Into hiding (a sequel for Time and Again)

Chapter 6: A choice

Talon's pov:

Upon their instructions, I got down on my knees and put my hands behind my head, with Penny doing the same beside me.

I reached a little further to my nape, and pressed down on the tracking device that was implanted when I first joined the agency. It sends out a distress signal to nearby bases and alerts them to send backup to our location.

I knew that there was little chance that I would even get the HQ's attention, but it was worth testing whoever was still alive to listen. I could tell that Penny did the same by the position of her hands.

A man in a biker helmet came closer with his gun pointing at us. He hit the blunt of his gun against Penny's head, knocking her out. "Son of a-" I started fighting him, but the sharp pain of an impact on my temple knocked me out.

--a few hours later--

I woke up with singing in my ears and found myself strapped to a chair, but with one free hand. There was a table in front of me with a pistol lying within my reach. On the other side of the table, strapped to a chair as well was Penny, barely conscious.

An intercom woke her up, and a female british voice who I could only imagine as Elizabeth's, resounded through the speakers.

"Time for a test. Talon, before you lies a gun. You have two options. You can take the gun and shoot Penny. In return, I let you go. Or, you can shoot yourself, and I'll let Penny go. If you choose neither, I will kill you both. You have sixty seconds." She said and stopped talking.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from above us, and I looked up to see an enormous chainsaw slowly moving down towards us. I hesitantly picked up the gun, and turned off the safety. "Talon, shoot me." Penny said quickly.

"You know I can't do that."

"Well either you shoot me, or we both die. I'm not walking out of here without you."

"You think I can do the same? That I can live without you? You have a family to go back to. I have nothing. The world can move on without me." I said and held the gun to my neck. It was sad really, that we would be spending our last moments together fighting.

"Talon no!"

"If I shoot you and walk out of here alive, I won't be able to forgive myself."

"But you have my forgiveness!"

I started to turn the gun towards her. "...Close your eyes, Penny."

She nodded and closed her eyes. "Do it." She said and braced herself. When I knew her eyes were closed, I turned the gun back to my neck. "I'm sorry." I said and curled my finger around the trigger.

"TALON NO-" BANG!

Am I dead?

Is this what death felt like?

It felt pretty much the same as when I was alive to be honest. Unless... It could've meant that I was, in fact, alive.

But that would be impossible.

Right?

A dreadful ringing and the thumping of my pulse irritated my ears, and I opened up my eyes. Penny was in front of me with her eyes widened in shock. The chainsaw was silent and idle.

I felt around to see if my body was still intact. My hand traveled around my face and on my neck, checking whether I miraculously survived a gunshot against my neck or not.

I felt around the place where the blood should've been dripping down my neck, but there was nothing. Neither a scratch nor a bullet hole.

"Wh- what-" I started in utter confusion. A door opened in the corner of the room, and the same voice from the intercom began to speak. "Oh Talon. Didn't your dear uncle ever tell you about blanks?"