I have to act fast. I have to distract them in some way. When I see a shelf nearby, I knock down a wooden carving, making books and decorations tumble like dominos. It creates a huge BANG! and the next thing I know, the two men are rushing out of the room. “Hey! Who’s there!?” One of their voices booms. “They went that way!” The other yells, darting toward the door. I watch them as they run outside. Once I’m positive they’re gone, I sprint from my hiding spot and silently make my way to the bathroom. I find Ells mouth taped shut and her wrists tied together. There’s rope around her ankles, as well. I quickly cut through the rope with my dagger, since there’s no time to untie it by hand. Then I grab her blood-stained hand and rush out the door. Before I can take another step, I’m stopped by the two men. “Hey, get your hands off!” one of the men shout. “No, you get your crusty musty hands off. You’re just a druggy who kidnaps people, and I’m calling the police.” I shout. The criminals swear in my face. “Hide,” I whisper to Ells. She does what I say. I grab my gun from my pocket. I aim it toward the two men. “Scatter, or one gets shot!” I yell. They stay in place like statues. They both grab a weapon from their pockets. “Come get me.” I whisper. I run through the forest, dodging brush and branches as thorns scrape my ankles. The men follow me through the trees. One shoots a bullet and it barely misses me. Instead, it hits a tree nearby. One catches up to me and pins me to the ground. He punches me in the nose, making it bleed. I kick his head and get back up. I kick him in the back and grab his weapon. He punches me in the jaw this time. I slam him to the ground and wrap his wrists to his back. I slam my knee on his spine to hold him down and call the police. Soon, he passes out. The other one comes out of the dark and lunges toward me. I jump over his head and slam him onto the other. A couple seconds later, the police arrive at the scene. They arrest the men and then we go back to get Ells with me. Once everything is okay, the police officer thanks me. “Thank you so much. You’re always helping us out. Every night, there’s criminals out there. We could never solve any crime without you.” I just nod. Ells had to go to the hospital, and I’m not sure if she’s going to be okay. If I had gotten there sooner, she wouldn’t have been as hurt. It creates a knot in my stomach. I walk home alone. Ells used to be in the agency, but she said she had to focus on her grades. She left the spy agency, and she hasn’t been back since. Although she was my best friend, I just didn’t see her as often. That’s when I also found some other friends. Ells and I didn’t talk anymore. But hopefully, our friendship can reunite. I just can’t mess up again.
