AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Garrison!” Castor shouts too. “Get out of here! You arenotwelcome!”
“I’m not here to talk about our rivalry, kid. I’m here to talk about Lily and her safety,” Brody says. “Now let’s start being frank with each other: what’s your name?”
“C-c-castor,” he stutters, feeling scared now that a more powerful male is on the scene.
“Okay, Castor,” Brody’s voice is calm, paced. He must have experience with hostage situations from his time in the military or in his previous private security roles. “I am going to be frank with you now. I want you, and Lily there, to be safe. How do we achieve that?”
“You go away!” Castor says. “Leave us alone!”
I hear Brody clear his throat. I want to scream for him again, but something tells me it would be better if I keep quiet.
“That’s not how things will happen, Castor,” Brody speaks, neutral, but with a soft hint of reprimand. “First, you will drop your gun and kick it ahead of you. Do you hear me?”
Castor begins to sob, inconsolable like a child. “What guarantee do I have that you won’t k-kill me?”
Brody remains still, imposing like a giant statue. His calm feeds my soul and lets me know everything will turn out alright.
“I don’t want to kill you, Castor. I’m not even holding a gun. Do you want the officers to lower their weapons first?”
My captor hesitates, and holds tight onto me, a touch that would be almost endearing if it weren’t for the situation.
“Do you hear me, Castor?” Brody repeats himself.
“Yes!” Castor says. “Drop your guns and I’ll drop mine!”
The officers signal between each other, and Brody supervises the lowering of the weapons. I can see that the officers in the back are still holding their guns straight, while positioned in strategic spots to not be seen.
“Done, Castor,” Brody continues, “Now you drop yours.”
Once again, Castor hesitates.
“You can do it, Castor,” I say, my voice barely audible. “I believe in you.”
Shaking like a dead tree in the wind, he lowers his gun and puts it on the ground. “Now kick it,” Brody says, and Castor sets me aside for a second to comply.
“Officer Jones here is going to fetch the gun, okay?” Brody continues, pointing to the officer by his side.
“Stay away from us!” Castor orders.
“No one is getting close to you. We just want the gun.”
Officer Jones comes quietly, arms wide open and hands splayed in the air, making it clear he’s unarmed.
“The gun is at my feet, son,” the officer says, pointing a hand to the ground, “I’m going to take it and go back to my friends, okay?”
Jones keeps on waiting for Castor’s consent, but it is not coming as far as I can see. Finally, tired of waiting, the officer starts to lean down, taking the gun and backing off backwards towards the gathering of policemen in front of us.
“Now Castor, what will it take for you to let Lily go?” Brody asks, still calm and unwavering.
“You’re going to have to kill us!” Castor suddenly roars, pressing me tight against his chest.
“We don’t want that to happen, Castor,” Brody pleads. He takes a step forward and I feel a fire of longing burst in my chest.
I want him to jump to my rescue, whisk me away from danger, but a very tiny voice of reason inside me knows that Brody knows what he’s doing, and I should trust him.
“Then leave!” Castor yells.
“Can’t do that,” Brody says, “but let’s talk. You’re between us and the cliff, and you don’t want to jump, Castor—”
