Project Sarin

10 - Unfriendly Encounter

On the way home, I feel today's accident start to get to me. I still don't feel the wound on my cheek, which is kind of odd, it should make a fine bruise later.

I feel that I have to talk to someone.

And I actually do have someone to talk to.

"Sarin, why are you so calm?" I ask, wondering why I'm driving entirely on my own right now. No sudden accelerations or jerks to the side.

But there's no answer, not the slightest twitch. I don't know what I'm expecting. But I do expect something. Some kind of sign. A sign of life.

"I mean, you always do something," I laugh, "did you get as chocked as me by the accident?"

Just as I'm thinking this is a one way conversation, a text turns up next to the steering wheel. It's the same light blue colour.

I hit you, I am sorry.

"Wait, what?," I say, "d-do you mean this?" I point to my cheek, "you saved me, Sarin, and Jed. No other car could've stopped that fast." I think back on the glowing tracks on the street.

"We've known eachother for three days, and you've already saved me more times than I can count."

~

Sarin doesn't say anything more, and a few hours later, Dyer gets a call from Rebecka, she says both Jed and the other driver made it surprisingly well, and that he'll be back in a couple of days. We can all breath out for a while.

Russell and I sit in the Backyard. The sun is starting to set, casting an orange light across the sky. We talk about the race before the accident.

"When you got through that turn and passed my brother right in front of his eyes, I couldn't stop laughing," Russell laughs.

"Yeah, I was kinda' surprised too," I laugh with him.

"You know, I heard a few people talking about you after the race," Russell tells me, "they liked the way you passed us without picking up a fight, that easy way to just drive and go for your goal." I smile.

"I'm glad they think that, I thought they would be more sceptical about newcomers. And I have to say, I had a pretty hard time to figure everything out in that speed." We laugh again.

Then we hear the sound of engines on the other side of the house. A short time after, there's a knock on the glass doors.

"Are we waiting for someone?" I ask.

"Not that I know," Russell answers, "maybe Rebecka came back to get some stuff. Though, she didn't say she'd come today."

We stand up and go inside. I'm still catious, so I stay out of sight from the door.

Russell, standing beside me, has a good watch over the door, but we're still a distance away. If I say something they probably won't hear.

I hear Dyer and an other man at the door.

"Can I help you?" Dyer asks.

"That depends," the man says, "I'm agent Reed, we're looking for this woman." I see Russell squint his eyes, probably because he tries to see the picture.

There's a pause that feels like it's an hour long. It's probably me they're looking for. I feel my blood turn into ice.

"I couldn't see who they were", Russell whispers without looking at me, "but by how they look and talk, I'd say they're CIA." My eyes go wide. Why is CIA looking for me?

"What's she done?" I hear Dyer ask them.

"She's stolen important information from the government, "agent Reed says, "well, have you seen her?" More silence. After a while, Dyer answers.

"No, I haven't seen her. What kind of information has she stolen?" I breathe again for the first time in several minutes, Dyer's still on my side.

"Information that's highly confidential," agent Reed says, I pick up a tiny bit of annoyance in his voice, "if I could now ask you to step aside, we're going to search the house..."

"I don't think so," Dyer interupts him, "I don't like people sneaking around my property."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dyer, but it wasn't a question," agent Reed says and I hear people coming into the house.

I turn around to get out by the back door, but when I get closer, I see another agent walking around the Backyard.

I turn back into the house. I run into CJ. He points with his head at the stairs. I nod and walk quietly up the stairs. I hear CJ trying to slow down one of the agents.

"Hey, who do you think you are that can just walk into someone's house." I see the agent grab CJ by the collar.

"You wanna' fight?" the agent says challenging.

"Adams!" I hear another man shout from nearby. The agent called Adams gives CJ another look and lets go of him.

CJ brushes himself off like it was nothing. This has given me some time. I've been able to sneak upstairs without being seen.

I walk into my room and lock the door. I look carefully out the window, the agent outside seems to have gone elsewhere. I'm so glad I put Sarin in the garage to check the tires.

I hear footsteps in the stairs. The fall from the window is high, but it feels somehow worth it. But, not if I break every bone in my body.

Someone turns the handle. Whoever it is seems to be strong, because after he kicks the locked door once it's already starting to come loose.

I grab the lamp standing on the cupboard and take off the lampshade.

The door flies open and at the same time the man comes inside, I hit him with the lamp from behind the door.

He screams, mostly out of surprise. I run to the other side of the room, the lamp still in my hand. Or, what's left of it.

The man looks up at me. He has a fresh red slash on his forehead.

"So you are here," he says, surprisingly calm. This does not make me feel better. "You're strong." I recognize his voice, it's agent Reed.

"Agent Reed, I persume," I try to not let him know that I'm scared. I have to be confident. "I can give you another hit if you want."

"I'd like to see you try," he says and runs towards me. I swing the lamp again, but he catches it with one hand and makes me drop it. I hit him with my fist and kick him away.

The next time, it's his turn to take a swing at me but I dodge it. His hand hits the wall instead. I have no idea where I learned to fight like this.

I try to hit him again, but this time he catches my arm and pushed me against the wall. He stares at me.

"You're good," he says.

"I know," I answer and manage to push him away so that he falls to the floor. This time I don't think. I run for the window, and jump.

When I land, I roll over the grass. That did hurt. I can't get up, but I know I have to. I don't manage to get to my feet. I know they're coming towards me.

I hear someone shout my name in the distance. I also hear a duller, steady sound.

When I come to my senses, I see a blurry, dark form coming towards me. Sarin reaches me and I manage to crawl up and into the car.

Sarin drives off, and I see it almost running over one of the agents on the way out. I hear shots and I duck down. Then I realize that the bullets only fly past us. They bounce off the windows as if they were rubber bullets. I know they aren't.

I roll onto my back in the back seats. I'm safe for now.