Today’s short story was guest written by A.M. Thorn, author of Vigilantes Make Us Safe.

1953.

Pouring rain bounced off the stone-lined streets as a man and a woman hobbled away from the sounds of gunfire and screaming. They ducked down a side street away from the main fighting. The woman wore a heavy coat which ran to the ground, covering most of her body and she struggled to bear the weight of her companion who leaned upon her.

The companion for his part tried to help but his feet didn’t do much more than get in the way. Wearing a dark red jumpsuit that covered him from head to toe, his left hand was pressing hard at a hole in his guts. A pair of young men ran past them down the street but they barely drew notice. There were a lot of people bleeding in the streets that night.

A row of two-story buildings drew the woman’s attention and she pulled the man toward them. He moaned in pain as she leaned him against a wall but didn’t complain. She banged on the door of the nearest home, listening for any sign of the owners. As she did so a tank rolled down the next street over, shaking the buildings. There wasn’t any sign of people inside but it was hard to say for sure if that was due to no one being home or if the tank hid any noise they made. Either the building was empty or the people inside had decided that with gunfire in the streets it was better to keep quiet.

With no answer and the shots seemingly getting closer, she made a decision. She slammed her shoulder into the door with all her might. It creaked but didn’t give. The second thrust caused the door to move and on the third slam it crashed in. She grabbed the door frame to avoid falling to the floor.

Using the wall the man managed to pull himself inside after her where she guided him to a ragged couch. She scrunched her face as the scent of mildew hit her but it wasn’t the time to complain. She hurried to the kitchen and started rummaging through drawers, looking for anything which might light. Several drawers ended up on the floor before she found what she wanted and after a minute she returned to the front room with a pair of candles.

The man sitting on the couch grimaced. “Door’s still open Karen. Want to get that before the entire neighborhood sees we’re here?”

She walked to the door but found it unable to close. The frame shattered when she broke in and wouldn’t be going back together. She settled for placing a small statue in front of it to hold it closed. It wouldn’t hold up against any pursuers but maybe someone walking by wouldn’t notice them. Back in the living room she reached into the coat’s pocket and pulled out a small box of matches. The man cleared his throat but grimaced as he did so. “Mind if I get one while you’re lighting things? If this is the end I’d like to be comfortable.”

Karen shook her head. “This isn’t the end. We’re both getting out of here.” Still, she reached into the pocket of the coat and pulled out a bundle of cigarettes. Sliding one between the man’s lips, she returned to the matches. After trying three of them and finding them too wet to light her shoulders slumped. “It had to rain.”

“Ah yes, the great Karen Summers brought down by a summer storm. Seems fitting.” He rolls the cigarette around in his mouth, seeming to find some comfort in having it between his lips.

A crash upstairs got their attention and they both stared at the staircase leading there. Karen threw the coat to the ground and reached for her pistol. Without time to move her partner, she took cover behind the couch. After a long silence, a voice from upstairs said, “I really hope that’s you two down there. I’ve had enough running for my life for one night.”

Slipping her gun back into the pouch she carried it in, she rushed to the bottom of the stairs and looked up. A black shadow took the stairs down two at a time and a rail-thin dark-skinned man wearing a glider modified to be part of his costume came down. A pair of flight goggles were lifted from his face and he pulled Karen into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. “I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again.”

Laughing, he looked her in the eye and grinned. “Takes a lot more than that to put me down.” He pulled away and walked over to the other man, slapping him on the shoulder. “Glad to see you got out of there Taste. You had me worried with how much blood there was.”

Taste shook his head. “There’s still an awful lot of blood. We’re not out of anything yet. Any word on Armor? Tell me you found her Jimmy.”

Jimmy looked away. “Well, no I can’t say that I did. I tried to track her down but that beast was all over the area. Every time I swooped down a street he was there in the fog. Barely got away. I’m sure she got away though. If you’re really that concerned why don’t you find out?”

Karen and Taste exchanged glances and he sighed. “Might as well make myself useful at least one more time before I go. Bring me my case.”

An eyebrow raised on Karen’s face but she walked over to the coat she’d left on the ground and pulled what looked like a small cigarette case from an inside pocket. She brought it to him and he took it from her without a word, popping it open to reveal that instead of cigarettes it was filled with three bundles of hair. They both paused without making another move and Karen said, “You sure eating anything’s a good idea at the moment?”

“I don’t think a single hair’s going to be the difference in whether I get out of this.” He still hesitated. Picking a single hair from the curly red bundle on the right he turned to the other two. “Down the hatch then. Anyone have a drink to help wash it down?” Everyone looked at Jimmy but he shook his head. “Guess not then. Alright, well, here goes.” He slipped the hair into his mouth and swallowed.

Moments after the hair was in his mouth he closed his eyes and put the hand that wasn’t on his wound to his forehead. They sat in silence for a minute until his eyes shot open again. Tears started leaking from them. “Afraid she’s gone. We’re on our own at this point.”

Rushing to his side, Karen kneeled and looked him in the eye. “You’re sure? Maybe give it more time.”

“As sure as I ever am. I’m not getting anything.”

Jimmy got to his feet and started pacing. “Then we’re out of options. We got Armor killed. How the hell did that thing take her down, after everything that’s happened?”

Karen slumped to the ground against the couch and put her hands on her knees. “I think we might be in a bit of trouble.” She dropped the candles and let them roll to the side. The sound of them hitting the floor drew Jimmy out of his pacing and he walked over to them. He reached into a leather pouch on his back and pulled out his own set of matches. The first try got a match going and soon the glow of candlelight filled the room. After lighting Taste’s cigarette Jimmy rushed to the windows to draw the curtains and make sure the light stayed inside.

Taking a candle Taste started to examine his wound. “Never thought I’d take a javelin to the stomach. Certainly a lot more exciting than the way I planned to go out.”

His statements of doom drew Karen back. “You are not going to die. I didn’t drag you halfway across the city for you to give up on me now. We’ll figure this out.”

“Afraid not this time. It looks worse than it feels. If I had a doctor now maybe I’d have a shot but we can’t go to a doctor and you know it. As badly as we bungled this, we still have the documents. It can all be for something. If we go to a doctor we’re likely dead regardless. What time is it?”

Karen again reached into the coat and pulled out a golden pocket watch. “Ten-twenty. We have exactly fifteen minutes to be at the rendezvous if we’re getting out of here tonight. Any chance we make it?”

Jimmy put a hand on his forehead. “I could probably glide there in time but no chance for you two. Too much fighting between here and there. If you’re going to avoid it on the ground you’d have to go around. At least an hour. Maybe two.”

“Not if she’s alone.” Taste pulled himself to the edge of the couch. “She can make the trip in twenty or thirty minutes alone. You glide ahead and tell them to wait. She’ll sneak through the streets after you. I know they won’t wait long but they can give her an extra fifteen minutes if necessary.”

Karen returned to the couch and tried to get Taste to lean back. “There is absolutely no chance I’m leaving you here. I’ll die first.”

“Then you’ll die and that will be my fault. I don’t want that. If you miss extraction you’re a goner. By the time another can be arranged the Shade will have tracked us down and put an end to us. He could already be on our tail for all we know. There’s no time to argue about this.”

Pushing him backward Karen applied more pressure and Taste gave in. “Well, then we can stop arguing about it. If they track us down we’ll handle it.”

“If Armor couldn’t take them on what makes you think we can?”

She shrugged. “Not sure. I’m mostly hoping he doesn’t find us. Once morning comes he’ll be a lot more limited. Let’s start figuring out a way to defend this place until then.” Before either of the men could protest she leapt to her feet and hurried into the kitchen taking their one light with her.

In the darkness, Jimmy sat next to Taste. “You’re right you know.”

He coughed, hacking up blood into his fist. “Of course I know. I don’t much want to die but I’m quite certain I will. She can’t hold this place until morning. Even if she could, I’ll be long gone by then. No reason you two should miss your best way out so I get to die among friends. Very sweet of her but she’s not thinking.”

“I know. Knew the second I got that candle lit and saw your face.” He looked away from the other man. “Sorry.”

“Not at all. I know how I must look. You need to convince her and you need to do it fast. She won’t listen to me.”

Karen hurried back into the room with her arms full of sheets and blankets. She moved to the first set of windows she could find and started pressing them into the cracks. “He’s not getting in here. If he does we’ll be ready with the candles.”

Shaking his head Jimmy walked up behind her. “We really need to go. I know you don’t want to hear it but Taste’s right. He’s beyond our help and he’ll never make it to morning. I also don’t think we’ll be able to keep the Shade from finding us for long.”

Whirling around, she stalked him with her finger pointing into his face. “You know as well as I do that he would never dream of leaving one of us. I’m not doing it to him. I’ve already lost one member of our team tonight. Are you really prepared to make it two?”

Jimmy’s back tensed and he straightened. “I am. The alternative’s losing all of them. These documents matter. We can get them back and save a lot of lives. Make their deaths worth something.”

Resuming her work with the blankets she ignored what he said. He put a hand on her shoulder but she quickly shrugged it off. Jimmy turned back to Taste with a sigh and threw his hands up. Taste eyed the back of Karen’s head before looking to Jimmy. “Get over here and help me up. I need to use the restroom and I don’t much want to go out with my shorts soiled.” Jimmy hurried to his teammate’s side and helped him to his feet. Once he had his arm around Jimmy he whispered, “Stay close.”

They reached the bathroom but before Jimmy could leave Taste started rifling around. Soon he came up with exactly what he hoped to find. Pulling a large box of rat poison from a cabinet, his eyes scanned the label. Jimmy’s eyes widened. “That doesn’t look like a pleasant way to go.”

Taste worked his way down the label. “No, I don’t imagine it will be. The alternative though is all of you dying with me. I won’t allow it. Get me a glass from the kitchen.” Jimmy slipped away and soon returned with a dusty glass. Turning the sink’s handle, he let out a curse when nothing came out. The window caught his eye though and he pushed it open and started letting the rain fill his glass. Once it was full he dumped as much rat poison into it as he could. He smiled at his friend. “I don’t know how long this will take so let me say this before I drink it. It’s been an honor.”

A tear ran down Jimmy’s face but he looked away and wiped it from his face. “I’ll look in on your family from time to time.”

“As long as you don’t make eyes at my mother like last time.”

Jimmy stifled a laugh and he leaned down to take Taste’s hand. “She started it. I’ll be good though.”

With that Taste lifted the glass to his face and downed its contents in one long gulp. When the glass was empty he shook his head wildly and tossed it against the wall where it shattered. Drops of the liquid glittering from his beard flew through the room. “Well, that’s done. Care to help me back to the couch?”

Before Jimmy could start to lift Taste, Karen was in the doorway with her eyes wide. “What was that shattering?” Her eyes settled on the large box of poison on the counter and then flashed back to Taste’s. “You damned fool of a man.”

She moved to get around him but he held a hand up. “Are you going to force it out of me with a hole in my gut? It doesn’t seem likely to work.”

A shattering noise from the front room drew their attention and Karen rushed from the bathroom. Jimmy got his arm around Taste and followed. When they arrived in the living room the remains of a window lay on a rug and several bullets sat among the glass. Jimmy caught Karen’s eye and whispered, “Think someone knows we’re here or was it just random fire from the fighting?”

“I don’t want to find out. At least it wasn’t the Shade. He doesn’t need guns. Want to head out and see what you see?” Jimmy nodded and leaned Taste against a wall before hurrying up the stairs. Taste let out a long moan but bit his lip to suppress as much of it as he could. After a moment Karen and Taste could hear the sound of Jimmy’s glider opening as he leapt from the roof.

A gunshot whizzed through the open window and Karen tackled Taste to the ground. He yelped but after a moment managed to shove her off of him. He pounded a fist on the floor. “Stop worrying about me. I’m a dead man several times over. Get out of here. Take the documents and complete the mission.”

The door still held closed by only a small statue, rattled as the wind blew. Karen’s eyes went wide as she rushed to the living room looking for a better option to block entry. She settled on the couch which she heaved toward the door. It’s wooden legs scraped along the floor making far more noise than she liked but keeping anyone from getting in seemed far more important in that moment than staying quiet.

A pounding fell down the stairs and she spun to grab a candle and see what was coming. It was only Jimmy returning though. “There’s two of them across the street. Not soldiers, just locals. Probably trying to figure out if there’s anyone home and if it’s safe to hide here. The fighting’s getting heavy just a street over though so they won’t show much patience. We need to get out of here.”

Her eyes blazed and she shook her head. “I will not leave Taste. He is going to make it. We’ll get him somewhere they can reverse the effects of the poison and then we’ll find a way out of this damned country.”

Jimmy’s eyes lit up and he pushed forward until they were only inches apart. “You’re not in charge. Why do you assume without Armor here you call the shots?”

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not fit for leadership. You would leave a member of our team to die.”

A throat cleared and they both turned to see Taste leaning in front of the broken window. “That’s all well and good but Jimmy understands where we find ourselves. I love you for wanting to save us all but it is no longer an option. Use this distraction to get yourselves out of here.” He turned to the outside and shouted in broken German, “Over here boys. You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn from five yards.”

Karen rushed toward him but before she could get halfway there bullets ripped through Taste’s chest, tearing him from the window. He turned as he fell, landing face down. Karen let out a cry and slid to his side, turning him over as fast as she could. Another hole had joined the first but this time through his chest. He tried to speak but wasn’t able to find any words. All he could do was mouth the word go before the life slipped from his eyes.

Strong hands gripped Karen by the shoulders and pulled her toward the stairs. “He’s gone Karen. He did that for us, we aren’t letting it be for nothing.” She didn’t fight him. “We’ll use the distraction to slip out along the roof. You shimmy to the ground and go through the alleys. I’ll glide ahead. I just might make extraction if we hurry.”

Karen nodded but didn’t say anything else until they were halfway up the stairs when she spun around. “His coat. The documents are in it. I have to get it.” Jimmy didn’t follow but was relieved when after only a few seconds she ran back up the stairs, slipping the overcoat on as she moved. “Let’s get the hell out of this country,” she said under her breath.

At the top of the stairs Jimmy led Karen into a small bedroom. Clothes littered the floor as if whoever lived here left in a hurry. The only window in the room was broken, showing how Jimmy got inside. Jimmy yanked what remained of it open and Karen started to climb onto the windowsill to pull herself through. As she did Jimmy put a hand on her shoulder. “Wait a moment.”

She turned to find him looking at the ground, his hands shaking. “Weren’t you just saying we have to hurry? We don’t have time.”

He nodded. “I know. I just need to make sure of something first. When we get back, you’re not going to tell them the details about Taste are you? That might not look good for me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “He’s dead, I’ll tell them he took a javelin to the stomach and his wounds got him. I don’t think his family needs to know the rest.”

She started to climb out the window again but Jimmy’s hand again stopped her. “You’re sure, right? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable but it’s really important. They can’t know what happened. They didn’t even want me on this team and they only approved it because I’m doing the most dangerous job. If they heard how it went I don’t think that ends well for me.”

Karen took her hands and put one on each of his cheeks. She pulled him in close so their foreheads touched. “I’m not going to tell on you Jimmy. You have my word. I don’t agree with what you did but I still trust you. Let’s get out of here.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and he nodded.

Turning back toward the window, Karen’s eyes went wide. Rolling down the street directly toward them was a tank leaving the main fighting to head in their direction. It followed two men who seemed to be running from the fight. The two men who were firing from outside saw it coming and rushed to the house, throwing themselves against the door. The couch blocking it stopped them from making much progress. Karen spun away from the window. “We need to go another way.” Catching sight of the men trying to get into the house, the tank opened fire. The men fell where they stood. The bottom half of the house turned to dust in seconds, smoke and splinters flying through the air. Before Karen or Jimmy could make a move the floor below them began to creak and move with its support gone. It gave way and they tumbled into darkness. As they fell the tank continued to fire. As they landed amid the debris there wasn’t even time to shout. In seconds all that remained was the darkness.

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This story was guest written by A.M. Thorn of Vigilantes Make Us Safe. If you liked this short story leave a comment! Check out Everybody Dies #5.