P.R.I.S.M of Memories -on Hold

Chapter Seven

~Conrad~

My ears are ringing. I don't know what the hell is going on. Everything around me is chaos. I can't see past my arm's length. Faint screaming, muffled gun shots, everything is obscured in thick clouds of dark smoke. I try my best to stifle my coughs. Those guys with the guns were close to me. At least, I think they are. I have no idea where they are now.

How is it possible that the smoke is so thick that not even light is getting through? There had been so many windows and yet I couldn't see the sunlight from any of them. I continue coughing as quietly as I can manage. Which way is out? The pounding in my head is unbearable. A side effect from being to close to the explosion? I'm just grateful that it wasn't a real explosion and that it had only been smoke that poured out of those marbles. Crawling on my hands and knees, I search for the exit as swiftly as my recovering senses would allow me. I try to ignore my burning throat. My watery eyes make everything blurry.

Something hard hit me in my gut, knocking the air out of my lungs. I can't breathe! I flounder on the floor gasping for air. But the needles stabbing my insides continue unabated.

"Get up!"

The person with the coarse voice yank me up by my arm. I don't have the strength to fight him. I can barely keep my footing. His muscled arm wrapped around my neck is chocking me. I weakly bang on his arm. I can't breathe! My vision becomes hazy and little glittery black dots dance all around me.

"You out there, little bitch?! I've got your friend! Doesn't seem to be doing so well!"

I can only half process what he is saying. I hear him but I couldn't listen. The darkness is ebbing at my world threatening to consume it completely.

"Give yourself up! Or I'll sho--"

His arm went slack around my neck and he fell forward, dragging me down with him. His dead weight is crushing me! Black splotches began to spread...and then I felt the weight removed.  A warm hand rubs my back and a soft feminine voice whispers to me.

"Breathe in through your nose. Deep breathes. Come on, Conrad. Breathe!"

I take a deep breath through my nose and the painful agony building up in my body slowly subsides.

"That's good. Breathe in...out...in...out."

My sight is beginning to return. Free of black glitter and splotches. My eyes adjust and for a moment I thought I had gone blind until I realize that the ebony smoke is still in effect. And my throat is burning again. But I savored the ache. Because air was going to my lungs. I thought I was going to die!

The fervor of panic hasn't died out and I hear the frightened screams of others around me. Still can't see anything though. I look to my left and saw my attacker lying on the floor. He's twitching and little gasps are coming from him. A dagger sticks out of the base of his neck. Little red beads of blood drip from the edges of where the blade had pierced his skin. I try to contain the horror that swells up inside me.

The person patting my back reaches over and wrenches the dagger out. Blood stained the blade and it now flows freely from the open wound.

"Oh, God...is he...?"

I turn to my savior and immediately put some space between us.

"Astra?!"

Her steely blue eyes meet mine. An intense ferocity that I've never seen in anyone before dwell there.

"Is he dead? No."

She wipes her blade clean on his shirt and slowly stands. Her eyes coldly inspect him calmly.

"But he will be. I hit a vein. He will bleed out soon enough."

She said it so casually. Like the way you would ask if the home team won the game. How could she be so callous?! She just killed someone!

Astra offers her hand to me. I shake my head slowly. Sighing, she sheathes her sharp, shiny dagger underneath her yellow jacket. I took her in. There were blood staining her clothes and I'm pretty sure it's not her's. Dear God...even on her arms and legs, I could see specks of blood.

"He would've killed you if I hadn't intervened."

"Right! Like you're not going to kill me yourself", I snap at her with more bravery than I feel.

Astra remains quiet. Emotion clouds her eyes. But she breaks eye contact with me before I can gaze too deeply. Her eyes harden as she scans the area around us. The smoke is finally beginning to dissipate. The outlines of several men were barely visible.

"Look at me."

She had kneel down next to me while I was focused on the armed men that were forming a loose half circle around us, startling me.

Gazing directly into my eyes, "You are afraid of me. I understand. But you have found yourself in an unfortunate quandary."

The bastard who had originally pointed his gun at me was shouting orders to his men. They're regrouping....

"Three choices now lay before you. Trust them."

Astra's eyes flickered to our surroundings. Are they closing in?! Even if they aren't, I felt walls closing in on me. I fight to keep my breathing even. Her eyes meet mine again.

"Trust yourself and hope you can escape unscathed..."

Astra placed her hand on mine and to my surprise, I didn't pull away.

"Or trust me."

She stands up and drew her dagger. Her body shifts into a defensive fighting stance. My mind flashes into overdrive. Analyzing, dissecting, arguing...all to come down to the same three options. I gaze at her. ...Why is she still here? She could've escaped earlier...it couldn't be because of m--

"Make your decision, Conrad. I can't afford to waste any more time."

That flat, even tone. Isn't she afraid? Her eyes had that intense ferocity I saw earlier. 

...How? ...Why aren't you scared?

The men made their way slowly, cautiously towards us. The outlines of their guns and rifles were clearly visible. The clouds of smoke thinning out more and more. I turn my gaze towards Astra again. Her pose hasn't changed and her body wasn't tense. But her expression grew more fierce.

...WHAT THE HELL...AM I GOING TO DO?!

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Thank you for your patience! I'm sorry that it took so long. I'm just going to be upfront and say this. I will TRY to post a chapter bi-weekly but I can't stick to a schedule because I don't want to force myself to write a chapter for the sake of writing a chapter. I want it to be good and to flow with the story. But I promise if you continue to follow this story that it will only get better. Feel free to comment, give me criticism (constructive please), vote (that little chubby yellow star), or point grammar errors (seriously. I won't be offended). I've already started on the next chapter and will try to move that along. It's getting easier to write now because Astra has finally appeared. I mean Conrad is nice and all but his story more fun to write when she's there. So thanks for reading! I hope to see you in the next chapter too!

P.S.

Also please be aware that the chapter lengths will vary. Some could be really long or short.

It depresses me though because it occupies so many pages in my notebook but so little once I type it up.