[ WP ] If you stay alive for no other reason , do it for spite .

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 *BLAM. * 
 
 As the muzzle flash went off, the men could see a figure standing atop a shelf in the far corner of the room, silhouetted in black and light. It wore a hoodie and jeans, and its hand was up, with the revolver above its head the way the Statue of Liberty held its torch. The message was clear: a warning shot. *Leave now while you have the chance. * 
 
 Lights were flung in its direction, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. 
 
 `` Find her!'' Dominic whisked his hands in the air in a panic. `` I want to see her body full of bullets before we leave with the shipment. The rest of you, hurry up. I want this done yesterday.'' 
 
 Six men carrying assault rifles spread out and headed for the source of the gunshot. Dominic turned his back to them reluctantly, his hand fingering the gun held in the holster on his side. He watched as the rest of his men stepped out of the semitrailer to load more boxes of identical rifles. He could n't think. 
 
 Another gunshot went off. The same type as before. His hands gripped tighter on the gun as he whirled to face the sound. He saw nothing; his view was blocked by the dozens of shelves of contraband weapons. Heaven help him if she opened up something more dangerous than her pistol. He tried not to think about it. 
 
 He was sweating through his suit. The bulletproof vest underneath was n't enough of a comfort to him. She had been through more than half a dozen warehouses like this one and had torn through them like they were wet paper. The only ones to make it out were the ones who ran. The cowards. 
 
 A light went off in his mind, and he turned to see four of his men running out through the loading dock. For a moment, his fear was eclipsed by impatience. Then whole rounds of fire from the assault rifles sounded from the far reaches of the facility. He turned to the rest of his men. 
 
 `` *Move it! *'' Dominic attempted to snap his fingers, but the gun was in his hands. How had the gun gotten in his hands? Nevermind, he obviously needed it. `` They have her dead to rights. Finish loading the truck so we can *leave! *'' 
 
 This was punctuated by another revolver shot, followed by the sound of a man screaming in pain. The men decided to leave without loading the rest of the cargo. 
 
 `` Come back here!'' Dominic pointed his gun at the exit, but the men skirted around the corner where he could n't see them. Another blast of rifle fire tore through the metal shelves behind him. He turned again. 
 
 A light fixture shattered above him. He shielded his eyes. When he looked up again, he saw someone running straight in his direction. Dominic had his hands up and ready to fire before he realized it was one of his own. Just as the man reached him, an explosion rocked the building. The fireball spread, setting off various other weapons on the west side of the warehouse. 
 
 `` Sir, we need to go. It's not safe here.'' 
 
 `` I am not leaving.'' Dominic's hands shook. `` We must make sure the girl is dead.'' 
 
 `` The explosion would have killed her for sure-'' 
 
 A shot from the revolver passed through the man's skull as he spoke. He died instantly. 
 
 Dominic was left standing in the middle of a rapidly disintegrating storage facility, completely and totally alone. His nerves could n't have been more shot if he had been shot himself. In the midst of his panic, he thought he heard snippets of deranged laughter from behind the flames. 
 
 `` *Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha... *'' 
 
 He spun around and fired in the direction of the laughter. Nothing happened. The fire continued to set off stray rounds of ammunition, which disoriented him and made it difficult to tell where the laughter came from. A stray bullet passed mere inches from his face, and he turned again and fired blindly. 
 
 `` *Dominic? Is that you? *'' Now the voice was louder, and closer, and it took on a strange singsong quality. Dominic briefly entertained the notion that he might already be dead and in hell. He turned, but did n't fire, wildly shaking as he looked back and forth through the flames. 
 
 `` *It IS you! *'' 
 
 The voice was directly behind him. 
 
 Dominic turned and fired four rounds directly into the girl's stomach. She dropped to her knees, then sprawled out on the floor. A pool of blood gushed out from under her. Dominic squeezed the trigger again, but the gun was empty. 
 
 He stumbled slightly, then got his balance. The girl was lying between him and the loading dock. With the out-of-control fire raging behind him, it was the only exit left in the building. Keeping his gun pointed at the girl, he took a single, hesitant step toward the door. 
 
 Almost as if on cue, the girl lifted her hand and planted it on the floor. Dominic screamed, nearly fainting as she lifted herself up, bracing against the truck until she came to her full height. She was laughing in a rage, coughing up blood as she began to take zombie-like steps toward the cartel boss. 
 
 `` *It's been so long since I saw you last. *'' 
 
 `` How are you not DEAD?'' Dominic yelled. He dropped the gun. His hands were trembling like jackhammers as he walked backwards away from the girl. 
 
 `` *Do you remember me, Dominic? Do you remember killing my family? *'' 
 
 `` HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD?'' he yelled again. He tripped then, over a box of guns carelessly flung aside as his workers made their escape. The girl reached him, standing on the box and pointing her revolver at his head. 
 
 `` *There are so many drugs running through my system. I am riding on a high like you would n't believe. *'' She looked down at the bullet holes punched through her t-shirt. `` *I do n't feel a thing. *'' 
 
 The fire was sweeping dangerously close to the semitrailer. Dominic watched the girl as she stepped down from the box. 
 
 `` Kill me now and be done with it, please. I'm begging you.'' 
 
 `` *I'm not here to kill you, Dominic. You're going to have your entire life to pay for what you did. I might tie you down, torture you for hours, make you wish you were dead. But you're going to live a good, long life. *'' 
 
 The girl shot Dominic in the knee. He howled in pain as she grabbed him by the collar and dragged him toward the loading dock. 
 
 `` *If you stay alive for no other reason, do it for spite, *'' the girl said. `` *It works for me. *''
