CHAPTER IV

The Plan

Harold woke up, laying in the grass. The sun shone in his face. Was he dead? “Well, look who decided to wake up,” said a voice. Harold bolted upright, startled. “Relax, man. You’re safe.” The person said calmly. They had a baseball cap on, and a vest. “Who… Who are you?” Harold asked shakily. “My name’s Danny.” The person said. “And that guy over there is Sanford.” He continued, pointing to a bulky man behind him. “Who do you work for?” asked Harold. “Calm down, dude. We’re not gonna hurt ya. After all the effort we made hauling you out of there, it’d be a waste.” Danny responded. Harold took a deep breath. “Ok,” He swallowed hard. “So what do you want with me?” Harold asked. “Well, we saw what ya did there with The Sheriff. It was a gutsy move to talk like that to ‘em.” Danny explained. “Me and Sanford are trying to kill him, so we figured we need all the help we can get.” “Alright.” Harold replied. “I’m in.”...

“Raah!” The Sheriff yelled in anger knocking over a golden pot he had stolen. A minion hurried over and set it back upright. “That stupid doctor had nothing! NOTHING!” The Sheriff screamed in rage. “But that Harold… He won’t get out of this alive! Find him! And the rebels that blew up the hospital too! Kill them! Kill them all!” He screeched. The agents scurried away. “I’ll find you, Harold.” The Sheriff said to no one in particular. “And there will be blood!”...

“So, The Sheriff’s base of operations lies here.” Danny said, pointing to a spot on the map. “We have to get inside, and find him. Then, we take him out.” Sanford continued. “No, it won’t be that easy.” Harold interrupted. “The Sheriff has guards all over the place, including Trevor, not to mention that The Sheriff’s no joke either. It’s gonna be a lot harder than just breaking in.” He explained. Danny and Sanford nodded. “That’s… a good point.” He said slowly. “Alright, once we get face to face with The Sheriff, we take him 3 to 1. There’s no way he can win that.” Sanford said. “Alright, sounds like a plan.”...

Later that night…

The Sheriff’s compound lay firmly on the grassy hill. Behind the building was a beach, with cold waters crashing over it. The Sheriff himself would be on the second floor, which had a balcony overlooking the sea. It was for when The Sheriff wanted a scenic view, or so Harold was thinking on their way to the base. He stared out the car window at the building, thinking about their plan. “Alright, we’re at the rendezvous point. Harold, you and I will go through the vents. Sanford will cause a distraction.” Danny said. They hopped out of the buggie, and the two split up with Sanford. “Alright.” Danny said. “Do you have any experience in stealth missions?” He asked. “Uh… no?” Harold replied awkwardly. “Well, the best way to learn is in the moment. Come on.” Danny responded, not seeming to mind. Harold followed him to an air duct on the side of the building. Danny wedged it open. “Alright, this should lead us right to the second floor. Then, we gotta fight the guards and get to The Sheriff.” Danny went over the plan again. Harold nodded, and the two descended into the ventilation…

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The Sheriff looked over his balcony, staring into the night sky. The waves crashed beneath him. One of his generals ran up. “There’s been a disturbance in the southern level, sir!” He exclaimed. The Sheriff scowled, but he didn’t look away from the ocean. “Alert Trevor. He knows what to do.” He said firmly. The general nodded and ran off.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Harold and Danny crawled through the vents. They overheard conversations about taxes, beer, and other things, but eventually they made it to the second floor. “Two rooms full of guards until we make it to the big guy’s office. You sure you’re up for this?” Danny asked. “Uhmm… Yeah!” Harold lied through his teeth. He didn’t truthfully want to do this, but he knew The Sheriff was evil, right? “Great, now, let’s go!” Danny exclaimed, and without warning, he kicked open the vent cover, sending them falling into the room below. Harold fell on his butt, and yelped in pain. Danny landed next to him, gracefully on his feet. “Hey! You’re not allowed to-” BANG! One of the two guards fell dead. The second one ran towards Harold with a dagger. Harold scrambled to his feet in a panic, trying to dodge the gun. The agent easily overpowered him, and pinned him to the wall. Harold thought it was over, but then BANG! The second agent fell to the ground, and Danny reloaded his pistol. “Nice job keeping him busy, now, to the next room.” He said, smiling. Harold sighed, eyeing the agent’s dead body. He reached down, grabbed the dagger, and followed Danny to the next room.

Danny had already shot the first two minions, but someone rounded the corner. POW! “Agh!” Danny clutched his foot, and fell to the ground. Harold entered just in time to see the scene. “Long time no see, Harold.” said Trevor, throwing his revolver in the air and catching it. “You.” Harold replied, scowling. “What makes you think a simpleton like you could even dream of killing The Sheriff?” Trevor said, laughing. Harold clenched the knife. “Do you ever shut up, man?” Harold said. This caught Trevor off guard. The Sheriff’s assistant gritted his teeth, and fired at Harold. Harold dodged, and ran towards Trevor, raising the dagger. Pow! Whiff! Ka-klang! Trevor swatted the dagger away, and kicked Harold in the gut. “Oof!” He grunted. Trevor fired again, but Harold dodged the bullets by a hair. Trevor, getting annoyed, flipped the gun in the air, grabbed it by the muzzle, and smacked Harold across the face with the back of it. Harold stumbled back. Danny sprung into action, but The Sheriff’s right-hand man just punched him back, knocking him out. Then, he turned to face Harold. “I was right. You and your rebel friends are weak. I didn’t want to kill you, Harold, but you left me no choice.” Trevor spoke. It was a lie, Harold thought. Trevor did want to kill him. He always had. It was just a matter of if Harold paid his tributes or not. Anger flowing through him, Harold reached for the dagger, and-

Shunk!

The blade stabbed through Trevor’s chest, sending him sprawling back. “Gah!!” He yelled out. Harold’s anger turned to guilt in a heartbeat. Trevor dropped his gun, and stumbled to the floor. Harold reached out, but it was already too late. Trevor hit the ground, motionless. Harold couldn’t believe his eyes. He just… He just killed Trevor. He did it! But shouldn’t he be feeling happy right now? Instead of feeling guilty? He didn’t know. Danny got back up, observing the scene. “Wow. Great job, buddy. I didn’t think you had it in ya.” He said, moving on. “I wouldn’t dwell on it. That scumbag is better off dead. Anyways, The Sheriff should be in the next room.” Danny continued, pushing open the doors. Harold walked away, still focused on Trevor’s corpse, until he reached the doors. He knew the challenge ahead. He knew what he had to face. So, he stepped through…