When the lights when out inside the restaurant, everything instantly went quiet. Too quiet. Some of the people sat around the tables looked around a little uncertain, some of their faces just visible from the candles on their tables. The main source of light was the tranquil blue off the fish tank in the centre of the restaurant which sent long, moving shadows across the floor. There was a clatter of noise from the kitchen and the sound of frying pans clattering to the floor, as well as some shouting.

Tom had stopped on his way to the toilets as soon as the lights went out, casting a weary look around, along with the young lady dressed in blue who had also stopped not far away from him. Maybe there's been a power cut, he thought to himself, as he heard a few other people muttering the same thought. He tried to look across to the booth where he'd come from, but he couldn't see it, or Luke. Tina, who was not too far away from Tom was doing a similar thing, trying to see Gareth or her dad at the booth. To be honest, neither of them could really make out where they were, let alone see what was really happening, but that was soon to change.

A man was hurled out through the kitchen doors, slamming down onto the floor as another man entered through them, the sounds of screams quickly being shut out in the kitchen. The waiter now trying to pick himself up off the floor was towered over by a scruffy looking man, his face looking as if his nose had been broken many times in the past, holding a pan in his hand. His scruffy jeans, leather jacket and skinhead hairstyle with a striking tattoo on his head made him stand out from everyone else here, dressed up in their posh frocks and suits. Clearly, he didn't work here. "Apologies ladies and gents, but ya know what they say", the man shouted loudly in a thick Irish accent. "If ya can't stand the heat, get outta the kitchen". As if on cue, the kitchen doors blew open in a blaze of fire, sending several of the nearby tables flying, their occupants screaming and ducking for cover.

Tom yelped as the force of the blast sent him tumbling backwards into several chairs, crashing to the floor with a painful thump, knocking the wind right out of him. Tina however fell backwards over the table that was behind her, the table falling onto its side in the process, the glassware crashing onto her as she screamed in panic. Immediately the restaurant erupted into chaos and sheer panic. People scrambled towards the exits, screaming, running as fast as their feet would allow them as the back of the restaurant erupted into flames, catching on the drapes and tables, setting the place alight. "TOM! TOM!", Luke was screaming madly, his eyes darting all through the chaos as he ran straight towards the now burning inferno. "TINA!", Gareth screamed also, following suit quickly behind, racing to the back of the restaurant, pushing past everyone running in the opposite direction.

"Where are ya?! Come outta hidin then", the intruder shouted, knocking the waiter who he'd throw over the head with the frying pan, the deadly crack off his skull sending a cold shiver down Tom's spine as he watched the poor young man drop down like a stone, dead and still. Tina gasped in shock, her hand clapping over her mouth as she nearly screamed in horror from where she now lay, watching everything terrified. "I ain't got all day", the man shouted, hurtling the pan towards a couple who were trying to escape. That's when he pulled out his gun, cocked it, and fired two shots at them, killing the man and woman in seconds. Now Tom was terrified and scrambled across the floor towards the upturned table for cover. Tina nearly screamed in surprise when Tom practically dived next to her for cover, quickly putting his hand up to his lips to tell her to stay quiet. "Are you hurt? Can you run?", he asked frantically, daring himself to take a quick peak out from hiding to see where the man was. Tina just shook her head, terrified at what was happening, clutching onto Tom for support.

"He's gonna kill us. He's gonna kill us", she kept whispering under her breath, shaking in fear, tears running down her cheeks. Tom risked another quick look and soon regretted it, as his eyes locked on the blood shot ones of the intruder. "Found you!", the killer joked, and pointed the gun straight at him. Tom jumped back as quickly as he could, the bullet firing and just missing him. Tina screamed in panic as Tom wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her down, but it was no good. The man knew they were hiding behind the table, and nothing was going to stop him just firing again at them to kill them. They were trapped, and Tom knew this, as much as he tried to keep calm and not panic. All he could do was try and look for a way out, and hope for a miracle.

[3rd Person POV]

All I could do was watch the chaos unfold from my unfortunate vantage point, filling with anger. Max, the idiot, had decided that subtlety wasn't going to work, so had gone in all guns blazing, quite literally. I watched the terror in people's faces as the kitchens erupted into a blaze as he'd opened up the gas valves and set off a bomb. The poor waiter that had tried to stop him, his head literally cracked just like an egg off that frying pan. I can see our target hiding behind the table, taking cover. They look beyond terrified, knowing they are trapped. I know Max has them in his sights now, after already trying to take one pop shot at them.

This wasn't how this was suppose to end. There weren't suppose to be other casualties, other deaths, just there's. My fingers tighten on my sniper. I need to take the shot. I need to kill them before he does. But what's stopping me? Anger, revenge, payback. I'm prepared to miss my target to make things even, and put to sleep the dead assassin. I can't really see much inside the restaurant now because of the fire and smoke. I can only hope that my target can come up with something to get out of there, otherwise they are soon going to find themselves dead.

Inside the restaurant ...

By now Luke and Gareth had managed to fight their way through the terrified crowds of people trying to leave the restaurant to get further into it. They knew Tom and Tina hadn't made it out, and upon hearing the gunshots, charged ahead at full speed into the inferno. "TINA! TINA!", Gareth shouted, managing to get close enough. He could see the two of them, cowering terrified behind the table as the mad man approached them from behind, gun raised. "Hey!", Gareth shouted, grabbing a bottle of wine off a nearby table, throwing it at him. Just as he was about pull the trigger, Max was knocked over by a glass bottle colliding with the side of his face. He let out a yelp, accidentally letting off a shot in the direction of Gareth, the bullet narrowly avoiding him. "RUN!", Luke yelled at Tom, as Max staggered, turning his attention to the two of them.

Gareth and Luke dived for cover as Max turned the gun onto them, just as the sprinklers in the restaurant finally turned on, attempting to put out the burning inferno. Finally Tom saw an opportunity; the gunman had his attention distracted. "Come on", Tom whispered urgently to Tina, grasping her tightly, trying to pull her up. She just sat there shaking her head crying, too scared to even move. "Please!", Tom urged her on, putting his arm around her, hauling her to her feet. Gareth had tried firing a few shots at the attacker with his own gun that he'd pulled out, but he was firing blind, unable to get a clear shot. He didn't want to pop up and get shot in the head, nor did he just want to fire blindly and risk shooting the wrong person. Luke was on the phone to the police, calling for back up and informing them of the current situation, but his hands were shaking violently; he wasn't used to being in a fire fight.

"Get outta there you two!", Gareth shouted, managing to pop a shot close by to Max as he unloaded nearly the whole magazine of bullets at him. The table they were crouched behind offered hardly any cover, and Luke yelped when a bullet hole appeared through the wood in the place his head had been merely seconds before. Tom and Tina frantically looked around for a way out, the smoke, water and fire causing them to loose track of their bearings. Holding tightly onto each other, they ran towards the fish tank, knowing that it was the halfway point. Max wasn't distracted for long, and grabbed a table and threw it in the direction of Gareth and Luke, the tables slamming together, knocking one of the pillars near to them. The pillar creaked and groaned before a horrible snap sound echoed through the crackling of the flames. The pillar came crashing down, bringing half of the roof with it, collapsing in front of them, now blocking them from the back of the restaurant. "Tom!", Luke shouted, suddenly realizing they were now sealed off, unable to help them.

Tom saw the roof coming down, and just managed to duck behind cover with Tina before it hit the ground. Tina screamed as the roof came crashing down ahead of them, blocking their way to the exit, and also cutting off Luke and Gareth. Now they were both trapped in the burning back half of the restaurant with the murderous psychopath. "Shh, it's okay. Everything will be okay", Tom whispered, his arms tightly wrapped around her and she clung onto his chest, crying hysterically. The smoke was making it difficult to breathe, making both of them choke and cough, no matter how hard they tried to keep as quiet as possible. Tina was trembling and shaking uncontrollably, muttering under her breath between broken, silent sobs. Tom was breathing heavily, shaking from the coldness of the water now sinking through his shirt, as well as in fear; he was terrified.

Both of them sat there, hiding behind the wooden bottom of the fish tank, not daring to move, listening out for any noise to tell them what was happening. But they didn't know where the gunman was. Had he been crushed in the falling rubble of the roof caving in, or had he left and done a runner? Outside in the street, Tom could just make out the distant sirens of the emergency services coming to their aid. But would it be too late? Tom strained to hear anything over the spluttering and dripping of the water, the crackling of the fire and the sound of his own frantic heartbeat pounding in his ears. Where they safe? Had he gone? Tom risked a look, lifting his head up slowly, looking through the glass of the fish tank to see if the coast was clear. It wasn't. Tom's heartbeat froze as his mouth became dry, time seeming to stop. The gunman was right there, and he was looking straight at him, a malicious grin on his face. He raised his gun, pointing it directly at Tom's head from the other side of the tank. "Lights out", they chuckled, and pulled the trigger.

[ A / N : ....... *runs and hides knowing an army is about to hunt me down and demand I tell them good news* ....... i'm too evil for that. Say goodbye Tom. Comments and thoughts welcomed ]