Post by GalaxiaD on Sept 2, 2011 17:48:45 GMT -5
Chapter 13: Lend a Hand
Xavier rolled up to the Mom and Pop store, but unlike last time, no one was at the scene of the crime. No cops, no yellow tape, no flashing lights, nothing. Elm Street was eerily silent, but most of us came to expect that by now. Elm Street has never been especially busy; aside from the one Mom and Pop store, every other small business along the street was run down and abandoned, a sign of dreams and entrepreneurship forever crushed. But this, this was too quiet, even for Elm Street. We could actually hear the wind howl as it blew some used up newspapers along the ground.
"Well... this is it," said Xavier. "Brett, it's up to you. If you want to turn back now, we can."
"I wouldn't dream of it," I said without hesitation. "I said we're killing Smilex tonight, and God dammit, that's exactly what we're gonna do." With that, the four of us climbed out of Xavier's truck, guns at the ready. As we stepped out, we could hear a rumble of thunder in the distance. A storm was brewing just over the horizon. Before long, we could feel little drops of rain hitting our head and hands.
"Come on, let's move up," I ordered. We decided to search the Mom and Pop store for any signs of life, be it the owners or the beast. To our dismay, the store was closed, and the doors locked. It was unlikely that Smilex was lurking inside, but I was too determined to give up that easily. I struck the rusty, old lock with the butt of my M14, and it successfully shattered and fell to the ground. With that, I pushed the door open and the four of us moved in. Just in time too, because the rain was really beginning to pick up. What was once a mere drizzle had evolved into a fairly heavy, yet steady downpour of rain.
"Xavier, your SPAS-12 is best for close quarters like these. You take point. Coty, you take cover behind the counter and watch the entrance. If the beast walks in, kill it. Kyle, you're with me, behind Xavier. Come on, let's move," I ordered.
"Roger," everyone said in unison. Coty didn't hesitate to take refuge behind the counter. Aiming down the scope of his PSG-1, he watched the entrance intensely. Meanwhile, KP and I stayed close behind Xavier as he led the way. The store was filled with all sorts of knick-knacks and antiques, though they were hard to make out in the darkness. Occasionally, a strike of lightning would light the way for us, but it would only last so long. Eventually, I was able to make out a light switch between lightning strikes, and flipped it on. To our delight, the store lit up, and everything came into view. Everything... including the beast. It was asleep on the floor, with a puddle of blood before it. I'm not sure how it didn't hear us come in or take notice of the lights coming on, but either way, Smilex was a heavy sleeper.
"Kyle... fire at will," I said.
"Don't have to tell me twice," he said, as he took aim with his FN FAL. He planted a round right between the beast's eyes. Smilex stopped breathing.
"Alright, now we wait," I said.
"For what?" asked Coty.
"Last time we thought the beast died, that wasn't the case," I said. "I think we should wait here and see how the beast manages to heal from its wounds."
"And have it kill us?" asked Xavier. "Come on, man. Don't be stupid."
"What would be stupid is if we arrogantly left it behind again," I snapped. "Besides, we're well-armed. If it comes to, just shoot it again." And so, we waited, for what seemed like an eternity. In reality, only five minutes had passed. Nevertheless, nothing happened. The hole in Smilex's head still remained, and it still wasn't breathing or showing any other signs of life. Xavier had seen enough.
"Look, I don't think we'll have to worry about Smilex ever again, okay?" he said. "Mission accomplished. I say we pack it in and head home." Just as he started to head towards the door, I immediately stopped him. At that moment, I noticed that the hole in Smilex's head began to move.
"Hang on a second!" I exclaimed. "Guys, check this out!" Everyone took notice of the bullet wound in the beast's head. The round had been expelled, and the hole was beginning to close up. It got smaller and smaller, until no signs of a wound were present. The beast looked completely unscathed. Then, it awoke, raising its head abruptly to meet our gaze with its own. Before the beast could act, Coty shot the beast in the back of the head with his PSG-1. Smilex once again clumped into a lifeless heap on the ground. However, it didn't take nearly as long for Smilex to recover this time. The beast almost immediately stood back up and charged at the source of the shot. Coty held up his PSG-1 as Smilex clamped down on it. The beast easily snapped the sniper rifle in half, leaving Coty only to defend himself with his bare hands. The beast clamped down on his right arm, but I took the moment to plant a round on the side of its head with my M14. It only managed to loosen Smilex's grip, as its jaws slipped down to Coty's wrist. At that moment, Smilex tore Coty's right hand off.
"Coty!" we all screamed. Coty began to writhe in pain as he watched the blood gush from his newly formed stump. I wasn't going to let the beast claim any more limbs. I drew out my KA-BAR knife and dove over the counter to directly engage the beast. I landed on top of it with a loud thud, then drove the blade into the top of its head. The beast finally succumbed to its wounds and clumped to the floor once more. I threw Smilex off of Coty and examined his wound. Blood continued to flow freely. I removed my tank top and used it as a makeshift tourniquet, wrapping it around Coty's stump to ease the bleeding. The tank top was soaked before long. Coty began to cry over the loss of his hand and the sight of his own blood, but I reassured him that it was going to be okay.
"Guys, we gotta get Coty to a hospital," I said. "Help me escort him to the truck." I helped Coty up, making sure that he continued to apply pressure to his wound. Kyle opened the door to a now very heavy downpour of rain. Lightning began to flash regularly; the storm had gotten worse.
"Okay, Xavier, you drive Coty to the hospital," I said. "Kyle and I will try to wait out this storm and catch up later." Suddenly, we heard Xavier's SPAS-12 go off. We turned around to find Smilex on its back, with a huge, gaping hole in its chest.
"Smilex pounced at me," Xavier explained. "But I caught that fucker just in time." A smirk overtook his face as he examined the wound his shotgun had left. "Let's see it recover from that." We let out a short cheer, but we couldn't celebrate for long. Coty still needed urgent medical attention.
"So, you want me to drive him to the hospital?" Xavier asked. "And you two will catch up later?"
"That's the idea," I said.
"We would go with, but... you know," Kyle chimed in. "We'll get wet if we ride in the bed, and I don't think the four of us can fit inside."
"Understood," said Xavier. With that, he braved the storm outside and helped Coty into the passenger seat of his truck, then went around to the driver seat and put his truck in gear. Before long, they were rushing to the hospital. Not a few moments passed before the SFPD took his place. Noticing the guns in our hands, the authorities told us to drop our weapons and come out with our hands up. We had been caught. Kyle and I complied with the authorities' demands, and soon after, we had cuffs around our hands and were being placed in separate police vehicles. I took the moment to take one last glimpse into the Mom and Pop store. To my horror, the beast was no longer in the same position. In fact, it was nowhere to be found. Not that I could do anything about it. Kyle and I were off to the Sunny Falls Police Department for some questioning.
Where is the beast? Will Coty be okay? And what will become of Kyle and Brett? Why am I asking you all of these questions? Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of "Smile"!