Ramifications: Day 15

Word Count: 90,364

Summary of Events:

Dom was informed that a TV news crew had invaded the kitchen and had to call the police to get them to go away. Lachlan was brought before the Associates to face punishment because the fire he started had caused Club Brisbane to burn one of the Associate's clubs down in revenge — and he ended up finding that the police had picked up his motorcycle. Dom unlocked the front door of the Shelter for the day and ended up witnessing a police officer preventing a news crew from bothering the Shelter by telling the crew the Shelter was cooking with limburger cheese. Lachlan went to another Club Brisbane location to see if he could find more information and ended up having to hide under a desk when someone came into the room, although he got found, and that person summoned another . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

"Feet sounded across the floor and another face peeked under the desk, startling.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"No one," Lachlan replied.

"Oh you're someone alright," the man replied, reaching in.

Lachlan tried to draw his knife out to stab the man, but only succeeded in jabbing himself in the ribcage, which allowed the man to seize him by the throat and drag him out from under the desk.

"You look an awful lot like somebody I know," the man said, looking at him critically.

Lachlan struggled against the man's grip.

"But you're not him," the man growled, bringing Lachlan's face close to his. "You're that Devil rat."

Still Lachlan struggled, trying to pry the fingers free.

"You want to know what we do with rats round here?" the man asked.

Lachlan shook his head, he couldn't hardly breathe.

"We chuck 'em out the window," the man said, smiling.

The man whirled around, swinging Lachlan off his feet, through the window and the blinds, releasing his neck.

Lachlan reached for the window frame and grabbed hold, grimacing at the stabbing pain of the broken glass biting into his fingers.

He looked down only to see that there were a few lines of fragile glass tubing between him and the footpath below. He was hanging directly off the front of Club Brisbane, and he didn't want to know how much distance was between him and that footpath.

"Let go Rat!" the man shouted, slamming his fists against Lachlan's fingertips.

Lachlan grimaced, but didn't let go. He didn't know what to do, but letting go seemed like a pretty bad idea at the moment.

If anything, his best chance was to go up.

He released one hand slowly and gingerly.

"That's it," the man said, smiling sinisterly. "Let me help you."

Lachlan drew out his knife slowly, holding on obstinately with his right hand while he put is feet against the wall.

Using the grip afforded by the textured stucco wall, Lachlan surged upward, driving his knife deep into the man's chest before pulling himself back into the room, which left scratches on his jacket.

He jerked the knife free and sheathed it before climbing onto the windowsill, steadying himself with a hand against the vertical frame.

Another gangster appeared in the door just as Lachlan reached up with his other hand and grabbed around the roof edge.

Reaching his other hand up, Lachlan then leaned out the window as he straightened and pulled himself up onto the roof. He hoped he'd find a fire escape to get himself down somewhere, but for now he was out of Club Brisbane and not by dying."