Alice in Borderland: The Cycle Continues

34) Ten of Hearts [4] ✮

Time left: 2 hours
Players left: 16/25
Militants: 4
Players captured: 0/12

===Charī Kasutoro===

Except, there was one place to hide; I pushed open the door I was unlocking, and dove behind it as a barrage of bullets showered the wood, leaving splintering pulp spraying in the air. I gasped, my chest aching, turning around me.

"Hey!" The woman in the room shouted. It was Aoyama. "Help me out here, newcomer." I bolted the door shut and ran to her chair, digging into the ropes and pulling her arms free of the restraints. She was missing three fingers.

"We're working to free Rafferty, and maybe the other prisoners too." I explained.

"Judging from the fact that you're now all caught in a shootout, I'm assuming you guys did a pretty poor job."

"We almost got it!" I said. "But a militant overheard us."

"One of the militants just came in and took the guy who was cutting off my fingers." She huffed. "No idea what for. But all these militants–all of them–they're right fucked in the head. Araya was never in control of them."

Loud banging came from outside, he was slamming his weight against the room where the captives were held, and then shot a round at the door handle.

"You little shithead!" He cursed, walking back towards us. I held my breath, pressing my weight against the door. "You lied to me, didn't you?"

My grip loosened, he was talking to the room across from us–the room he came out of. A laugh followed him–genuine, with a purposefully-induced psychotic pitch; it was a laugh of taunting. No doubt it was Rafferty.

I gasped, as the rifle cocked. "Anything else you have to say?" Blinking hard, I put my hand around the door handle.

"Kid, you're the height and thickness of a toothpick." Aoyama warned, grabbing some of the instruments on the cart. "He'll make trivial prey out of you."

My mind went blank; just this once, I'll risk my life. I opened the door, and shouted at the militant. And just then, the militant who was chasing us dropped through the vent, unleashing her sword.

He turned around, firing at me, as I slammed the door back shut, cursing. 'It just doesn't stop coming!'

Another round of firing followed, as the door began splintering into open holes. He paused. "I've changed my mind." He said, his muffled voice making it apparent he was talking to Rafferty. "I'll kill your friend first, and let you watch."

He returned, slamming his weight against the door, the hinges loosening, and the top one coming off completely, clinking to the floor. After another few seconds, another crash came. Then another.

"We have no choice but to fight through." Aoyama said, as the second hinge came off from his impact. "I hope you're prepared."

After another few seconds came his next crash. 'Wait.' I thought. 'He's following a consistent pattern with his slams.' Reacting at once, I unlocked the door, and gripped the door handle.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

'Sense of timing, don't fail me now!' I opened the door, as the man charged through, expecting a surface to contain his impact, but was met with air. I extended my leg, as he tripped, crashing into the cement floor.

"Not bad, kid." Aoyama said, as she closed in, striking down with a scalpel. He rolled out of the way and swung his legs, knocking Aoyama off her balance. I ran across the hall, only to be met with the face of the swordswoman, and yelped, diving out of her sword's arc. Aoyama dove out the room, chair in hand, bashing it over her head. It shattered into fragments of wood, and the woman drew back, dropping her sword. I turned around and ran, barging into Rafferty's room. Two militants laid by the side, knocked unconscious, their weapons laying by them. Rafferty sat in the center of the room, laughing. "Ha! I k-knew you guys w-would come!"