Karma crouched low in front of Nash. She swept her leg under the man with ease. She knocked him backward to the dirt. As her hand reached for the gun hung on the belt of the man behind her, her mind rejected her actions. She fought to focus, but this was all muscle memory. This was starting to feel like a dream… or a nightmare.
Rea threw his body over Nash. Her boyfriend kept him pinned to the ground. They grappled for the knife Nash still held. Rea's hands forced Nash to stab himself in the neck.
The sound of a single shot being fired reverberated around the room. Scared, she glanced around to see who had fired a gun.
Finally, there was only an eerie silence.
Blood flowed freely from the huge gash that had been cut into Nash's throat. As the dirt around him turned red, she spun away from the scene. She was lightheaded and trying valiantly not to vomit. What had she done? She looked around the room. The weight of every man's eyes was on her. This time, they weren't assessing her figure. They were afraid of her. Every man, including Rea, looked tense and alert.
Rea stood unsteadily. He stepped between her and the lifeless body. He didn't speak but merely stared at her like all the other men. Her eyes flipped to him. She wanted to beg him to hold her and to chase away what had happened. She wanted Rea to comfort her and tell her he was there for her.
"Karma?" Rea said her name slowly.
His voice wasn't more than a whisper of sound, but she felt it in her heart. She could feel the persistent connection that said he would be there, no matter what. Rea would be there for her. He loved her.
"Kitten?" Again, he spoke like he was trying to soothe a wild animal. He took one tiny step forward, then another, until he was only a few inches from her. Carefully, with his hands steady, he reached out.
Karma looked down at her hands. She realized she tightly gripped a gun. Where had she gotten it? When?
Wildly, she spun around. She let her eyes return to the dead man on the floor. A perfect bullet hole was in the center of his forehead. What had she done? Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, but she couldn't seem to let them fall. Everyone waited for her to give up the weapon she clutched. This was evident without the words spoken. She didn't want to let go of the gun. That idea frightened her more than anything that had happened so far.
She released the small pistol into Rea's hand and waited to see what would happen. She had killed a man who worked for Rea. What would Rea's father say when he found out? What would Rea do?
"Gears," Rea called to the doctor, and he appeared at his side. Karma was stunned to see him. She didn't even know he'd shown up in the training room. "Take Karma back to my room and check her injuries. Check her memories." Rea linked his fingers through hers. They rushed through the men who moved out of their way like they were an avalanche.
They got to the far side of the room with Gears following. Rea opened the door. The hallway looked like a welcoming sanctuary that would let her escape this madness. She turned to Gears, who stood next to her. Gears and Rea exchanged a look. The men were silent, and it made the training room seem abnormal.
"Gears, I'll stay here and handle the body. I have to speak to Ken. Take Karma home. I'll be there soon." Rea pressed the gun into Gears' hand. Gears looked at the weapon and wagged his head back and forth.
"Back to your room again? Really? Don't you think you should reconsider that?" Gears pushed the weapon back at Rea. Rea pushed it back again.
"Take her to my room. Do what you have to do to look after her. I'll tell Ken what happened and have him handle it. I'll be there soon."
"I don't think so." Gears shoved the gun back again into Rea's hand. "What if this triggers all her memories? Does Ken know what's going on? Maybe I should talk to him instead. You go with Karma. I'll stay."
Gears' hands shook. He looked like he was scared of her. She hated that. He took a step away from her and moved closer to the training room door.
Rea was not to be swayed. He stepped in front of Gears, handing the gun to him one final time.
"I'll only be a minute. Ken will help me remove the body and talk to the men. He's efficient." Rea pushed him out into the hallway. Karma meekly followed, feeling dejected.
"What if she…." Gears trailed off.
"She'll be fine," Rea insisted.
Rea returned to the crowd of men around the body. At this point, she didn't believe him. She thought she would never be fine again.