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

Chapter Ten

~Conrad~

My survival instincts didn't kick in as fast as I would've liked. I stand up slowly. My eyes lock on Astra's glowing irises and the ring of suspended bullets encircling us. The SWAT team break out of their stupor much faster. One of them boldly charges at Astra, preparing to tackle her. He suddenly veers off his path and slams me to the ground as the bullets began to fly overhead.

I turn my head to face Astra and watch as she dodges the oncoming bullets at an inhuman speed. She punches an armed SWAT member five feet away from where she was standing before I even realized that she had disappeared from my view.

Damn, she moves fast!

The SWAT member that had tackled me, roughly pulls me up and half drags me away from Astra. I struggle against him violently. I had taken martial arts when I was younger but none of it was coming into play right now.

The pavement slick from the constant rainfall didn't allow me to stand up. All I succeed in doing is half choking myself as I desperately try to wriggle out of his iron grasp. He tosses me behind a small stone wall like a rag doll and then hops over it himself.

"Stay close to the ground!"

I can barely hear him over the thunder.

Is he on Astra's side?!

The SWAT member then stood up and began to open fire.

Is he shooting at Astra or at the SWAT team? Is the SWAT team part of the CIA? Or is only the guy in the suit?

Making sure to keep my head down, I risk a glance. There were more than a few bodies lying very still on the ground. I avert my gaze, not wanting to take in too many details. My nightmares are bad enough as it is. I watch Astra instead.

Even from this distance, I could see her eyes were still glowing bright gold. Her movements surreal as she spin kicks a SWAT agent and then leaps into a side roll to avoid a sneak attack from behind her. She launchs herself from the ground and unsheathes her dagger to stab him on the side of his neck. Viciously finishing him off by slicing his throat. The blood sprays onto her face.

I turn away and dry heave.

My God, she's a monster! It had been hard to believe the stories I was fed by the CIA but...my God...seeing her in action made me realize all those stories had to be true. Apprehension was building up inside me.

Adrenaline slowly spreading through my body. Flight or fight response...I can escape. Astra is distracted and the CIA or SWAT or whatever, were too preoccupied with trying to capture her. This is my chance...probably my last!

Hoisting myself up into a crouched position, I wait untill the agent next to me was too busy shooting to pay attention to me. And then I bolt for the parking lot. Pushing myself to run faster than I ever had run. I slip a couple of times, the grass and pavement slippery from the rain. I kept going though. My life depends on it.

Astra may have saved me but who knew what sick, twisted agenda was behind it. She's a murderer! I just saw it with my own eyes.

Keep breathing even.

Running has never been my strong suit. I barely reached the parking lot when something plows into me from behind.

I cry out in pain as I tumble to the ground. My body throbbing. I roll over on to my back and saw it was the sunglass wearing CIA agent.

So he's with Astra too?!

Yanking me up by arm, he pulls me behind a cement wall where a dumpster sat close by. The stench of wet, rotting garbage reaches me pretty quickly. I pinch my nose and do my best to not breathe in too deeply. The CIA agent stoops down and shot at someone. Whether it was Astra or his buddies, I don't know.

My head aches from confusion and my knees feel raw. The pain increases after I look down at my knees. My jeans were torn open and I could see the bloody mess. It reminded me of raw meat. It looks disgusting. I shift my eyes to the storm clouds above. I need to calm down.

"Call your girlfriend!"

"What?!"

"Call Laura! Tell her what's happening!"

"For rea-"

"NOW!"

I pull my cell out of my pocket and dialed Laura. I don't know what the hell is the point of this but I wasn't going to argue with an armed man. Laura had picked up in less than half a ring.

"Conrad!"

Her panic filled voice sounds so sweet to me.

"Con! Con, where are you?"

"I'm on the side of the hotel!"

"Which side?! There's gunshots everywhere! I'll send Bruce to get you. BRUCE!"

"NO! STAY WITH BRUCE!"

The last thing Laura needed was to not have the bodyguard near her.

"Look things are freaking insane out here. Don't leave Bruce's side. Astra's here an—"

"ASTRA?!"

My cell is pulled from my grip.

"Hey! Give that back!"

The agent remains still and just held my cell tightly in his grip. I attempt to pry it out of his hand but damn, he had a good grip. The rain had still not relented and the thunder rolls above us violently.

"At least cover it man! Water ruins phones!"

That's when I heard it. The silence. It should've been a welcome sound but it just perturbs me. It just makes me feel tense and uneasy.

...I could try to make a run for it again.

A vice like grip on my shoulder pulls me backwards. The agent drags me out from where we had been hiding and tosses me forward unceremoniously. I fall roughly on my back. Sitting up, I give him my most menacing glare.

"Are you injured", I heard a soft monotone voice ask.

I reluctantly turn around to face her. She looks ghoulish. Astra's pale skin contrasted against the dark blood that stained most of her clothing. The rain seemed to have washed off what was on her skin more or less. But I could still see fading streaks of it on her body.

She startles me by kneeling down next to me. Half afraid she was going to stab me too.

But she simply leans in to inspect my knees. Her mouth became a grim line as she stands up. Turning her back to me to face the agent, Astra held out her hand and he places my cell phone into it.

"I know it stings but it doesn't appear that anything is broken. It needs to be cleaned though to prevent infection. You should be able to sta—"

She is cut off as thunder echoed all around us. I watch Astra fall face forward. The agent immediately raises his gun and shot somewhere behind me three times. The silence after the gun shots are followed by a loud thud.

Turning around, I see a SWAT agent on the floor. The water around him becoming tainted by the fresh bullet wounds he had just received.

That's when I realize with a sinking dread that the thunder I had just heard wasn't thunder. I crawl over to Astra quickly.

"Astra?"