Decode | "Alex"

Part III

All of the sudden, there was a large blast. Gabby jumped behind the wall of a building, narrowly avoiding the missile. She sat up and rubbed her face as she tried to let her hearing return. Adrenaline kept her going. She rushed to catch up with the rest of the Marines, who were now at the hospital lot, trying to push towards the entrance. She slid on the ground to get behind a concrete wall. She mounted her gun and began taking out everyone she could. She didn't pay attention to anything else. Not even the throbbing in her head. It took them a lot longer to push into the hospital with Gabby and Alex not cooperating. When they finally did, they secured the lobby. "All stations! Lobby secure, no sign of the Wolf. Demons are on the hunt!"

They were all inside then, and Alex looked around for Gabby. When he finally spotted her braids, he saw blood dripping down her face. Not to mention, the gashes in her skin. Both of them were wearing a shirt with jeans and their backpacks. That was all the had now. They could usually manage without anything else, but they weren't watching each other's backs. Alex felt terrible now. He rushed over to her. "You're bleeding."

She looked over at him, managing to look straight. Her head was still throbbing, but she was able to ignore it. She focused herself on the task at hand, and that was it. She had to do this. They were so close to catching the Wolf. Everyone's talking in her comm was distorted, and she couldn't think straight. All she knew was that she needed to get to the Wolf. "W-what?"

"Your head, it's bleeding. What happened?" He asked her, concern lacing his voice. She glanced over to see the rest of the Marines going ahead. Alex grabbed her face and made her look at him. "Gabriella, are you okay?"

She reached up and touched the blood that was dripping down the side of her face. She pulled her fingers back to look at them. They were covered in blood. Lots of blood. She looked back at him, and finally came somewhat to her senses. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think I just hit my head."

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again, still holding her face in his hands. Griggs came through their comms and said they were waiting for them to take point. This was their mission, after all.

"Yeah, yeah." She nodded. He let out a long sigh, making a mental reminder to get her medical attention as soon as they got somewhere safe. He let go of her face and pulled a handkerchief out of his backpack. He wiped the blood off the side of her face quickly, then wrapped it around her head like a headband. He didn't know what to do with the two gashes on her arms. He didn't know what happened, but it didn't look like the graze of a bullet.

"Let's stick together, alright?" He told her, and she looked up at him and nodded.

"Yeah." She agreed. They rushed to catch up with the rest of the Marines, who took notice that Gabby was hurt. They decided then that they were all going to watch out for her. Alex knew he should've been the one to do so, but without each other around, they were off put. They really did have a chemistry, a dynamic. They worked best when they were together. Gabby noticed they were all giving her concerned looks, and she didn't want them to worry or think she was weak. "Let's bag this song of a bitch, Griggs."

They all smiled and nodded in agreement, as did Alex. She was the strongest person he'd met. "As long as we take him alive, 9-4."

"Roger that." She nodded, reloading her gun quickly. Alex handed her a mag once he took notice that she was short. She smiled and thanked him. Alex nodded to the door, and she nodded back. He busted through, and the two of them stepped in. Initially, there were a lot of doctors in the hall. Then people began shooting, and it was hard to tell where from. The thing about this place is that the bad guys were good at looking like regular civilians. It was hard to tell and hard to check your shot. Plus, they were using human shields like Farah said. Your shots had to be perfect, or you'd just feel guilty about killing innocent people for the rest of your life. Gabby managed to ignore her pain and stayed in her senses long enough for her and Alex to work together and push through the hospital. Meanwhile, one of the soldiers captured one of their men. They eventually moved to the second deck.