Chloe
Being out in the dark, knowing people are watching you was similar to walking home alone at night, knowing someone was following you. Scary with an unpredictable ending. Without a gun and her senses numbed down with drugs, Chloe itched to slither away into the darkness and disappear.
Once Cassie said so, she would sprint to the trucks that had just arrived and set up the explosives that currently sat in a small backpack next to her. She swallowed hard, her stomach restless. She remembered her brother and how he'd drag her by the arm inside a room full of men and leave her there. Kom en, Chloe, he'd say in Swedish so they couldn't understand. This time she was heading into the center of the fight. She needed her ghostly silent steps and light frame to keep her well hidden.
I can do this. I have to. For Lee, for Diana. For me.
She wouldn't hide anymore.
The first gun fired and like it marked a start of a race, Chloe sprinted in the darkness, sliding to her knees by the first out of three trucks. She tried to ignore the body of the truck driver as she fumbled with the wires. Two tried to escape and the third was behind the concrete walls, likely dead as well. But there wasn't much Chloe could do for them anymore. If she wanted to help, she needed to do her job.
"Diana, I- I don't know how to set it up," Chloe said into her earpiece, looking around to make sure no one was near her.
"We've practiced it many times, you can do this," Diana's words came as reassurance.
"I think one of the wires broke off. Din javla."
"Chloe, you can do this. Focus."
Diana couldn't help her from a few miles away, but a familiar panic gripped Chloe's chest as the explosives slipped through her sweaty palms. She pushed down a sob. It was their only chance to get rid of this damn drug and if she messed it up, she would never be able to face Cassandra again. She had trusted her with this task. You're quick and silent, you move like a ghost. You're the only one that can do it, she had said.
She trusted her. And Chloe needed to learn to trust herself.
The explosives clicked into place and Chloe sighed, rushing to put the next one. This one took less time. And the next one even less.
Her head spun as she rose to her feet and gripped the side of the truck to steady herself before looking around and dashing towards the next truck. Her hands moved almost mechanically and her breathing had evened out.
She checked her watch, finding she wasn't too late. But she needed to move on to the last truck.
By now, shots were ringing from inside of the building and she looked up for a moment, sending a thought to her teammates who were fighting to buy her time.
As she reached to stick the next pile of explosives, she felt a pull on her hair.
Chloe fell back, the air getting knocked out of her. A man hovered over her, his knife drawn.
They say the most brutal murderers use knives. They allow them to watch the life disappear from their victims.
Chloe grabbed a handful of dirt, throwing it into the man's face. He wasn't going to get the satisfaction of watching her die. He flinched back and she used the opportunity to grip onto her taser.
The man convulsed, falling to the ground and Chloe kicked the knife from his hand.
She looked back at the building. The doors were now open and a few bodies littered the ground. She took a deep breath, getting down on one knee and sticking the last bundle of explosives underneath the truck. People were everywhere now and they would stop her if she didn't move, but a red-haired woman raced out of the building and their eyes met. Chloe froze, her grip on the taser tightening. She took off running.
The grass was slippery and the wind was cold, whistling high in the trees. Chloe struggled to keep in a straight line, her head spinning every few moments. She couldn't hear anything behind her.
When the sounds of shooting died down and Chloe couldn't hear anything but her footsteps, she paused, breathing heavily. "Diana."
No reply.
"Diana," Chloe raised a hand to her ear-piece. "Are you—"
Her ear-piece was gone.
She swore, looking around on the ground helplessly. A pair of running footsteps rustled the leaves on the ground. She turned in time to see a figure running at her. Chloe kicked her leg up, attempting to throw the attacker off balance. The figure caught her foot, twisting it.
She let out a scream, her knee popping and tumbled to the ground, scraping her palms in the dirt. She was too far from the building for any light to be reaching her, but when the figure inched closer to her, she could make out the face. It had been the same face that stared at the crowd of people as she injected a starving, tied up man.
Majesty and she stared at each other for what felt like hours. Chloe felt a wave of nausea hit her. Her leg throbbed and she was sure she'd have trouble walking, let alone running or fighting. Her fingers curled around a rock.
"Get away from me," Chloe hissed. Her voice shook, her vision blurred.
Majesty took a step forward. She leaned in a little. "Are you, are you high?"
Chloe froze, gritting her jaw. "At least I am not a mass murderer." She crawled backward, looking for a good opening to swing.
"Is that what my father had you believe?"
Chloe dropped the rock. "What?
Another pair of footsteps alarmed Majesty and she looked off to the side. Sparing Chloe one last glance before, she continued to run.
Chloe grunted, moving into a sitting position. She pushed off the ground, whimpering. The footsteps were closer now. Chloe stumbled a few feet before the pain made her stop and lean onto a tree. She can't die like this. She can't die on drugs and scared.
"Scarlet?"
Chloe recognized that voice. "Cat Eye."
She fully leaned onto the tree, facing Cassie.
"What are you doing?"
"I ran from Majesty and I don't have an ear-piece." Chloe's voice was shaking. "I don't know where to go."
Cassandra looked her up and down, noticing she was staying off her right foot. "Can you walk?"
"I think so."
"Diana, I found Chloe," Cassandra said, reaching for her wrist and handing another ear-piece to Chloe. "Take it and go back to the vehicles ."
"What about you?"
Cassandra didn't say anything, continuing her sprint through the woods.
"Chloe?" Diana's voice was thick as she called her name.
"Di."
"Are you okay?"
Chloe winced when she put weight on her foot. "Please tell me where you are."
Nausea had disappeared and she was shivering all over. Only now when she stopped did she realize how cold it was. Or maybe she was just unstable. She wasn't fazed by the occasional gun firing in the trees. She was focused on Diana's voice and how she made Chloe feel. She knew she couldn't keep the drugs secret forever.
Once the cars and vans came into view on the road, Chloe made a mad dash to exit the woods. One of the vans' doors opened, revealing Diana's pale face. She hugged Chloe, both of them almost toppling to the floor, wheelchair included. Chloe felt something hit the back of her head. "If you ever do that again, I will fucking kill you."
She smiled at Diana who didn't return the smile. "I swear it, Chloe. I don't know what I would do if you got hurt out there. Knowing I have to sit here and hope you're okay—" her voice broke off.
"Sorry." Chloe swallowed a lump, her vision blurring. She was tired. She leaned over Diana's shoulder to look at the laptop.
"Is everyone out of the building?" Diana asked.
"I don't bloody know," someone's voice called. Chloe jumped, forgetting she had in Cassandra's earpiece. "Just blow it up. Everything. We have to leave."
There were faint sounds of shooting and people screaming. Chloe closed her eyes. It'll all be over soon.
"Squad 6, do you copy?"
It was silent. Diana and Chloe exchanged looks.
"I'm here," Andrew's voice came through the comms.
"Here," Cassie said, sounding winded. "Bishop?"
"Bill's with me," Andrew said.
"Go to the vans. We're leaving," Cassie said.
"No."
"What?" Diana shouted, giving Chloe a baffled look.
"I'm sorry, Cassie," Andrew said, his voice low. "I'm not who you think I am."
___________
Hey there!
And we finally have the reveal. Andrew has chosen.
What do we feel? Do we have our pitchforks ready? Hold onto them for a bit more, I would advise. Comments are open for thoughts and opinions as usual.
See you next week.
Happy writing,
Sara