Hair///Trigger

We avoided the first sounds of gunfire after taking out that first Demon, only to find ourselves at another firefight. This spot, however, has more favorable conditions because of those buildings. Janine and I just needed to find an opening to get around them and jump into one of the balconies across from us. The evacuation notice we heard on the radio was in English, but in a British accent as opposed to French. If things went as we overheard, shouldn't be anyone there.

I don't know what she did, or how she did it, but we have a better chance at getting across now. That first demon we killed was carrying a grenade. We're only going to have a few seconds after this to get across, but this should get those soldiers to stop firing just long enough.

"Felix!? No, don't! You'll kill them!" She says, despite these soldiers having just tried to gun her down. This is just a diversion, but if they get wounded by it, this is their own fault. I know they're supposed to be our allies, but if they're going to shoot at any demon they see, I'm not taking chances.

I throw the grenade and grab the rifle from Janine. I only had a little bit of time of 'training' with Feng, but this should work. I can do this.

"Grenade!!!" One of the soldiers shouts. The gunfire stops. As soon as I hear the blast, I aim over the ledge and begin firing at the French vehicle.

"Janine, grab me and take us to that balcony, now!"

She picks herself up, but she looks sluggish. Can she make it? Whatever she shot must have exhausted her. I guess I can't count on doing that often.

An arm wraps around around my waist, and I'm suddenly lifted into the air. I keep firing. It's hard to aim in midair like this, but those soldiers are staying behind cover.

The rifle stops. I'm empty, but we're now over the ledge.

"Okay, now let's—"

Before I can finish and ask her to open the glass door, she just crashes through it. I see her body roll inside as I duck below the balcony ledge. She should hear them coming up if they pursue us, but did she get hit!?

I run in.

"Hey, are you okay!?"

"No. How could I be? Why did you do that? They're not the enemy!" She shouts at me, still speaking in defense of those soldiers.

"Janine, they were shooting at us. And I made sure to throw it somewhere that would force them to duck behind cover. We needed that opening."

"But now we're only left with two handguns, no rifle, and— Ow!" She's holding her leg. There's no blood, thankfully. She must have struck the ledge during the landing, explaining why she crashed.

"Hey, don't move. Where does it hurt?"

"Forget it. I'll deal with it. You need me to keep jumping around like a dog, right? Into the next building over there?" She says, with scorn. She's not angry at those soldiers, but at me?

"Janine, you know I don't look at you like that. We're both doing our part." I hear the armored car outside drive off. Sounds like they're retreating. At least they're not trying to run up after us.

"No. Just stop. You can't fight back. You just wasted an entire mag on nothing, and now we're stuck here with the whole city against us. Just stop making this worse than it already is."

"I'm just doing what we need to for us to stay safe. I know I'm not as good as you, so—"

"Then just stop! You're not a soldier. Stop pretending to be one! I can't fight off the whole city and keep you from killing yourself at the same time. You're being too overconfident because you got a few plans working. This isn't like one of your games. Seriously. We've just got two pistols that won't even penetrate body armor. What the hell do you think we're going to do now!?"

My ears are still ringing from the deafening gunfire, but the sound of her bitterness is much worse.

"Janine, I was just trying to protect you. I wasn't trying to kill those soldiers, but I had to pick between you or them. Stay focused with me. Yeah, we're out of ammo for this, but," I tap the rifle, "what about what you just did? When you started glowing and flipped that truck. That's the 'demon' ammo that Athena got for you, right?"

"Stop. I can only do that once every few minutes because, well, just feel the f.u.c.k.i.n.g gun. Oh wait, you can't because you'd just burn yourself. For the record, I'm the one protecting YOU. These complicated plans of yours are just getting to your head. Stop gambling and—" She stands, grabbing, no, forcing the rifle out of my hands.

"Ugh. Forget it. Just come here. Next building."

She doesn't even wait for me, she just grabs me and, in the next instant, we're flying out of the next open window and onto the balcony of the next building. I pull out the radio as we walk inside.

"Ice cream to Ice Cream-Actual."

"That just sounds dumb."

What is her problem? We can't afford to be arguing like this when we're in the middle of a war zone. Is her leg hurting that much? We should probably slow down and find a secure building to stay—if there is such a place.

"What the hell, Janine? Of course it sounds dumb—that's the point. It's supposed to be weird enough to grab attention and make sense to no one else except back home."

"Look. It's a good plan and it might work. If we can survive long enough. Just figure something else out that doesn't end up using me like a dog. I'm the one doing all the hard stuff, so factor that in. I'm reborn, but that doesn't make me invincible."

"I'm not going to make you do anything that puts you at risk, Janine."

"Then stop putting yourself at risk!"

Jess had warned me about something like this before. What a time for this to be happening, I tell myself. So much of me wants to think she's being unreasonable, but I don't want to be mad at her. I can't. I won't let the both of us lose focus.

"Then let's just stay here for a while. You get some rest." I want to ask her how long until her leg is better, but I don't know if that would just sound inconsiderate right now. I've been dating her this whole time, but I don't know how quickly she recovers because she's never been hurt.

"Yeah. So you think no one's gonna chase us in here, Mr. Know-it-all?"

"Janine, listen to yourself because it's starting to get on my nerves."

I feel my teeth grating in frustration.

"Whatever. I'm probably sounding stupid right now, but just let me rest. If you think this place is secure, then we'll stay here."

We work our way up the stairs, clearing room by room. This, ironically, is a hotel. So much for our jokes about our 'romantic getaway' and hotel escape. I help her into bed and tuck her in. She rolls over and doesn't even face me.

I sit and watch over her for half an hour, periodically checking out the window into the streets below. There are dead demons and humans in the streets, along with a few soldiers.

"Ice Cream to Ice Cream-Actual."

I repeat the message. Janine must be sound asleep; she didn't even budge. She's the real fighter in all this. I'm practically just guessing my way along this mess. At least she trusts my judgment enough to believe that this building is safe.

The truth is, I don't know if this place is actually safe. Furthermore, she's right. Our sidearms won't do any good if our enemies have military or police grade body armor. If I go downstairs, those bodies down below have weapons and equipment I can take, and I'll be able to check the perimeter to see how defensible this place is. I'll stay close to the entrances so that I can run back in if I'm noticed. Janine should be able to hear and wake if I fire a few rounds once I'm inside.

I take a look behind me before closing the door. She's going to be mad, but she's our only real chance of making it out of here alive, and she's hurt. I have to let her rest. I'm still upset that she flipped out on me the way she did, but this is my turn to help her.

I clear the rooms below, floor by floor. I scanned across each room just like how Feng and Jess taught me, hoping that it will be enough.

I'm at the bottom floor. It's all clear. These soldiers have better equipment. If I can remove their vests, Janine and I will have a better chance. I grab the one rifle I can find and all the spare mags I can, hoping that some of these will fit our rifle upstairs.

"Ice Cream, this is Hunter UK6-13-02. Identify yourself, we don't recognize—" I shut off the radio immediately. Shit! That was ridiculously loud. I hope no one heard me, because that noise is giving me a headache already.

~~~

I open my eyes. That headache feels like something smashed the back of my head.

"F.u.c.k.i.n.g finally."

An unfamiliar voice. A few more voices surround me in French.

Huh!?

The wind is knocked out of me. I saw a boot go straight into my stomach.

The chair I'm tied to falls back, and I land flat against my hands. My body weight against the chair and these ropes is digging into my wrists. I look up and see several unfamiliar faces. A mix of human and vividly colored hair and irises stare down at me.

"You're not supposed to knock him out again, dumbass. You do it like this, instead."

The voice that just spoke kicks the side of my abdomen. He hit one point, but I feel my entire body is aching. They must have been beating me for a while before I woke, or maybe that's why I was knocked unconscious to begin with.

"That wake you up now, shithead?"

One of the demons grabs me by the neck and lifts me, along with the chair, into the air. I can only barely see devilish look on the face glaring into me, callously watching the few breaths I can barely manage drain from me. He slams me back down into the ground. The legs of the chair beneath me snap from the force and I'm now sitting flat, looking up at the scene around me.

The drowsiness is overwhelmed by a new feeling.

This is terror. They're going to kill me.

"Where. The f.u.c.k. Is Cesar?"