31 Days

24 - Die

Warning(s): mentions of blood, injuries, and weapons, implied death

She ran as hard as she possibly could. Nothing mattered to her except making sure her best friend was safe. Not the pain in her side, not the open wounds on her body screaming for her to stop, just stop, not her lungs that burned in her chest.

Only that Ellie was safe.

The stairwell caused her footsteps to echo off the concrete walls as she began her hike up the stairs. She wasn't sure how many there were, only that she wasn't getting there fast enough.

Ellie, hang in there, please! I'm coming!

The thought that no one had come to the stairwell to stop her briefly crossed her mind, but she dismissed it. Her breathing and footfalls should've alerted someone to her presence, but no one stopped her. She didn't care. She would've fought tooth and nail to get to Ellie.

Finally, she reached the rooftop. She burst out the door to the sight of her best friend tied up in a chair, bruised and bloody, barely conscious. An intimidating man stood next to Ellie, hands folded behind his back, his face hiding all emotions. She noticed he didn't appear to have a weapon, but she didn't let her guard down. Just because she couldn't see one didn't mean he didn't have one concealed on him or nearby.

"Ah, so glad you could join us, Jenna," the man drawled.

She stood, breathing heavily, fists clenched. Ellie just barely managed to lift her head to see her, which made Jenna's vision go red out of anger.

"I'm here." She said coldly. "Now, let her go."

The man chuckled without emotion. "Why the rush? We have all day."

She ground her teeth together, trying her best to control her fiery temper. She didn't want to lash out and say something impulsive. It could result in Ellie getting even more hurt.

Ellie shifted and moaned quietly. The longer Jenna looked her best friend over, the more wounds she noticed. She was sure there were plenty of internal injuries too. Their "doctor" would be pissed off when Jenna brought Ellie back looking like this.

"Listen. We may have all day, but I would prefer not to be here all day. So how about you let her go and we all go our merry ways?" Jenna tried.

The man appeared to ponder Jenna's offer for a moment.

"Now where's the fun in that?"

Jenna felt the rage begin to swell in her chest. It was only a matter of time before she blew her top.

"I don't wanna have to fight you, but I will," she growled.

He laughed, a genuine, terrifying laugh that sent a chill down her spine.

"So feisty. I like that."

"I'll bet you do," she snapped.

He raised a single eyebrow. "Tsk tsk, temper, temper. Careful, Jenna, your temper could get her killed."

This made Jenna freeze. She could tell he wasn't bluffing. This sent her heart beating in a frenzy. A faint ringing started in her ears.

The man grinned, reveling in the effects his words had on her. "It would be a shame if she were to die because of you, don't you think?"

Jenna couldn't help but agree with him. It would be more than a shame, she wasn't sure she could live with herself if she had Ellie's blood on her conscience.

"And what would your team think?"

She knew exactly what they'd think. They'd warned her frequently about her temper issues and that it could land her in trouble someday, and when it did, she'd find no sympathy from them. If she got their best informant killed...

"You know I'm right, Jenna."

He was, but she didn't want him to know that. She kept a straight face, pushing her inner turmoil away. She still struggled to hold her tongue.

"It's too bad that I'm going to kill her anyways."

Her eyes widened.

He pulled a knife out from underneath his shirt. "And there's nothing you can do about it. You'll simply have to watch her die—"

Jenna screamed in fury and threw herself at the man, not even taking a second to pull out her knife. He leaped away from her and from Ellie, slightly surprised.

She flew at the man in a whirlwind of fists and steel-toed boots, not caring where she punched and kicked, only that she made contact with each one. She certainly didn't miss her target even once.

His knife flashed and she jumped back just barely in time to avoid being gutted like a fish. The point caught her shirt and tore it open, however, and the white fabric fluttered ghost-like in the breeze. She realized quickly that she couldn't fight hand to hand anymore, so she drew her knife and went back at him.

They swung at each other, ducking and leaping over the short blades, dodging each thrust aimed at their abdomens. They were pretty equally matched, no one could deny that. Jenna was beginning to get the upper hand when a faint groan caught her attention.

"Jenna..." Ellie murmured.

Jenna's attention was momentarily taken off the man, which proved to be a mistake. He swung his knife at her, and she noticed it, but couldn't get out of the way in time.

The gash in her thigh began to stain her jeans red. It stung, but she knew it would be worse once her adrenaline wore off. She stumbled back, each step sending pain shooting up and down her leg.

The man laughed again. "You may be skilled with a knife, Jenna, but not even you can resist the cries of a friend."

She wanted so badly to glance back at Ellie, but knew she couldn't. She may be stubborn as hell, but she could recognize and learn from her mistakes.

"Proves that I actually care for others, unlike you," she spat.

His brow furrowed. "Well, now you just wound me."

He lunged at her and the two resumed their fight. Jenna fought with a newfound vigor and intensity that shone in her eyes. She managed to land a few good jabs in before getting him on the edge of the building. One push, and he'd plummet to his death thirty stories below. The wind seemed to grow stronger here, whipping Jenna's hair against her face and her jacket around her body.

"Now, now, Jenna," the man ventured, fear evident in his eyes. "Let's think this through."

"Bold of you to assume I didn't already."

His eyes widened at the pure venom in her voice. "No-!"

She shoved as hard as she could, turning around quickly before she could see the aftermath of the fall. She may not have regretted her decision, but she never had felt comfortable with the sight of death.

She limped back over to Ellie, the pain already starting to creep in.

"Oh, Ellie..."

Ellie managed to barely lift her head. "Jen...your leg..."

"My leg's fine, El, I'm more worried about you."

Ellie's eyes kept shifting in and out of focus. She eventually passed out, her head hanging limp down on her chest. The feelings of sorrow and rage combined to make Jenna's ears ring and her vision swim, but she ignored it and spoke gently instead.

"Let's get you back to base and all fixed up, El..."