Till Deceived Do We Part

Why did it look familiar? I stared at it, before it all clicked into place.

Shit. I bolted, my body hurtling towards the forest. Who knew how much time I had? Just because mine had been set for a minute didn’t mea-

My explosion was quiet. This wasn’t.

My body was instantly airborne and hurtled into the forest. The bang behind me subsided into just a flame filled sky, as the smoke began to grow. Roof bits hailed the sky just as I landed hard on the ground.

Dirt shoved into my face, my chest hitting the ground hard. My breasts screamed in agony, as did my ankle and arm. My arm was bent funnily, the injured part shoving hard against the dirt. I rolled over slowly, an agonizingly slow moan escaping me. I lay there, breathing deeply, watching the smoke billow into the sky. Soon police would be here. Soon news crews would be. Soon everyone would know and...

A whistle of noise cut my thoughts off short. What was that sound? I knew that sound, didn’t I? I didn’t want to, though. I just wanted to lay there and let the warmth of the flames heat me up as-

It came again, closer and louder. I snapped my eyes to the side, and that gave me incentive. I scrambled, getting footing, then lunged. I landed just a ways away, but far enough that the chunk of chimney didn’t hit me. This was just getting annoying. Did I have a magnet on myself that said debris, hit here?

I lay there for a moment, breathing deeply, before slowly pushing to my feet. Sitting there wouldn’t help. I just wanted to get Flint, get back to the base, endure the stupid meeting, find Zane, have an ever-after with Dane, and then lay in a bath until I turned pruney. That’s what I wanted to do, would I? Doubtful.

“It was in my pocket a second ago!” I cringed, quickly darting out of the path and into the cover of trees. So much for quiet. So much for stealth.

“Well obviously it isn’t now! Damn! He’s going to kill us, it’s too damn early.” A new voice spoke now, one that I could immediately tell had authority over the others.

“Nothing you can do about it. Turn around and let’s find the assassin. If we lose him, he’s going to kill us. So move!” They moved, I didn’t, straining to see anything. So Flint was still alive? Still evading them? Good. But how many were there? The two man who had been talking walked off, leaving the authority man standing there, staring at the fire. “Question,” he murmured to himself, as I backed up as quietly as I could.

“Did he drop it, or did someone else set it off? Hmm.” His eyes scanned the area, and I felt a cold sense of dread as he walked over to the area I had been laying in. It was one giant scuffle, and blood littered the ground. “Gonna show yourself? Or do I have to start taunting?” I aimed my gun at his head, but refrained from pulling the trigger. Too loud, as Jake said. I held it steady, as I slowly dug out a dagger. Quiet. Messy, but quiet.

“Wondering why I didn’t say anything? If I bring you in, I’ll be re-“I pulled a cheap move. I jumped him from behind while he was talking. I took him to the ground, my hand covering his mouth as he opened it in shock His face slammed into the ground, my body on his back. I removed my hand from his mouth and substituted just shoving his face in the dirt, the dirt muffling the sounds of his cries. I didn’t hesitate to jam the blade into his neck, blood immediately splattering me. His body struggled for a second longer, before all the limbs stilled and his struggles were no more.

I waited a few seconds longer to be safe, before standing. One down. At least two more, and maybe even more. I was just walking away when I heard it. Static. Then,

“Commander one come in? Do you read? Commander one? There’s been a sighting where officer three last reported in. Do you read?” I walked over, snatching up the small square device on his side. A walkie talkie? This could be useful. I turned down the volume and set off again.

The rain soon came. It was just a slight drizzle, but I was thankful. If the police did find the scuffle in the back, through the explosion, the rain would surely wash away our trails. The rain was cool, which helped to ease some of my nerves, merely for the fact that rain was relaxing. It also helped my aching arm, which was just screaming after my little argument with the commander. Commander? Were they pulling some military operation or something?

To say I enjoyed walking in the forest in semi-darkness would be a lie. My senses were in overdrive, and every time I heard the slightest of noises, I would jump. If I was trigger happy, I’m sure there would be no more little animals in the forest.

“Commander one assumed down. Everyone keep the circle tight. The target is moving north-west, ready to be cut off in two point two minutes.” Not if I could stop it. I broke off in a slight jog, ready to stop at the slightest of noises. I made as little noise as possible, my feet barely crunching. I kept on the tips of my toes, even if my soles were aching. It didn’t matter. Pain was inconsequential.

I had to find this circle and tear it open. Cut down one man, and get a gap going. A circle with a gap is never good, especially if they don’t notice. If you’re counting on your left man to cover you, what happens when you find he’s dead? You die too.

It didn’t take long to find a guy. He was wearing all black, and seemed to have a kevler vest on, unlike the other guy. He had two high powered guns strapped to his sides, and in his hands he held a M16. Surprisingly enough, he held it like he knew how to use it. Interesting. Were they boosting up their men? Or had they got lucky?

I slowly circled him, evading his sweeping eyes. How to proceed? I could jump him, shoot him in the head. However, that was noisy, and he was bound to let off some sort of sound. I could slice his neck, but I had to get close enough to do that. Which was hard, since he was in a patch without trees. So that led to one option; lure him.

I found a nice hiding spot, before picking up my first rock. I weighed it, then tossed it. It hit the area next to me with a soft thud.

The man twirled around, gun raised, arms tensed, eyes alert. He stared at the area the sound came from, before turning back around. I used a tree branch, next time, to scuffle the leaves around the area. This got the man’s attention better.

“Commander two, this is officer seven. I have a possible.” Officer seven? And how many commanders were there? I let out a mental curse before ruffling the area. “Permission to proceed?” They sounded military, which brought a whole new round of questions to mind. I shovelled them down for later. I had a task now, later would be time for questions.

“Permission granted. Most likely wildlife, target is still proceeding north-west.” I shifted and waited. The man approached slowly, and I could see the sweat breaking out on his brow. He may have good posture, and probably a good military bring up, but he had to learn to contain the fear. Fear gets you killed.

And I proved that point. As soon as he came close enough I jumped him, covering his mouth like the last guy, and slicing. More blood, especially as I quietly lowered his body to the ground. He was dead. That was all that mattered. Details were inconsequential.

I moved on, my eyes still being cautious. My hand was beginning to cramp, but I pushed it aside. Forget about the pain and it won’t hinder your abilities. As Jake would say. However, there are some pains you can’t forget about. Say, a broken leg?

I quickly angled myself to the direction Flint was going, north-west, and went on. If all went good, I’d now be in the middle of the moving circle and would have a free walk, everyone circled around me, but keeping the circle to trap Flint. If all went bad, which I was prepared for, I would have to kill everyone in the circle one by one. There was already one gap in it, what’s to say more weren’t there? How many men had Flint managed to take out? If any?

The rain continued, getting a little heavier. My hair soaked up the droplets, and the sound of rain hitting the ground covered any sounds I let off. Perfect.

The trees all loomed high in the sky, their dark leaves slowly changing colour. Roots protruded in the ground here and there, and the rain brought mud forth. The rain and dreary clouds added to the already dark scene, making it seem like a sinister scene. And maybe it was. A man was being hunted, while a woman, hunted them. Is it possible to get any more sinister than that?

My knees bunched after every step, cushioning my fall and making it soundless. Even with the rain, I wasn’t taking any chances. If they had walkie talkies, who knew what else they had? Heat vision goggles? A sound sensor? I wasn’t taking chances, not when I didn’t know what I was up against. How many men were there? Was there a good hiding place near? If I ran north, would I meet up with a stream, and drown to death? Would I suddenly be in a clearing, once I passed those trees? Or would I be in the earth, dropped down into a giant hole?

There were too many variables, and there was no way to prepare for it. The only thing I could do was stay alert, and be ready for anything.

My injured arm was beginning to ache again, the water adding pressure to it. My ankle was... numb. It had hurt at one point, but now, as I stepped on it, all I got were tingles. Small needle-like tingles running up the length of my leg. I chose to ignore them. Among many other things. My aching head, my scraped cheek, and I’m sure, my cracked ribs. It was beginning to be too much.

Last week, I was healthy. No injuries. No worries. No one placing a hit on my head. It seemed to just keep spiralling downhill, and for the first time since the fire, I wanted to just curl in a ball and wish it away. To close my eyes and not open them until everything was better and fixed. I knew I couldn’t do that. I was an adult. I had to take care of my responsibilities. This had to be the first time that I had to actually struggle to maintain my life, and I wasn’t used to it. It went to show how much I lived in the real world.

“Spotted. Moving quickly. Close in!” I turned my light jog into a full out run, not caring about noise anymore. As I ran on, I noticed the first problem. The clouds were getting darker, and the trees were thinning. The clouds, however, weren’t dark enough. Already I could make out many forms all chasing one. That was Flint’s downfall, going into the thinning trees. But what choice did he have? Hide out until they passed? He knew he was as good as caught, so he made a run for it. As I would have, also.

Well, if they were all running after one target, why not switch the target, while taking out some enemies? I fired at the closest figure. The sound echoed around the trees, sounding like five shots, instead of one. The man dropped instantly, with a muffled cry. He didn’t get back up.

I shot again at the second figure I saw, and watched as he went down. Now it was my turn to run, for they had noticed.

“Threat coming in from behind! Pull the lines an-“

”Do something I won’t expect?” I asked into the walkie talkie, slowly moving behind a tree, aware that not only had I drawn some away from Flint, but all. It fell silent.

“May I assume this is Andrayka Angiol?” How did they know my last name? That fact still irked me.

“Am I to assume you work for Dalton?”

“Put down your weapons, and we won’t take unnecessary force.” I glanced upwards, at the tree I was hiding behind. Huh. Jake’s theory of climbing a tree was looking mighty appealing.

“You sure you’re capable? I’ve already taken out quite a few of your men.” Silence.

“Put down your weapons, and we won’t take unnecessary force.” I mentally sighed. This would get me no where, but I did get an idea.

“One last time, put down your weapons and we won’t take unnecessary force.”

They all moved in, circling the sound of their commander’s voice. All following it, guns trained. I watched from above, gun trained, but not moving. I couldn’t take them all out. There were, what? Fifteen? Damn. I would have to sneak away, let them find the walkie, and get away when they were distracted. Problem? Still in open trees.

My eyes scanned the area, squinting. It was how far? Thirty feet? Thirty feet until the trees got thicker? Could I make it? Did I have a choice? And where had Flint gone off to?

I took a deep breath, figuring I had no choice. They’d look up eventually, and I wasn’t up to getting caught in a tree. I climbed down slowly, angling myself away from them. When they found the walkie, and not me, hell would break loose. I had to be at least half way through the thinning area, by then.

My feet hit the ground silently, my breath held. They remained where they were, circle tight. Nice format, but they should have had men turned, watching who or what could be approaching. I wasn’t about to reprimand them.

I started off, as quietly as I could. The rain had picked up even more, aiding me in my silence. I kept my goal in sight, but my peripherals on them.

“You give us no choice, then.” I heard the commander say, and the walkie spit out, almost doubled. There was a crash, silence and then-

I bolted, no longer caring about silence. Yells broke out, and stampeding feet followed it. I wove the best I could, but I knew a bullet would, and could, still find me, if they were shooting. They weren’t. I was briefly reminded of the thought that Dalton wanted me alive, not dead. They couldn’t shoot me.

However, I’m sure they could outrun me in my state, so that didn’t ease my fears. The trees came in full view, and I felt a moment of happiness. However, how much could it do? All they’d have to do was sweep the area, and I’d be found. I hate you, Flint. I’d worry about it later. For now, I just had to get there.

I stumbled a few times, and almost cried out, but refrained. I hit the cluster of trees with a stumble, and quickly righted myself. They were close. Too close. I stumbled again, and that’s when I caught it. A glint. I didn’t think, just veered. Following the glint, I passed it, but kept going. Sure enough, another one came.

I followed the glints, knowing they had to be some sort of clue, something left behind to lead me to Flint. I knew he had laid them, and I’m sure if I picked one up, I’d find it to be something simple. Something like a bullet. But I didn’t have time to stop and bend down.

I kept running, following them, trees scratching my arms the whole way. I was never going in a forest again. Never.

I kept running, but my heart began to beat. Where was the glint? It had been a while ago. Had I taken a wrong turn? Shi-

My body was yanked downwards, and before a sound, or curse, could leave my lips, my mouth was blocked and my body was dragged downward. I kicked, struggling. Hell, where was my gu-

It was ripped away and I was pulled downwards again, mud seeping over me, and the ground seeming to cover my whole being. The space was so small, so tiny. The hand remained over my mouth, but now my struggling, writhing body, lay on my captor. My arms lashed out, just as he spoke.