CHAPTER 10 - FIGHT II
His heart is pounding as if a hundred horses are galloping across the plain.His ears are ringing like he is hearing an echoing siren in his head.
Linn’s eyes stared at the gun. He could see the barrel of the gun wavering between his left chest and sternum. This crumbled the last hope of Linn.
His opponent is a smart man unlike his friends who approached him dumbly. He is playing it safe. He is not sure of hitting Linn in the head if he aimed for it and also there is a possibility of Linn moving sideways which will result in a grazing wound or complete misfire. Thus he chose a bodily target.
Torso of a human is a sweet spot to aim for because you have got a very big target to aim. Also you could hit your target closer to the center of mass thus cancelling their forward momentum.
Two birds with one shot. You could hurt the target and you have enough stopping power to stop their forward motion.
Linn could see that the man is holding the gun too tightly in his hand and he is squeezing the grip of the gun. The man’s eyes darted toward Linn’s left side where the first man lay choking. The man is clearly agitated and nervous. He is torn between keeping his position and helping his friend.
Even while analyzing all these facts Linn still paid attention to the rest of the hit team. One of them is behind his back probably still flat on his back from the previous throw. The other two are still circling him at his right side.
Linn shifted sideways slowly, keeping everyone in his field of vision and turned his back toward the choking man. That is the position from where he could least expect a strike.
“Don’t move, don't f*cking move you a**hole” the man with the gun screamed at Linn. Linn could clearly see the spittle flying from the man’s mouth as he shouted.
“Ok ok, you got me”
“You got me. Ok, take it easy…..easy….” Linn said as he raised his hands to show that he surrendered.
“I am going to kill you bastard for that.”
“I am going to kill you for what you have done to Yuri” The man with the gun said as he closed towards Linn.
“Bran, help Yuri up” he motioned towards one of the two men. The man named Yuri is still clutching his throat and scratching it in an attempt to breathe. Linn could see that his motions are becoming slow and slow. Deficiency of oxygen already started affecting his muscles. He will feel his muscles getting more and more heavy and then there will come the blackouts…..and then death.
“If something happens to Yuri, I will make sure that you will accompany him”
“Then you would have to come to a decision quickly. Yuri is not going to make it if you wait anymore. You see, it is the collapsed trachea. He is deprived of oxygen and he is choking as we speak. He will lose consciousness in a couple of seconds and then …… phew...he is not looking good mate” Linn answered him as if he is concerned about the man’s health.
“SHUT UP!!! SHUT THE F*UCK UP OR I SWEAR THAT I WILL BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF NOW” There is rage in the eyes of the man. Linn could see that the man is going more and more crazy.
Linn smiled inside. Linn could already see sweat beads forming on the man’s temple. He smiled because Linn knows that the more the man is agitated, the more likely he is going to make a mistake.
A mistake means an opportunity…...opportunity for Linn to turn around this situation.
Linn decided this is the perfect time to push the situation. The man is already at the verge of breakdown. What he needs now is a little more pressure...a little push to break the man down.
LInn grinned widely at the man as he slowly put down his raised hands confidently as if daring the man to shoot him. From the man’s expression Linn is pretty sure that he is more concerned about his friend than completing the task.
Even though Linn showed a confident face, he is palpitating inside. There is no saying how he will react. Linn could be completely wrong in guessing the man’s actions. Different people react differently under pressure. No one could be sure of how one reacts.
“Put your hands up, UP NOW” the man screamed at him. He aimed the barrel of the gun at Linn’s head.
“You ain’t going to fire that weapon, are you?” Linn kept his cool as he calmly said. Linn completely disregarded the man.
“You still have a chance to walk away from this and save your friend. You can hope that nobody has called the cops.”
“Even if they do it will still take 2 more minutes for the cops to reach here. You will be long gone by then if you walk away now.”
“But if you fire that gun, all the patrols in this sector are going to home on the weapon signature. It is a whitelisted gun right?…..that is how you were able to bring it through the doors, right?” Linn put forward his conjecture boldly. He is not sure about this theory, but he did not show any hesitation while speaking.
“Hhh….how….how did you know?!!!” There is alarm in his eye as if his worst fears came into reality.
“I knew it was a trap. I knew it from the beginning. You are one of them, aren’t you? “ he said as he looked around to see if anyone else was there watching them other than the ordinary bar people who are rushing towards the exit like a panicked mob.
Linn too looked around to see if he could spot anything, anything that could give him a clue about what is going on. Linn saw people rushing towards the exit. Some of them still have their drinks in their hands. Some just empty handed rushing to get away.
Linn noticed a group of people at the other side of the bar. They are slowly standing up from their seats. What really stood apart is they are not in a fluster. They just calmly stood up and joined the crowd in a very casual way.
Too calm…..Too casual. Linn is confused by their presence in the bar. They look out of place in this bar. Especially the ladies, this run down place is not a place for taking out ladies for a date. Linn is sure that this group has something to do with what is going on.
But why?
Linn did not let the man see his confusion. He hid it well and faced the man calmly. Linn did not either confirm or deny his statement.
It is better that way. If Linn agrees or disagrees with anything that the man says then there is a possibility of messing things up. The man could get suspicious. So it is better to let the man continue building up on his assumptions.
“I knew you people will f*ck us sideways. The offer was too good to be true” the man said with conviction as if he is now certain that it is a set up.
“You should have realized it earlier….before committing to the act. You know they don't hand out good deals. ” Linn played along.
“Yeah I should have, I should have seen it coming”
First mistake. You don't start second guessing your decisions while in combat. You made a decision and you go with it whether it is right or wrong.
Second mistake. You should always be aware of where your gun is pointing at.
This is what Linn is waiting for. Mistakes….
And he acted…..