Realism Fan Fiction / Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Desperate Times, Desperate Measures ❯ Under Fire ( Chapter 1 )

Under Fire

 

It was the day of my sixteenth birthday, you see. Everyone I invited was coming, the whole two of them. But even that wasn't the best part. The best part was that we were going to have the whole house to ourselves. We felt invincible that day.

And we tried so hard to keep fighting.

~*~

“Come one, Angel,” Darkfire whined, pulling on the boy's arm. “Don't be such a party pooper.”

“I told you!” the boy shouted, shaking her away. “I don't do those kinds of games.”

“Humor her, Angel,” Osadyro smiled. “I mean, it's her birthday.”

Angel looked at the girl and sighed. Looking back to Darkfire, he said, “Fine, you win. What do I do?”

Darkfire laughed with glee. “You just pretend. You can be anything you want to be.” She disappeared into her room for a moment. When she returned, she had a black foxtail attached to the back of her jeans. “Like me. I'm a fox demon with the power to control wind and fire.”

Osadyro smirked, enjoying the game. “And I'm part vampire and tiger demon. I control fire and ice.” She and Darkfire were always pretending. But they truly believed that they were these people.

Angel raised a brow. “So I can be anything?”

Darkfire and Osadyro nodded.

He thought for a moment. “Ok,” he said. “Then I guess I'm a wolf demon with the ability to control darkness.”

“Ok, now that we have characters, we need to decide what we're going to do,” Darkfire smiled, thoroughly enjoying this.

“How about a battle?” Osadyro suggested.

“Sure, I can do that,” Angel said.

“Ok, a battle it is!” laughed Darkfire, pumping her fist into the air.

And then the doorbell rang.

All three froze and listened to the chimes. None dared move, for fear something might happen. When the chimes stopped, Angel and Osadyro looked to Darkfire for some kind of answer.

“That's…odd,” Darkfire muttered, opening the door to her room. “I wonder who it could be.” Silently, she crept up the stairs, Angel and Osadyro close behind. Upon reaching the top, Darkfire carefully padded to the window. She looked outside to see a large truck parked just outside of the lamplight. Through the dark, she could make out white figures with black heads.

“What do you see?” Osadyro asked quietly.

“People in white with something dark on their heads.” She watched as the figures pulled something long and heavy from the back of the truck. “Is that…a battering ram?”

Her question was answered by a sharp thud on the front door.

“What the hell was that?” Angel growled in a hushed tone.

Darkfire moved through the darkness back to the stairs. “Guys, I don't think we're pretending anymore.” Leading them from the foyer, she made her way into her father's office. Grabbing the spare flashlight, she pointed it at the closet. “He has two guns in there. Angel, think you can use `em?”

The boy nodded and took the flashlight.

“Good. I know you've never killed a man, and I ain't asking you to. I just want you to be able to shoot if ya have to,” said Darkfire, digging through the closet. She pulled out a large black case and a small silver one. Pointing to the black one, she whispered, “That's a rifle. The other one is a pistol.”

“I can handle the rifle,” Angel said, pulling the black case to him. As he started loading the gun, Darkfire reached into the closet and pulled out another weapon.

“This sickle,” she told Osadyro, “is extremely sharp. As much as I know you can shoot, I know you can handle this better.” She pulled out another and handed them to her shivering friend, her own hands shaking. “We can't be scared now. Osa, this is the time to prove that you truly are part vampire. Help me protect my home.”

Osadyro nodded and placed a hand on Darkfire's shoulder. “And you prove to me that you're as cold and heartless as you claim to be.”

Darkfire took in a deep, shaking breath and pointed the flashlight at a sword. “Angel, could you get that down for me?”

Angel stood and lifted the sword easily from its rack. “It's heavy.”

“It's real.” Darkfire took the blade and strapped it to her back, not intending to use it. She opened the silver case and took out the gun. Checking the magazine, she clicked it back into place and grabbed another case of bullets. “Come on, they'll be through soon.” Leaving the flashlight, the three moved quickly and quietly towards the stairs. Just as they reached the bottom, the door gave way and the alarm began beeping out of control. But before it could contact the police, a shot rang out and the machine silenced.

Before following the other two into her room, Darkfire unplugged the nightlight at the bottom of the stairs. Upon entering, Darkfire's door was shut and locked.

“I never thought that when I said I would die for you, that I would actually come across a time I would have to prove it,” Darkfire smiled, tears coming to her sad eyes.

“Same here,” said Osadyro, opening the closet door and crouching behind it.

“No one's dying tonight,” Angel whispered, cocking the rifle and squatting behind the bed.

Darkfire shut out the lights and moved to Osadyro's side. She cocked the weapon and rested it with the muzzle towards the ceiling. All eyes focused on the door, hearts pounding in their ears.

The handle of the door jiggled and Angel took aim. He rested his finger lightly on the trigger. A loud pounding commenced against the door. Narrowing his eyes, Angel fired and reloaded in a swift, fluid motion. The noise on the other side of the wood panel subsided momentarily before starting again.

“Damn,” the boy cursed under his breath, taking aim again.

Osadyro gripped Darkfire's shoulder. “How can you act so brave?”

Darkfire turned and smiled at her friend. “Osa, I'm a demon. I don't have to act. Remember? We promised each other. I'll show you how cold I can be if you show me how much of a vampire you really are.” She looked at Angel. “Don't die, ok? I'm not cleaning up the blood.”

He shot and reloaded before looking at her. “Don't get shot…because I ain't savin' you.”

Darkfire smiled and nodded. “Deal.”

A loud cracking exploded into the air as the door broke at the middle, falling from its hinges. Several men, clad in white coats, flooded into the room. Most fell to Angel's rifle. The rest were prey to Darkfire's pistol. But more came.

Angel cocked and fired, but the gun only clicked.

“Fuck!” he growled, sinking behind the bed. “I'm out!”

Darkfire threw a box at him. “Hurry up and load!” Her pistol clicked. “Damn it!”

Osadyro took the casings off the sickles. “Don't fire,” she whispered to Darkfire. With all the speed she could muster, she rushed into the men, slicing their legs and arms. As they fell, she cut their bodies.

A gun fired and the girl froze.

“Osa!” Angel yelled, lurching.

“No!” Darkfire cried, stumbling from behind the door.

Two more shots were fired and Darkfire and Angel lay still.