With his back to the gray convertible, Maitho felt like an animal trapped in a cage. He couldn't move, and neither was his mind able to conjure routes of escape. It was as though an invisible hand had severed his brain's connection to rational thought. He clenched his eyes tight and banged his head a couple of times on the passenger-side door, hoping the action would kick-start his thought process.
"Please Maitho," said Raiden, his voice pleading, so full of genuine sadness. If Maitho hadn't seen what the godlike had done to Brigid, he might have walked up to him to give him a hug and tell him everything would be okay.
Brigid was slowly pushing herself to a standing position, her legs wobbling with the effort.
"Does...this...," said Brigid, her voice gasping with the effort to make herself heard, "satisfy you."
"I insist on avoiding pain. You demand more pain. I don't understand you all. Why become trapped in a system that is quite literally giving you a death sentence? Why fight for scraps of time to increase your life? Lie down. Close your eyes and just let go. You have all done enough. Whatever happens afterward is not your responsibility."
Maitho looked at Brigid. He hoped that by looking at her, some inspiration might crash into him. But all he faced was anxiousness that was growing by the second. It seemed like the only choice he had was to retreat.
Retreat.
The word made Maitho look up and notice the front door of the building. A broken, and a possibly dangerous, plan began to form in his mind. He motioned his hands to grab Brigid's attention, and the woman turned to him.
"Are you planning something Maitho?" said Raiden, obviously noticing Brigid's reaction. "And here I thought you were better than these three."
Maitho indicated Brigid to take a step back, towards the entrance. He tucked the two guns he was holding into his jeans. When the woman was about to make her move, Maitho spoke, directing his words to Raiden. "Nothing you say will make me want to join you."
"That is because you don't-"
Before Raiden could even begin explaining, Maitho rushed towards the red-haired woman on the stairs. He only wanted Raiden to be distracted long enough to avoid looking at Brigid. There was no guarantee that his plan even worked, but there was no time to wait and wonder either.
Maitho almost leaped up the stairs. One hand circled around Brigid's waist and the other reached out for the door handle. Quickly opening the door, Maitho pushed the woman inside and turned around, his hand reaching for any of the two guns he had.
A shockwave rippled through him. It felt as though a million cramps had erupted everywhere inside his body, twisting his insides into a barrage of pain. When the sensation stopped, Maitho let out a loud gasp. Tears filled his vision and he had to blink some away. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear voices shouting.
"...shut th' door!"
"We need to take them upstairs!"
When Maitho blinked the tears away, he discovered that he was staring at the ceiling. A face swam into focus. Brigid.
"Hang in there Maitho," she said, a look of concern on her face. She placed her hands on his cheek and a warmth began to flow through him. Every painful sensation and discomfort in his body began to fade away. His body felt light, as though it was placed on the clouds and he was simply floating away. The sensation stopped and Maitho found that he could move his limbs painlessly. He looked at Brigid.
"Thank you." He could only manage two words, but he hoped they conveyed the gratitude he genuinely felt inside.
Brigid gave a soft smile, but her face turned serious immediately. "We need to get out of here."
When Maitho sat up, he noticed that he was lying more than a dozen feet from the door, which was now closed. Raiden's power had not only sent electrical currents flowing through his body, but had hit him so hard that he was sent flying backward.
Epona stood behind one door, her rifle held steady in her hands. She was looking down the weapon's sights, standing a few feet away from the door so that if someone entered the lobby violently, the door's swing wouldn't hit Epona or her weapon. Bevan had assumed a similar pose behind the other door, perhaps through words of suggestion from Epona. His shotgun was held at chest level.
"I think we should get upstairs," said Bevan, nervousness creeping into his voice. He was holding himself together well, considering the circumstances.
Brigid nodded. "If there is a fight, and I think that is very likely, we need to take it upstairs."
"Who lives in this building?" said Maitho.
"No one on the fifth and sixth floors," said Brigid.
Maitho nodded. "Then two people on the fifth floor and two on the sixth."
Bevan turned around to look at Maitho in surprise, realized the error of his action, and turned back to face the door. "Why would we do that?" he said, tightening his grip on the shotgun.
"We can box them in if we are successful," said Maitho. "Come up behind them as they head for the sixth floor."
"What if they have a whole army waiting outside?"
"Then they might be planning to rush us at any moment. Which means, we have to act quickly. But I don't recommend all of us grouped together in one spot."
"Whit aboot th' vehicles?" said Epona, her stance barely shifting. The woman was either trained to use weapons, or she had quite a bit of experience with them recently.
Brigid responded this time. "I thought about it. But they might have someone there by now. And let's not forget that Raiden has a rather fast car. An impressive looking one too."
Maitho pushed himself up. "I am heading to the fifth floor." He untucked the handgun and gave it to Brigid, who scowled at the weapon. "Yes, this is yours. But we can talk about it later. Do what you think is right."
Brigid turned her attention to Bevan, clearly understanding why the weapon could possibly be in the hands of their former captive. The red-haired man blushed and made eye contact with Maitho. "You were supposed to hit me."
"Couldn't do it," said Maitho. He began walking towards the elevator.
"'N' whit th' fuck urr ye planning tae dae with th' elevator? Leekin fur th' fastest wey tae th' parking?" said Epona, eyeing him suspiciously.
Maitho stopped and turned around, his eyes devoid of any animosity towards the woman. He wasn't going to start a confrontation, at least not when there was a powerful godlike outside the building, who may or may not have many accomplices. "I'm going to the third floor. When those guys enter this building, then they might guess one of us is up there. They are going to split up their teams and that's good for us."
"Thinning their numbers," said Brigid, a look of understanding dawning on her face.
"Exactly." Maitho walked to the elevator and hit the call button. "And don't forget to lock the rear exit."
Bevan looked so eager to do the task that under normal circumstances, he would have been raising his hands eagerly for permission. "Let me do it."
"Go with Maitho," Brigid said to Epona. The other woman looked like she was asked to run outside and embrace Raiden.
"Urr ye fuckin' kidding me?". Epona's displeasure at the task had overruled the decorum she usually used for her leader. She quickly recognized her manner of response and forced herself to calm down. "We dinn git alang weel th'gither."
"I know you don't," said Brigid, and Maitho could hear the exasperation in her voice. "But I can't put you and Bevan together. He needs someone to guide him. Maitho, on the other hand, knows what he is doing."
"Sae how come ye caan' send Bevan wi' him?"
"Epona, just do as I say without asking a question," said Brigid, her words filled with command. She realized her outburst and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "I need Bevan at the monitors. I know you can work them too, but you are better with a gun and I want everyone who can handle themselves with a weapon ready to fight."
The elevator doors opened with a ding. Maitho stepped inside the cabin and covered the infrared sensor with his hand, preventing the doors from closing. He punched in the number for the third floor and waited. He saw Bevan run past the elevator outside, definitely heading to where Brigid was standing.
Maitho thought that he would have to wait long for Epona's arrival, but the woman entered the cabin, throwing him a look of contempt. He withdrew his hand from the sensor and allowed the elevator doors to close shut.
The atmosphere inside the elevator was filled with uncomfortable tension. He realized that Brigid had given him the benefit of the doubt, if not complete trust. Despite how the situation had developed earlier than morning and the previous night, he could consider Brigid's response progress. On the other hand, he did not know why Epona's behavior towards him was stubbornly steeped in distaste. Either she had a bad experience in the past, or she simply found him unpleasant. Maitho had come across many people who were capable of hate just because they were able to. He sincerely hoped Epona wasn't one of those people.
No words were exchanged between the two. When the elevator doors opened to the third floor, Epona practically ran out into the hallway. Maitho followed her. Together, they silently ascended to the fifth floor using the stairway.
When they reached their floor destination, Maitho broke the silence. "How many rooms are open on this floor right now?"
Epona did not answer. She simply walked towards the end of the hallway and took the last room on the left, the side of the building facing the road.
That must be room number nine, thought Maitho.
He looked up at the ceiling and noticed the circular ceiling light fixtures. Thinking to himself about his next course of action, he rushed to the room Epona had disappeared into. The door was left partially open. He pushed it all the way towards the wall and entered a short hallway. To his left was a closed door. In front of him, the hallway opened up into a large room. Maitho entered the room and found Epona near the far wall, her rifle in her hands. She was peering through the curtains, a frown plastered on her face.
"What's wrong?" said Maitho. He received no response in return.
Sighing, he walked up to the other end of the curtain and looked outside.
There was no sign of Raiden or his vehicle.
"A'm goin' tae kill that bastard. Put a dozen bullets intae his brains fur guid measure." When Maitho looked over at the woman, she continued without looking at him. "'N' ye stay oot o' mah wey. Or ah will put some o' the bullets in yer head."
Ignoring her, Maitho looked around the apartment. He noticed a wooden chair. He made a mental note of that. The room also included an attached kitchen. On a marble counter, he noticed a plastic holder filled with cutlery. He grabbed a knife and slid it into his jeans pocket.
Lifting the chair, he headed for the hallway outside.
"'N' whit th' fuck urr ye doin' wi' that?" said Epona.
Maitho didn't respond. Two can play the game of silence. He felt petty because of his reaction, but at the moment, he was badly in need of a victory, however small it may be.
Outside in the hallway, Maitho placed the chair below the overhead ceiling light. He hoisted himself up and reached out for the light fixture. Using the knife he had taken earlier, he unscrewed the cover. Inside the fixture was a circular light bulb. He removed the bulb and placed it between his feet on the chair. After he had replaced the cover, he got off the chair and moved it aside. He smashed the bulb on the floor. Lifting the carpet, he brushed the pieces of glass underneath, spreading them as much as possible so that they can go from one side of the carpet to the other.
When he was done, Maitho returned the chair to the room. He placed it close to the main door and sat down on it, taking out his revolver and placing it on his lap.
Epona was on the phone. And judging from her response, she was having a conversation with Brigid. Maitho patted his pockets but realized that his phone was still upstairs.
The call ended and the woman went back to observing the street outside. For a while, no one spoke. Epona continued to look through the curtains, as though her gaze alone could somehow conjure Raiden. The rifle was spread across her lap.
"What have I done to you?" said Maitho, breaking the silence.
Epona looked at him, not hiding the fact that she simply wanted him out of the room, if not out of the building. Maitho stared back. He had attempted to communicate and he wasn't going to be intimidated.
Maitho guessed that the pride that Epona had allowed to manifest within herself had grown. She couldn't get rid of it without feeling defeated. And right now, when she was poised to attack any intruder foolish enough to come close to the building, she wouldn't even think of backing down from any fight.
"Whit urr ye still doin' 'ere?" she said, refusing to lose the battle of eye contact.
This is getting ridiculous, thought Maitho. He wanted to look away just to end the conversation and focus on the task at hand. His eyes were still locked in the visual fight he was now having with Epona. He felt like a child who wants to show who is tough. And in many ways, it was probably his intention.
He truly wanted to look away, but he held his gaze. Despite what Epona might think of him, he wasn't going to show her that he was easily intimidated.
He bit back the urge to shoot a scathing remark. Instead, he tried a neutral response. "Helping the team face Raiden."
Epona smirked, exaggerating the response to cause as much offense as she could. "Don worry. Ew can go fuck awf naw. Run away or somethin'."
"Well, I will leave when Brigid says."
"We don need ye tae save us or anythin'. Riht noo, ah don need ye. Yer useless. Ah kin handle this situation maself."
The words escaped Maitho's mouth before he could stop it. "You mean how I saved Brigid while you apparently, handled the situation, as you put it?"
Epona reacted quickly. The rifle was in her hands and she was aiming it towards the man who was now out of his chair. But the revolver was in Maitho's grasp and he was pointing it back at the short-haired woman.
Adrenaline coursed through his body. He realized that one false move could give the woman the reason to pull the trigger. She wouldn't be able to get off a shot without getting hit by a bullet from Maitho as well. And perhaps she knew that.
Maitho wanted there to be a better way to handle the situation. HE just couldn't see it.
"Now thare is na one stopping me fram killing ye."
ns 15.158.61.48da2
