When McConnell arrived, it had been all confidence and overwhelming superiority. Now, I didn’t get the same sense. Mario popped off shots almost at random, trying to hit me in the dark while McConnell hadn’t done anything since he knocked me across the room. Don’t get me wrong, it was a hell of a shot, but it was far from fight-ending. He’d even let the light spell drop, which was more a detriment to him than to me. Why would a wizard who once stood his own against a horde of raging demons and angels rely on gunmen to take me out?
He was holding back on purpose.
Or maybe he wasn’t.
Indecision is a hobby of mine.
It was time to test a theory. I took off my shoes, set one aside and tossed the other in the general direction of the exit. It landed with a quiet thud, but it was enough. I heard a hiss from the darkness followed by the rapid crack of gunfire as three quick muzzle flashes split the dark, illuminating Mario’s position. Gotcha. I took a moment to aim, then double-tapped the trigger.
Mario cried out as the first bullet struck him, presumably in the vest. His cry was cut short as my second hit with a wet thwack. There was a thump followed by the clack of his gun as they both dropped to the concrete floor. In the blackness next to him, I heard a gasp, then the slap of booted feet running. I oriented on the sound, realizing McConnell was running away from the exit, further into the warehouse. Thrown off by his choice of directions, I held my gun out in front of me and chased after him as fast as I could, dodging through the maze of shelves.