Chapter 26: No Way Out!

John

I entered the warehouse and it was near pitch black inside the only light that made it visible was the dim nightlights that I presumed were used for security reasons. I had my sidearm drawn at chest height and was ready to strike in case I stumbled upon him, I cleared each isle and found no-one, I did hear things all over the store but when things were this quiet that’s when my deteriorating mental health kicked in, it made situations like this difficult as I wasn’t sure if the voices or knocking sounds were real, it didn’t help as when I checked where they were coming from there was nothing there. Out of nowhere though I heard a gunshot and saw the flash from in front of me, the shot missed as I ducked behind a box from cover, at this point I was at a disadvantage, he knew exactly where I was as I didn’t know where he was, I needed an advantage. I reached behind me and grabbed a box of nails that was on the shelves and scattered them on the floor just in front me, I then waited for the sound of nails and just as I did I leaped out at the shooter in front of me taking him to the ground and driving a screwdriver through his eye killing him instantly. I then stood back onto my feet, I knew that the noise I made would cause anyone else in here to head to my location. I then darted a few isles over and waited for any movement to pop up, and as I expected I heard 3 soldiers’ step past, I followed behind, they found the body not long after and during their confusion I made my attack… I shot the closest soldier and jumped on him like a frog using him a falling cover, just before he hit the ground I was able to take out the other two soldiers before going into a roll separating from the first downed soldier and landing perfectly in a kneeled position “Fuck I’m cool” I couldn’t help but say to myself as I checked how many rounds I had remaining “14…” I muttered to myself, I had no spare ammo so that was it, I had to make every shot count in here. I exited the isle that I had just ambushed and continued to clear the warehouse and turned up nothing, I then went to exit the same way I came out before I heard a gun click behind me “Don’t move!” I put my hands in the air, the voice sounded familiar, but it wasn’t the commander I turned around and was met by someone a hell of a lot better “Benton?” Benton stood weapon in hand, once he realised it was me he lowered his weapon “Jesus I came this close to fucking shooting you.” He then gestured his fingers close together in order to prove his point. Despite my best efforts to remain professional I hugged him, after I released I then remembered “I forgot, you hate physical contact.” Benton then laughed “It’s fine, I know you needed it.” I then chucked “You’re a bit of a pussy aren’t you.” Benton couldn’t help but laugh “Yeah just a bit.” Not long after the laughter stopped as I something had finally registered in my head “Jack is dead too…” Benton then took a stunned moment to process “You’re kidding?” I then shook my head “Happened maybe 15 minutes ago, guy died trying to kill the commander and save me.” Benton began to cry “I’m sick of this fucking shit, more and more of my people are dying and there’s never anything I can do to save them. We need to end this shit now!” I nodded “I agree, our mission now is to take out the commander and end this conflict. After that, we win…” I then took a moment to pause “this guy is fucking with the wrong people.”

Benton handed me all of his sidearm ammo, he made sure he was locked and loaded “The commander has probably fled out the back door and made is way down the street, we shouldn’t be far behind him, we can still catch him.” I nodded and followed his lead out the back door, Benton took a moment to think when he got to the ally out the back “Not going to lie, we need to split up, I thought it was one way but its two, he could have gone either way “watch one of us die In the most generic and horror movie like way possible.” I said it as a Joke, but Benton just shook his head at me as if I was a dickhead “Stay safe John, try not to die.” I then nodded and darted off making sure the commander didn’t get away.

I had been following the ally for a few minutes before I made it to the back wall, it was a dead end, I sighed “For fucks sake!” I mumbled under my breath “Of course it’s a dead end!” I then proceeded to radio Benton “It’s a dead end over here, over” after I let go of the radio I heard a sound behind the bin at the end of the ally, I then drew my weapon up and stepped toward it. “Come out with your hands up!” I went to move the bin with one hand before the commander himself jumped out and kicked the weapon out of my hands. “Way to make an entrance!” I joked, he was unarmed and ready for a fight “It’s about time your fight ends Johnathan!” I thought for a moment, even though the commander was around 50 years old, he was still in good shape, he was also significantly larger and more experienced in fighting than I was, the only way I would win this fight is with an advantage, I needed my gun…

To make things worse the commander pulled out a knife, there was no way I was going to win this fight, and if I ran away I might not be able to find him again. On the other hand, I could retreat slowly keeping him in sight and contact Benton and he would be taken out right here right now. I tried the latter, I had him in the corner and controlled his movements to a degree I reached for my radio and he immediately lunged, my one objective is to have the rest of the alley behind me and not get caught in the corner. I dodged right and stepped back, keeping him in front of me, then then slashed forward towards my gut, I yet again strafed back, pressing in the radio button “Benton! Not going to lie here, I’ve got the commander on my back I need help NOW!” I heard something return on the radio but couldn’t hear what it was as I was a tad occupied trying not to get stabbed…

Benton

I had been searching street by street after exiting the alley for a few minutes when I got a call on the radio “Benton! Not going to lie here, I’ve got the commander on my back I need help NOW!” the call shocked me to my core, I heard no gunshots in the back-round so both of them were most likely somehow unarmed, I turned around swiftly and headed back towards John being swift in my approach, it took a good few minutes to run back to John. by the time I got their they were deep into combat, throwing and dodging swings I pulled my gun up and sighted in “LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPON COMMANDER!” the commander then grabbed John, John resisted but he was just too small compared the commander. He then held him at knife point “Drop your weapon Benton, or he dies!” the commander was caught in desperation there was no way he could win at this point, I had a gun drawn to him, if he killed John he would be dead here and now, and even if he let him go he would still die, no matter what went down it was going to be ugly and my best friend would probably die “That’s a weak bluff!” I called out “we all know what you would kill him anyway, you have nowhere to go, no matter what, you die… the only thing you can do now is choose if you take another life before you nod off.” The commander was frantic, he was looking for anyway out he could find, he was out of options or so I thought, he then removed his knife from Johns throat and threw it straight at me like a dagger, it hit me in the upper chest towards my right shoulder I fell to my knees in pain holding the handle of the knife preparing myself to rip it out during all this John had escaped his grab only to be taken to the ground, I then saw John pull the pin on the grenade and rest it next to him and the commander, the commander had not noticed as he was too busy trying to choke the life out of him, John closed his eyes at peace as the grenade detonated blowing both of them into the wall due to the sheer explosive power of the explosion. They both hit the ground lifelessly and after witnessing all of this my heart shattered, watching my best friend sacrifice himself to destroy the very thing he planned on all along, I eventually pulled the knife out of my shoulder and ran over to see if by some miracle John had lived, there were no clear wounds to his head which was a good sign I checked his pulse and to my upset there was none, his heart had completely stopped and there was no help in sight. I began to cry… hard, the thought of him being gone was something I couldn’t handle, I then stood up and walked over to John’s gun and picked it up, I then turned around to find the commander gone…