Death on Two Legs // Shyan

15. Kill Or Be Killed

They pulled over to the edge of an unkept gravel road maybe ten miles from the city limit in an awkward silence. Ryan's face was flushed red, his ears felt hot as he stared out of the window. Ahead of them was just rocky grounds, dried and crooked trees rimming the road ahead. Not even half a mile walk ahead of them, they could already see the outlines of old warehouses in the dark horizon.
"I get a vibe here, it's sort of like the Avengers headquarters."
Shane spoke, pensively scanning the buildings further down the desert. A light was on in front of one of them, a pale yellow beacon in the dark.
"Why would you get that vibe?" Ryan tried to laugh, maybe that would dull his nerves. Shane looked still deep in tought.
"Just rolling grounds, a lot of different buildings. Seems like a place the Avengers would live in."
His tone was almost childish, reminding Ryan that Shane Alexander Madej was indeed a very strange man.
He made a little chuckle and grabbed his bag, taking out his 38 caliber revolver. Shane had his gun in a holster, he was acting all professional as he held his thumb over the clip.
They got out of the car and began to walk silently, trying not to make the rocky road crunch too much beneath their feet.

Adrenaline made Ryan's blood feel bubbly, the gun in his grip was cool as they approached the seemingly vacant warehouses. He was supposed to be in his element; the Emperor of LA in assasinations. Instead he felt a pressing sting of nervousness course trough his veins.
Shane didn't look like he was enjoying the situation either; face pale and expressionless, the way he looked when he hid his fear. His fingers were steady as he held his 9millimeter low, pointed to the sandy ground as they passed trough the front of the first warehouse silently like shadows.
If everything went smoothly, Fear wouldn't know they were coming. But
chances were they had been spotted already, wich made Ryan's gut twist.
It was like a sickening game of tag, they just didn't know who was it.
Shane's movements were sleek, the dark of his eyes complimented his tall features so well that he could have been straight from a Bond movie. He looked dangerous.
Ryan's train of tought got interrupted by a burst of low, grumbling laughter muffled by the walls a little further, behing the next corner. Yellow light was spilling from behind the wall into the blue shade of the desert.
Shane nodded towards the corner, grip visibly tightening around his gun, he was holding it like a lifeline. Ryan did the same. It was so soothingly familiar, yet terrifyingly new at the same time. He had killed tens of people at this point, some had deserved it, some hadn't. But now, for the first time he was out to kill for himself. Nobody paid him to do it, he needed to in order to survive.
The most textbook law of nature; kill or be killed.
It was new and old.
Shane reached the front first, laying his body against the edge of the west wall like a ninja from some action flick, motioning for Ryan to do the same. They could hear the men talking maybe ten feet away. They were in front of the main door as guards.
"Let's jump them." He mouthed, and Ryan's eyes widened in fear. He was used to Shane's stupid plans, but this was second level risky. Before he could protest though, his tall counterpart had leaped off of the shadows and fired his first shot, quickly followed by the second one.
The two men laid dead in the gravel faster than Ryan had even left his spot by the wall. He was shaken, and most of all very disappointed in Shane's stupidity.
"What the fuck dude?!" He hissed, and the tall man in front of him grinned.
Luckily nobody had seemingly heard the muffled gunshots, but it wouldn't take long for someone to stumble upon the scene.
"Quick, move your beefy ass and nag later when we ain't in a life or death situation." Shane motioned towards the door behind the two corpses, and Ryan who was too full of Shane's shit to deal began to make his way past the pools of blood.

The inside of the warehouse seemed innocent enough on first glance. It was dark inside, big shipping containers were piled here and there. Some trashbags aside, it seemed rather empty. They stood side by side in the dark and silent hall, Shane's gut twisting with anger and fustaration at the lack of... whatever it was he was expecting. And Ryan, he felt sick. Had his partner just killed two men for nothing? Was this the wrong warehouse? Was this all a trap?

Yes. Yes it fucking was.

"It was rather rude of you to shoot my guards, Shane. You could have just knocked."
A creaking voice spoke somewhere behind the containers, and Ryan's grip tightened on his gun as his hair stood up out of shock.
"I don't recall ever telling you my name, Doctor. Why don't you come out here and deal with this like a man?"
How did Shane do that, where did he find the confidence and courage to speak like that while in immediate danger?
The first gunshot aimed in between the two men was merely a warning shot.
"Don't get cocky on me, Madej. I make the rules from now on, and you follow them, or your pretty pet dies."
Pet? Ryan was growing furious, wich distracted him from his fear.