Daniel made an effort to turn around, but he was met with something metal placed on the back of his head. He stopped his motion.
“Don’t be turning around just yet,” the whisper said. “And don’t be making any noise. You don’t want all these leeches on our asses, do you? Put your hands up and walk with me. Into the house, let’s go.”
Daniel put his hands up as instructed but didn’t move an inch. Instead, he tried turning again to face the voice. This time the metal thing struck against his head sharply. He gasped silently, resisting the urge to rub the spot with his hands.
“There are about four or five leeches in that house,” Daniel whispered back. “You’ve got to be insane to go in there.”
The patience of the man behind him seemed to be wearing thin. He whispered fiercely, “Maybe you don’t care about your life, but what about that pretty chick you got stuck inside?”
Daniel’s heart stopped for a beat. He hadn’t encountered this guy by chance. He and Sara were followed here. Out of options, Daniel walked in through the main door with a gun to his head. Whoever was behind him shut the door with a silent click.
“I’ll be taking that gun I see poking out from your pants,” the man said, a little louder.
“Shut up, or they’ll hear you!” Daniel said urgently.
“Nah, we’ll see about that bud,” came the reply. Daniel felt a cool metal press against his head again. “Now don’t be trying anything funny.”
Daniel felt a hand on his hip, where the gun was tucked into. If there was any time for trying something funny, it was now. He grabbed his perpetrator’s hand and ducked low to dodge a possible gunshot. He yanked at the hand and got the man tumbling at the bottom of the staircase. Daniel pulled his own gun out and pointed it down at him before he could recover.
“Stay down,” he said softly. “Don’t move a muscle.” The mystery man obeyed.
Daniel sized him up. He was wearing khaki pants and a black tee. His forehead bore a black ninja band. It was a uniform. A uniform of…
“I thought he said not to try anything funny,” came a hoarse voice from upstairs. “You’re not in a position to disobey an order like that, my good sir.”
Startled, Daniel looked up the staircase with his gun still trained on his target. Sunlight from behind the man silhouetted his image. He could make out a bulking frame, short military-cut hair and the ends of something tied around his forehead. The silhouette was also pointing a gun at him, too big to hold with one hand, and yet he was. Daniel was in big trouble.
“Now if I were you,” he said as he walked down the stairs, “I’d toss my gun away.”
“Don’t take another step,” Daniel said. “I’ll shoot him.”
“Ah, now that would make my job that much easier!” the man said as he stopped on the second step, his voice considerably louder. “Go on then! You shoot him, then I shoot you, then all that’s left would be getting that girl out of that room!”
Daniel wondered how he could speak so loud and so fearlessly. Where were the leeches?
“Put the gun down. You seem like a fit, healthy individual. I would prefer you alive,” said the man on the stairs.
Daniel knew he did. They couldn’t work with dead people. Daniel racked his brain, trying to find a way out. The guy sprawled at the bottom of the stairs began to get up. Daniel closed in on him and placed the gun on his head.
“This is the last time, sir. Drop the gun or I’ll make sure she pays,” the bulky man said menacingly as he pointed upstairs in the direction of the bedroom with his free hand.
Daniel finally complied. He dropped his gun to the floor, and the thug next to him picked it up immediately. He stowed it away in his belt and got up to point his own at Daniel.
The man on the stairs lowered his gun. He seemed pleased. “Was that so hard? So much drama for nothing. Now, if you will follow me up these stairs…” He turned around and disappeared at the top of the staircase.
“Move it,” the thug ordered Daniel. “Hands in the air.”
Daniel obeyed once again and made his way up the stairs. In the corridor, he was greeted by a whole band of thugs with the same kind of uniform, sitting with their backs to the wall. They seemed to be waiting for him. The leeches that had tried to break into the office were now corpses, lined against the wall. The black worm like things that were in their mouths were plucked out and thrown on top of the bodies.
Daniel could finally see the man who was on the staircase, and his heart sank. He too was wearing the uniform. The shirt was tight, and he could see his abdominal muscles and pecs. His skin was dark, which made the colour of his eyes and teeth pop. Not to mention he was towering, probably six-feet-six. His jaw was square and his gaze was burning. Even though he had a smile on his face, he looked like he would kill you at any instant. In his hand was a double-barrel shotgun, the butt of which was caked in blood.
“Reid…” Daniel said in disgust.
“My name has spread so far and wide, oh!” Reid exclaimed.
“With the city on lockdown, it hasn’t spread any further than that.”
Reid approached Daniel and glared down at him. His shadow covered Daniel’s face. “The city’s far enough. Once I save this city, the whole world will know that too.”
Daniel couldn’t believe him. “There won’t be anyone to save if you take all of us!”
“Sacrifices!” Reid shouted. “All sacrifices… Without sacrifices, sir, goals can’t be achieved.”
Daniel’s arms were starting to hurt. “You haven’t sacrificed shit! Why don’t you sacrifice your mini army, huh? Why don’t you put your military ass on the line, colonel?”
“Oh? No one else is brave enough to make these sacrifices. No one else would do what we’re enforcing. No one else… Only me.”
With that, Reid turned to the bedroom door. Daniel could see his back muscles protruding. “If you don’t want her dead, I suggest you coax her out amicably. I’m sure she doesn’t want to see you dead either.”
Daniel was pushed towards the door by the thug behind him. He calmed his breathing and knocked on the door. There wasn’t any response.
“Sara?” he tried, knocking again. “Sara, you need to come out.”
“Danny?” a voice came from inside. “Danny, there are others in the house.”
He sucked his breath in, hiding his panic. “It’s the thwarters.”
“And you want me to come out? Are you crazy?”
“Looks like it’s not working,” Reid said. He addressed Sara inside with a louder voice. “Come out, or I’ll kill him. You don’t care if your lover dies here?”
“We’re not lovers,” Daniel told him.
“Hmm… She followed you all the way here when she could’ve been safe elsewhere. You must be blind, sir.”
“That doesn’t mean shit!”
“Calm down. Maybe not a lover then, but she still cares. Maybe a little less than I’d thought, but she cares enough. That’s all I need.”
“You need us alive for the shit you do!” Sara screamed from inside. “Let’s see you kill him!”
Reid giggled slightly. “One isn’t as good as two, but it’s better than none.”
Reid rested the barrel of his gun on top of Daniel’s crown and shot it. A loud boom filled the house. The shot flew backwards and hit the wall behind Daniel. His ears rang and his heart stopped for a good five seconds. He fell to the floor with a thump, scared as all hell.
“DANNY!” Sara screamed from inside. The lock could be heard clicking open and the door swung into the room.
“DANNY! WHAT DID YOU ASS–”
A thug grabbed her and put a cloth over her nose and mouth. She slumped onto him instantaneously.
Reid’s smile disappeared; he was slightly annoyed. “Now look at what you guys made me do. All those leeches outside will be coming for us now.”
“No one asked you to shoot a damn shotgun,” Daniel remarked, still hunched on the floor. The burst of that shotgun would’ve been loud enough to attract leeches from two houses away, they were screwed.
Reid seemed to ignore him. “I’d put you out with chloroform too, but for all the trouble you caused me, I think you will have to settle for something a little more painful.”
Daniel looked up and saw the butt of Reid’s shotgun racing towards his face. He blacked out instantly.
Click here for Locked Down | Chapter 3
