ECHO [Rewritten - NaNoWriMo '16]

Chapter 2: Makin' a Deal

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I stared at the coffee cup in my head. My skin was chilled; the steam had long since faded away. I sighed. It had been a little over a year since my sister, Pria, had called me. She had sounded emotional, as though she was on the verge of crying. But every time I asked her what was wrong, she brushed it off. She whispered to me the words, "I love you" and said that she would be going to Europe for a brief time. But never explained where in Europe.

No one had ever known about her though, about her disappearing. I had kept it extremely quiet. And it baffled me how a prostitute had found out. Part of me had wondered if it was a hoax, if she was playing me somehow. But something about what the girl had said, something in the way she said it. It made me believe that it wasn't. It was stupid, and it was simple, and I should know better than to trust something with so little evidence. But something it was my gut.

I ran a hand through my hair and leaned back, wincing at the creaking sound that my chair made. From one second to the next, I made up my mind. Just as I was about to push my chair back, the alarms sounded. I flinched before standing and drawing my weapon. Officers in uniform and out ran down the hall, guns drawn. There was shouting, as criminals and their families or the families of their victims got lost in chaos. Radios crackled, but there was so much noise that it was nearly impossible to head what was being said.

I launched forward, following the other officers. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. The gun was slippery in my damp hand. I came up short when gunfire sounded. The police officers' pounding feet faded quickly as they continued forward. The blaring alarm overhead masked anything softer than a shout. The hallway was barely visible, eerily similar to something out of a horror movie, with the flickering fluorescents and flashing alarm lights.

There was a trio sound of bangs, louder than the alarm. I flinched and whirled to find three police officers on the ground. They weren't dead, simply groaning in agony. Blood spilled from flesh or through and through wounds that were either in the leg, shoulder, or abdomen. But I had a feeling that they had missed all vital parts. I looked up to see Scarlet. Her beautiful face was full of arrogance and casual ease, as though she were taking a walk in the park instead of trying to break out of prison.

I raised my gun. She simply cocked a brow and smiled. She was in front of me in a blink, landing three punches against my gut, before grabbing my wrist between two fingers, and twisting my arm behind my back. It forced me to drop my gun. I grinded my teeth together to hold back my screech of pain. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction, though a tiny gasp did escape me. Once the gun was out of my fingers, she released my arm only to spin on her right leg and slam her left into my gut. The force caused and all air to escape my lungs, pain exploding through my entire torso, and my body slamming into the wall. The power of it caused the wall. The power of it caused the wall to crack and cave around his body.

Before I could slither to the ground, her hand was around my throat. Her entire front pressed up against mine and I could not only feel the swell of her breasts, but the pure muscle that lined her lean frame. She was stronger than she appeared; there was also something that hinted she wasn't even using her body to its full potential. And that was the only thing that gave me pause. He wouldn't fight back; she wouldn't kill him, that wasn't her intention. Just like she hadn't killed the other officers. I stared right into her blue eyes, so chilling the ninth circle of hell itself.

She smiled, a genuine smile that was sharper and more deadly than a knife. But still beautiful. "I'll see you later."

I frowned before her grip tightened on my throat. I gurgled as my head was brought forward, and abruptly, violently slammed back against the wall. Everything went white with agony before fading into oblivion.

There was the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor that filled my ears. It was so agonizingly loud that I wished darkness would envelope me again. My head, my body, everything hurt with a passion. There was a little something dulling the pain, a nice blanket of numbness but the pulsing pushed against the blanket. I was just glad that the pulsing didn't have claws else that blanket would've been ripped apart by now.

With more effort than I cared for, I slowly sat up. The nurse and a doctor came in saying that while there would be some heavy bruising, I was fine. It sure didn't feel like it, but right now all I wanted was to go home and have a cold beer. Despite the doctor's wishes, I got dressed, checked my phone to see that my captain had advised me to stay in the hospital for the rest of the day. And that they would talk tomorrow. I shook my head, whatever that meant. I slowly got dressed before heading out.

As I got into my car, I wondered just how many people had come across the girl and had been injured. She was precise and far more deadly then even I had first thought. She was trained, had to be. To know just where to inflict an incredible amount of injury without permanent damage wasn't just something anyone could do. I rubbed my forehead, sighing heavily. This could wait till tomorrow. My head was throbbing and coherent thoughts just weren't working at the moment.

Just as I was about to turn the key, cool metal was kissing my temple. I didn't need to turn to realize that I was a gun. A hand slid over my shoulder and gently squeezed, breath ruffled my hair, followed by a voice, "Hey there, doll."

I flinched. Scarlet. There was a soft growl and I looked sideways to see...a cat. It looked like an average gray tabby, with soft white paws and chest, thick black stripes, and striking blue eyes. But there was something about it that seemed out of place. I grinded my teeth together, "What do you want?"

"I told you, 'see you later', dumbass. And I told you I'd help you figure out what happened to your sister."

"I – what? No! I never agreed to this," I struggled to turn my head but the tip of the gun reminded me to stay still. Instead I flicked my eyes up to the rear view mirror. She didn't look nearly as exhausted as she had, and found the time to change clothes. Probably stolen.

She smiled, "My name is Echo, by the way. And you will let me stay with you, and you will work with me."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you still don't know whether your sister is alive or dead. And I can help you figure out what exactly happened a year ago."

I inhaled sharply, knowing that I would regret this decision later. But I wanted – no, needed – to know what happened to Pria. "Fine."

"We're going to be a great team." She kissed me on the cheek before suddenly getting out of the car. The cat followed, leaping onto her shoulder. Another smile, and she disappeared into the shadows. Once she was gone, I slammed my forehead on the steering wheel.

Yeah, this was going to be a big mistake.