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My mouth had gone dry. I felt that any moment I could pass out and just by the look on her face, I could tell that Bastos was feeling the same way, if not worse. There was no way I could keep going. I stopped and leaned us against the wall to try and catch my breath.

“I can’t go any further.” I muttered, bending over trying to inhale. Pain shot up my side and the air flow constricted. “Shit…I can’t breath!

“You probably have a broken rib. Sophia, I need some clothes. It’s freezing and I might catch an infection. These burns are killing me.”

“Alright…why don’t you wait here and I will look in these last rooms?”

I was so tired. Even though we’d only walked down the hall and around a corner, it felt like we’d walked for hours and we were headed right back were we had started. Bastos looked like she might pass out, her lips were dry and her face was pale. So I offered to help her sit down.

“Are you alright? Maybe you should take a seat while I go.”

She turned to look at me, there was concern all over her face. “If we weren’t in so much trouble, I would definitely say yes. But, by now these guys already found out that we aren’t in our rooms. We have to keep moving. Once we hit this corner, we can go up the stairs and there is a laundry shoot there.”

“How do you know?” She’d mentioned that the place had been closed down a long time ago. So how could she know her way around it.

She gave me a weak smile, as we carefully passed an open door. “A while after they closed down the place they needed all the furniture and stuff out. So they hired different people to help clean it out. My dad came for about a week straight and my sister and I tagged along whenever we could. We used the laundry shoot on the second floor as a slide.”

“Uh…well…who would have known that playing in a dangerous place as a kid would come in handy.” I was trying to be a bit funny, but she didn’t smile or laugh.

Slowly we started our uncomfortable trek again, but we both froze when we heard the cocking of a gun. She looked at me and I looked at her, we both stood unable to turn around. Afraid to face the person who had the power to kill us.

Alright, lets get something straight…I’m not a hero. I’m not courageous. And sometimes, I really wonder what the hell I was thinking when I said I wanted to be a officer of the fucking law. Why couldn’t I have been a pretty pretty princess or a back up dancer for some singer or boy band, like normal girls. Instead I ran around the yard playing cops and robbers with the boys.

So, I didn’t have time to think, and as cliché as this is going to sound; It was do or die. I took hold of the gun tucked in my skirt. Shoved Bastos out of the way and spun around firing my last round.

All I could hear was Bastos calling my name and the clicking of the trigger. I snapped out of it and quickly I helped Bastos up, “I’m so sorry…it was the only thing I could think to do. Did I hurt you? Wait…that’s a stupid question.”

“Sophia. You did great. Now, lets keep moving.” We started to walk and then I remembered that the dead guy had a gun on him. So I left her there and ran back to get it. There were still plenty of those men waiting to get us.

As we rounded the corner, we heard gunshots echo throughout the building. I smiled feeling safe already, we both knew that the police had arrived and that we weren’t far from being safe. Bastos and I quickened our pace as we caught sight of the door to the stairway.

“We are almost there. I promise we can rest once we are inside.“ I wonder if the way I was talking to her annoyed her a bit. I couldn’t help it, I knew she was in distress.

“Ok. I don’t know how much further I can go.”

She wasn’t lying I was dragging her weight along with mine down the hall. Not the moment to mention these things, I know, but she isn’t as light as I imagined. I’m just saying.

I looked around and slipped into the stairway. Slowly, I helped her sit in the corner and then I plopped right next to her. Shots were still echoing all around us, but we seemed to be safe for the moment.

“I’m so sorry. I just need a little rest and we can go up the stairs.” She squinted in pain and let out a moan. We sat there in silence, but the curiosity was killing me.

“Why did they beat you and not me?”

She smiled bitterly and nodded, “I’m not sure I should tell you all this. It’s just gonna freak you out and I don’t wanna do that.”

“Too bad you already said something. Tell me!” It really didn’t make sense, or maybe it did. She’d been his partner before and maybe this was the guy that they had tried catching before. I wonder if they mentioned that in the meeting. I was so busy hating her, most of the meeting was a blur.

Bastos let out a sigh, “Fine! They thought I had information on Alex…they think that we are an item, since last time we were together on the bust and well…you know the rest. He’s after Alex and the rest of your family. He knows you are somehow related…”

“Shit. Now we are going to have some mafia guys after us. Wait…they thought you guys were an item and that’s why they beat you to a pulp…” I wanted to grin a bit, but the truth is I’m not that harsh. She was pretty bad and that just would have been cruel.

“Don’t think of yourself as so lucky. You were next…like I said they know you guys are…” she paused for a bit, “do you hear that?”

I placed a hand on Basto’s knee and gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. I think we are pretty safe here for now.”

I’d spoken too soon. There was the sound of footsteps shuffling up the stairs and neither one of us had the energy to run up a flight of stares, hell, we couldn’t even crawl. So we both scooted into the far corner and I pointed the newly found gun at nothing.

My heart was racing and my stomach was in knots. This was definitely a bust I should have passed up. At this point if I got out of here alive, I didn’t give a shit if they put me back on traffic control. The footsteps were getting closer. My heart was beating faster. A man trotted up the stairs and froze when he saw me pointing the gun. My hands dropped quickly and I jumped up and flew into his arms. He hugged me so tight, I couldn't breath. 

I’d never been so happy to see Alex. “You found us!” I could have cried, but I was too emotional that I was laughing.

“Are you alright?” He was trying to check every inch of me, but I was too busy clinging on to him. Never had I felt so clingy before. “You guys are a mess. Hey Bastos are you alright?”

Bastos forced a smile, “I’ve been better!”

He knelt down and helped her up and she threw an arm over each of our shoulders. “We gotta get the fuck out of here, we have about five minutes to blow.”

We all looked at each other, “Five…minutes…before they start demolition this place. Oh that’s just great!”

“Don’t worry we still go up the stairs and then the shoot is right in the corner. Don’t panic.” Bastos was wincing with each of our steps and we tried as carefully as possible to drag her up.

I wanted to run up the damn stairs and throw myself head first into the shoot. Sometimes I wonder about how I’m going to die. Will someone shoot me on the job? How about at car accident? In my sleep? Never have I thought about being blown to pieces. Sheesh, they would never find me. With all my random thinking we were up the stairs and standing in front of the big hole in the wall; the famous shoot. 

“You go ahead.” I offered.

“OK. I will see you guys down there. Be careful.” She gave my arm a squeeze and Alex carefully helped her into the hole. Down she went.

There wasn’t much time to talk, before I knew it Alex was helping me into the rather dark place, which I didn’t know might kill me anyway. I was being very negative. Cut me some slack, it was a really bad day. “Come with me…now.”z88;

I wanted to wait for him, but he pushed me and I lost grip and went tumbling down into pure darkness, it wasn’t till seconds later that I fell on my boney ass on concrete. She could have warned me about that. 

I could see a bright light at the end of the tunnel, so I ran or trotted more like it. Until I felt the heat of the sun on my body. Instantly Howard was at my side along with other uniforms and paramedics. They dragged me away, but I struggled to stay. There was no Alex.

 “He’s still up there…you can’t leave him! He's your brother.." I was kicking and squirming.

“Sophia don’t be stubborn. This place is gonna blow right about---”

Howie didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. We were all thrown across the parking lot. There I was on my face with a throbbing headache. Was this day ever going to end.

Slowly I stood up, there was no heat, just dust and debris everywhere. Suddenly, I felt my heart stop. Alex…he was still in there and now the place was nothing but a pile of rubble. I looked on in disbelief. I tried to run towards what was left, but Howard grabbed me from behind and struggled until we fell to the ground. He couldn’t be gone.
Not Alex.