Shaw sped up the stairs to the top floor and hid himself several rooms in. He arranged a screen around the bed to make the searcher come right in to check the area, then moved back into the corner and the shadow of the cupboard. He stowed the shotgun in the corner and then he waited.
It wasn’t long before he heard quiet steps. They paused and moved off in different directions along the corridor. He strained to hear them go into the room next door. Then it began. He watched the door swing quietly open, and a figure stepped through, moving towards the screen to pull it away. He lunged forward, using his knife to kill them with a swift stab to the neck. One down, nine to go.
The adrenaline pumped through him as he picked up the Crow’s weapon and tucked it into his empty holster, leaving the bulky shotgun behind.
Mary drifted into his thoughts, and he forced the image back. If he lost focus, he would lose this fight. He listened carefully for the other Black Crow on this floor.
He made his way down the corridor, dodging between open doors, and managed to surprise the second one as he left a room. Again he managed a clean and quiet kill. The odds were becoming more favourable.
He knew that he couldn’t risk slowing the pace now. Before long they would be expected to check in and confirm their area was clear, and once the reports failed to arrive, they would know something was wrong.
Shaw slipped down the stairs and took out two more Black Crows in quick succession. Only six more to go.
It had felt relatively easy so far, and Shaw began to relax a little, which was when it all started to go wrong.
As he turned into the third-floor corridor, he practically bumped into one of the Black Crows. They had a pistol in hand, and Shaw knocked their hand upwards to send the round above their heads and into the ceiling, where it lodged, sending a shower of plaster down on them. Twisting the Crow’s wrist, Shaw wrenched the gun out of their hand and shot them before turning the gun to shoot the other Crow, who had come running out of a room further down.
He could already hear others coming up the stairs, so he ran for the fire escape, and throwing the door open, he flung himself out and slammed it behind him. He scrabbled for the keys and, with a shaking hand, pushed a key in and locked them in.
Almost immediately he heard shots being fired at the lock to release it, and he nearly tumbled down the outside steps as he rushed to get down. He leapt down the last stretch and hesitated for a second before running towards the wooded area.
Shots were fired behind him, and he felt a searing pain in his left arm as one of the Crows’ rounds found him just as he reached the edge of the trees. He shut his mind to the agonising wound and pushed his way into the undergrowth. He needed to be able to maintain a distance in front of the pursuers to carry out his plan, so he frantically pulled at the brambles and ivy that snagged him. His hands bled as thorns pierced his skin, but eventually, he reached the low wall of the cemetery and was just a quick run from the outer door of the basement corridor, which the group had escaped through earlier.
He dodged and jumped over the headstones and swore as his ankle caught in a hole sunken into an old grave. Behind him he could hear bodies crashing through the undergrowth, more concerned with speed than stealth now they had their target nearly in sight.
He fumbled for the correct key, almost dropping them all, but once he found it, he unlocked the door to the corridor and flung it open. Then, pushing on through the vegetation, he looked for a tree he could climb.
In normal circumstances, in normal times, he could climb any tree, however tall or daunting. With his left arm hanging almost useless and hands ripped and bleeding, he knew it had to be a simple climb. All the trees had had years to stretch and grow, so it seemed he would never find one with a low branch, but finally he found a smaller tree, and he struggled to pull himself up with his one good arm, all the time praying that no one caught him at this vulnerable moment.
Once he was high enough, he steadied himself and got his gun ready. He felt dizzy and could feel the blood trickling down his arm. He was barely ready before three Crows came battering through the undergrowth after him and, looking across the graveyard, saw the open door. They slowed and split up, approaching it from different directions before stopping by the door for a moment. It was obvious who was in charge, as orders were exchanged, sending one Crow in through the entrance of the basement, and another further on into the undergrowth to look for Shaw. The officer stood at the door, scanning the area and taking stock of the situation.
Shaw saw the officer lift his head to search the trees, and he knew that within the next few seconds, he would be in his sight line, but the man walking towards him was not near enough to jump on, as he’d planned. As the officer spotted him and raised his gun, Shaw leapt down, using the nearest Crow as a shield against the officer’s shot.
Shaw looked the surprised Crow in the face and then shot him before springing to his right. He banked on the officer expecting him to stay put or go left towards a standing gravestone, and his luck held as the shot went wide, and he rolled, fighting the agony of his injured arm, knelt up, took aim and shot the officer. He had been a crack shot in the Wuckers, with every chance of promotion to the Crows himself. It showed as the officer crumpled and fell.
Shaw staggered forward to the door, ensuring he stood to the side rather than giving the Crow inside a perfect silhouette to aim for.
He listened.
Inside he heard footsteps heading back to the door, which suddenly slid to a stop. There were a few hesitant steps.
‘Sir?’ a woman’s voice called out.
Shaw remained silent.
A few more steps echoed off the concrete. Then the Crow turned and ran away from the door and back into the building.
Shaw leaned against the wall for a few moments, trying to decide which way to enter the building. There were two Crows left, which were good odds, but he was injured.
One Crow in the hallway could be covering both the front door and the stairs up from this corridor. The other could watch the fire escape on the third floor. He needed another way in, and he could only think of one other option.
As he gathered his thoughts and made his plans, he heard a rustling sound approaching quickly from behind. There was no time to stand. He rolled onto his front, pointing his gun towards whoever was heading towards him, but while he could hear movement, there was no sign of a person. Whatever it was, it was now upon him and burst out into the open directly towards him before swerving to avoid a head-on collision.
He shot high to miss the wild pig that flew towards him, and dropped his head shakily onto his arms. He smelt the leaves and soil beneath him and laughed hysterically.
He calmed himself. It was not over yet. As he sat up, he saw the pig rooting around near the door, and a thought occurred to him.
Two more Crows to go. Perhaps Crows could be as spooked by pigs as he had been.