Chapter 11: Danger of Backfire

Everyone stayed frozen for a few seconds. Nobody moved. Everyone was too shocked to react. It was like time stopped at that moment.

Stacy took a step back. She turned to look at the target and a proud smirk formed on her face. Only then did she turn to address the newcomer. “Hey, Chad! How’s the meeting?” She limped to her working area and sat on the stool.

Chad blinked twice, not sure how he should be reacting. Stacy sounded too carefree for someone who’d just fired a gun at one of his men. He.. oh! He immediately ran towards Mark. “Are you alright?” Chad approached him. At the same time, Mark turned, looking just as confused. “I’m.. dead. No, I’m alive. I’m.. dead?”

Chad examined Mark with his eyes, searching for a wound. “Where are you hurt?” He asked, still trying to figure out the situation. “Can you see me?” He asked, as though he couldn’t believe that he’s still alive.

Suddenly, the warehouse was filled with laughter. Both of the men turned to see Stacy laughing so hard, she held her stomach. Her laughter seemed to pull Mark back to the present moment. His frown deepened. “What’s so funny?” He thundered.

Stacy didn’t react to his anger. “Did someone talk? I couldn’t see him!” She continued to provoke him in between laughter.

Mark’s face turned red. “You bitch!” He stormed towards her but Chad stopped him in time before his punch landed on her. “What’s going on?” Chad asked. He was holding a very angry Mark while looking at Stacy.

Stacy shrugged, “I was working.” She held her hand up and pointed a finger at Mark. “And he stormed in here and started shouting. Get him out of here. He’s interrupted my work,” she said plainly.

“You’re not supposed to be here, touching the weapons!” He retorted. “Chad, she’s a spy. Why do you let her in here? She’s a danger! She’s got full access to the weapons. Who knows what she’ll do?”

“What makes you think that I’m a spy?” Stacy asked. “Stop pretending! I’m sick of it,” Mark pulled away from Chad. He turned to face his leader. “If you’re not going to do something about her, I will.” He stormed out of the warehouse. Chad took a deep breath. He knew that Mark would definitely keep his words. They’d have a meeting later that evening, he’s certain of that.

“Would you stop provoking everyone around you?” Chad sighed. Stacy rolled her eyes. “I provoke him by existing. What do you want me to do?” She retorted sarcastically.

“I saw you point a gun at him, Sam,” he said. That’s what he’s been calling her for a while now. Stacy didn’t feel safe enough to reveal her real name, she told the Reapers she goes by the name Sammy.

“I was testing the gun,” she replied, not a hint of remorse in her voice. “We have enough dummies in here for you. Of every way you could test the gun, you pointed it at him. If you’re not provoking, what is?” Chad started to lose patience.

“I wasn’t aiming at him.” “That’s not what I saw.” “It’s a fact that the bullet didn’t hit him.” “That doesn’t make it any better!” “I did tell him to stand back!” They went on and on, throwing words back and forth, their voice rising a pitch higher the more they argued.

Stacy dropped down on the stool. “Fine,” she said, “so this’s it.” “What’s what?” Chad asked, annoyed. “This’s how it’s going to be like here,” she shrugged, “I’ll be minding my own business, someone’s going to storm up to me, interrupt my work, screech about things that doesn’t make sense, won’t listen to my explanation, try to kill me, and I shouldn’t do anything that can provoke them.”

She took a deep breath and looked Chad in the eye. “Well, define provoke. Tell me, Chad. What should I do to not provoke people around me?”

“That’s exactly what you’re doing right now,” Chad said. He took a deep breath. “Listen, Sammy. Letting you stay here is my decision. It doesn’t mean that the rest of them agree with it. Mark’s going to bring it up. The rest of them are probably going to resist. I’ll call for a meeting tonight. If things go south..”

“I’d have to leave,” she finished the sentence for him. Chad nodded. “Unless we could convince them.”

“I once convinced someone I was dead. That’s the only convincing I know,” she stated, her voice flat. Chad gave her the side eye. “Don’t do that.”

“That said, how’s the weapons coming up?” He inched closer and eyed the scattered materials on the table. Stacy almost rolled her eyes. “The parts I asked for just arrived. I’ll start working on it now. If things go well, I could finish before the meeting.”

“Alright, I’ll get out of your hair,” Chad said, moving to leave. “Make sure no madman escapes here again or I won’t be able to finish anything,” she called out from behind him.

Chad ignored her completely and left. Stacy started working on the weapons. As her hands assembled parts, her mind ran fast. She was amazed she could argue like that. That’d be her first. She convinced herself that she didn’t care. No attachments. No intense feelings. She simply felt a little more talkative today. She never cared enough to explain herself. She’d continue being that way.

At least the special weapon worked. The one weapon that would only backfire. She never intended to hurt anyone here. She pointed the gun at Mark simply because she was confident it would work the way she wanted it to – to shoot backwards. The mark on the dummy confirmed it.

So the action provoked that madman. Not only did the gun backfired, but also her action. It backfired on her. “I don’t care,” she whispered out loud. That sounded convincing enough. She needed to hear that. Everything’s alright.