"Looks like they're calling you on what they think is a bluff. You got another 15 minutes," Lilia said.

"Correction. You have another 15. Use it well, because it looks like they're going to let you die," he said. Lilia was blind with fear. She couldn't see, she couldn't move. She could only think of one thing; Nick.

God, I wish I could see him one more time. I wish I could tell him why I left. And that I love him, always and forever, she thought, resigning herself to death. She thought of her baby, barely a spark of life, that this desperate man would snuff out without ever knowing. The innocent life.

Lilia's fear turned into determination as maternal instincts kicked in. She would not let this innocent life disappear because of this stupid man. If only I had stayed with Nick, I'd be there and not here in this room with this man, she thought remorsefully.

"Stand up," the man barked. Gripping to the counter, Lilia lifted herself up gingerly, favouring her ribs and used it as support when her head began to swim.

"Looks like your time is up," he said with a resounding definition. She was about to die, and with her, her innocent child.

He pulled her close to the window and she could make out flashing lights and shadowy forms. The man seemed distracted as he checked the window to see how far away the authorities were. Lilia prayed for strength and saw her opportunity.

She lunged at the hand holding the gun, using her weight to gain leverage. Struggling, she pushed up and a shot rang out.

A rain of plaster and dry wall fell around them. Lilia forced the opposing strength down and smashed the hand wielding the gun against the wall. It released it's possession, the gun went flying. He body checked her against the wall and once released, went searching to find the where the gun had slid. Lilia ran down the hall, desperate to find refuge, to find safety.

A shot rang past her, an explosion of glass in front of her as she turned the corner, swinging to the left, praying that the maze of outer corridors her restaurant possessed that had aggravated her for years, could now save her life.

She ran as fast as she could, and swerved when she heard footsteps behind her. She ran into the kitchens, flying past the equipment and flung the door open, running past the chairs and tables, past the bar. She was near the dance floor, and ahead of her, she could she see salvation, the front entrance.

She was almost there. She could almost feel the cool night air, and hear the sounds of the city at night. She ignored the stabbing pain breathing was causing and the fact that she could no longer see straight. Her goal was in front of her.

She was running. And the next instant, she felt a balloon burst in her back. Sharp burning pain nearly cause her to double over, but she was so close, she just had to make it. She kept trying, one foot in front of the other, until another burst of pain in her leg sent her crashing to the floor.

She had failed.