Blood Supermoon

28. An Eye for an Eye

When it was over, she sat down in an empty hallway. It was an outlandish phenomenon. This hallway was so empty and still, but just now she was fighting for her life with an ex-friend. Down below, she could hear the fighting happening, feel the vibrations of battle from the walls. She clutched her rifle to her chest. Her bottom lip trembled, coated with drool.

She had killed someone. Clay. It reminded her of that time she was in Emerald and she had shot someone for the first time. The alarm, the panic, and the realization had all seeped into her again like a bag of tea in hot water. She sighed. Where was Lue? Was she okay? When would all this be over?

"Josandra!"

Jackson came jogging down the hall with some papers in hand. Josandra used the wall to get up.

"What the hell happened to you? Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes—" she said.

"What happened to your leg? It looks bent out of shape a little," he said, kneeling down.

"I'm fine, Jackson."

"I can bend it back if you like," he said, stretching and cracking his fingers.

"Don't! I'll go to a professional after this is over. I just...let me rest here a bit and then we should go and find the others," she said, sitting back down on the floor.

Jackson joined her, leaning his back against the wall.

"She's gone, isn't she?" he asked and Josandra nodded. "I'm proud of you. I always knew you could do it."

"Did you?" she asked.

He nodded, "You beat me up all the time during training."

She chuckled tiredly, "You let me. Why would Zaria want a wimp on his team? I know you were pretending."

"Still, we're here, together. And it's all because of the work we've done in Cedar."

"Well, I don't ever want to fight like this again," she said and he laughed.

It fell silent between them and so did the fighting and shouting. Josandra thought they should move just in case, but her limbs ached. She had definitely overdone it. She'd have to rely on Jackson's fighting to get them back to the others.

"Was she right?" Jackson asked. "Are you in-love with Lue?"

"Yes," Josandra said.

Jackson smiled, but she detected the sadness and longing in his smile. She knew that again he felt so lonely.

"This doesn't change anything between us. Just because I'm with her doesn't mean I won't have time to beat you up," she said and he laughed out loud.

"So, where were you?" she asked.

"Now, more than ever, is a good time to do some snooping. Look at this," Jackson said, showing her the papers.

Josandra eyes widened, "You—!"

"Josandra! Jackson!"

Rushing down the hall towards them was Lue, Zaria and Upton. Joy spread over her pain. Forgetting her broken bones, she hopped up and with open arms, she limped towards Lue and embraced her tightly, kissing her cheeks and mouth. Tears came to her eyes.

"You're alright," she said.

"Of course I am. What happened to you?" Lue demanded.

"She killed Clay," Jackson rose.

"Clay? Is she the reason you were found out?" Lue asked Zaria.

"Yes," he said.

Lue stared at her wondrously. "And you killed her?" she asked.