The gunshot reverberated around the room. Charlotte felt the hot spray of blood across her face as she crouched on the ground her head and body aching. The colour drained from the blonde man's pinkish face and he crumpled to the floor, a red pool spreading out around him. Matt's wide brown eyes met hers and his fear threatened to topple her resolve, her concentration.
"I wasn't going to let him shoot you," she grumbled, scrambling to her feet and clutching her head. Her vision swam and the inside of her cheek was raw from the impact of the man's fist, the metallic taste of blood clinging to her tongue.
"I know..." he mumbled, his cheeks flushing. She could see the darkening bruise around his left eye and cheekbone. "I just..." Matt's gaze drifted from the dead body between them to the door of the cell that was now open, allowing a shaft of yellow light into the room. The third altered soldier stood and gazed past them entranced, a black, glinting revolver in her hand. "Did she...? Is she...?" Matt asked approaching the girl, her elegant features lost in shadow.
"She was in the kitchen with them," Charlotte said, prodding the dead man's arm with the toe of her boot. The girl from the kitchen stood with her gun aloft facing the room, but unseeing to what had happened there, to what she had done. "She's under my alteration. She won't hurt you".
"How did she hurt... kill him?" Matt asked.
"She thought it was me... funny thing about my alteration. It makes you see things that aren't quite certain". Charlotte pulled the gun from the dead man's hand and handed it to Matt.
"What can she do?" he asked.
Charlotte shrugged as she approached the girl. She peeled her hands from the gun. "She can breathe under water," she whispered, slamming her elbow into the girl's face with a sickening crunch. Blood spurted from her nose, but the girl didn't react.
"Is she... gone?" Matt asked, as Charlotte hauled her into the cell and pushed her against the wall.
"No... just locked in her mind for the moment, but once I leave here I won't hold on to her anymore. Tie her for me. She can keep the cell company for now".
Matt did as he was told, his movements surprisingly calm and fluid for someone who had had a gun pressed to his head only moments before. Charlotte's attention was only half on Matt's movements. Beyond she could hear other noises. She stepped into the hall, unable to release the girl from her alteration until Matt was free from any retribution and had firmly locked the cell behind them.
The long, gloomy corridor was as clear as it had been to her alteration, but now ahead she could hear scuffling footsteps. Nothing that Matt would even have noticed she was sure, but her trained ears let her decipher the carefully placed steps, the uneasy breath. She raised her gun and moved along the corridor, placing each foot gently on the flagstones. She knew the layout of this corridor well. At the end stairs led to the kitchen and it was from there she could hear the shuffled steps of the next enemy. She paused, tightening her finger on the trigger, waiting until they presented her with a target or until Matt had the other girl secured in the cell and she could release her alteration.
A stair creaked at the same time that Matt dragged the heavy door shut. Charlotte released the girl and reclaimed her alteration ready to strike once more, but quicker than she could think of her next move, she found herself thrown backwards and the gun ripped from her grip. She pinched her eyes shut waiting for the collision with the wall at the far end of the corridor, but the impact never came.
Instead she felt the room still and the forceful movement halt suddenly. Tight arms held her motionless, her arms locked to her side.
"You weren't going to shoot me were you, Owens?"
Charlotte opened her eyes and fixed them on Ian, his face blocking everything else from view. She scanned his expression, afraid to believe it was really him. He released her with a wide grin. As he stepped back, she caught other movements beyond him. Wallace had wrapped her arms around Matt and she held him tightly, afraid to let go, aware of everything that had happened without the need of Matt to tell her. Harris stood beside them, ignoring their embrace politely.
"What happened to you guys?" Ian asked, walking back with Charlotte and retrieving the gun he had sent flying from her hands.
"We were caught before we had even reached the house," Charlotte growled. "We woke up in the cell and we had to get inventive to escape. How did you know we were down this way?"
"We got delayed with patrols around the house," Ian began. "When we finally got in through the kitchen we found this girl clinging to life on the floor, a gunshot wound in her chest".
"I was able to read what happened and she knew where you were being kept," Wallace breathed. Charlotte met her hazel gaze and could read in her expression that none of the night's happenings were secret any longer. Charlotte knew Wallace could see how they had ended up imprisoned. She could see who had betrayed them and had to be aware of Ethan's absence. The enemy had him. Like Matt, they might be holding him for blackmail, for insurance against an attack or as an incentive for her to hand over her alteration. It might even be too late to save him. But she was sure Wallace could see that she was not willing to discuss it, any of it at that moment.
"Right. It's great to have a bit of back up," Charlotte nodded, tearing her gaze from Wallace.
"Doesn't look like you've needed our help so far," Ian grinned, pointing to the blood splattered over Charlotte's clothes. Charlotte shook her head making it clear it was not the time for battle-tales.
"We need to keep moving. Do we know if there are many in the house?"
"At least forty," Wallace frowned, gazing at the door Matt had just closed. "There are more in the grounds".
"We can deal with the house first, maybe we can draw them in here instead of chasing them through the trees," Charlotte said. She just wanted to find Ethan and James. One to ensure his safety and the other... she wasn't sure yet. Cary and Kiya had also started the attack with James. Charlotte suddenly felt weak. She couldn't begin to deal with his betrayal right now and to think of what could have happened to Cary or Kiya was close to pushing her past her limits.
"Are you okay?" Wallace asked. Charlotte knew she could read her thoughts, read every doubt and hurt and worry. Every ounce of anger. She wondered too for a brief moment what Wallace could see forming in her mind, what end was looming in the depths of her fury. "I trust you in this," Wallace breathed. "I'm with you whatever happens".
"We all are," Matt said and Harris nodded fervently.
"To the end," Ian grinned, catching her hand and squeezing it.
"We need to keep moving then," Charlotte breathed, her cheeks burning and the gun heavy in her hand. For all she knew, its next bullet was meant for James Alexander.
Thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed this and you will take the time to vote, comment and share my story with as many people as possible! Sorcha x
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Feared
Science Fiction'Play the game, she thought, remembering the only three words that had helped her to survive at Kingston. Only back then she had known the game, she had known what they wanted her to be, what they had wanted her to do - this man was different. She d...
