All she wanted to do was run home and protect her family. For all she knew they might have killed them, and the thought terrified her. She wasn't one to give up easily- she was a spitfire, hardly stopped by anything, but she had given up just like that. What would her best friend, the leader of the group think of her? She'd made it clear she had more faith in Marena than any other.
"Mcgrew's surrendered." Spoke one of the officers into his walkie-talkie. "Do we kill her?" The device spat out static.
Making a quick observation she came to the conclusion the cops were distracted, their eyes transfixed on something behind her. The smoke tasted foul in her throat, causing her to cough several times. Her eyes burned as she squinted and bent down, fumbling her hand against the heated pavement for her gun. Shay, Carson, Katrina and even Kyleigh and Owen were her family now- they needed her more than her bloodline did. She wasn't going to just stand there and let them kill her.
She never had to pull the trigger on a single one of them, for through the smoke emerged her savior. This person came in the form of a girl who held her weapon with insecurity, her reddish brown locks blowing in the wind. She recognized the face immediately; it was obvious before her figure finished emerging from the smoke. With a bang one of the cops fell backwards, clutching his upper thigh.
"Katrina!" Marena shouted through the chaos. Out of all of the people she'd brought with her Katrina most likely was the top suspect to step up, yet it still came as a surprise. The girl was about as immature and crude as they come. She had to blink just a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things- Katrina freaking O'Dell just saved her ass.
The two officers came rushing at Katrina. She released a startled cry, snapping Marena back into action. She snatched the handgun and made a rush of her aim, squeezing the trigger once she felt like she had a fair enough shot. Her bullet tore through the lower abdomen of one of the cops. She choked, knowing she could have mortally wounded him. He fell, his hands going to his side as his body smacked the asphalt, gun rolling away.
She aimed again, this time raising her weapon a little higher. After firing once more the third officer fell, although she wasn't sure where she hit him. She didn't want confirmation. Katrina dipped her head before a wave of bullets zipped over her head, forcing her to duck down and around a stray vehicle in the parking lot. Another wave of them ripped through empty space above Marena's head, bringing her diving to the asphalt.
"I need help!" Katrina's voice wafted over the noise of gunfire, yet she was zoned in to something else. Through the smoke came another man, rooting her to the spot almost immediately- it was another agent. He strode right through the line of fire with confidence, his weapon pointed directly towards her. Fear rushed through her as she noticed she would get no aid- Katrina was preoccupied with at least three officers.
"It's over McGrew. Surrender." the agent sneered. She'd blown a hole in his comrade's head, and she had nobody to come save her ass. This was her battle to fight and she knew it, but she also knew in order to survive this man would have to die- and she wasn't sure she had the heart to kill someone again.
"I…I didn't mean to… L…Lucky shot." She stammered out, her fingers quaking as they maintained shaky hold on the gun.
"I hope my shot will be as lucky as yours." he barked. It happened too fast for her to really process it- all she was aware of was aiming her weapon towards the man's chest, closing her eyes and squeezing the trigger. The gun kicked in her hands as she opened her eyes- the man was still standing there, a look of amusement smiling back at her. Shit.
"Guess you really did just have a lucky sh-" he never finished, for three bullets ripped into his torso. He released a gurgled cry as he fell, blood blossoming across his shirt. His body struck the ground hard, gun bumping and rolling towards where she lay.
"Don't you even think about killing my best friend!" Shay shouted, her gun pointed at the man's head. When he did nothing to defend herself Marena swallowed hard.
"He's dead Shay! There's no need!" She shouted, her voice becoming drowned out as the noise of more gunshots echoed through the air. Shay whipped her head in Marena's direction, her face contorted with some look she pinpointed as white hot fury. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as the breeze blew her long blonde hair away, giving her the appearance of a ferocious being. No wonder nobody ever tried to piss her off.
"What the hell did you think you were doing? You could have been killed you dumbass! What would I have done then, huh?" She shouted, taking a few steps towards her best friend. "I wouldn't be able to do this without you and you go and do stupid shit like this!"
"Shay, calm down we did it for yo-"
"I need some help over here!" Katrina screamed as a windshield exploded behind her. Shay darted towards the ground, hitting the ground and rolling to cover as a wave of bullets came speeding by. Marena followed, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she army crawled her way over to where the two girls were taking cover.
Katrina was pulling her trigger repeatedly yet nothing came out but a hollow click- she was out of ammunition. She cursed and threw her weapon down hard.
"Piece of shit!" She shouted. Marena sighed and fired blindly over the hood of the car. Beside her Shay snaked around the front and fired a few rounds. She peeked her head over the hood, hazel eyes scanning for any cops left standing- there was one, but a bullet Shay delivered to his upper thigh brought him down. As he fell he fired several more times, the bullets embedding themselves into the metal spaces away from her face. She squealed and dove back down behind cover.
"We got a runner!" Shay shouted, moving her arm to signal for the other blonde to give chase. Knowing very well she was the fastest, Marena stood up and began sprinting after the officer. One of the men on the ground shot at her, one of the bullets narrowly missing her neck. She stumbled sideways as her foot twisted, catching her off guard. As she slowed down a force came slamming into her, shoving her up against the brick wall.
Her gun was knocked out of her hands, hitting the asphalt with a metallic clatter. Her attacker was the final officer to escape unscathed, his hands struggling to pin her arms behind her back. He made the mistake of bringing his arm in front of her face and she lashed out, clamping her teeth down hard around his wrist. The man cried out in pain as she tasted blood.
Using the most force he had the officer slammed his elbow into her nose. Pain shot up through her face and she cried out, using her leg to kick the man in the knee. He fell and she fell with him, her elbow smashing him in the teeth as she did.
The two rolled and scuffed until her back slammed against a dumpster, initially winding her for a few seconds. She gasped and took in a large amount of air, scrambling towards the officer who was struggling to regain his footing. She stuffed her knee against his spine and pinned his arms to the pavement, holding him there.
"Where's the truck?" She shouted into his ear, ignoring the salty blood that slipping in between her lips.
"What truck?" He responded, voice muffled by asphalt. She increased her pressure and repeated her question- that morning there had been a truck there, roughly the size of the U-Haul but unmarked. It would be far more difficult to track, giving them an advantage.
She never got her answer, for he began to cough. She could feel each tremor wracking the cop's body as she rolled off him. Shit, I forgot that was going to happen. As she lay there, back pressed against the scorching asphalt, she was allowed a few moments to regain her breath. Blood was rushing out of her nostrils and down her cheeks, dripping onto her shirt and staining the fabric. The noises had died down now- the gunfire was muted and the cops were no longer shouting. Heavy footfalls announced Shay's arrival as she crouched down by Marena's side.
"You alright?" She asked as a fresh trickle of blood slipped down from a shallow gash on her forehead, most likely from glass.
"Yeah." She responded blankly, rolling over onto her stomach. Shay raised a blonde eyebrow, eyes sweeping over her battered face.
&nbs
p; "You sure? Your nose is bleeding pretty good," she pointed out. Marena just shrugged.
"It doesn't even hurt that bad, but I'm gonna need a new shirt."
"Nah, I think the blood gives it a poorly-done tie die effect," Shay responded sarcastically before grinning. "You're making a fashion statement." Marena couldn't help but suppress a grin as well.
"Shut up," she shot back lamely, only half-heartedly meaning her statement.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's go find this truck you almost got killed for."
Chapter 16
Marena's face was busted up fairly badly and a gash on her shoulder slowly pumped blood, but otherwise she looked no worse for wear. The gash above Shay's eye stung as blood continued to trickle down her face, inching dangerously close to her eye. She could still feel the pain that cut through her as the glass had sliced the wound across her forehead. Fortunately, neither of the girls' wounds were fatal- which was a cue that they needed to keep moving, and fast. It wouldn't be long before more authorities arrived.
"Shay, blood's about to get in your eye." Marena said nonchalantly, propping herself up with her hands. She reached out and used her finger to smear away the blood.
"Don't touch my face." Shay hissed, moving to swipe her hand away but the other girl was too fast. The lanky girl grinned, which sent a little bit of anger bubbling up inside her. She wasn't exactly pleased with her best friend at the moment- Marena could have died out there. Then what? She'd lose her deputy, her best friend, her unbiological sister, and she wasn't sure how'd she would manage. That was, however, besides the fact that they hadn't even run the plans by her. What kind of leader wasn't aware of their subjects' actions?
"But you let Carson all the time," Marena pointed out. "So when he touches your face it's romantic, but when I do it it's creepy?"
"No, I just don't like people touching my face, but it doesn't help that you did this without me. You don't walk into a battle without your leader," she growled back, straightening herself back out into a standing posture.
"Maybe I was the leader this time." Marena winked back, her cocky grin only raising the anger inside Shay.
"No intelligent leader would willingly trust Katrina with a grenade."
Marena shrugged, looking defeated. "They were all I had, man."
She nodded limply, understanding, and offered out her hand. Marena accepted the gesture and she helped her to her feet, using her other hand to remind her friend she needed to clean up the blood on her face. The bleeding had slowed significantly, but the crimson still oozed from her nostrils, threatening to stain her shirt even more.
The two girls made their way around the bar, hoping they'd find the truck on the other side. They walked in silence, listening for the first signs of danger. Both were tense, prepared to spring into action again if the situation called for it. They could quarrel with their morals later- they needed to be safe first.
Shay turned the corner first, her gun gripped tightly in her hands. For all she knew there could be a few officers drifting about that hadn't been involved in the firefight, and were still very capable of firing a gun. She wasn't sure what the casualty rate was, but she didn't think it was that high. They hadn't necessarily been shooting to kill, but they weren't exactly trying not to either. She was very well aware the situation she was stuck in was kill or be killed, and even if it sickened her, she wasn't going to let her friends or herself die.
The butt of a gun came slamming into her face without warning. Pain flashed through her immediately after as she was knocked backwards, butt hitting the asphalt hard. Her hands went to her nose as she felt the blood begin to flow freely. From somewhere in front of her she heard Marena begin to scuffle with someone. Shit, it's not over yet.
Blinking pain away from her eyes she fumbled for her gun, which had been knocked out her hands. Her hands found the metal weapon by the brick wall of the bar, instantly snatching it up. Marena's arms were locked around the neck of an older man as he struggled to find the trigger to his weapon. She couldn't get a clear shot without the risk of hitting and killing her best friend- she still wasn't the most accurate shot.
A gurgled cry escaped her throat as the officer fired his gun. Her stomach wrenched as a thin line of blood blossomed on Marena's shoulder- it had grazed her. The tall girl released a welp of pain and stumbled backwards, blood slipping between her fingers as she covered the wound. Now that Marena was distanced from the man Shay aimed and fired, the bullet tearing through the man's upper thigh.
As the officer fell she stood up, sprinting towards her best friend, whom had blood beginning to trickle down her arm. She grabbed her by her unwounded shoulder and began to pull her away from the bleeding officer in the direction of the truck- they'd found it.
"It hurts. Shit Shay, it hurts." Marena hissed through gritted teeth, her features contorted in pain s she stumbled along.
Although she felt rather cold for doing so she continued to rush her along, hurrying her towards the truck. The blood flowing from her nose had since begun to stain the collar of her shirt, ruining it. They'd need fresh clothes when granted the opportunity.
"Get in, fast." Shay barked, opening the passenger side door for Marena. The truck was almost identical to the U-Haul she'd crashed not twelve hours before, but lacking any logo whatsoever. This would make tracking the vehicle more difficult.
She rushed around to the other side, trying to shut out the man's cries of pain. The humanity in her told her to turn around and help him, but there was hardly any of that left anymore. The imminent threat of death seemed to have taken a liking to shutting of her morals.
After sitting herself down in the driver's seat and running her hands over the ignition, she was horrified to find that there were no keys. She could hear shouts coming from around the corner, most likely more officers who hadn't been wounded or killed in the previous firefight, or worse- the reinforcements were already here. She knew they were low on ammo as well as spirit- with both of them bleeding and panicked their odds got kicked down several notches.
"Dammit, where's the keys!" Shay shouted, vocalizing her frustration.
"I'll check the glove box," Marena replied, using her left hand to open up the compartment. She flickered her eyes over and felt a wave of relief wash over her as her eyes found the keys. Marena grasped them in her hand and lightly tossed them to Shay, who caught them quickly and keyed the ignition without hesitation. The engine of the truck revved to life instantly and her foot found the pedal- they needed to get out of there while there was still time.
She swerved around the corner of the bar back into the parking lot, front wheels bumping over the crater the grenade detonation had left. Slamming on the breaks, she rolled down the window and stuck her head out, the heat hitting her face full blast.
"Katrina, get in!"
A reddish brown head popped up from the cover of one of the several vehicles strewn about the lot. She looked side to side before sprinting in the direction of the truck, having to jump over the body of the agent Shay killed to avoid tripping. Katrina flung open the door on Marena's side and scrambled up and over her lap, wedging herself between the two girls.
"Watch the shoulder," Marena hissed through gritted teeth as her hand found the wound again, her skin turned red where it made contact with the wound.
Without hesitating Shay gunned it again, making a sharp turn and speeding down the road. The truck couldn't go nearly as fast as she would have liked it to in that moment- she knew they would still need to transfer the contents of the U-Haul over, and with the group they were the amount of time it would take could vary. There would be slackers, unless the fear shoved them into stepping up.
The road felt extra rough as the tires bounced over it, her eyes glued to the spot in the trees where she'd left Carson. She'd hated to leave him after the look in his eyes when she'd snatched a gun and sprinted off towards the bar but the fear of losing her best friend was too much. Now she knew she should have never doubted Marena.
/> Without alerting the other two she slammed on the brakes, sending both Katrina and Marena forwards into the dashboard. Katrina grumbled as Marena loudly cursed, her hazel eyes glaring in Shay's direction.
"Warn us next time," she growled, opening the door.
"Alright, we need to get our shit and make it fast." Shay spoke, her urgent tone seeming to give the two other girls an extra push. Even bloodied and battered they began to sprint back towards the tree line, Marena staying several paces ahead of Katrina.
Looking over her shoulder back in the direction of the bar one last time, checking for the clear, she raced off towards the woods as well, ignoring the splatters of blood that came to rest on her shirt as she did. The ground was uneven, causing her to slow her sprint a little, wary about falling and twisting an ankle. If the reinforcements they were trying to steer clear of came Carson wouldn't be there to save her. The trees started to thicken around her, signaling she was close to the wrecked U-Haul. Once the vehicle came into sight she slowed to a trot, keeping her gun at her side.
Marena and Katrina were already headed back in the opposite direction, two boxes in each of their arms. She sidestepped out of their way before weaving her way through trees to the truck. Carson and Owen were stuffing the remaining blankets and guns into four more boxes while Kyleigh, Laylia and Jaycee hovered around the trees, waiting for the cue it was time to leave. Shay heaved herself into the back, making her way over to the boys.
"Need me to get some of the others?" She asked, gesturing to a stack of several cardboard boxes in the corner.
Carson shook his head. "No, we were able to get everything we need into these four."
"You sure?"
He nodded briefly before shoving one of her boxes in her direction. "Take this one." Their eyes met and Shay shook her head before exiting, the guys close behind her. She beckoned for the other three to follow.
Carriers Page 13