Status: This is my NaNoWriMo 2015 attempt. Let the horror begin!
To Kill a Ghost
Chapter Five
The sun began to rise in the morning sky, casting golden rays through the skylight in the make shift gym. Dedra stopped her last set of pulls ups and stretched her muscles. Her arms felt like jello and her legs were numb. The burning pain and numbness lingered on her mind, nothing more. She felt better now that she could think clearly.
“D…” Linox called as he cracked the door open.
“Good morning,” she said, not faking cheerfulness for once.
“Kirk’s passed out. I need to tell someone. This is important!” His words were rushed, and his eyes looked blood shot. Did he get any sleep at all? “I can’t believe this idiot!”
“Hey!” Dedra half yelled. Her voice echoed through the rafters. Linox flinched a little before he squared his shoulders. Why is he acting so…strange?
“What are you trying to say?” She asked in a calmer fashion. Her fingers were gentle and agile as she removed the bloody wraps from her knuckles.
“Why are you bleeding?” He questioned in return. Dedra smiled at him.
“It clears my head. The more damage done, the better I feel.” She explained. “Now what brings you in here, acting like a babbling idiot?”
“I found Jennings, and you won’t believe…” His hands held the tablet from the night before. It waved around, flashing bright lights in her eyes. She squinted at him.
“He’s where?” She questioned, not hearing his voice over her thoughts.
“I know! It’s so stupid for him to be there, right?” Linox shook his head. She rolled her eyes. He thought she heard every word he spoke. Dedra opened her mouth to correct him when he continued to speak. “If he saw anything at all, why would he stay there? The Marquis Grand Hotel Bar of all places.”
“No.” She scoffed, pretending she thought it was insane as he made it out to be, which it was…insane. “He saw something. All that intell crap they threw in that file. He wasn’t just a gun expert he was a…”
“HACKER!” Linox said with a little excited hop. “The man is a genius, D. He hid his whole life, except he forgot to blur his face on the recognition software. They hired him not for his gun skills, but for his hacking.” Linox waved his fingers at her.
“Let’s go get him then.” She retorted.
“He might not be at the bar now…” Linox’s eyes moved away from her as his voice trailed off. “The footage I saw was from around 2 am.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell someone then?” Dedra hissed at him. She threw her arms in the air. “If you’re not going to sleep you might as well work!”
“How…how’d you know I didn’t sleep last night,” he asked. His eyes jolted toward her now. He looked almost accusatory.
“You look like hell, so I assumed. End of story. Go find out where he is, right now, in this moment.” She glared at him. “One night of missed sleep won’t hurt you. I should know.” She crossed her arms over her chest. The scar on her left shoulder seemed redder, somehow how like she made it raw. Another patch of raised skin grazed her right arm, but he didn’t question her considering this was the barest he’d ever seen her. “Stop staring, Newbie, and go!”
Linox snapped his head to the side in attempt to regain his mind before he headed out of the room toward his computers. Something about Sam Jennings still didn’t feel right, but he needed to find him. They needed to be back on normal terms, and he needed to be called by his name.
[center[
“D…” Linox called as he cracked the door open.
“Good morning,” she said, not faking cheerfulness for once.
“Kirk’s passed out. I need to tell someone. This is important!” His words were rushed, and his eyes looked blood shot. Did he get any sleep at all? “I can’t believe this idiot!”
“Hey!” Dedra half yelled. Her voice echoed through the rafters. Linox flinched a little before he squared his shoulders. Why is he acting so…strange?
“What are you trying to say?” She asked in a calmer fashion. Her fingers were gentle and agile as she removed the bloody wraps from her knuckles.
“Why are you bleeding?” He questioned in return. Dedra smiled at him.
“It clears my head. The more damage done, the better I feel.” She explained. “Now what brings you in here, acting like a babbling idiot?”
“I found Jennings, and you won’t believe…” His hands held the tablet from the night before. It waved around, flashing bright lights in her eyes. She squinted at him.
“He’s where?” She questioned, not hearing his voice over her thoughts.
“I know! It’s so stupid for him to be there, right?” Linox shook his head. She rolled her eyes. He thought she heard every word he spoke. Dedra opened her mouth to correct him when he continued to speak. “If he saw anything at all, why would he stay there? The Marquis Grand Hotel Bar of all places.”
“No.” She scoffed, pretending she thought it was insane as he made it out to be, which it was…insane. “He saw something. All that intell crap they threw in that file. He wasn’t just a gun expert he was a…”
“HACKER!” Linox said with a little excited hop. “The man is a genius, D. He hid his whole life, except he forgot to blur his face on the recognition software. They hired him not for his gun skills, but for his hacking.” Linox waved his fingers at her.
“Let’s go get him then.” She retorted.
“He might not be at the bar now…” Linox’s eyes moved away from her as his voice trailed off. “The footage I saw was from around 2 am.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell someone then?” Dedra hissed at him. She threw her arms in the air. “If you’re not going to sleep you might as well work!”
“How…how’d you know I didn’t sleep last night,” he asked. His eyes jolted toward her now. He looked almost accusatory.
“You look like hell, so I assumed. End of story. Go find out where he is, right now, in this moment.” She glared at him. “One night of missed sleep won’t hurt you. I should know.” She crossed her arms over her chest. The scar on her left shoulder seemed redder, somehow how like she made it raw. Another patch of raised skin grazed her right arm, but he didn’t question her considering this was the barest he’d ever seen her. “Stop staring, Newbie, and go!”
Linox snapped his head to the side in attempt to regain his mind before he headed out of the room toward his computers. Something about Sam Jennings still didn’t feel right, but he needed to find him. They needed to be back on normal terms, and he needed to be called by his name.
[center[
Kirkland lay with his head hanging off the side of a chair, and his feet over the back of another. His arms were spread wide while a bit of drool pooled on the floor. If she wasn’t mad at him, Dedra would’ve found this funny. Instead, she kicked the chair from beneath his head. He banged his neck and shoulder, splashing the drool.
“What the hell are you doing?” He growled. Kirkland didn’t like being awoken from a sound sleep. Dedra didn’t care.
“You must’ve scared the new guy with your drinking, Boss,” she stated. Emotion evaded her voice, and her eyes were just as cold.
“I had a glass,” Kirkland spoke through gravel. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before he swung his legs off the chair, leaning his back against it. “What time is it?”
“Around 5.” She answered. “A.M. if you need that info too.”
“What’s gotten into you?”
“I don’t like it when you take missions from strange women. It really irks me when you take missions from strange women who give you files with photos of men that look like they could be your sons.” Her eyes glared at him. “I need to go out today.”
“You went out yesterday, Dedra.” Kirkland pushed himself into the chair. “I don’t like the way you are talking to me either.”
“Last time I checked, I’m old enough to do as I please, and I’m certainly not your kid.” She shifted her wrists so he could see the familiar scars. “I’m going out, Kirkland.”
“You’ve been thinking too much, Sweetheart.”
“Don’t Sweetheart me! I’m not a play thing. A person, I am still a person!” Her fists curled at her sides. “Clean yourself up, Old Man, and have the newbie call me when he locates the target, for the second time.” She turned away from Kirkland and headed toward the door.
“Second time?” He asked allowed.
“If you wouldn’t have pulled a drunk, he would have come to you at 2 AM.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t act like you’re innocent in all this. It started because of you.”
“You don’t know what you are talking about, Little Girl.” He clenched his jaw as he returned her glare.
“I might not know everything, but I understand enough about you to know when I need to worry. It’s time to worry, Kirkland, and you’re drinking again.” Dedra lifted the back edge of her tank top.
Another scar trailed horizontally across her hip, but unlike the first scar on her wrist, this scar was jagged and red. “Remember the last time you decided to take up drinking?” Without another glance, she returned to her task of getting the hell out of Kirkland’s office.
“What the hell are you doing?” He growled. Kirkland didn’t like being awoken from a sound sleep. Dedra didn’t care.
“You must’ve scared the new guy with your drinking, Boss,” she stated. Emotion evaded her voice, and her eyes were just as cold.
“I had a glass,” Kirkland spoke through gravel. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before he swung his legs off the chair, leaning his back against it. “What time is it?”
“Around 5.” She answered. “A.M. if you need that info too.”
“What’s gotten into you?”
“I don’t like it when you take missions from strange women. It really irks me when you take missions from strange women who give you files with photos of men that look like they could be your sons.” Her eyes glared at him. “I need to go out today.”
“You went out yesterday, Dedra.” Kirkland pushed himself into the chair. “I don’t like the way you are talking to me either.”
“Last time I checked, I’m old enough to do as I please, and I’m certainly not your kid.” She shifted her wrists so he could see the familiar scars. “I’m going out, Kirkland.”
“You’ve been thinking too much, Sweetheart.”
“Don’t Sweetheart me! I’m not a play thing. A person, I am still a person!” Her fists curled at her sides. “Clean yourself up, Old Man, and have the newbie call me when he locates the target, for the second time.” She turned away from Kirkland and headed toward the door.
“Second time?” He asked allowed.
“If you wouldn’t have pulled a drunk, he would have come to you at 2 AM.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t act like you’re innocent in all this. It started because of you.”
“You don’t know what you are talking about, Little Girl.” He clenched his jaw as he returned her glare.
“I might not know everything, but I understand enough about you to know when I need to worry. It’s time to worry, Kirkland, and you’re drinking again.” Dedra lifted the back edge of her tank top.
Another scar trailed horizontally across her hip, but unlike the first scar on her wrist, this scar was jagged and red. “Remember the last time you decided to take up drinking?” Without another glance, she returned to her task of getting the hell out of Kirkland’s office.