Anhedonia

Am I Supposed To Kiss You?

"Jerry?" Rosie whispered so low, squinting her eyes to see better through the dark.

"What the f**k are you doing here?!" Jerry asked, pulling the girl to the corner and that's when he noticed Seul-ki on the floor, his hands on his chest as if he got shot and pretending to be dead. "You too?!"

Seul-ki looked up and when he saw Jerry, he quickly crawled to their spot and he literally chuckled when he saw Liam hiding on the dark corner.

"You should've stayed outside if you're going to tremble like that." Seul-ki told the younger guy, jabbing him on his side.

"Says to the one who's literally pretending dead." Liam retaliated.

"Guys, this is a serious matter. Those men have guns and they can kill us in here so you need to be serious." Jerry scolded the two guys and he turned to Rosie. "You should've stayed outside!"

"You should too, but when I looked back, I didn't see you so—."

"So you run here and put your life at risk?!" Jerry hissed, pulling down the girl when they heard running footsteps outside the door.

"I was just worried about you!"

"Wow, I'm your best friend, thanks for worrying about me too, Rosie." Liam said sarcastically.

"Shh." Seul-ki rebuked them and he leaned his ear closer to the door.

"Cops are everywhere! We should go down here." A voice of a man whispered just behind the door.

"Wait, are those two our men?" They heard footsteps walking away from the door and woke up the two guys on the ground that Jerry and Liam attacked earlier.

"Are there cops in here too?"

"I don't think those two are cops, they're not wearing uniforms."

"We should get back to Jared and tell them that there are cops and civilians here."

After that, they heard footsteps running upstairs again and that gives them the proof that Jared is really in the building as well as Akiro.

"Guys, please. Stay here. I don't want you to get hurt so please listen to me." Jerry told them as he walked to the door.

"You're going to face them alone?" Rosie asked, even if it's dark, Jerry knows that the girl shows worry on her features and that gives him more courage for some reason.

"I'll be fine, you should go back outside, I promise. I will save our son." He said, walking back to the woman and kissed her head. Then walked again towards the door, giving them one last look before he stepped out.

"Ugh, why does he think that he's some kind of kickass heroin?!" Liam groaned, stepping out from the dark and fixed the rifle on his body.

"Why do you have a gun?!" Seul-ki asked, his narrowed eyes widened.

"For protection." Liam shrugged his shoulders. "Let's go, I'll lead you to the exit." He said and made sure that no one was around before calling the two to step out of the room and he led them to the exit downstairs.

As they reached the backdoor, Liam let the two exit first then he suddenly slammed the door and locked it. Rosie and Seul-ki were shocked by what their friend did.

"Liam, what the hell are you doing?!" Seul-ki whispered hard as his head leaned to the door so the younger guy could hear him.

"I just need to make sure he'll be safe, relax. I got this." Liam replied and he smiled even if the two couldn't see him and he ran upstairs, following Jerry.

He's scared, but he's more scared about Jerry facing the danger alone. So he needed to stay with the older guy just in case he'd be in trouble.

Jerry sneakily walks around the floor, looking for any hint of Akiro, but there was nothing but empty floor so he walked back to the stairs and was about to go up when he saw a shadow going up to the floor where he was. He quickly hid behind the wall and waited for the shadow to come closer.

Gripping the rifle tightly, he swung it in the air and hit whoever came to his sight, luckily Liam leaped quickly to dodge the attack.

"What the hell?!" Liam almost yelled in Thai language.

"Liam?"

"Are you really going to kill me?!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that it was you. I thought you already went out." Jerry apologizes quickly, pulling Liam and they hide behind the wall.

"You know that I can't do that, I'm not going to leave you alone." Liam said sincerely while staring at Jerry.

"Uh, am I supposed to kiss you?" Jerry asked coyly.

"What?" Liam asked ridiculously and he hit Jerry's shoulder. "Shut up, I'm just doing this because I want you to be safe."

"And why is that? The last time I could remember is you wanted to kill me after I left." Jerry keeps looking around just to make sure that there are no enemies around.

"That will never change, but I want my best friend to be happy again, Jerry. And I know that she will just find her happiness with you."

"Thank—." Jerry stopped talking when he felt the tip of the gun pointed in his head and he froze.

"Who are you?" The guy asked and Jerry was thankful that it wasn't Jared because if it's him, he probably would pull the trigger without asking him since he knows him.

"We're beggars and we lived in this place." Jerry said and Liam looked at him ludicrously.

"Don't fool me!" The guy pushed Jerry and he knocked him on the floor while Liam put his two hands on his sides while stepping backwards. "Are you the ones who called the cops on us?!"

"No, why would we do that? We don't even know you!" Jerry scowled at the guy.

"You can't fool anyone here." The guy hissed and he fished out his phone from his pocket and was about to dial someone but Liam found an opportunity and he grabbed the guy's hand with the gun and tried to steal it as they wrestle each other. The guy pulled the trigger accidentally and the gunshot echoed that made them almost become deaf.

Jerry quickly picked himself up and he hit the guy on his back with the rifle and as he fall, he brought Liam with him and their bodies thudded on the ground heavily. They both grunted in pain but the guy immediately recomposed himself and he pointed the gun at Jerry who's eyes widened and another gunshot echoed.

Jerry looked down on his body, looking for gun wound, but he didn't see anything so he looked back to the guy who's now dead and when he shifted his gaze on the side, he saw Liam holding the rifle while it pointed at the guy.

"I k-killed him?" Liam stuttered.

"You saved me." Jerry replied, offering his hand to him.

"Am I a murderer now?" Liam asked, still flabbergasted as to what he did.

"Yes but it was self defense."

"Should I be happy that it was a self defense and be sad because you confirmed that I am a murderer?" Liam scoffed, rolling his eyes before reaching for Jerry's hand and he shrugged the dirt from his clothes.

"Both." Jerry said and they both laughed.

That gunfire makes Jared aware that there are already people a few floors under where they are hiding. So he told his men to scatter around and be ready to shoot whoever shows up.

The two continued their way cautiously, hiding to cops who would walk by through the dark with their flashlights. It's not like they're scared to be seen but it's not a good idea either if the cops see them because they would probably be sent outside while the police are doing their job.

After three cops passed by in front of them, Jerry nodded his head towards the other way. So they go around, finding another way upstairs.

"Here." Liam pointed at the narrow stairs. "You go up first, I have a wife and a daughter."

"Seriously? I have a son as well." Jerry scoffed.

"You have no wife, now go up first." Liam pushed him and he followed him behind.

Jerry carefully peek first and when he saw nothing, he continued his way and reached another floor. As they were making their way using the man-made stairs, he stopped at a certain floor when he saw a lot of men and good thing they were all looking at the main stairs. His eyes landed on the chair in the middle and there was Akiro, tied up but not in the chair.

He looked down to Liam and put his index finger on his lips and pointed something in on his side. Liam nodded his head when he got what Jerry was trying to tell him and he backed down, Jerry did too.

"I found them." Jerry whispered so low.

"What are we going to do?"

"We have to send the cops up there and once they attack each other, I will run and take Akiro."

"That would be so dangerous!" Liam whispered again.

"I don't care, I will throw him down and make sure you'll catch him or you'll catch these hands." Jerry threatened as he made his way to the corner and fished out his phone to make a call. "Hey, tell them that Jared is on the fifth floor but be careful as they are already expecting them to the stairs so tell them to use teargas."

"Okay, please be careful and don't do any stupid action!" Seul-ki told Jerry sternly as he ended the call and talked to one cop about Jared's location.

"Be ready." Jerry said and he took out his handkerchief from his back pocket and used it to cover his nose.

"What are you doing?" Liam asked.

"I already warned them that Jared is expecting them on the stairs and they will use teargas before they attack." Jerry explained. "Remove your shirt."

"What—why?!"

"I need that to cover Akiro." He said and Liam quickly took it off and put it on Jerry's shoulder.

There were no windows, doors or anything at the building since it was unfinished so Jerry needs to be more careful because it will be so dangerous for him and Akiro if he falls since they were going to escape using only the man-made stairs.

Jerry positioned himself and grabbed the bar of the stair steps, and waited for the right moment after all the cops arrived on the floor where they were.

"Once you get Akiro, run to the exit as fast as you can." Jerry said and Liam nodded his head vigorously.

"Guys, be ready!" The captain of the police announced and all of his men used shields to cover themselves and wear gas mask.

Jerry heaved deeply and when he heard several cans were thrown upstairs, he quickly climbed and waited for the gas to cover the whole place. Jared and his men started to panic but Jerry remained calm as his eyes never left his son in the middle. And when he found an opening because the men in the room lost their defense, he climbed and ran to Akiro's direction, but he stopped when he saw Jared next to Akiro.

"Damn it, let go of my son!" He yelled and kicked his cousin before stealing Akiro and ran as fast as he could. "Liam!" Jerry yelled when he reached the end and threw the kid down to Liam who caught him and just like what Jerry told him, he ran as fast as he could.

Jerry was about to go down but Jared picked himself up, covering his nose with his shirt and even if his eyes started to tear up because of the gas, he still pointed the gun to Jerry.

"Jerry!" He shouted and pulled the trigger. Jerry got shot and fell off the building.

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