Cameron made his way through the kitchen toward the back of the apartment.  Through the wall, he heard the quick creaking steps as other gunmen joined their comrades outside the door.

In the bedroom, Cameron found the others huddled by the French door to the deck.  Ananda pressed the thin drape against the glass and craned his neck to view what he could of the courtyard behind the restaurant.

“What do you see down there?” asked Cameron.

Nicole answered for the old man.  “We saw one of the gunmen out in the yard.  He went back under the deck.”

“I do not see him now.  Perhaps he is gone,” said Ananda.

“He’s not gone, he’s guarding the door, we’ll have to go through him,” said Cameron.  A deafening thud came from the front of the apartment.  The dull heavy sound was startling and unnatural.  “Don’t worry, it’s going to take them some time to break that door down.”  Another thud came, followed by another, then another.

Cameron stepped up next to Ananda and craned his own neck to seek out the guard.  “I’ll have to go out there to get a better look,” said Cameron.  He slipped his hand behind the drape, unlatched, and then opened the French door wide enough to fit his upper body.  Leading with his P226 held high, Cameron leaned out the door.  He looked down on the deck to choose where to place his first step.  Between the boards of the deck, Cameron could see the courtyard below.  The gunman was standing below the edge of the deck.

Cameron froze and then turned his head toward the roof of the building.  The building to his right was at least four stories and though the next three buildings to the left were only two floors high, the last building on the corner looked to be about fifteen.  Cameron pulled himself back into the apartment and pushed the door shut.  “Ok, I spotted him.  Escaping by rooftop is unlikely.  The buildings around us are too tall.  I’m pretty sure I can take him out but we will have to move quickly.  There are steps around the end of the deck.  You can get down that way.  I will take a more direct route.”

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