Desires Of The Unknown

“How long could this take?” Valentine asked as I looped my arm with him.
“The longest was twelve hours.”
“Damn. So who’s after us?”
“The Eye.”
We continued to walk around the strip mall, the late August sun feeling great on my bare shoulders. I steered us toward the place with all the food. There was a large court yard where people were eating.
“What are you doing Miss Morley?” Headmaster Renolds’ voice sounded in my ear.
“Get some food. I’m hungry.”
Valentine chuckled, “It’s seven in the morning.”
I smirked up at him, “It’s breakfast time, sweetie.”
He chuckled, shook his head and smirked down at me. “Whatever you say, baby.”
My foot fell a little off balance and straight onto Valentine’s. He hissed, but hid his pain pretty well. I giggled falsely as we continued to walk to a little café.
“Don’t call me that,” I whispered as I walked up to the counter. “Can I get a medium, black coffee and a blue berry muffin please?”
The girl smiled and nodded. “And you sir?”
Valentine wound his arm around my shoulder. “Same.”
“Sixteen forty-six.”
Valentine gave her seventeen dollars and told her to keep the change. We moved over to wait for our stuff. My phone rang just as the girl handed me my coffee and muffin.
“Hello?”
“She doesn’t want to put her shoes on.”
“Who, Carlos?”
“Sierra.”
“What are you guys doing up at seven?”
“Terence woke everyone up.”
I ignored the strange look that Valentine gave me. I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my coffee. “Okay, what do you want me to do about it?”
“Be a good mommy and teach him not to wake up so god damn early.”
“Mommy?” Valentine mouthed.
I flipped him off quickly. “Listen, I’m doing something right now. And don’t go to the strip mall. Take the kids to the park and make sure Sierra doesn’t push Stephanie off the monkey bars again.”
“Fine.”
“Oh, and make up another bed room.”
“Two,” Daisy’s voice sounded in my ear.
“Two?” I hissed. Valentine had a smirk that said it all. I shook my head. A couple seconds later, a bomb went off in the court yard.
“Fuck,” Valentine and I breathed together. I hung up my phone and put it in my pocket.
“Everyone back!” I yelled, standing up quickly. “I want everyone in the back room. If there is a back way out, keep it locked.” No one moved. “Now!”
They quickly went to the back. I Valentine a nine millimeter I had hidden under the counter a year ago. He took it and cocked it.
“Why was it so soon?” he asked.
I looked at him and took a small breath. “It’s seriously The Eye.”
He paled completely. “I can’t be here.”
I looked at him. “You’re mom’s in The Ring. But who’s in the eye?”
His jaw tensed. “Can we talk about this in a more secure location and later.”
I didn’t get a chance to answer. Bullets came flying in. I cursed, knowing that someone leaked to them that we were (or at least I was) very important to them. I got to the ground and put the gun in my waistband as Valentine did the same.
“We can’t let them live.”
“You will let them live,” Daisy screamed in my ear.
I pulled my ear bud out and then the microphone. I grabbed Valentine’s, not caring if I was getting him in trouble. I looked him in the eyes as I hear more shots being fired.
“Do you trust me?” I asked.
He sighed, “Do I have a choice?”
I smiled sadly. “No. I need you to get all those people out of there.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“I’ve been in worse situations.”
“How did you get that wound?”
“Extract at about five this morning.”
He nodded and looked over his shoulder. “Fine, but if you die, it’s not my fault.”
“If I live,” I bit my lip then smirked. “I’ll bring you up a security level.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Now go get them out of here. I think a couple people are hurt.”
“You so owe me,” he grumbled.
He quickly got to the back room. I stood and saw the eyes of a psychopath. I resisted the urge to call Valentine back. I didn’t need to know his background; he didn’t need to know mine. I forced myself to glare at the psychopath. He chuckled and stepped through the now broken window.
“Hello Sally, I mean, Jen.” He got closer and I didn’t move. “Can I call you Jenny?”
I shrugged one shoulder, acting like I wasn’t scared. But I was. I was terrified of the man that killed over twenty people in that span of a week in South Africa over the summer. I was told not to kill him, and that’s when I realized that I didn’t have to follow the rules. I had to take him out, but when I did, he beat me to get information.
“Would it matter it I said no?”
He gave me a sadistic smirk and shook his head. “Not at all.”
“Then fine, call me Jenny.”
“Good. Now, I got information that you were going to be on this exercise and I just had to know if you met my brother.”
“What’s his name?”
“Valentine Wright.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. That’s why they wanted to push us together. I started cursing them in Russian, the only language Jerry, the psychopath, didn’t know.
“I take it that you know him,” he said arrogantly.
I glared at him. “What is with you? What the fuck made you like this?”
His smirk dropped, cracking into a sneer. He raised his gun, but before he could think of pulling the trigger, I blinked three times, telling the sniper on the opposite roof to shoot. I cringed slightly at the blood that spattered onto my left arm.
I took my gun out of my waist band as bullets started flying towards the sniper. I flipped over the table closest to me as a make shift shield. I crouched behind it and peeked around it. I assessed the situation in a few seconds. I could shoot two, possibly three, or the ten before they started to shoot at me.
I took aim at the one closest to me. He looked about thirty, but I was going by his muscles and skin. I shot him, hitting him where I was aiming then quickly aimed at the blonde girl that was close to him. I shot her as three of them turned.
I ducked back behind the table as bullets started to come my way. I blindly stuck my gun out and fired a shot, making the three stop shooting to take cover. The thud told me I hit someone, I was just hoping it wasn’t a bystander. I looked out and started shooting again, but at the other five. I took down two more before the three started shooting again.
I bullet hit my shoulder, grazing just above the other graze I got this morning, but it was a little deeper. I was pissed off. I started shooting and I didn’t stop until I had no more bullets in my gun. Only one stood, but a different sniper took him out before he could hurt me.
I growled and looked at my bloody arm. I stepped over Jerry’s body and out of the café. I looked around saw the fire department just getting her. I grabbed a match from pocket and lit it. I dropped it behind me as I walked away.
Flames burst up behind me, telling me that I hit the spot when there was a line of kerosene. I didn’t stop or miss a step as I walked away from the fire I started that’s destroying all the evidence that I was even there.
I could feel the heat, even fifty feet away. It got less and less as I got further, but the feeling of taking nine lives was on my shoulder. And the fact that it was only to save my life, which made it worse. Who was I to be God? Who was I to kill? Who was I to be saved?

“So who took you to my house?” I asked, putting my keys on the table by the door, feeling slightly woozy.
“Your headmistress.”
I nodded, falling to ground and the blood loss got too severe. I groaned, then let out a soft whine when Valentine grabbed the arm I had angled away from him.
“Call Carlos,” I whispered.
He nodded, taking off his flannel shirt off and pressing it on my wound, making me whine a little more. He started calling Carlos’ name. He came running down the stairs, not recognizing the voice, meaning something bad happened.
“Lindsey, don’t let the kids go down stairs,” Carlos called up.
There was a muffle response, but I could tell it was a yes. Carlos easily picked my small frame up and took me to the kitchen. He instructed Valentine to push the cupboard in, and stand back. Valentine did it, but hesitantly. He jumped back as the cupboard swung open to show a steel door with a key pad.
“Five, Eight, One, Three,” I whispered.
He typed it in quickly and turned the door handle. Carlos pushed him out of the way, saying a quick apology in Spanish without realizing it. I groaned when I was put on the hard table we had hidden back here so the kids don’t accidently find it.
“Here’s your level up,” I said softly, looking up at Valentine.
“You’re house?” he asked, going to the right of me so Carlos could stop the bleeding.
“And the kids. That reason Terence, the youngest, calls me mom is because I’m the closest thing he has to one. His father shot his mom point blank for even looking at another man in the Irish mob.” I groaned at he pulled out the stitches I got this morning. “Carlos and I are all they have as parental units.”
“So what, this is a safe house for children. Like, witness protection.”
I shook my head. “We make it like they are dead and take away their last name. They don’t have one. When they are enrolled to school, their last name is Doe.”
“So you take away their identity.”
“But give them a new one when they’re eighteen if they choose to leave. But they can never come back. It would be a huge security risk. That’s what Lindsey’s doing. As soon as we get,” I gritted my teeth as Carlos started to re-stitch my first wound. “Done with this, she’s off to LA. She wants to be an actress. I think she can do it.”
“She’s dramatic enough,” Carlos muttered.
The light started to flash, telling us that someone was close to the door.
“Will you get that?” I asked Valentine. “I’m pretty sure it’s just Johnathan.”
He nodded and left the room, the door and cabinet shut behind him. I looked over at Carlos. He was trying not to ask questions.
“I’ve known you two years. Just ask.”
“Do you like him?”
I shrugged my right shoulder, “I’m not sure.”
“He likes you.”
“He’s male and I have breasts, of course he does.” He chuckled at that. “Oh, and you’ll love me.”
“For?”
“Johnathan is gay and pretty cute.”
“Shy?”
“Very.”
He giggled, “I love you.”
I chuckled, “Love you too sweetie.”
“Done,” he smiled a couple minutes later, picking me up again. He grabbed a pill bottle and took us out of the secret room. “Food?”
“Please? I will love you for-fucking-ever.”
He put me on a stool in the middle on the island and walked around to the stove, facing me. He chuckled and looked behind me. “Would you two like some too?”
“What are you gonna make?” Valentine asked, taking a seat to my left as Johnathan took one to my right.
“We have left over enchiladas.”
I moaned at the thought. “Please!”
“Sounds good,” Valentine agreed.
“And you gorgeous?” Carlos asked Johnathan.
Johnathan blushed and nodded. “Sounds good,” he squeaked.