a handgun pointed directly at her. His eyes glittered alertly, meeting hers. On either side, two more officers pointed two more guns.
“Don’t move,” Isaias said. She heard him get out behind her. She was still staring at the man with the gun, who didn’t give her any sign or signal. Would they even care if she died? She’d played her part already, they didn’t need her anymore. A dull wave of hopelessness flooded her guts. She felt like no one had ever been able to protect her her whole life, and now that short life was about to end. Either Isaias would shoot her, or the cops would, trying to shoot Isaias.
She felt the barrel of Isaias’ pistol nestle itself between her shoulder blades.
“Back off!” he yelled. “I want all of you away from the car. Do it now or she dies! You don’t want your fucking precious cunt snitch to die, do you?”
For a moment, no one moved. Then, to Riel’s surprise, the gunmen began to back off.
“Put your guns down,” Isaias said.
“Mr. Mendez, let’s try to find a way to resolve this without anyone else getting hurt,” the same voice said through the bullhorn. Riel could see its owner now, a tall thin guy standing half-hidden behind the SUV. “If you put your gun down now, we can figure this out, okay?”
The pistol barrel jabbed her hard. “Stop standing around fiddling with your limp dicks and figure it out yourself.” He wrapped his hand in her tangled hair and jerked so that Riel found herself looking up at the blue sky and the silvery popcorn puffs of a cumulous cloud. She blinked, an irrational feeling of peace spreading through her.
“Put your guns down, or I’ll shoot this bitch now!” Isaias said.
Riel couldn’t see what was going on, but she heard a shuffling amongst the crowd of police. Were they really putting their guns down? Her brow furrowed.
“Okay, now clear off,” Isaias said. She heard more shuffling, and he poked her again with the gun. “Walk, Riel.”
She stumbled forward, her head still pulled back so she was staring up. She placed her feet unsteadily on the uneven ground, but Isaias pushed her onward with the relentless pressure of the gun. Tree branches covered the sky as they entered the forest. She couldn’t believe the cops were really just going to let them walk off into the woods.
“Isaias, where are we going?” She tripped over something and almost fell. He yanked her back up by her hair, making her yelp.
“Let me worry about that, Rielita.” His voice sounded odd, his breathing rasping heavily.
She stumbled again, and he yanked her hair harder, bringing tears to her eyes. “Goddammit, Isaias, let my fucking hair go. I can’t see where I’m going.”
“I don’t want you to fucking see where you’re going.”
She tripped over what felt like a rock and almost fell again. They were walking slowly; she could still hear the cops’ radios behind them. Weren’t they even going to follow? “I’m not going to run off, Isaias! Where would I go? You’d shoot me, or the cops would.”
“The cops aren’t going to shoot their precious little snitch bitch.”
Riel swallowed the bile that rose back up in her throat. “You already shot the snitch, Isaias. Weren’t you paying attention?”
“You two were in it together, conspiring like little rats in a cage.”
“No, Isaias! I’d never met him before today. Please…”
“Fucking lying twat!” he yelled.
He yanked her hair so hard she felt some of it tear from her scalp. Then he punched her on the side of the head, the blow thudding dully in her ears.
She stumbled forward. Her knees buckled, and she went down hard, her forehead cracking sharply against a rock.
There were gunshots. Riel, her head swimming and her vision blurred with pain, cowered in the dirt.
The gunshots stopped. For a moment, all she could hear was a ringing in her ears, the beating of her heart. The noise of it seemed distant, her mind floating away in a haze.
She raised her head and looked back toward Isaias. He still held the gun, but he held it limply, not aiming it. He had a vaguely surprised, almost peaceful look.
A scream rose up in Riel’s throat, but all that came out was a pitiful moan. Blood welled up, soaking Isaias’ shirt. The gun dropped from his slack fingers. His eyes went blank and he fell to the ground, like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
Riel threw up again, vomit spewing from her mouth