So this is gonna be something.

Enjoy! :)

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As James points the gun at them, no one moves a muscle.

They need to get out of here. They need to get Dave out of here. Now. And fast.

But how in the world are they supposed to do that?

"It doesn't have to end this way," Jack says, surprised that he even still has a voice. "No one has to get hurt."

"But that's the whole point!" James screeches. "That's why I had to make sure I had everyone in one place. All the people in this room knew my brother, and had done him wrong. This is my chance."

His chance to do what exactly, he never specifies. But they don't need to hear anything more.

Chick Tucker and Kid Griffo, holding hands tightly, inch away as slowly as they can. If they can just get to the phone on the table that can't be more than three feet away from them...

Unfortunately, James senses their movement and points the gun in their direction. "Not so fast."

They freeze, and slowly put their hands up.

All of them in this room--Jack, David, Race, Spot, Mush, Chick Tucker, Kid Griffo, Sardinia, Dave--they're all trapped. James is blocking the only door. No one would survive the fall from the window--if they can make it to the window. They're going to have to figure something out.

But the thing is, James maybe has underestimated them. The thing is, all the people in this room are fighters. Some don't want to fight, but have been forced to, while for others, it is just a part of who they are. And now they all have something and someone to fight for.

So what is stopping them from showing James that they are not to be messed with?

The problem is that he is the only one with a gun, meaning that they can't just rush in, hoping that something will work. This needs to be more strategic. They need to be smarter. 

They can do smarter.

"Let's take this outside, shall we?" Jack asks cautiously, standing his ground. "I can only imagine what the neighbors would say if they heard fighting and gunshots in this building."

"Go outside and risk the police getting involved?" James snorts. "Not likely."

"People will hear gunshots and call the police no matter what," Race points out, voice steady, but knees threatening to shake.

"You didn't come in here with a plan, did you?" David says. "You thought we all would succumb in terror and this would be over quickly. If your plan was to keep us in here."

James doesn't answer, but they can all see that David is right.

Still, no one moves. Say the wrong thing, make one wrong move, and someone is going to get shot.

Dave, trembling, takes the tiniest step forward, so he's no longer hiding behind Sardinia. "What if I agree to come with you? Will you leave everyone else alone? It's me you want, right? If you kill me, will you leave everyone else alone?"

"No!" Sardinia cries out. "Don't do this, Dave!" He turns Dave to face him, desperate.

Dave caresses his face. "If this is what it takes for you and the others to be safe, then so be it." He turns back to face James, defiance in his eyes.

"It's a nice sentiment, really," James sneers, taking a couple steps closer, "But that won't work. It's not just you I want, even though you're the main prize. It's everyone I want."

And they can all tell that he means it.

Sardinia wraps his arms around Dave protectively.

While this exchange has been happening, Race and Spot have been slipping out of his peripheral vision as he moves closer to Dave and Sardinia. And in this time, they've been communicating in sign language, forming a small plan. Now, with them standing at James's 7:00 o'clock, they exchange glances, nod in agreement, and get into action.

Race grabs an empty mug sitting on the closest table top. He tosses it to Spot, who raises it over his head and slams it down on the back of James's head, instantly knocking him out, shocking everyone around them. James crumbles to the ground, out cold, and everyone just stands there.

"This won't hold him forever," Spot says urgently.

Race looks at the broken mug pieces on the ground, and the big one in Spot's hand. Then he looks at Dave and Sardinia apologetically. "Yeah, I think we owe you guys a new mug."

"No." Sardinia shakes his head slowly, eyes wide, still pretty stunned. "That was amazing. Brilliant. I just ... can't believe that I missed out the perfect opportunity to dash another guy's head in with a non-lethal-turned-lethal object."

"As awesome as that would have been, I think I'll sleep better at night knowing that we only knocked him out instead of killed him," Race comments.

"Probably for the best," Sardinia agrees.

David is still staring at Spot. "How did you know to do that?"

Spot shrugs. "The circus is a crazy place, and you meet all kinds of crazy people in and out of work. And you gotta know how to defend yourself."

"Indeed," Race agrees, as if this is common knowledge no matter which circus one is a part of.

"I just can't believe that worked," Jack states. "I mean, the mug must have been heavy enough..." he looks at Race and Spot and smiles. "That was amazing."

A smile tugs at both of their lips.

Mush beams at them. "You guys work together really well as a team."

They exchange glances.

"Yeah," Race agrees, still looking at Spot. "Yes we do."

"So these are the ones you said were in love that aren't admitting it," Kid Griffo remarks. "With history that had gone wrong?"

"I mean, that's what I guessed," Chick Tucker replies. "But those two over there-" he points to Jack and David- "definitely have history gone wrong."

...Are they gossiping about Race and Spot and Jack and David in front of them?

None of the four can manage to say anything to defend themselves, so they just end up sputtering a bunch.

"As much as I love this delightful banter," Sardinia cuts in. He points to the body lying on his floor. "You all have forgotten something."

Oh right is murmured around the room.

"What should we do with him?" Jack asks. "Of course, we need to get away from him, but we can't just leave him here."

"We can go to our place," Kid Griffo suggests. "It's also not a place where people often go looking. It should be the perfect hiding spot."

"We should take James to the police," David says.

"Wouldn't it be strange saying that he was a potential murderer if we're taking him when he's out cold?" Race asks. "And if it's us?"

He does have a point. They would probably wouldn't get much help if this ragtag bunch turned up at a police station with an unconscious man, claiming that he was someone dangerous.

"How about we split?" Jack asks. "Most of us go with Kid Griffo, and the rest take him to the police. We just need to make sure that he's awake by then and that he doesn't have a gun."

Race pries the gun out of James's hand carefully and sets it on the ground, pushing it a few feet across the room.

"I can take him," Mush suggests.

"I'll go with you," Chick Tucker says. "At least two people should go."

"Dave is going with Kid Griffo no matter what," Jack states.

"I need to look into moving," Sardinia mutters, still very on edge and shaken. "We were found way too easily."

"Hey." Dave pecks Sardinia's cheek. "It was something that no one saw coming."

"It's true," David agrees. "It's our fault, really."

"You could always move in with us," Kid Griffo suggests.

"My younger brother? Offering to share a house with me? Not possible," Sardinia replies, humor in his voice.

They all chuckle at that.

"I'm ready to leave when everyone else is," Race announces, eyes darting around, nerves still shaken too.

And so they all shuffle out the door, with Mush and Chick Tucker both having an arm support James.

They walk out of the apartment, walk out of the building...

...Only to find the gang that James had set on them before back again.

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And things were going so well!

Well ... not anymore haha.

...Was that anti-climactic?? How quickly they knocked James out, I mean. 

They still have so much trouble ahead of them.

So ... are you all intrigued enough to come back for the next chapter, The Final Battle??

Random notes: Sign language is thought to have been invented in 1815.

Also I learned about the knocking someone out with a heavy object on the back of the head from ... somewhere haha, but I was only recently told how to do it thoroughly by Our Flag Means Death haha. (I love that show so much)

See you on the next chapter! :)

Please, no homophobia, profanities, hate etc in the comment section at all times.

Best,

~Your Beloved Author (who is LOVING the thrill of writing again)