He could see no other way out of the situation. No where else to go. No turning back. After all these years they had finally caught up to him.
He stood at the edge of the building, towering stories higher than anything else in sight. The wind blew strong and fierce, flapping his coattails noisily behind him. Black cotton swabs of saturated clouds hung low enough that he could almost touch them. The air was charged, erratic bursts of electricity dancing all around. Soon, the clouds would break and give way to the forecasted deluge.
The door behind him busted open, flying off its hinges into a ruined mess of steel. Eliza appeared, gun held at the ready, aimed directly at him. "Give it up, Thom. You're busted." She came forward, her white leather coat a stark contrast to the rest of the gloomy scene. He glanced at the S&W P-12x aimed at his chest, the legendary stun gun that had been around since the dawn of modern weaponry. Not the most state-of-the-art tool, but still effective.
He licked his lips and smiled. The wind blew and the clouds crackled. Thom shook his head. "Eliza. Have I ever made it easy for you?" He took a gentle step backwards, his heel hanging over the edge.
"What are you thinking? It's a long way down. Too far for you. Just turn yourself over and nobody gets hurt. Don't be a fool." She slowly took another step. More goons were now pouring through the door, all heavily armed and armored. They filed into ranks behind Eliza, steadying their aims.
The first spatter of rain hit him in the cheek, cold and stinging. It was time. "Tell Blake I'm sorry," he said. Confusion crossed Eliza's face followed immediately by recognition.
"NO!" she screamed, but it was drowned out by an explosion of thunder. Thom threw his hands up over his head. He felt the hair on his arms raise and tingle. Lightning flashed. Thom threw his hands down, toward the crowd. Eliza jumped away, firing a wide shot off the P-12x. White hot light engulfed the goons, illuminating them like birthday candles. The clouds broke and the rain fell in a sudden downpour. Eliza was aiming for another shot. He looked at her and smiled apologetically.
Thom stepped backwards and let the wind carry him. He fell quickly, curled up like a giant hailstone. Far above he saw Eliza looking out over the balcony, mouth open in disbelief. She disappeared from view behind the thick veil of fog. He slowly turned and saw the ground rushing closer. He reached inside himself and tugged on the heavy winds, pulling them sideways and upwards, letting them wrap around him like a cocoon. It wasn't enough to stop him from hitting--no, he thumped into the concrete like a heavy sack of grain-- but it was enough to keep him alive.
He winced as he rolled painfully, flipping over himself and coming to a stop. His left shoulder and arm were broken. Both legs were rubbery. A group of bystanders gasped in shock. A man began screaming. It wouldn't be long before Eliza was out and looking for him again, and he didn't have enough left in him to pull off another Joining. He was still surprised that the first one had worked. Thom rose quickly, painfully, and headed off down the walkway, limping as he dragged himself away into the electric city lights.
Word Count: 577
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