Knowing this one would be unlocked, Allistor motioned for Helen to stand to one side and open it.  He backed up to the top step and crouched down, switching from his rifle to his shotgun.  Raising the weapon toward the door, he nodded to Helen.   She slowly turned the knob, trying to be quiet.  When she felt the bolt disengage, she flung the door open, stepping to the side for cover.

Again the door flew open, then bounced back.  Allistor got only a brief look outside before it slammed shut again.  Helen’s eyes grew wide and despite her fear, she giggled.  Slamming her hands over her mouth, she shook her head, apologizing with her eyes.  Allistor just shook his own head and stood up.

Not having seen anything in his brief view of the roof, he stepped forward and opened the door.  Pushing it more gently, he stepped outside with shotgun at the ready.   He made it two steps onto the roof when shots rang out.   One struck the door behind him, the other ripped through the meat of his shoulder, tearing the deltoid muscles.   He fired the shotgun out of reflex, not aiming or hitting anything as he fell to the ground.  The weapon left his hands, and his left hand instinctively clamped on to the wound on his right shoulder.

Twitch screamed, “I’ll kill you!” and fired again, the bullet digging into the roof material inches from Allistor’s face. Allistor cast Restraint on him, but it only slowed him for a second. The man was a mess.  His clothes and skin were charred from the center of his chest upward.  His hair was mostly burned away, and one of his eyes was swollen shut.

Allistor cast Barrier between himself and Twitch, hoping it would absorb enough of the next shot to keep him alive.  Then he cast Mind Spike, making the man scream in pain and grip his head for a moment.   Saliva dripped from his open mouth as he recovered from the mind spike and glared at Allistor with pure hatred.

Twitch was shakily bringing the gun to bear on Allistor’s head when a shot from Helen’s rifle rang out.  In her rush to raise her weapon, she’d fired early.  The shot ripped through Twitch’s gut, knocking him on his back.  He screamed again in pain, rolling onto his stomach.

Allistor, still on the ground, grunted, “Finish him.”

Helen took one horrified look at Twitch, then shook her head and looked down at her feet.  “I can’t.  He’s… he’s helpless.”

Allistor nodded.  Forcing himself to his feet, he walked over to Twitch.  Unable to use his right arm, he pulled his pistol from its holster with his left.  Not used to holding a gun in that hand, he leaned down to put it close to Twitch’s head and pulled the trigger.