It was clear that she needed immediate medical attention. Since we were back on the surface, I knew that our communication gear would be working again. Vector had the same thought, and he radioed for medical assistance. At that exact moment, I heard footsteps approaching from the stairs.
Kara and Danny poked their heads out the door, checking to see if the coast was clear. The second they saw Erika, they both rushed over. I was cradling her head in one arm while holding pressure on the wound with the other. She’d sort of ended up in my lap as a matter of our relative positions. I tried to keep a reassuring look upon my face as her eyes stared into mine.
“You’re stronger than this. Fight!”
Again she coughed up blood and then she started to shake a bit, her body convulsing in my arms. Blood poured down the side of her face and then everything stopped. I called her name and slapped her on the cheek, but there was no reaction. Her eyes rolled back into her head just before her eyelids closed. Kara slid up next to me, mumbling and chanting some nonsense. I couldn’t begin to tell you what she said because as I sat there, Erika’s limp body in my arms, my mind went dark.
I gently released her body into Danny and Kara’s care, standing and turning to face the Reds. Their arms were still up and it seemed like they would be willing to come quietly. But that wasn’t how this was going to end. They’d taken something precious from me and they were going to pay. I glanced over at Vector, noting the arrows protruding from his right arm.
“I’ll handle this.”
He caught the expression on my face and clearly understood my meaning. There was a pause, almost as if he was debating how to respond. Then, his eyes trained on my face, watching my reaction, he lowered his voice and made an offer.
“I can just shoot them and save you the trouble if that’s your intention,” he stated.
“No. No weapons. She doesn’t get off that easy.”
I started to stalk forward, the expression on my face making my intentions clear. My gaze and rage was focused on the brunette, as she was the one who shot Erika. The Reds knew they were in trouble and they reacted as most warriors do: they attacked. It was a predictable response. When given the choice, most of us prefer to go down fighting. I heard Vector call from behind me just as the Reds fired their bows.
“Fair enough. One for each of us then,” he said.
The arrow had barely left the blonde’s bow when Vector fired a single shot. The bullet split the arrow in half, Robin Hood-style, before slamming into the crossbow. There were splinters and debris, which caused the blond to drop down on one knee, releasing her broken weapon in the process. That was all I had time to see as I had my own arrow to deal with.
I knew that the team and Erika’s body were behind me, so while it would have been easier to just sidestep the arrow, I didn’t have that luxury. The first shot was heading for my chest, so I twisted my right shoulder back and chopped down with my left hand. Snapping the arrow in half, I listened as two broken pieces bounced harmlessly against the ground behind me. I was suddenly very grateful for the weird training techniques we had used in the temple. But this wasn’t a game. This time I was a predator stalking his prey.
Many times I’ve told you how ashamed I am to be a killer. The act of killing, however, is really the least of it. The scary part, the part that should keep you up at night, is not how many lives I’ve taken. It’s how easily I’ve learned to live with it. That is the true monster inside of me.
There are many reasons to take a life. Whether it’s money, revenge, self-defense, or even sport, everyone has their own justifications. But very few have the stomach to repeat the act. Slowly and methodically, I eliminated the entire Black Dragon Society. It took me years. They killed my father, and for that I needed to make them pay. While revenge is a pure motive, it doesn’t justify my actions. But even my dark past paled in comparison to the thoughts currently flying through my head. I didn’t just want to kill the Reds. I wanted them to suffer.
Brunette fired and at this point there wasn’t much more than fifty feet between us. To protect the lives of my team, I had no choice but to be perfect. My whole body was focused on stopping the arrows and getting to the brunette. I twisted my left shoulder back and chopped down with my right. The result was the same, the sound of an arrow snapping in half followed by two broken pieces bouncing off the floor. The crossbows used an interesting mechanic in order to reload. Brunette pushed the stock down and back up, cocking the bow, and then a tall skinny clip on top dropped another arrow onto the groove. Again she fired and again I chopped. I noticed that Vector was actually walking next to me, keeping a safe distance, but matching my pace. His gun was trained on Blondie and I could tell that he was watching the show. I had a feeling that things were about to get much darker than he was anticipating.
My head wasn’t a fun place to be right now. Even Brunette’s form fitting outfit went unnoticed as I looked for the places upon her body where I could do the most damage. Spots where I could break bones, tear muscles, and snap ligaments. Places of extreme pain that wouldn’t render her unconscious. I didn’t like thinking that way. This job was supposed to serve as the instrument to take me away from my dark past. Instead, it was fueling the fire.
The rage building up inside of me was intense. It took a lot of strength to keep stalking forward, maintaining my pace. A small part of me wanted to rush ahead and start delivering the punishment. But the dark recesses of my mind were in charge right now, and they wanted to make her wait. Make her think about what was coming. I snapped the next arrow and the next and the next, each step bringing me closer to the prize.
She had two, maybe three shots before I’d be in range. After snapping the next arrow in half, I grinned. The expression on her face turned grim. I snapped the next and watched the color drain from her face. Her bronze skin was suddenly very pale. She had time for one more shot, desperation covering her face, as she knew it needed to count.
We were a few feet apart and she aimed for my head. But ninjas train for these moments, pushing our bodies to the extreme in order to be the best assassins that we can be. I didn’t have to think, my arm moving on its own, years of training taking control. Don’t for a moment think it was easy. But today, as rage and retribution fueled my movements and let me push myself to the extreme, I was just fast enough. My hand shot up, catching the arrow, the silver tip an inch shy of my eye, my gaze locked onto hers.
You could hear the loud intake of breath as the shock hit her. Her crossbow sagged in her arms as the expression on her face turned to one of pure horror. I didn’t stop. To keep her distracted, I tossed the arrow at her face, causing her to flinch as I kicked up, knocking the bow out of her hands. As the crossbow crashed to the ground behind me, I watched her eyes dart back and forth, desperately searching for help. But my new friend was taking care of her partner.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see that Vector had Blondie wrapped up. After the shot he’d made, I didn’t think she’d be dumb enough to try and move on him anyway. But just to be safe, he was a few feet away, his gun trained on her head. Blondie’s expression made it clear that she had been defeated, her body sagging in surrender. Brunette had a similar expression, but she wasn’t ready to quit. I stood there, allowing her to swing first, because it fit my mood.
She punched with her right, a lightning fast strike that had clearly been perfected over the years. Everything Freddy had told us was true, they were fast, well-trained, and strong. But right now, in this moment, it wouldn’t be enough. I struck with my left, hammering her in the bicep, forcing her arm to bend slightly. I didn’t even move my head as the angle of her elbow caused her fist to sail just in front of my face. She followed with her left, coming up at an angle, trying an uppercut. I lashed out with my right, striking her shoulder, the wince on her face letting me know that I did damage. Her arm went limp, and her jaw tensed, exposing her throat. I didn’t hesitate. My cupped hand hit her windpipe, the result stunning her for a few seconds, much
more than I needed.
She attempted to keep her arms up in a defensive position, but they were a slight hindrance at best. My body was driven by pure fury. First, I chopped into her temple with my right before sending my left fist into her ribs. Then, my left knee into her thigh followed by my right fist into her gut. Driving my left elbow up and into her face brought her upright again just in time for my right palm to break her nose. Blood splashed out of her nostrils and covered her mouth. She started to stumble back and I sent a stabbing kick into her lower abdomen. The strike bent her forward and put her body right where I wanted it.
I backhanded her across the face with my left, forcing her to the side and opening up her left hip. I hammered down with all my weight, the sound of bone breaking covered up by her loud yelp. She dropped her arm in a vain attempt to protect her injury. Unfortunately for her, that shifted her weight heavily onto one leg. I kicked forward with my heel and the pop her knee made was loud enough to be heard over the scream. As she collapsed towards the ground, I brought my right hand down, a chop against her neck, her collarbone snapping under the strike.
Her knees slammed into the floor hard, her body convulsing a bit from the pain, and blood spitting from her mouth. She tried to fall to the ground, but I snagged her hair with my left and held her up. My right hand was up and ready to end her life. I knew I could finish it right then and there with one simple strike. I looked in her eyes and watched her terror.
They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. But they can also act like mirrors. As I stared into the Red’s eyes, I not only saw her fear, I saw my fury. I saw the blind wrath, which had consumed me. I saw a man I didn’t want to be anymore. I saw a man that my parents would never recognize. A man they’d be ashamed of.
It felt like an eternity as I held that strike. These savage creatures wanted to exterminate an entire race. They were killers and they deserved to die. Then again, maybe the same could be said about me. The silence was deafening, the sound of my heartbeat the only thing echoing in my ears. Then, I heard a whisper in the distance. At first I thought it was the Red, pleading for her life. But I realized the sound was coming from behind me. It was Freddy.
CHAPTER 18
Freddy was shouting, but my brain wasn’t making sense of the words. I was too focused on the Red. All I had to do was strike and it was over. Then, I heard Vector’s voice, closer and easier to understand. I felt his arm gently touch my elbow as he spoke.
“She’s alive. Did you hear me bro? She’s alive,” he said.
My hand moved at Brunette’s face too fast for even Vector to react. The flat of my palm found the side of her head, a pop of her jaw accompanying the strike. I released her hair and watched her unconscious body fall to the ground. A few GHOST security personnel showed up, and Vector kept an eye on things as they disarmed the Reds and slapped them in super-strength cuffs. I met Blondie’s eyes and watched a scared young girl stare back at me. She looked like a small child who had been led astray.
“It’s never too late to be a better person.”
I didn’t know if I was really talking to her, or trying to reassure myself. But after I said it, she broke eye contact and hung her head in shame. The GHOST guards made her carry her unconscious friend while they walked alongside, firearms trained on them both. We’d disarmed them and left one out cold, so I trusted the troops to take care of things from there. They’d be transported back to HQ in a prisoner van. Since my work here was done, I sprinted back towards Erika.
She was still lying in the same spot, but this time her eyes were open. Freddy had rolled his coat up and used it as a makeshift pillow for her head. Kara was still leaning over her, cupping her hands over the wound. With closed eyes and her face contorted in extreme concentration, Kara’s lips continued to whisper odd words. A slight blue glow was covering her fingers and Erika’s chest. I dropped down next to her, Vector and Freddy coming up behind me.
“How’s she doing?”
Kara didn’t respond as sweat beaded on her forehead and she continued to chant. But Erika glanced over, her eyes moving as her head stayed still, her voice weak and quiet.
“She’s doing fine,” she tried.
My whole body sagged in relief as I sighed through a smile.
“She must be if she’s talking about herself in the third person. Always a good sign.”
She started to smile, winced, and then closed her eyes and kept her breathing shallow. I gently laid my hand on hers, rubbing in small circles for comfort. Kara worked for a few more minutes before exhaustion took hold of her. Vector was right there, with his one good hand, to keep her from falling over. She opened her eyes and tried to reassure him that she was fine, but he was smart enough to continue to provide support. Kara struggled to steady herself, placing her hands on the floor, and taking long deep breaths. I waited for her to make eye contact with me before I spoke.
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me,” she huffed, “I had no choice. She’s the only one on the team that I like.”
I couldn’t help but laugh a little, and she smiled in return. Even Vector gave a half smile as he looked down. Kara rocked back onto her butt and closed her eyes as she tried to pull herself together. I’d never seen her look so tired. Clearly, attempting to quickly and safely gather and manipulate that much magical manna came at a physical price. I didn’t even want to think about how tempted she must have been to channel it directly through her body in order to save her friend. But she didn’t appear to be going crazy sorcerer on us, so I guess she’d managed to control herself. I brought my attention back to Erika and her injury.
The wound in her chest was caked with dried blood, but I took the lack of any new leakage as a good sign. Visually I couldn’t tell how bad the damage was, but obviously it was severe. Erika’s breaths were shallow and careful, her chest barely moving with each inhalation. Her eyes were still closed and she tensed her body as if she was afraid to move. As much as I wanted to talk to her, hear her voice, and reassure myself that she was going to be all right, I knew I shouldn’t. She needed to rest. Once Kara seemed ready to continue our conversation, I talked to her.
“I thought she was gone.”
“She almost was. It was close. If it had gone any deeper…that arrow caught a lung and I think nicked her heart. I did as much as I could as fast as I could…” she leaned forward, breathing heavily and supporting herself with her hand.
She closed her eyes and took a few more deep breaths. Vector offered a hand again and she waved him off. It was clear Kara also needed her rest, especially if she was planning to use more magic to help Erika. I was starting to feel like I was doing more harm than good here. As far as I could tell they would both live, so that was enough for me. I reached out and gently put my hand on Kara’s shoulder.
“We’ll talk later.”
She gave my hand a squeeze and managed a small nod while still using one of her arms to hold herself upright. I looked up and met Freddy’s eyes, and he understood what was needed. He leaned down and offered his support and some kind words to Kara, while I stood up and walked over to Vector.
“How’s the arm?”
“It’s just a flesh wound,” he smiled.
“Quoting movies? Hopefully that means you’re not in too much pain. Kara’s a bit busy at the moment.”
“No worries. Although, if you wouldn’t mind?”
He held his hand out, the arrow not quite halfway through. Vector’s tags had slowed it considerably. I took hold of the back end while he snipped the pointy end off with a pair of pliers. Taking the arrow shaft from my hand, he clenched his teeth and pulled it out. Tossing the bolt to the ground, he pulled some gauze out of a pocket and I helped him wrap it. The arrow in his bicep however, was going to be a bit more troublesome.
Unlike a hand, the bicep was thick enough that the tags prevented the arrowhead from protruding out the other side. If we wanted to remove it in the field, it was going to be messy. Vector looked up at me a
nd I knew what he was asking. I grabbed the arrow and held his arm in my other hand. He cleaned the wound enough so that he could see inside, twisted the arrow a bit and adjusted the angle. Then, he looked up at me with an expression that said he was ready and he nodded. I did my best to prepare him.
“Okay, on three. Ready? One…”
Before I even started to say two, I yanked the arrow. His body tensed and he let out a small grunt as the arrowhead tore free of his flesh. After a few breaths he seemed recovered enough from the shock to repeat the bandage drill. The bleeding from his bicep was much worse than from his hand. So we wrapped the gauze as tight as he could stand, and used up the rest of the roll. Vector even pulled out a bandana and with his mouth and free hand tied it tightly over the wrapping. I looked down at the wound as I spoke.
“Better?”
“Not really, my jacket’s ruined,” he said.
“Eh, wasn’t that nice a jacket anyway.”
“Says the guy whose idea of fashion is a polo and jeans?”
“Hey! I make this look good.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he smiled.
Before I could respond, our attention was captured by a sound not unlike a sad puppy. Looking towards the source of the noise we saw that Dolph and Bustier were still with us. He was propped up against the wall, the slouch of his body making it clear that he couldn’t support himself right now. She was sprawled on the floor, cradling her mate in her arms, rubbing her face up against his. The sound was accompanying her corpse cuddle.
Keeping her company was a trio of black tee-shirt wolf guards. Holding MP5s in their hands, they stood watch over their leader, scanning every which way for trouble. I wasn’t sure how I felt about three lycans standing around with submachine guns, but I chose to worry about other things at the moment.
Danny was against the other wall, helping the last of our guards find their feet. As I hoped, all three of the GHOST guards were still alive and kicking. Two were standing on their own, hands on their heads trying to rub away the headache. Once they were stable, Danny made his way over to us.
G.H.O.S.T. Teams (Book 2) Shifters Page 16
