Running with Secrets

Untitled Part 32

He didn't get far when the other two finally realized what just happened, it was too late to get a shot off at him, no matter they tried.

Matther shot his side arm at a window. His signal to the captain for his backup. As the mysterious man saw the window get shot out from above him, he narrowly missed a shower of glass in front of him. He stopped briefly to turn to shoot his own weapon. The pile of wood planks and pallets moved and stood up as one more of Vanderson's detectives took aim and squeezed out a couple of rounds. Someone from the balcony to the left that stored extra chairs and tables came out from behind a door to squeeze out a couple as well.

Chaz and Grady were enraged that this could have happened and tried to get off some more shots while Matther methodically took aim at the other shooters. Chaz took aim at the stranger they met with and squeezed off a round. He smiled a vile smile as the man fell. Gunshots were sounding everywhere.

All around, people were coming out of nowhere and somewhere Grady yelled as the man fell, "You set us up and you've paid, in full!" He was seething with anger. Then he screamed out. He had been shot in the arm. Quickly, he looked. Though only about half an inch deep and not very long, it scorched in pain.

Chaz popped off another round, the only one who had any luck hitting a target, yelled, "We can only identify one person. Steele is not going to be happy!"

"I know!" Matther yelled as he got another shot off. This time, one of the other bodies yelled in pain. He hoped it was just for show. "Just let me call my family and tell them I love them before I get reassigned."

"You wish! He's not that nice."

Matther knew this because several of the families he'd been associated with had been admonished not to ask questions about the disappearance of their loved ones.

At the same time he thought this, he felt a sharp jab in his back."This is it!" he thought as he bellowed in pain. He'd never been shot before, and even with a vest it hurt like he'd never want to hurt again.

Chaz turned to look at him, with fear in his eyes, knowing he'd go down. "Benson's been shot!" He yelled to Grady.

"How bad?" Grady yelled from across the room.

Matther was holding his chest, blood dripping through his fingers. "Bad." Matther said. "Tell Steele I'm sorry I couldn't get the answers he wanted," he choked out.

Chaz nodded his understanding. "We have to go, Grady! He's not going to make it!" Under the cover of fire, the two left the building, noticing that the walking pile of pallets and the dead man were no where to be seen. They only slowed to get out the door and slam it behind them. As they came to light outside, they heard sirens in the distance and decided it was best to keep running, past the homeless person with a shopping cart full of what appeared to be garbage. They'd decide what to do about the situation later.

*****

Captain Vanderson shifted his lanyard with his credentials on it for the more than hundredth time in the last hour. As he pulled his unmarked car up to the warehouse along with the other squad cars, he noted the damage. The gunfire had stopped and he noticed how much damage could happen in the space of less than ten minutes.

"It looks bad." he said to no one in particular. "I wonder if there were any survivors." They were very careful with their tech to be able to come up on the scanners if they had to. One of their planted homeless people had called it in after only a couple of minutes. Steele had to be able to get his men out, But Paul. Paul had to stay behind. He hoped it worked.

One of the other detectives who arrived at the same time as the captain had mentioned the pallet and the suit made it out okay. The suit was hurt, they learned, with a wound big enough in his leg to require surgery. He knew the risks going in without protection. They were grateful for the firestorm and that there weren't any head shots today.