The Shadows That Dwell Within (The Warrior Queens book #1) (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 5 - Rosaline

Victoria's usually composed face was now a mask of horror.

"Please tell me you're joking" she said.

Rosaline heart plummeted. In that moment of sheer panic, Rosaline ran ahead of Adelaide.

"I ran out of there as fast as I could. She wasn't behind me so I assumed she stayed behind to help you" Rosaline stammered.

"But you two ran together" Penelope said.

It was her fault. It was her fault and everyone knew it. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

"I must've lost her along the way" Rosaline mumbled.

The group surrounded Rosaline. She felt like she was prey. Victoria's stone cold glare bore a hole in Rosaline's head.

"So you're saying she's still in there" Nicholas asked.

"She might've went out one of the other exits" Raymond suggested.

"But what if she didn't?" Rosaline shrieked. "What if she's still in there? We have to go back in".

Rosaline turned and made her way to the prison entrance. Victoria stormed up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Adelaide will have escaped by now. There is no point going back in now" Victoria said.

"But what if she hasn't escaped?" Rosaline protested.

"You better hope that Adelaide has escaped. Because if she is in there against one hundred people, she doesn't have much of a chance does she?" Cecelia said.

Cecelia's arms were folded and she had a look of contempt on her face. A spark of annoyance flared up inside Rosaline and she lunged for her. Nicholas grabbed Rosaline by the arm and pulled her back.

"Calm down. This isn't helping anyone" Nicholas said. "We will go back in there because in the AIA we don't leave anybody behind".

"We do if it's a lost cause" Maxwell said.

"Adelaide is not a lost cause" Rosaline growled.

"It's stupid to risk the lives of ten people for one person" Cecelia said, sticking her nose in the air.

"You wouldn't be saying that if it was one of your agents" Nicholas argued.

"Enough" Victoria said. "We're all standing around her arguing like children in a playground while there are people in there who could be connected to Erebus. They jeopardised our investigation and need to be arrested. I have requested backup. When they arrive we will re-enter the building. Am I understood?"

There were no objections. Even Maxwell was silenced by Victoria's authority.

The Falcons and the Amiticians circled the perimeter of the prison, making sure none of the suspects escaped. Victoria attempted several times to reach Adelaide via radio transmitter. Every call was met with nothing more than static.

"You know Adelaide. She's always breaking her transmitter" Rosaline said.

Rosaline herself hated those radio transmitters. They were so clunky, hard to conceal, easy to break. Victoria nodded in agreement, but looked grim. As they continued circling the prison, Rosaline recognised the door which she and Adelaide escaped from, five years ago. There were others with them, but they didn't make it. They were gunned down by guards. Rosaline could still hear the gun shots echoing in her ears. It made her shiver.

Finally the AIA squad cars came into view. Rosaline breathed a sigh of relief. Finally they could go back in. Rosaline was the first in. She sprinted towards the room where all the commotion happened. She pushed through the door and was met with shocking emptiness. All the hooded figures were gone. Vanished. The blood from the fight still covered the room and there was just a hint of dark mist floating in the air. The room's eerie silence was cut short by agents filtering in the room. Their reactions was a chorus of horrified gasping and shrieking.

A groan came from the other end of the room. She strode over and pushed a box out of the way. One of the hooded figures lay on the ground dying. He still had some breaths in him yet. Rosaline pulled out her knife and held it to his throat.

"Where are rest of your team? Who is Erebus? Where is Adelaide?" She shouted.

He only managed to croak out one thing before the light faded from his eyes.

"Amiticia has no hope".