4.j.
“Donkey!”
Corporate Man yelled, his hand pressing against Donkey’s abdomen. “Hold on.
Help is on the way.”
“I’m… I’ll be
fine. Oh, oh god it hurts.”
“Don’t talk,”
said Corporate Man.
“Why did she
shoot me?” Donkey asked.
“I don’t–”
“What did I do
to her? I don’t even know who she is.”
“I think she
was trying to hit me,” Corporate Man said.
Donkey’s face
pinched. “How could she miss? You were right there.”
“Come on,
man. Don’t talk,” said Corporate
Man.
He glanced over at Business Woman.
She and Franklin Buck were tending to The Elephant’s injuries. Supply and Demand were busy trying to
stabilize the kidnapped executive from the IBC Inc. North Side office. Senior Executive knelt on the crazy, gun
toting woman.
“Help is on
the way,” Corporate Man said again.
“No. You can’t let them catch you,” Donkey said.
“Well we can’t
leave you here to bleed out. Now shut up
and conserve your strength.” Corporate
increased the pressure on the wound.
Donkey squealed. Startled, Corporate
eased off.
“He got to me first. I was scared.
And he said he could help me.
That I just needed to keep you from infiltrating his operation. He’s the one in charge of it all.”
“Shut up,
Donkey! You weak hearted fool,” The
Elephant spat. He struggled to stand but
Franklin Buck and Business Woman pushed him back to the floor. Fresh blood spurt from his shoulder. He continued to struggle but surrendered in a
heap of breathy grunts when Business Woman jabbed her hand, knife like, into
his groin from behind.
“Where’s that
ambulance?” Corporate Man shouted.
Panting, Fair Wage ran up and said, “I just
got off the phone with them. They said
that no one had called in yet, but that they did have a unit in the area. It should only be a minute or two.”
Donkey coughed
and clutched at his stomach. When the
spasm subsided he said, “His office is the top floor of this building.”
“That’s good,
Donkey. Saves us the trouble of
searching the place,” said Corporate Man.
“Listen to
me. You can’t just hop on the elevator
and ride up there.”
“Shut up you
tree hug–” The Elephant started but was once again reduced to wheezing groans
by Business Woman.
“Secret
entrances. In the building’s corner
columns. In back is the service
elevator. Up here is the one he uses, but don’t try it. If you get into that one you’re dead. Use one of… of…”
Donkey passed
out.
“Oh shit, oh
shit. Is he dead?” Franklin Buck asked.
“No. Unconscious,” said Corporate
Man.
They could hear approaching ambulance sirens. Corporate Man lowered Donkey’s head to the
floor. Then he marched over to the
bossman and grabbed him by the throat.
“How do we get in?”
The bossman’s
head lolled around and he said, “Sorry.
That’s confidential information of Incorporated Busin–”
Corporate Man
pressed his thumb into the bullet wound in the bossman’s cheek. “Tell me.”
The bossman
cried out. Corporate Man released the
pressure.
“Oh my god,
I’m gonna throw up. I’m gonna die,” the
bossman said. He squealed and whimpered
and then, in a slightly calmer voice he said, “I’m gonna die and then throw up
and after that I’ll be sent to a hell full of teenaged drivers.”
“Tell me how
to get in and you won’t go to hell,” Corporate Man tried.
The bossman
laughed. Then he winced at the pain this
caused. When he’d recovered, he shook a
finger at Corporate Man and said, “Oh no.
Not falling for that silly ruse.
Besides, if you aren’t a corporate executive… you don’t get in. Period.”
Corporate Man
bit his lower lip and allowed his gaze to wander. The sirens outside were much louder
now. He nodded unconsciously, and then
he stood and called out to the Union , “Let’s go. And bring him with us.”
“Wait. What about Donkey and the others?” Fair Wage
asked.
“The
paramedics are here. They’ll take care
of them.”
“Where are we
going?” asked Franklin Buck.
“We’re going
to become corporate executives.”