Snippets

A Thorne by Any Other Name - Intro Section of Chapter One

Detective Thorne placed her sidearm on her lap as she reached up and removed a strand of her black hair from her face. The rough fabric of her black jeans did well to absorb the red that ran down her left arm under the long grey sleeve shirt. Reaching up with her right hand, she placed it against her left outside shoulder and felt the wetness of her blood from the gunshot wound under the fabric. "Damn it," she said as she moved her pistol into her left hand.

She glanced down at her slightly shaking tanned hand before she gripped the handle of the gun and pulled back the slide slowly, revealing a bullet in the chamber. Lynn ejected the clip and counted four bullets before sliding it back inside the gun. Her eyes examined the three bodies she could see within the warehouse. Her body flinched as she reacted to the surrounding fire as it spread, causing materials to fall across the room.

The area she sat in laid lifeless other than the flickering sound of the fire as she looked between stacks of boxes and shipping containers. She took in a few deep breaths, trying to ignore the pain in arm before a static voice rang out in her right ear, "Lynn? Lynn, are... alright? I am... system, but cannot find... anywhere on the cameras."

Lynn moved her right wrist up to her mouth and responded. "I am still here... mostly, anyway. Leaving my D.N.A. everywhere... one problem at a time."

She moved her weapon into her right hand as she pushed her back against the pole and the ground below. Lynn pushed herself to her feet and gained her balance before raising her wrist to her mouth again. "Did you find him? Is he still on the 5th floor?" She stumbled slightly as she took a deep breath.

The sound of the growing fire grew within the area as she moved her way to the side of the pole, looking up at one camera in the warehouse's corner. She watched as the camera moved to her left as it directed her to a red door. Another feminine voice rang out in her ear, this time clearer. "Through the red door, the third door on the left. It appears they tied him to a chair. That is all I can tell at the moment."

Lynn nodded as she moved through the warehouse to a set of small steps to her right, leading up to the red door. She walked to the right side while avoiding one henchman she had taken out a few moments earlier. Her gun laid aimed at the door as she took each step to the second level, asking, "Do you know what is behind that door?"

"I had access inside, but they appear to have caught on to that fact. I accessed the laptop on the desk inside through the back door, but the camera was facing a wall. No sound. Looks like I have access to the schematics and whatever is behind the door is not on the schematics. It is part of a closed circuit only accessed within the building. I should be there with you... it is my fault," said the voice as Lynn shuffled her way to the door. "He was my responsibility."

She looked up at the camera across the way and shook her head. "There is no way I would have let you come here with me. You have a life to live after this, and I will rescue him. Do not worry."

There was a moment of silence as she walked up to the door and saw no handle of any kind. "So will you. We all will after tonight, but let me get the door for you," said the softer voice softly as the door slide open, leading into a dark room. "It is my fault I caught you two in this situation."

Lynn held the gun tight as she placed her left arm against her stomach before moving inside the room. "I would do it all over again if I had the chance. He would not regret saving you that morning either, trust me. The two of you may have caused this, but we will set it right," she said as she walked in before the door slammed shut behind her.

She jumped as she turned around before reaching her hand against the darkened wall in front of her. The pounding sound of lights turning on entered the room. The wall glowed with a bright white as her hand rested on the white glass wall with the coming from light behind it. Removing her hand, she paused, examining her blood-soaked handprint.

"Can you still hear me?"

Lynn took a few steps back before turning around, seeing the same design all the way down a long hallway with five elegant wooden doors on each side. She shambled forward, keeping her gun forward as she moved through the hallway while counting every door in front of her. "One... two... third on the left," she said before placing her left arm out, leaving another handprint on the wall next to the door.

Lynn took in two deep breaths before she closed her eyes as she rested it up against the wall. She glanced back at the white lit hallway, seeing the small drops of blood on the floor leading away from her handprint on the closed wall. Taking in two more breaths before she moved away from the wall and held her gun to the wooden door. "This ends now," she grunted out before lifting her leg up at the door before metal and glass crashed into the room.