Chapter 3
I whispered the words under my breath.
A sharp pain of betrayal exploded in my chest, but I didn't have time to fall apart.
I had to get out first, then I'd make sure every one of these demons went straight to hell.
The next second, the door to the hardware store was kicked open. "Boss, she's in here."
A scrawny, monkey-like man stuck his head inside, and when he spotted me, he yelled out in excitement.
I snapped my eyes open, my gaze turning icy cold.
Before the scrawny guy could even react, I lunged at him.
The iron rod in my hand smashed right into his knee.
He let out a piercing scream and crumpled to the floor.
I didn't stop there. Without hesitation, I kicked him in the chin, silencing him and sending him straight into unconsciousness.
The guys outside erupted into chaos the moment they heard the scream.
"Damn it, that bitch is inside. Get in there!" Milo's voice thundered from outside.
I slipped back into the shadows, gripping my bloodstained iron rod.
The place was cramped, easy to defend and hard to attack. With so many of them, they'd just get in each other's way.
As long as I stayed put, they'd have to come in one by one, straight into my trap.
But then, the stream chat exploded with warnings again.
A person wrote: [Run, girl. Milo's got gasoline, he's about to set the place on fire to force you out.]
Another wrote: [That psycho's gone off the deep end. He said it's easier to handle you if you're knocked out by the smoke.]
Someone wrote: [There's a window in the back. It's boarded up, but the wood's rotten, you can smash through it.]
I cursed under my breath.
These psychos really had no limits.
Sure enough, within seconds, the sharp stench of gasoline filled the air.
Milo's arrogant voice rang out from outside. "You little bitch, you just don't know what's good for you. I'm counting to three. If you don't come out, I'll roast you.
"Three.
"Two!"
Not wasting a second on his threats, I darted toward the boarded-up window at the back of the store.
The boards were rotting, but several loops of wire were still tangled around them.
I slammed the iron rod into the boards, putting everything I had into it.
Wood chips flew everywhere, but the wire refused to budge.
Milo said, "One.
"Set it on fire!"
Flames shot up in an instant, and thick smoke poured in through the cracks in the door.
The fire spread like wildfire, the hardware store was packed with flammable junk, and in seconds, it turned into an oven.
The scorching heat seared my skin, and the smoke made my eyes stream with tears.
I held my breath, threw everything I had into it, and slammed the iron rod right at the seams of the boards.
"Break!" I shouted.
With a furious roar, the rotten window frame finally couldn't take it anymore and crashed down.
I didn't care about the nails ripping my skin. I clambered out, hands and feet working together.
Behind me stretched a reeking sewage canal, its pitch-black water giving off a nauseating stench.
But I didn't have time to hesitate. I plunged straight in.
The filthy water soaked my clothes instantly, but at least it cooled the fire burning on my skin.
I half-ran, half-stumbled through the sludge, pushing forward with every step.
This was the town's main drainage channel, flanked by towering walls, no one could spot me here.
A person wrote: [Careful, girl. There's an iron fence blocking your way up ahead.]
Another wrote: [Milo and his crew realized you escaped, they're closing in on you.]
Someone wrote: [These guys have shotguns. I saw it, Milo's dad just pulled out a homemade one.]
I felt that this wasn't just trafficking anymore. It was a full-on manhunt.
I reached the end, and sure enough, a rusty iron fence stretched across my path, with garbage hanging all over it.
It wasn't too high, but with exhaustion dragging me down, getting over it was going to be anything but easy.
Just as I was about to climb, I heard someone running frantically above me. "Over there, in the sewer."
Shotgun pellets peppered the wall right next to me, sending debris flying everywhere.
A few pellets scraped across my cheek, stinging like hell, and blood started pouring down my face.
"Damn it, I missed." Milo spat.
He stood atop the wall, glaring down at me as he stuffed powder into his homemade shotgun.
"Go on, run. Try it again, I dare you," he jeered.
His face twisted into a vicious grin. "I love taming wild horses. Today, I'm breaking your legs for sure."
With an iron fence ahead, Milo and his crew closing in from above, and me trapped in a reeking sewage canal, I was cornered.
It was a dead end.
I stared down Milo, clutching the iron rod like my life depended on it.
I refuse to meet my end there.