Ruby Redfort: try not to scream

Ruby shivered in the shadows. His back was to her as he looked out of the window.
"It seems no one is coming to rescue you this time, Miss Redfort," he sneered.
Ruby remained still and quiet. She couldn't deny the facts. Nobody had come to find her. Nobody seemed to care. It was just her and the supervillain. Awaiting her inevitable death without protest. After all, it was her who had agreed to it. She had signed her own death certificate. But at least she would save the people she loved. At least they would be safe.

Hitch sped around the corner, leaving midtown Twinford and entering downtown. Clancy was beginning to flap. In his head, he knew that they couldn't save her but in his heart he hoped that they could be fast enough. LB's head was full of worry. The one person in the whole world who reminded her of Baker was now alone with the biggest psycho on planet earth. As they reached the office block Hitch immediately noticed the figure in the window on the thirty third floor. The man who looked like Dracula. Count Von Viscount.

The Count spun around trying to conceal the fact that people actually were there to find her.
"I don't understand why a girl who is described as 'the smart kid's smart kid' could be so foolish," Ruby stayed quiet. "You chose to let me kill you, knowing that once you're dead I can kill your friends anyway," He sniggered.
"Wow," laughed Ruby. "You think I did this to stop you from killing them, don't you? You would be wrong there. I'm doing this because I know my friends. If I die, it will only ignite a fire in Spectrum, making them stronger. They will hunt you down and they won't stop until you are dead." The Count's eyes widened. She was right. But then again, The Count was not one to back down from a fight. He would still persist and fight on. But Ruby wasn't finished.
"A life for a life. It's always been that way. You took Lopez, we took nine lives. You tried to kill me, Clancy saved me. You tried to kill Clancy, I set the wolf free. You took the key tag, we took Lorelei to jail. You tried to take Clancy again, but it was Baby Face who died. You took Baker, I took Marnie Novak,"
It was that name that triggered The Count.
"You tried to kill Hitch. Well, we pushed you off a building. So if you kill me, they are gonna kill you too,"
"You have twenty minutes, Ruby Redfort," He growled as he waltzed out of the room, leaving Ruby alone in the cold. She walked towards the window, taking in the blue of the sky. As her eyes fell on the world below, she caught sight of something so familiar. A silver convertible, parked at the bottom of the building. Ruby smiled at the sight. Although she knew they were too late, it was nice to know they were trying.

Hitch burst down the door, kicking it in. As they all ran inside, Hitch noticed a message flash onto his watch.
Thanks for trying. Goodbye - R
He sighed. "We're coming Ruby," he whispered.
"Listen up, guys," said LB. "Lorelie said floor thirty three but I think it's safe to assume that The Count isn't the only person here to kill us. I bet his little minions are everywhere, so stick tight to each other and don't split up. I refuse to lose more than one agent today,"
Clancy gulped. That last statement implied that LB was preparing to find Ruby dead. In a way, so was he. He had a hunch that something was going to happen to her and Clancy Crew's hunches were hardly ever wrong. Hitch was storming up the stairs at top speed. Running as fast as he could. He wasn't going to give Ruby up that easily. The scene was almost familiar to when he has climbed the museum steps to find Ruby. That time he found sand. This time... who knows what would happen.

Ruby could hear The Count pacing in the next room. An escape was almost impossible. She scanned her surroundings looking for a way out. It was in one of her most positive moments that she spotted a little bit of the floor had fallen through. She tiptoed silently over to the opening and saw that it only went down to the floor below. This was her chance to slip away. She dropped down through the hole, without sound and slowly made her way to the stairs. It was there she bumped into a very out of breath Hitch. Ruby stood still in front of him.
"Ruby," Hitch cried. "Are you ok? Are you hurt? Look, I'm so sorry for..." Ruby cut him off by pulling him into a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and started to tear up on her head. The others finally caught up and joined the hug. Once everyone had let go, Clancy kissed Ruby softly. She smiled and a single tear slid from her eye.
"Sorry to disturb the happy moment," stuttered Dan. "But can I remind you that we are all still in a building with people trying to murder us all," Ruby nodded, looking at her watch.
The time was 1.17 pm. They had ten minutes to get out.
"We have to go," she whispered, grabbing Hitch's hand and pulling him downstairs. The others followed close behind. They tiptoed through rooms, every so often being attacked. LB did most of the fighting, shooting anyone who came near them. Hitch had given Dan his gun and was standing behind the rest of them. To their surprise, they made it out of the building without much trouble. It was when they reached the car that Ruby realised what was wrong. Hitch was missing.
"Where is he?" asked Froghorn. They all looked back at the building. Ruby knew what had to be done. It was 1.24 pm. She had three minutes. Just three minutes to find Hitch and get out safely. Great. Without hesitation, Ruby ran back inside. She heard the agonising screams of her friends telling her to come back. But it had to be done. She had to save Hitch. He had no weapon other than his fists. If she didn't help him, he would die. She found him wrestling a huge man on the fifteenth floor. She couldn't get the man off. Turning to find a rock to hit him with, Ruby saw The Count. He grinned maliciously.
"Oh, Ruby. Your weakness is always the same. The people you love," continuing to smile, he advanced towards her and before she could run, a knife was plunged into her side. She gasped, looking down at the sticky, red blood, seeping from where the knife sat.
"Ruby," screamed Hitch, seeing what had happened.
"You know what? You're right," Ruby winced. Without thinking, she pulled the knife from her side and threw it across the room. Her aim was good. It stabbed straight through the man's head, setting Hitch free. Although she had saved him, the knife was the only thing stopping her losing too much blood. The Count laughed wickedly.
"Hitch, go," screamed Ruby. He shook his head.
"Not without you kid,"
"Look, man. Now is not the time to be loyal. If you don't go now, he's gonna kill you too and then everyone else and then this was all for nothing. Please, just go. Do it for me," she yelled.
For some strange reason, the power behind her voice made Hitch understand. Reluctantly he stood up and ran back down to the others.

"Where's Ruby?" asked LB as he returned.
Hitch didn't speak. His face alone told the others that it wasn't looking good. The world around him was spinning. The sight he had just seen was one he had hoped never to see again. It was not the first time he had witnessed one of his friends die but this time it was different. She wasn't just any friend. She was Ruby Redfort and he had just let her die. There was no saving Ruby now. No luck on her side. Just the girl and the villain, alone in a room where one would perish. Ruby was as good as dead already. 

Ruby stood up, weakly. The Count looked slightly taken aback. She was dying. Bleeding to death and in so much pain yet she was still pushing on for her friends. He couldn't help but secretly admire this teenager. It was as she hobbled towards the broken window that she uttered the words...
"If I can survive a giant squid, I can survive a knife,"