“Get them out.”I look from person to person, making sure nobody makes a wrong move.
Vera slowly moves past me, holding her empty hands up to the teens, letting them see that she’s not carrying any weapons.“Are you harmed?”She keeps her voice low and the teens quiet down, quickly shaking their heads.“Good.”
She kneels next to the teen closest to us, holding out her hand.“We’re getting all of you out of here.You’ll be safe.I promise.”
Someone on my right moves, steps closer.“Who the fuck—” I shoot the man and he goes down on his knees, grabbing for his throat, trying to stop the bleeding, before he falls over.
I might not have said anything, but I thought the ‘don’t move or I’ll shoot’ was implied when I shot that first woman?
Maybe not.
Ah, well.
The teens are now all tense again, pushing close together, away from Vera, their eyes on me filled with horror.
Fuck.I didn’t mean to scare them.
Then, another voice, soft, soothing.“We’re getting you out of here.You won’t have to work like this ever again.”
My heart skips a beat, in fear and excitement, as I watch Luca in the reflection of the windows, stepping from the doorway we just came out of.He’s still wearing the same as before.No protective vest.Just his normal clothes.
What’s he doing?!
That’s not safe!
“El!”One of the teens steps forward, clearly glad to see Luca, and the other teens also seem happy to see him.
Behind the teens, a woman in an expensive dress jerks her head up, her eyes wide in fury.“Don’t you fucking dare leave this room!”
“Look at me.”Luca coaxes the teens.“Only look at me.Don’t look anywhere else.Pretend you don’t hear anything but my voice.”
I don’t want to traumatise the teens any more than I already have, so as long as the rich woman is just screaming, I’m not shooting her yet.At least, not until the teens are all safely in the hallway.
Once they can no longer see and hear what’s going on, there’ll only be dead bodies in this room.
“Go to him.He’ll bring you to safety.The people with him will protect you.”Vera keeps her voice soothing, trying to look as harmless as possible in all her gear.
The first of the teens, a girl, starts to move, slowly taking a step in Luca’s direction.When there’s no other sound, no other movement, she gains confidence and sprints to him, kicking off her pretty but impractical shoes along the way.
“You’re safe.”Luca sounds relieved and it feels good to know that we’ve got the first one out.
Now the rest.
When the other teens watch the girl walk down the hallway, which I follow in the reflection of the windows as I don’t dare to look behind me, two more, two boys, hand in hand, take slow steps in our direction.
“Only look at me.”Luca keeps his voice steady.“Don’t look anywhere else.They have no power over you anymore.You’re free.”
The two boys take larger and larger steps, their speed increasing the closer they get to Luca.
Once the two boys are in the hallway, more of the teens start to move, holding hands, staying close, but they’re moving in our direction.
The woman in the expensive dress, clearly unhappy with what’s going on, starts waving her arms wildly.“You’ll never be safe.Don’t think you can—” Her words are abruptly cut short when Vera shoots her right in the head.
The teens immediately stop moving.
“Look at me!”Luca’s voice turns frantic.“Only look at me.You’re going to be safe.Only look at me.Don’t look at anyone else.”
Most of the teens follow his words, but one girl is frozen in place, her head slowly moving in the direction of the dead woman.
