was from my perspective, the memory of me opening my apartment door to see Rose dancing to classic rock with a drink in her hand. There was such a wild spirit in her that shone through that night. Everything changed that night. Something changed inside me. I didn’t realize it, but that was the night my mind was made up. I’d devote every day for the rest of my life to keeping Rose happy and safe.
“Archer! Quick!” Rose’s voice cut the silent time-lapse montage I’d fallen into.
I grabbed the gun and turned to Ghost as his knife was halfway to me. Not letting him get away, I pulled the trigger and—
“Ghost!” Slink’s squeaky voice yelled after the deafening gunshot.
For a couple of seconds, Ghost balanced on his knees as the gunshot to his stomach poured blood on me. Struggling to get his revenge, he wobbled, trying to get a final stab in before he toppled over. Then, the grip around the knife loosened and clattered on the ground, his body following quickly behind.
“You piece of shit!” Cash yelled from the ground. He was stumbling to back away from Maverick and Ripper when the gunshot startled him.
Now severely outnumbered, Ray, Cash, and Slink huddled together. For a moment, they tried to look intimidating until all of us held out either our guns or knives. Staring each other down, our eyes zeroed on each other, waiting for the next move.
Giving one last snarl, Ray spat, “Fine. You’re fuckin’ lucky, Ron. Let’s go, boys.”
“You serious, boss?” Slink asked, looking appalled by Ray’s words. “They got Ghost and Shiver.”
Tank pulled the trigger back and looked menacingly over the barrel. “You’re gonna be with them on the floor soon.”
“Let’s go,” Ray ordered again, turning his back to us. Cash and Slink stood looking disappointed, and Cash stared at Rose.
“You look like a shitty fuck, anyway.”
I gave a single, quiet laugh that no one heard.
“See you next time, Blazing Morons,” Slink said, flipping us off before slipping behind Ray and Cash. Their clunky boots stomped through the bakery and we all held our breaths until we heard the pleasant “ding” of the door’s bell.
“Holy fuck,” Maverick said from the ground with a black eye and split lip.
“Everyone all right?” Tank grumbled from beside the smashed-in door, scanning the room for injuries.
“Rose,” I breathed out before darting toward her and holding her face in my hands. Her cheeks had bruises in the shape of knuckles, and I noticed a small piece of her bottom tooth was chipped, and her mouth on the same side was swollen. Even through her wounds, she was still the most stunning woman I’d ever seen. I brushed my thumb along her bottom lip, wiping a drop of blood away. “Are you okay?”
She looked at me like I was insane, her voice trembling as she asked, “What kind of question is that?”
Shaking my head, I laughed. I was amazed that anyone could make me laugh while standing in a blood bath, but if anyone could, it would be Rose. Her eyes softened as a small smile crept up her lips and it felt so good to see happiness on her face again.
“I’m okay,” she said quietly, and I pressed my lips to her forehead quickly before walking behind the pillar.
