The Transport

Chapter 9

Everyone was shocked and horrified by what they heard. They couldn't speak or react to what they heard. Em, who said those words, just looks at them but it's obvious that she's about to burst into tears. Yoko came to her senses and said,

"Wait. What are you talking about? We were with her a few days ago. We couldn't contact her but I think it's too much to think that she's dead."

Em replied,

"I tried to contact her yesterday to get an update about you guys but I couldn't. Then someone sent me this."

Em grabbed her phone from her pocket and put it on the table and played a video. It was Lucy who was topless, had blood all over her face and on her knees with both her hands tied up like she was crucified. Then a man appeared on the video. It was Agent Banks with a gun in his hand and pointing at Lucy's head. Agent Banks calmly asks Lucy,

"Where are they?"

Lucy smiled and replied,

"You think I'm scared of you? Even if you kill me I won't -"

A gunshot went directly to Lucy's head and instantly killed her without her finishing her sentence. Everyone was startled by the gunshot and the image of Lucy, who was no longer breathing. No one could speak and just continue watching the video. Agent Banks faces the video and says,

"Now. Show this to your boss and I'm sure he will come straight to me."

Em grabbed her phone back and looked at everyone who saw the video. Everyone was quiet but it was obvious that they were enraged at what they saw but also grieving about what happened to Lucy and Zy wanted to speak or cry out loud but she couldn't. It was like someone was trying to choke her to death and she couldn't do anything. Tears fell down from her face and she immediately grabbed her mouth and ran to the sink to throw up. No one bothered to check on Zy, who was throwing up and crying at the same time because they were still trying to process what they saw. Em said while looking at them,

"I have 2 vehicles full of weapons and 2 men as back up waiting outside. We need to hit them back."

Yoko returned to her senses and replied,

"Wait. We can't act recklessly. Let's talk first."

Em looked at Yoko with disgust and said,

"I knew you were gonna react this way. Where is he?"

Em started looking around the house but Yoko immediately grabbed her and said,

"We can't tell him about this."

Em was shocked by what she heard from Yoko, so she immediately slapped Yoko in the face and everyone, including Yoko, couldn't move or speak because the slap that Em gave startled everyone. Em said,

"Three of us are dead. Yes, I know that Tony and Wardo are both dead. Now, Lucy too, and you still want to protect him?"

Yoko couldn't respond immediately to what Em had said. She sat down with tears in her eyes and said,

"Rome almost broke down last night."

Everyone, including Em, was shocked by what they heard. Zy was confused because she thought Yoko was able to calm Rome down. Yoko continued,

"I checked on him last night to see how he was and when I saw him, he was like the last time."

Everyone was once again quiet but Wade interrupted by saying,

"Wait. I thought he was cured. How is that possible?"

Yoko replied,

"I don't know. But when I saw him, Rome was no longer there. It was like a dead person in front of me. It was a good thing that I was able to calm him down even a little. That's why we can't tell what happened. Not yet. We need to talk about this first, then tell him. For now, we can't let Rome see that video."

Everyone agreed in silence. But everyone turned their heads at the back door when they heard someone say,

"What video?"

When everyone looked, they saw Rome standing at the door. They couldn't speak or answer Rome. He added,

"What video? Em? Why are you here? What video are you trying to hide from me?"

Everyone looked at each other like they were consulting if they should let Rome see the video. Yoko grabbed Em's hand to stop her from reaching for her phone. Rome saw what Yoko was doing, so he gently removed Yoko's hand from Em's. Rome looked at Em and said,

"Show it to me."

Em, with hesitation, reached for her phone in her pocket and gave it to Rome while the video plays. Zy saw a glimpse of the video and immediately ran to the back to vomit once again. Rome watches the video and he sees Lucy, who was one of his dearest friends, getting abused and eventually killed. Rome was not talking, everyone was calling out to him but he was not responding. He is not moving or talking. He was holding the phone even though the video that was sent to Em was already finished. Yoko grabbed him by his shoulders but he did not respond.

Rome's mind once again gets blank. He couldn't see anything but darkness. In that darkness, he hears a dull sound. After a few seconds, it became the suppressed voice of a person that was trying to talk to him. The voice sounded like the owner was badly hurt but still struggling to say something. The voice became slightly clear and Rome was able to understand it. It says,

"You wanna kill them? I can help you with that. Just give me your body and I will cut them all. HAHAHAHAHA!"

Even in his consciousness, Rome was still not talking. Even when the maniacal voice was addressing him, he still did not respond or even acknowledge this presence in his head. The voice continued talking,

"You and your little friends were able to get rid of me before, but I will always come back as long as you have misery in your heart. HAHAHAHA!"

Rome still did not respond because, even though there was this presence in his mind, Rome was still thinking about Lucy. The sweet and kind Lucy, who was always there to cheer them up with her charms and playful remarks. Rome's every single moment with Lucy flashed before him, every time Lucy teases him into marrying him, every time Lucy asks how he is, every time Lucy asks to go out to dinner with him and even the time when Lucy kissed him on the lips flashed before him. Rome's tears fell and he immediately gained back his senses. He sees Yoko grabbing his face while crying and calling out his name. Yoko sees Rome and she smiles that Rome is back.

In the darkness where Rome went, the voice kept on laughing and said,

"HAHAHAHAHA! You were able to get away from me, but more tragedies will come before you and you're not gonna be able to stop me from taking over. HAHAHAAHAHAHA!"

Back at the house, when Rome gained back his senses, Yoko was grabbing his face while crying and smiling at the same time because of relief. Rome gently removed Yoko's hand from his face without looking at any of them. He walked straight to Miggy who was sitting in the living room and grabbed the satellite phone that was on the duffel bag beside Miggy. Everyone was appalled when they saw Rome, because even though he was back, they could still see in Rome's face that he was not the Rome that they knew. And they are scared of what will happen to him if this continues. As soon as Rome grabbed the phone, he immediately dialed some number. Everyone could hear what Rome said,

"Mojave Desert. 2 hours."

Rome drops the phone and walks out of the house using the back door. Zy, who was at the sink, saw Rome going inside the tool shed while everyone was moving really fast like they were preparing for something. Zy got confused as to what was happening. Zy heard Yoko saying,

"We need to try and stop him."

Em replied,

"No. What we need to do is go with him to make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

Yoko then turns to Zy and tells her,

"You think you can talk to him?"

Zy was confused and shocked because Yoko asked her and she knows full well that she doesn't get along with Rome. She replied,

"I don't think I'm the best person to talk to him."

Yoko cried and said,

"I'm scared if he goes he might not comeback. None of them listen to me. That's why I need you to convince him to continue the transport instead of going there. Please?"

Zy could see in Yoko's eyes full of tears that she was hurting and worried about Rome. She replied,

"I'm not sure if I can get him to agree with me, but I will try to talk to him."

Yoko then hugs Zy and says,

"Thank you!"

While hugging Zy replied,

"Just don't get your hopes up."

Yoko replied,

"I know. But still, thank you!"

Yoko was crying while hugging Zy and while hugging, Rome walked past them as if they didn't exist with the .500 Magnum Revolver in his hand. Rome did not speak or even look at them for a second. Zy decided to approach him to try and convince him not to engage in that battle. She was able to reach Rome outside the house and tried to talk to him while Rome was preparing the guns that were in the trunk of an SUV that Em brought. She said,

"Do you think this is a good idea?"

Rome ignored her and continued what he was doing. Zy added,

"Why don't we stay here for a few hours and talk about this?"

Rome still ignored Zy, closed the trunk and walked to the driver's seat of the car. Zy shouted while Rome was walking. She said,

"You have a contract with me, so I say we will drop this and we will continue the transport."

Zy always hated the word "transport" because she thinks that this word loses her value as a person. As if she was a package that needed to be delivered, but she didn't care at that point because all she cared about was to stop Rome from going to that desert and stop him from possibly dying along with the people who were kind enough to protect her. Everyone was just looking at Rome and Zy, who was shouting and pleading to Rome not to go. Em, who had just arrived that day, tried to meddle and stop Zy from talking but Nick grabbed her hands to stop her. Rome stopped from his tracks towards the driver's seat when he heard what Zy had said. He faced Zy and walked towards her. He said,

"That f*****g contract also says that if there's a risk to my people, I will shut this whole goddamn thing down. Well, the risk has already happened. Three of my friends are dead trying to protect you. You can go anywhere you want from here on out. I don't give a s**t about the transport, you or your father. You can come after me and kill me for doing this. I'm done."

Zy tried to stop Rom by reaching for the .500 Magnum Revolver that was hoisted from his waist. When Zy touched the gun, she immediately let go of it because it was scorching hot. She shouted in pain and looked at her hand with burn marks on it. Rome looked at her and Zy too was looking at Rome. She could see in Rome's eyes that this man saw no hope left. Zy thinks that the man in front of him is prepared to die for where he is going, but she can't stop him. Yoko walked to Zy while Wade walked to Rome to stop him from being the driver, but Rome was already inside the car, so Wade got on the other side of the front seat. Zy told you Yoko,

"Sorry, I couldn't do anything."

Yoko just looked at her and smiled with tears in her eyes and said,

"It's okay."

Em walked towards them and Zy could see that this woman who had just arrived today seemed to have an issue with her. Em said,

"Don't get in the way next time. This doesn't involve you."

Zy looks at the woman who clearly hates her getting in the car. She and Yoko also got in the car with Rome in the driver's seat, with Wade beside him and Nick and Em at the back. While the others were in the other car together with the 2 men that Em brought with her. Zy and Yoko sat down in the car and Yoko started treating the burns that Zy got on her hand. Zy heard Em saying,

"Why is she here? Like I said, this doesn't involve her."

Yoko immediately dismissed her by replying,

"Will you stop?"

Yoko looked at Em with hostility and Em did not dare speak or even react. She was obviously scared of Yoko. Zy who heard what Em said was only quiet because of her shame, because she thinks that it's her fault that 3 of Rome's men died. After Yoko and Zy got in the car, Rome started driving and slowly gaining speed without any warning or even informing the other car. Rome was not talking and was just looking straight ahead of the road. All of the people who were in the car were quiet and not talking to each other. After an hour and a half of driving, Rome stopped the car at the side of an empty road in the middle of the desert. The other car who was trailing them also stopped. Everyone was confused why Rome stopped, since the Mojave desert is still a few minutes away from its current location. Rome got out of the car and immediately went to the trunk of the car. Everyone also got out. Wade asks him,

"Boss, Mojave is still a few minutes away."

Rome did not respond or even react to what Wade said and just opened the trunk and got the M4 assault rifle, 4 magazines, 2 colt 45 pistols and a knife. He walked past everyone who was in the same car as him but he didn't speak or even look at them. Wade and the others decided to get their own gear and the necessary equipment they would need in the desert in the car, then follow Rome since they could no longer stop him. Zy saw Rome's face when he walked past her. She could see on Rome's face the same one he got the night before. Zy was terrified when she saw Rome's face. An ominous and sinister feeling that she feels coming very soon and the only way to avoid what's coming is by stopping Rome from going, but she couldn't. She tried earlier but Rome wouldn't budge. But Zy decides to try and stop Rome once again, because she really thinks that something bad will happen if they go through with this. She started walking fast towards Rome and stood in front of him. Rome stopped from walking when Zy stood up in front of him. Zy was looking at him and says,

"I have a bad feeling about this. Let's go back."

They looked at each other's faces but Zy could tell that Rome couldn't see her even though he was looking at her because his face was empty. No emotions, no feelings, no hope. Finally, after a long ride, Rome spoke. He replied,

"I'm gonna count to three. When I get to three and you're still in my way, I'm gonna shoot you in the foot."

Rome pulls out his 0.500 Magnum Revolver and starts counting.

"One...."

Zy was scared because when Rome started counting, a sinister look was on his face like he was ready to murder someone. But Zy did not move even though she was scared, she was determined to stop him from going to that desert because of the ominous feeling that she felt earlier. Rome continued counting and pulled back the hammer of his revolver.

"Two..."

Zy was still not moving even though she was shaking out fear from Rome. But before Rome could get to number three, Zy was pulled out of the way by Yoko. Zy was shocked because it was Yoko who asked her and tried to stop Rome from going but instead she was stopped by Yoko. She was even more shocked when Yoko grabbed Rome by the collar and yelled,

"Are you f*****g crazy?! You're really gonna shoot her?! Don't you recognize any of us here?"

Yoko was immediately stopped by Wade by taking her hands from Rome's collar. Zy was more shocked and terrified when she heard that Rome was really gonna shoot her. She looked at everyone and she could see the worries on all their faces. Her shaking legs from earlier suddenly got weak and she fell down on her knees. Yoko helped to get up and Yoko told her,

"Stay away from him for now. I'm sorry I asked you to stop him. Stay with Nick. I will go with him. Okay?"

Zy couldn't say anything because she was still shaking and terrified about what happened. She just nodded as a response. Rome started walking once again without talking or even looking at anyone. Before Yoko helped Zy to get up, Wade told everyone.

"We can no longer communicate with him. He can no longer see or hear any of us. I will take the lead from here on out. Me, Miggy, Yoko and Em's men will stay with him to keep him alive and stop him if he does something idiotic. Tanya, stay with Nick and Zy. Em, you stay with Lia."

Em replied,

"I'm going with him."

Wade, with a serious look on his face, looked at her with sharp eyes and said,

"Whatever issue you have, now is not the time. Stay with Lia and I will make sure he's safe."

Em was quiet after what Wade had said. They walked for a few minutes in the desert in the middle of the day and when the shaking of Zy's legs was gone, Yoko, who was assisting her, immediately went to the front where Rome was and Zy walked with Nick. All of them could feel the heat of the sun and it was doubled where they are in the desert. After walking for a few more minutes, Rome suddenly points his rifle to an empty spot in the desert. Everyone looked at the area where Rome was pointing his gun but no one was there. Wade was the first one to react and said,

"Nick! Lia! Find high ground and set up shop. Em, Tanya, Zy, go with them. The rest with me."

When they heard what Wade said, they immediately moved as fast they could since they all agreed to let Wade lead them in this operation. When they were moving, they heard a gunshot. It was Rome who fired his gun first. No one in the team looked at where or who Rome shot at. Zy tried to look but she was pulled away by Nick as they headed for the nearest desert slope. Wade and the rest of them were with Rome, who was advancing fast in the empty desert. While Lia and Nick were preparing their snipping rifles on the slope with Tanya and Em as their spotter and guard at the same time. Nick gave Zy an M22 Binoculars to use. He said,

"I can't see clearly from here. Give me their locations so that I can take them out."

Zy was reluctant to do what Nick asked her since she is scared of guns, moreover, killing or even harming others. She was looking at the binoculars that Nick gave her and she was startled by the gunshot to the point that she fell down and ended up sitting on the ground beside Nick. Lia saw Zy shaking and told her,

"If you're scared, just sit down and cover your ears. We can handle this."

Zy looked at Lia while she was lying down and looking down through the scope of her rifle. She also looked at Em and Tanya, who were not doing anything but stand still, but she could clearly see that they were concentrating on keeping a look out for the two snipers. She realized that these people were doing everything they could to help and also to avenge their fallen friends. She felt pathetic because the people around her always helped her and keep her safe, while all she did was cry and be a burden to those people. Zy rounded up all the courage she left and decided to help the people who were trying to keep her alive in any way she could. She used the binoculars that were in her hand and started looking through them. She saw a lot of people in the desert from where she was. She gave those locations to Nick while Nick kept on firing his rifle. She could also see Yoko and the others who were on the ground. They were firing their guns while they tried their best to hide in any way possible to avoid getting shot. A man caught Zy's attention because, while Yoko and the others were trying their best to avoid getting shot, the man that she saw kept walking while firing his gun as if no one was trying to shoot him down. It was Rome, who was shooting at the opposite side without missing anyone while walking in the middle of that shoot out that can be considered as war. Even though she could not see his face, the way he walked, the way he held his gun, the way he moved. He no longer cares. He is ready to get shot and die. When Zy saw this, she immediately dropped the binoculars that she was using and tried to run. Em noticed her and grabbed her hand.

"Where do you think you're going? Are you gonna get in the way again?"

Zy looked at her and replied,

"He's gonna die."

Em was puzzled when Zy said those words because Zy looked really concerned and convinced by what she had just said. Em replied,

"What?"

Zy replied,

"Rome. If we don't stop him, he's gonna die."

Em got a little scared because she could see in Zy's face that she was scared, but she still had doubts because everyone was covering Rome to keep him from dying. She replied,

"What are you talking about? Yoko and the others are covering him out there and we cover him from the high ground. We've been doing this for a long time. Just sit your ass down and don't bother anyone."

Zy was still reluctant to stay still because of what she felt earlier and when she saw Rome, who looked like he was walking towards his death. She tried to convince them by saying,

"Look at him. We need to stop him from going further before it's too late."

Zy gave the binoculars to Em so that she could see Rome. But when Em looked, all she saw was the same normal Rome that they knew when to go for a job. For Em, this is what Rome always does and he's the best at doing it. That's why she doesn't believe Zy when she says that something's gonna happen. Nick also looked at Rome through the scope of his rifle and he saw the same as Em, but a part in his heart was worried that Zy might be on to something. He said,

"Just let her go."

Em was startled and replied,

"What?! You believe her?!"

Nick replied,

"No. I don't. But it doesn't hurt to trust her. I also have a bad feeling about this. Just go with her."

Tanya, who was also guarding the snipers, interrupted by saying,

"I'll go with her. Em, you stay here."

Em replied,

"You're more needed here."

Tanya said,

"I don't think you're the best person to be with her. She's still a client."

Lia and Nick quietly laughed but were still heard by Em. Tanya offered to go with Zy because she was afraid that something might happen to Zy while she was with Em, because Em hated Zy the moment she arrived and she always antagonized her. Lia and Nick also realized this. That's why they laugh when Tanya says that she's not the best person to accompany Zy. Tanya added,

"I'll be right back as soon as I can make sure that she's safe with the others."

Tanya and Zy immediately ran to where the others were and, while running, Tanya handed Zy her Glock .26. Zy looked at the gun and she was hesitant about accepting the gun. Tanya added,

"Take it. You know how to use it, right?"

After seeing that Zy is still hesitant about taking the gun, Tanya stops from running. Zy saw her stop and she also stopped and approached Tanya. Zy said,

"What are you doing? We need to get there fast."

Tanya replied,

"We are not going there without you taking this gun. You're the one who wanted to go there but you can't go out there without this. I am not giving this to you to kill all of them. You need this so that you can protect yourself."

Zy was still having second thoughts about taking the gun but as she looked at Tanya, she knew that if she didn't take the gun they wouldn't continue to move on. She didn't have a choice but to take the gun, since she was really determined to get to Rome and stop him from dying. Tanya added,

"Good. You know how to use it, right?"

Zy replied,

"Yeah. I remember. Can we go now?"

Tanya just smiled at her and they continued to run. While both of them were running to where Rome, Yoko and the others were, Nick and Lia continue to shoot down the enemies who killed Lucy one by one. Yoko and the others were still mowing down enemies in the middle of the desert. Rome on the outside looked like a confident soldier who was not hiding and just continuing to aim and kill the opponents in front of him. The whole team looked at him like the normal Rome who was confident because he had his whole team covering him while he rushed into the middle. It's normal because it's what they always do in every job they take. Rome takes the lead while they keep him from dying. Everyone was impressed with him because wherever he points his gun, he gets his target. Even in the places where everyone thinks no one was there, Rome points and shoots, then blood gets mixed with the sand. But for Rome it was different. He can't see anything but the people who killed Lucy. He can't hear anything but those who killed Wardo and Tony. In his eyes, he was not in the desert. He was in a dark place and all that he could see was the people he was supposed to kill. Every gunshot to every target, he didn't get any satisfaction. All he could think of was Lucy, Wardo and Tony. Rome did not care where he walked or who was in front of him. He couldn't think straight and it seemed his hands were doing things on their own. He continues to shoot those people in the dark background. While shooting, there's a voice that keeps on whispering while laughing.

"Just keep on shooting."

This voice was sinister but not enough to get Rome scared. It's like the voice was giving him strength to hold his gun and pull the trigger. Rome continues to shoot and the voice continues to whisper,

"That's right. Those guys are the ones who killed them. Just keep on shooting."

Rome was following the voice's instructions. He kept on shooting and killing all those in front of him. Rome did not care about anything, killing those people or following the voice's command. All he cared about was killing those who killed Tony, Wardo and Lucy. He kept on moving forward without thinking of where he was going. Luckily, no one seemed to hit Rome because Yoko and the rest of them were successful in covering him and keeping him from dying. Wade, who was covering Rome, said,

"That i***t is sure reckless, but I'm impressed with the trust he has in us in covering him."

Yoko, who heard what Wade had said, replied,

"Just shut up and focus on covering him."

Yoko continues to cover Rome as she shoots like the rest of them. She saw a glimpse of Rome's back and she noticed something. Rome, who was walking forward while holding and pointing his gun, seemed to be slowed down. Yoko tried to get a good look at Rome. Rome was limping. That's why he walked much slower than the first time they arrived in the desert.Yoko saw with her very own eyes that he had been shot. A gunshot reached Rome's stomach and a second one reached one of his legs. Yoko was so shocked by what she saw that she couldn't move a muscle. All she saw was the blood that came out of Rome's body. When she was about to stand and help Rome, she saw someone tackling him to the ground behind one of the big rocks that they could use as a shield from the bullets.