The Knightly Estate Chp. 5

“Don't worry the job’s relatively simple,” said Zephyr, “just walk around the hallways and report anything unusual on your tab, got it?”

“Sure thing,” I said.

“Anything else you want to know?” said Zephyr.

“Yeah, who carries syringes around?” I asked, taking the syringe out of my pocket and holding it up.

“Well that would probably be Stray,” said Zephyr, shrugging as if it were a common occurrence, “what did he also accidentally tackle you? Only to run away with a simple sorry?”

“Yeah,” I said, “he did.”

“Don't worry about him, he’s the estate doctor, he does that all the time,” said Zephyr, “alright well there’s one more thing I have to tell you.”

“Hmm?” I asked.

“It's Kaz, he’s working the second floor as combat butler today, don't worry, he knows what he's doing, but be sure to yell out flash,” said Zephyr, as he turned the corner, “he gets a bit trigger happy, now get to the third floor, hurry up.”

I quickly make my way upstairs, plotting a patrol route while taking the elevator up. The third floor is much different from the first two, it was a different colour, and each door was blue. They gave me the owners and caretakers hall? I thought to myself, turning a corner only to be tackled again, or to be more accurate, surprise to the point of backing up and falling down.

“Ah!” said the figure that looked in the distance, “you scared me!”

An unfamiliar voice? I thought to myself as I stood up, brushing off my trousers, “easy for you to say.”

“Oh, you must be Matt, right?” said the figure, “the one we hired as security in light of Fluffy’s recent retirement?”

“Well I am Matt, and yes, I am doing security,” I said, “pardon me but I don't know who you are.”

The figure steps out of the dark, holding a seal, “hello Matt, I’m Emi.”

“Oh, hello,” I said, “that's a creepy seal…”

She sighs, “been talking to Owl again?”

“Why do you ask?” I said.

“Because he thinks it's creepy too,” said Emi.

“Well no, he hasn't mentioned it, it's winking though, and it has sort of this ‘I know where you hid the bodies’ look on its face,” I said.

Emi opens her mouth as if to speak, but then the lights cut out, causing her to shriek and crouch near the floor, hugging the seal tightly.

I draw my gun, checking to see if it’s loaded and if the safety is off. I try to call in with Kazu and Zephyr, but to my horror, the tablet won't turn on.

“Well shit,” I said to myself, “this isn't good.”

Emi is still crouching on the floor, and I take the flashlight attachment and affix it to my gun. Thankfully Zephyr had thought of giving one to me. I tap Emi’s shoulder, only to get another shriek in return.

“It’s me, come on, we gotta figure out what’s wrong,” I said.

Suddenly a voice calls out from down the hall.

“Who is that?” said the voice.

Instinctively I yell out, “Flash.” Hoping that it was Kazu.

“Thunder,” said the voice.

“Kazu?” I yell out.

“It’s me,” said Kazu, followed by footsteps rushing towards us.

“Power’s out, and I can't reach Owl via tab,” I said.

“Neither can I,” said Kazu, “I think we should assume the worst.”

“The worst? The worst of what?” I asked, fear creeping into my voice.

“EMP,” said Kazu, “electro-magnetic pulse, someone doesn’t want us talking to each other.”

Suddenly several concussive shots ring out, followed by screaming.

“The fuck?” I exclaim, “Kazu, I’ll check it out.”

“Stay safe,” he said.

I turn back the way I came, the screaming was starting to die down, I press the button on my flashlight and a white circle of light cuts through the pitch black. I see a red stain on the hardwood floor, it continued to go around the corner. I braced myself for what I was about to see. When I heard a pair of voices. One of them sounded pained and also like he was from New York or something, and the other one was deep, and muffled.

“I-I don’t know, weah the mahney is!” Said the pained voice.

“Really?” said the muffled voice, “"then you’re no use to me alive.”

I acted upon instinct, coming out of the corner, and raising my gun.

The man hadn't even had time to react to the bright light, I squeezed the trigger, a singular, and extremely loud concussive bang, covering up all other noise. And then there was only silence as the figure crumpled to the ground with a dull thud.

I drop the gun, my hands are shaking, the years and years of video game playing couldn't and wouldn't ever compare to what I had just done. The other guy on the ground was silent, I shined my light towards him, his face was pale and his glasses askew. I put two fingers to his neck but couldn't get a pulse. I call out to Kazu, and he comes rushing towards me.

“Oh Jesus,” he said, putting his gun down.

“Who was he?” I asked.

“His name was Lumo,” said a familiar voice.

I look up, and Zephyr looms over both Kazu and I.

“Owl-kyun,” said Kazu.

“Hey Kaz,” said Zephyr.

“Where the hell were you?!” said Kazu, "I was worried sick!”

“Look you two,” I said, “I have no problems with same sex relationships and all but now’s really not the time.”

They both turn towards me as if I had said something completely out of line.

“We're not like that,” said Zephyr, “he’s the type to worry about anyone's safety, so is Spencer, it's a well known thing around here.”

“Well pardon me for not knowing, but we got a job to do,” I said.

“Kaz, get Emi, let's take her down to the Kitchen, Matt, you and I are going to secure the elevator.”

Kazu runs back towards where Emi was, and I follow Zephyr to where the elevator was.

“Was that your first one?” said Zephyr.

“What?” I asked.

“The first person you’ve killed,” he said.

“Yeah…” I said, flashing back to the man I had just erased from this world a mere minute ago.

“It's the same with everyone, it was that way with Kaz, it was with me,” he said.

We reach the elevator and press the button, but nothing happens.

“Fuck,” he said, “so much for those back up generators.”

“Kazu said it might be an EMP,” I said, “which would explain why our tabs wouldn't work.”

“Well I guess we're using the stairs,” said Zephyr.

We turn around only to be met by Kazu.

“Where's Emi?" asked Zephyr.

“They have her hostage in her room,” he said.

“How many inside?” I asked.

“Five or six,” said Kazu.

“That’s easy enough,” said Zephyr.

I eject the magazine out of my gun, replacing it with a new one.

“You guys ready?” I ask.

“Fuck yeah,” they both say in unison.

We head down the hallway Kazu directing us towards Emi’s room.

Finally we stop at a door simply labeled “EmiKnightly,” Zephyr motions towards me, and tells me to kick the door down.

I shake my head, I dunno if I could do that, and I didn't want to mess up, as we only had one chance.

Zephyr rolls his eyes, and stands in front of the door. He gets it down in one kick.

We sweep in, the three of us, Kazu had miscalculated, in actuality there were 12 guys inside, it doesn't take us long to realize our blunder.

I fire 3 shots striking one guy and bringing him to his knees, they retaliate by sending hot lead towards me. I dive behind a couch. Looking to see where Kazu, and Zephyr were. They had both kicked over a table and we're taking cover behind it. I fire 7 back, they all miss.

“Shit,” I said, looking over towards the window, it was open, and a light was approaching.

I call over to Zephyr, “the fuck is that?” Pointing towards the window.

He shrugs and simply motions for me to come over to him. Crouching I run across the narrow opening between the couch and a chair, firing more lead at the now 7 gunmen. I make it across safe and the only thing that separates me from the other two is another narrow opening, again I crouch ready to run. For a brief moment the firing stops and I see my chance, I run across the opening while firing, when suddenly the gun clicks.

“Well fuck,” I cry out, as I immediately realize that I’ve run out of ammunition. One loud concussive bang rips through the brief silence, and a burning sensation in my left leg follows. I slide behind the table, crashing into Kazu. All I can do is scream.

“Oh shit, Owl!” yelled Kazu, “Matt’s been hit!”

Zephyr looks over, cool and composed as lead flies overhead, which is the complete opposite of what I’m doing, crying like a little baby.

“He’ll be fine, we’ll get Stray to get it out of him,” he said, turning to look at the window again, “oh shit get DOWN!”

He didn't need to tell me, as I was already on the ground in a pool of my own blood, but suddenly the air was filled with lead.

“Who the fuck are these guys?!” screamed Kazu as he held a strip of cloth to my leg.

“I don’t know,” said Zephyr still as calm as a cucumber.

And about as abruptly as it started, it stopped.

Zephyr peered out from the table, and then turned to us, “it's clear.”

We all stood up, or well, to put it better, Kazu and Zephyr stood up while holding me.

Everyone was gone, Emi was too.