Chapter 11
A cold smile appeared on his lips, and I noticed how he glanced at me, then returned to Zach. "I really want to mess with you earlier, but Hiroshi fuck with me first," he said, rage in his voice. “No Hiroshi men, will come out of this place, alive!” he shouted, burning enthusiasm of the crowd.
Zach ordered his men in response to his declaration. He stood motionless, staring up at us. And for a brief moment, I noticed how his gaze lingered on me as if he was trying to figure out who I was.
That didn't take long, as he returned his attention to the situation. He began walking towards an unknown destination. My gaze chasing his back, my emotions conflicted.
"Get down!" the man yells, waking me up and drawing my attention away from Zach. As soon as I did what the stranger told me to do and kneeled, bullets shot at us and hit the wall. The sudden sound startled me, and I put my hand over my ears to protect them from the loud noise.
I have no choice but to stay quiet and watch with widening eyes as he calmly shoots back and covers for me. With his nonchalant expression and even the cold green eyes, I would never forget this moment.
The surroundings are becoming chaotic, and gunshots can be heard almost simultaneously. He glanced at me as he squatted, making the wall our cover.
“Let’s move on,” he said. I only stared and listened to him. He looked at me and then at the gun in his hand, saying, “Here, use it when necessary to protect yourself." It’s an automatic rifle no need to prepare, just shoot. Okay?” He handed it to me, and all I did was blink. Because of my slow reaction, he shook his head and placed it in my hand.
The gun isn't particularly heavy, but it's cold in my hand, and I'm afraid to hold it. What if I accidentally shoot it? I don’t have any experience with guns at all!
“Do I... really need this?” I ask him and look at him, not really sure what I need to do. He nodded and took another gun from his suit.
"You need it because things are getting out of hand." he shifted his gaze and peeked at the wall, then returned to me, “Remember, protect yourself at all costs. Don’t mind the other or even me, just yourself.” He then pointed a gun at my back and fired it, followed by a loud thud.
My grip on the gun tightened as I recognized the gravity of the situation. "I... I'm afraid," I admitted, biting my lower lip to calm myself.
In all honesty, I didn't react like an average person who only encountered this situation for the first time because I was far too calm. However, now that I’m already holding a gun, it suddenly feels too real. This is really happening, and I’m not just a bystander. I’m also involved with it.
My fingers trembled as I held the gun in my hand, bowing my head and unsure what to do. My ears continued to be filled with the sound of gunfire, which served as a kind of background music that emphasized the seriousness of the situation.
A finger lifts my chin, raising my gaze to the man as we are already facing each other up close. His eyes suddenly became gentle again as they stared right through me, calming my chaotic nerves.
"Don't be afraid," he said with a smile, stroking my chin with his thumb. "As I said before, I'm just showing you our world. I didn't bring you here to die. So don't be hesitant. You’ll not kill anyone, and you’ll only protect yourself.”
His deep voice rang again, and he tried to reassure me. I don't know if it works, but I finally feel better and nod at him. Finding new courage all of a sudden,
As he saw my response, he glanced to the side again. "Let's go," he said, his expression serious once more, and we began to leave our spot, walking quickly and occasionally hiding behind the wall.
I'm running after him, the gun in my hand and my eyes on my surroundings. I’m still quite nervous, but the thrill overtook my mind.
My anxiety eased up a little bit every time another group of men stood in our way, and Rizzo fired his gun at them. In fact, I'm not scared at all by this scene for some reason I don't know. This man, in particular, didn't scare me in the least.
In reality, we didn't encounter many enemies and those who did escaped the net from their subordinates. If not, we can also walk unhindered, as Zach did earlier.
And now, speaking of Zach, I'm looking at him. His features are much clearer in my eyes. The enclosed space was twice as ample as the room we were in before, with bodies scattered throughout.
Blood even flowed from the bodies and tainted the white-marbled floor, while the chandelier in the center of the room shone brightly and made the scene much clearer.
As we enter this room, we stop at the entrance, and we notice that the people inside are also pointing guns at each other. The man at the center of it all, however, is already on his deathbed. He is kneeling in front of everyone, surrounded by his opponents and men.
And there... Zach is standing in front of the man.
I frowned and furrowed my brows, wondering why this scene seemed so familiar. My gaze focuses on the man kneeling on the floor, trying so hard to remember this sudden deja vu, and yet I am forced to shut my eyes.
What? Why is my head suddenly throbbing in pain? I opened my eyes, and the confusion in me vanished as if it had never existed. No matter how I want to recall, I can’t, especially as the situation progresses again.
The man kneeling on the floor laughed and vomited some more blood. "I've already accepted it. Swallow or be swallowed. That’s always been the game. It's just that my time has come," he laughs again, raising his head and looking directly at Zach.
I don't see any regret in those eyes, just acceptance. "Gallagher... your time will come as well. And I'll be in hell, waiting for you." He laughed insanely again, blood pouring from his mouth until it became weak, and he collapsed to the floor in his pool of blood.
Everyone fell silent as they stared at the dead man on the floor. I also stared at it for a moment until I raised my head and shifted my gaze to Zach, and his gaze landed on me in an instant that he turned around.
After what seemed like only a few moments, his eyes narrowed, and he looked at me in surprise. When our eyes meet, it takes me a few seconds to realize that he is really looking at me and recognizing me.
Wait, he is looking at me, right? As if he's there to remind me, the stranger beside me touches my shoulders, and I glance at him. He looked at the cloth hanging over my head. I blinked and reached for it.
The hood was taken off my head at some point. I look at it and then back to Zach, who looks at me with a dark expression while watching us.
My heart is pounding again, this time out of nervousness, and the man next to me even laughs and says, "I guess the surprise worked, right?"
I glare at him, but he seems to be enjoying himself, and now I'm dead.
I can’t say anything as though I bit my tongue, and I’m even so afraid to look at Zach as I sense his eyes staring at me. Not knowing what to do, I bowed my head and fiddled with the cloth that was supposed to hide my face but was now useless.
In contrast to how tongue-tied I looked, the stranger beside me seemed to be doing better as he broke the awkward silence around us. But he isn't as angry as he was earlier when he was talking to Zach.
“So, you already killed him. It’s a pity. I wanted to do it myself," he said, but his tone didn't make it sound like he felt bad about it at all.
He is even playing the fool himself! Now I'm in this mess, and this guy seems to enjoy it. I grit my teeth and raise my head, glaring at his back as he casually walks toward the bloody scene.
At some point, the few men who had been protecting the man before gave up and kneeled on one floor with blank faces as if they had accepted their fate.
I watch them and forget my precarious situation. And while I was looking at them, I made eye contact with Zach. My body stiffened, reminding me that I had been caught red-handed by my husband, standing beside his enemy.
I’m not even doing anything wrong at all, but I’m still feeling guilty! I swear the anger was visible in his blue eyes, especially as he stared at me darkly. I knew the outcome wouldn't be good.