Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 112

Things had started out fine. Gabriel had taken one out with a single shot but was forced to slip back around the corner for cover as the second intruder opened fire. There were three other sets of stairs that could take him back to the first floor, but the Demoines were all in their rooms here on the second; he couldn’t just let them roam free while he escaped.

After a few seconds of silence, Gabriel peeked around the corner to find the second person had vanished; retreated back down the stairs to safety. They’d be waiting for him to follow in pursuit, which meant taking these stairs was out of the question. There was also the chance they weren’t hanging around, going directly to one of the other sets.

*Decisions, decisions, decisions*, Gabriel thought to himself before turning and taking off at a light jog. There was still the one guy who’d gone off solo he had to contend with, so he was betting the stairs guy would stick around to keep him busy while the other came around from behind. The other group of two most likely went to the parents’ room. Or maybe the single went there and the two were working to flank him.

Too many possibilities were racing through Gabriel’s mind as he reached a set of stairs. A quick look around told him no one was there, though there was always the possibility of someone hiding in the shadows.

With his back against the wall, Gabriel took the stairs as quickly as he could without making any noise.

Now on the ground floor, he began making his way back to the stairs he’d originally used. It took longer than he’d hoped to get there, needing to clear the rooms as he went so there wouldn’t be any surprises.

He checked around the last corner to see the back of an intruder; they’d stayed nearby, expecting him to do the same.

Quietly, he walked up from behind until there was only a foot of space between them before speaking. “Drop the gun.”

“Drop the gun,” a rough voice came from behind Gabriel, causing him to stiffen. How had someone managed to sneak up on him so easily? Unless… “Told ya he’d come around from behind,” the same voice chuckled as what felt like the barrel of a gun was pressed to the back of Gabriel’s head. “I said drop it. Nice and slow.”

As he lowered himself into a crouch to set his gun on the ground, the person behind Gabriel kept their own pressed against the back of his head. Once the gun was on the floor, the person he’d snuck up on moved. These guys had brought their own zip ties, and after being forced to kneel his arms were fastened behind his back

“Who are you and why are you here?” The one who’d snuck up behind him demanded, pressing the gun to Gabriel’s forehead. Now that he was paying closer attention, he couldn’t help but think this one’s voice sounded familiar. With a shake of his head, Gabriel pushed that thought aside to focus on more important matters.

In this sort of situation, the two brothers differed the most in their approach. Sebastian took things seriously, while Gabriel… liked being an ass. “I’d like to know the same thing,” he quipped with a grin. “So, Thing 1 and Thing 2, what’ve you got in store for me if I don’t talk?”

“…what?” Thing 2, the one whose voice wasn’t familiar, asked. Though Gabriel couldn’t see their faces he could picture the frown that was most definitely there.

“I mean, I already took out Thing 3,” he continued with a bit of a sigh. “And I’m sure Thing 4 and 5 aren’t gonna have a great time either.”

Pain shot through his skull as the man he’d given the name of Thing 1 pistol whipped him across his head. Gabriel wasn’t sure if he blacked out from it or what, but all of a sudden he was on the floor with one of them standing over him. “Ow…” he complained, trying to blink the blood that was dripping into his eye away.

“We need him alive, but not in one piece,” Thing 1 was saying, glee in his voice.

“Dead from blood loss would be an issue.”

“Hmm… Can’t argue with that. What if we just… break some things?”

Something hard slammed into Gabriel’s ribs, causing him to gasp as the air rushed from his lungs. Try as he might, it was like his lungs refused to work as he attempted to inhale, fighting for the air to return.

A boot hooked itself in the crook of his arm, flipping him onto his stomach. The other man stepped in then, quite literally slamming his booted foot down on Gabriel’s hands, drawing a shout from him as pain shot through his hands and up his arms. “Not… cool,” he managed to gasp, earning a laugh from his captors before another stomp landed on his elbow this time.

Seeing the hit coming, Gabriel was able to grit his teeth and remain quiet as something in his arm gave from the blow. The only thought going through his mind was how much work he was going to miss when this was all said and done.

Then another stomp landed on his hands, this time with the audible crunch of bone. Angry at their need to cause more pain than necessary — they were doing this for fun by now — Gabriel let out an angry shout as he swung one of his legs, catching Thing 2 by surprise and tripping him.

A shot rang out and it felt like something hot passed over Gabriel’s cheek as he forced his body to roll over and nearly fainting from the burst of agony as his weight pressed his broken hands into the ground.

Drawing his legs up, he flipped to his feet, pleased with himself to have pulled off the *best* move in all kung fu movies. Before he could do any more fun moves another shot rang out, but this time it was Thing 1 who dropped, shouting as he reached for his leg where dark liquid had begun to gush.

“Took you long enough,” Gabriel grunted as he turned and gave Thing 2 a swift kick to the face when he tried to get back to his feet.

“Can’t leave you alone for a second,” his older brother sighed as he kicked away the weapons both intruders had dropped before searching them for more. “What happened?”

“Got flanked.”

“Amateur.”

“Stop calling me names and cut this tie, would you?”

“You both won’t live long now,” Thing 1 snarled as the older brother finished his search. Ignoring their captive, Sebastian pulled out a knife and freed Gabriel’s hands.

It was a relief to be free, but the pain was only getting worse. Gabriel needed to get himself checked out, sooner rather than later, but he could power through it for now. To take his mind off the state of his arms, he turned his attention to Thing 1 and said, “Why do you sound familiar?” He glanced over at Sebastian before adding, “can you get a light on this one? I think we know him.”

Doing as asked, Sebastian pulled out his pen light and pointed it at the intruder in question. “Now this is a surprise…” he muttered, recognizing the man right away. “What are you doing here…?”