Target To Save

Chapter 9 - Part 2

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Ivalin woke up to the smell of death. She choked on memories of home. Quickly, she checked for her weapons, but her hands came up empty, and she cursed the government and their regulations as she slid off the bed. She glanced out the large window, but no one was out on the lawn, the only movement was the drizzle of rain that tapped against the window. She snatched the blanket off the bed, twisting it in her hands. She took a deep breath, then two. Steps echoed down the hallways, her door opened. Ivalin held her breath. The door creaked and shut. Ivalin didn't move, her muscles tense.

"Ki, come out little marionette. Youer mother calls for youe." His voice was like gravel, his shadow coated the room.

Ivalin waited a second and leaped out of her crouched position, using the blanket to catch his neck. The blanket ripped under his hands, and they clashed. Blows rained down. Bruises bubbled under her skin only to fade away. His Mercies ripped his body back into place. Ivalin ducked away, rolling over her bed, and grabbed the IV line. He pulled out a knife. They circled. He charged.

The door opened silently. Both noticed. Out of the corner of her eye, Ivalin watched as Dr. Ryan appeared in the doorway, and she watched as his red eyes followed Dr. Ryan's movement. Panicked, Ivalin swung the pole, and he caught it, his focus back on the fight. Fear burned in her throat as Dr. Ryan sneaked around the corner. Ivalin didn't look away from the assassin. Dr. Ryan was shaking, she winced at every movement, her eyes darted around the room, her steps were loud. Dr. Ryan hit the bed, and the crash tore Ivalin's attention away, and while she was distracted, he shoved the pole, hitting it in Ivalin's chest. The air had been knocked out of her chest, and she struggled to breathe. Panic swallowed her mind, and he smiled.

"Not quite healed up? Still ae failure then?" His tone was mocking, his smile twisted. He spun the knife in the air, and caught it. He stalked Ivalin, and his predatory gaze watched his prey.

Ivalin choked on her own fear. Her hearing went in and then out. Everything hurt, she hadn't been ready. Sometimes you're never ready.

He took a step closer, his smile growing into something inhuman. The glare of the knife shone in his eyes, and Ivalin's back hit the wall. She was trapped. The walls were closer than they had when she had been stuck in the bed. The large empty room had turned so quickly into Ivalin's small grave.

He took another step forward. Ivalin closed her eyes, wondering if she was ready to die. She wondered if everything she had ever done only ended up hurting other people, if her legacy was running.

"Back off," snarled Dr. Ryan. Ivalin's eyes opened, and the assassin seemed as shocked as Ivalin. Dr. Ryan slammed a food tray into the back of his head. It cracked, but his focus shifted towards her, and she stepped between Ivalin and the Elite. "Ivalin is perfectly good. She hasn't failed me, or anyone."

Ivalin wouldn't die, not today.

The man smiled, blood dripping off his lips, amusement playing in his eyes. "So brave. Iy could kill youe. Iy'm more than happy to watch youer life fade," His knife inched towards Dr. Ryan who clenched her jaw. He cackled, his eyes perfectly calm, and he changed languages "Why come back for the traitor? She should be able to take care of herself." He wiped his bloody hands on his Elite uniform, the black trim giving away his rank. He spun the knife again.

"And?" Dr. Ryan stared the man down, "Ivalin is my patient, and she doesn't deserve to get left behind. I'm not leaving her." Her conviction was so strong that Ivalin almost believed that she could win. Dr. Ryan took a step forward, her tone darker than Ivalin had ever heard. "So, you're going to have to get past me to get to her."

The man shrugged, and he smiled, his teeth sharp in the reflection of his weapon. "Okay."

He cut her neck.

Dr. Ryan fell, her blood staining the floor red. Ivalin stared, struggling to breathe. "You," her voice quivered, her body shook, "you monster." And Ivalin flung herself at the man who cackled.

They rained blows on each other, Ivalin a mask of fury, the man calm. He kept beating her, he knew her every movement, her every move. He threw her onto the chair, and she tumbled off of it. Her vision blurred as Dr. Ryan's blood crept into her gown, soaking Ivalin's core. She retched but nothing came up.

"Youe're nothing, little marionette." The man stood over her, his grin coated with blood, a glint in his eyes that promised pain.

Grabbing the back of her gown, he pulled her off the ground. It slipped past her left shoulder, the brands peaked out. He dropped her, and her body cracked. Blood poured out of somewhere, the world spun, and he spit, cursing her, "Youe let thei government mark youe? She won't want youe back."

Ivalin gripped the chair and thrusted it up. His face cracked. His jaw was too far left to be normal, his nose was at ninety degrees. He heaved, and Ivalin sprinted to the window. He popped his face back into place. "That's thee best youe can do? Youe're a waste of space, ai smear on thei legacy she created. Youe never shouldn't have been thei Renegade. Youe're nothing but ai small child, too scared to play with the adults."

Ivalin's eyes glanced at Dr. Ryan's body. Her pristine brown hair was matted, her once beautiful smile had faded into nothingness. Ivalin had only a second to wonder if this is how all her victim's families felt.

Ivalin choked down the bile that threatened to rise again, and as he stalked her, she slammed the chair into the window. It smashed, and she tumbled out of it, following the chair.

Her body slammed into the ground, something shattered, and his cackle coated the grounds. She blacked out, her body was nothing, and then it burned. Slowly, she started to work again, her mind catching "Run all youe want. Iy'll kill every person in this building as youe scamper away because youe couldn't save them. Youe're too scared."

Ice spread through her veins, her eyes wanted to close, but she couldn't let herself fall apart. They watched each other for a second, mark and prey. But the wind was blowing, whispering to Ivalin, telling her to run. Her body shook, and tears gathered in her eyes. He disappeared from the window, and Ivalin dragged herself up.

She moved without thinking, the world seemed fuzzy, her mind screamed. She limped out of the hospital grounds, the thin gown did nothing to protect her from the harsh weather. She slid into a busy street and melted into the city. Her hands were shaking. Sweat, bile, and blood coated her tongue. She tried to plan, tried to figure out the next step, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw Dr. Ryan's head snapping back. There was anger and determination on her face when there had always been kindness. Blood poured out of her neck, and it taunted Ivalin. She pulled into an alleyway, ducking her head into her arm, keeping her eyes open.

Shivering, her heart ached. She missed the warmth her jacket gave her, the shield that kept her from the wind, her first gift someone had ever given her. It had been ruined in the fire. The jacket was gone. Dr. Ryan was gone. Everyone was gone.

She sobbed. Out of practice, she struggled to breathe. She wondered if it should hurt this much to cry.

Alone, she reached for someone, but no one was there. "She left me." Ivalin cried out, lashing out a trash can that bent under her hands. She threw the lid with a yell, and it bounced harmlessly in the shadows.

Her anger dwindled, slowly the tears stopped coming, she was left with nothing but an empty chest. She whispered to the wind, "She left me." But no one responded.

Sometimes nobody wins. Ivalin had always known this best.