19/3/2040.
I, Hiro Holmes tear through the night, my brown wisps flapping against my face, I puff, dissembling their army persistently blocking my vision.
The lab is in sight and I instinctively crouch, my footsteps silent.
If my calculations were correct, the doors should be open right now and I would have five minutes to successfully find what I needed.
I did this mission without Elizabeth, she didn't want anything to do with it. That was pretty clear two days ago.
Well what should I have expected.
I was trying to fight creatures that come from the legendary Gerenuk! That was the stupidest thing anyone could do.
So I guess I was stupid.
But I'm still smart enough to know you can't fight something you don't know.
That's why I'm on this mission.
Anonymous hints, suspicious clues, persuaded information, all of that led me to this lab. This is where I know about those creatures.
I pull my hood lower on my head, merging with the darkness of the night.
I am close to the door when I hear a click , and it is shoved open.
I dive behind some bushes, thankful they were near.
A man walks out, a light in hand, he points it at every area, searching the surrounding.
It was Martin Hathaway, the owner of the lab, and the head scientist.
The stupid fucking top dog.
When he is satisfied he locks the door, turning around and walking in the opposite direction.
Once he is far from sight, I speed towards the door, dragging the handle. It does not budge. I sigh, exasperated.
Looking for any other way to break in my eyes trail around the lab, all windows were on the last or third floor, totally out of reach.
I sigh, racking my brain for a new plan.
Then my eyes fall on the window on the second floor.
I smile deviously
It was still high and out of reach, but what really makes me smile are the stack of boxes next to it, giving me a boost.
I stare at the height for a while calculating the jump, and then I am dashing towards the stack.
In seconds I am flying in the air, my hand a few inches away.
I am so close, but I grip the air and plummet to my death.
Panicked I quickly change my angle to the right, and propel myself against the wall.
I fall roughly on the stack of boxes, now ontop of all of them. The window is perfectly at reach as I stealthily dive inside.
There are papers everywhere like I expected.
I fish in my pocket, looking for what I needed.
I drag the piece of paper out and unfold it.
Third floor, on you left. Be careful. It's tricky.
~T.
The words are scribbled in excessive cursive, and I once again laugh at the man's handwriting.
I tear out of the room, stealthily passing all the security codes.
Once I reach the third floor I immediately halt.
There are lasers everywhere, Most of them congregating at one side while the other had little to no one at all.
My body is instinctively moving to the other side when I remember the note.
Left side only.
Left side has lasers.
Right side is free.
The note said it was going to be tricky.
I sigh, lowering my hood once more.
I am zipping through the lasers in no time, and in minutes I have passed all of them.
I am now in front of a room, and I reach forward to grab the handle.
An alarm is sounded and I jerk in suprise, but still smirk.
The perfect diversion.
I shove the door open, grabbing all files. I am about to grab one when the front cover intrigued me.
It was a picture of the exact creature I saw with the word "prototype under it.
Prototype.
For a second my heart stops beating.
It couldn't be...
Suddenly the door is kicked open and the man I spotted earlier is found running towards me.
I quickly grab the file, along with a USB I spot lying on the ground and in seconds, before he can grab me, I am leaping through the window.
I repeat my steps and use the wall as a propeller, rolling to avoid impact.
The man's face appears through the window and I hear him curse.
I chuckle and run away.
In minutes though he is on my tail, pushing everything in his away, including his limit.
We find ourselves in an alley and I find myself cornered.
Well since there's no room for flight, there's only one thing else. I fist my hands.
Fight.
______
I felt air leave my lungs as my assailant kneed me in the groin, before throwing me against the wall.
I quickly stood up, plunging forward again.
The man was quick and calculating, like a snake he managed to dodge all of my attacks, and land a vicious punch, square in the face.
This time I staggered back, registering the pain, while thinking of a plan.
Plunging headfirst could never work with this man. I needed to calculate my attacks, just like him.
This time I rushed forwards towards the man raising my right fist as a diversion, when I planned on using my left. It was a practical trick that never failed.
As I predicted, my assaulter focused focused on my right hand, blocking the fake punch, leaving his abdomen open.
I took advantage of that opportunity and landed a punch that bent the man over, which opened the door for a knee on the jaw.
The man staggered back surprised.
I smirked and charged towards him again with the same right hand.
But this time the attack wasn't the main diversion, it was just a cover up for the actual diversion which was the left.
As expected the man paid no attention to my right, only dodging the punch while blocking the left punch falling right into the trap.
As quick as lightening, I swept the man's feet and took advantage of the momentary loss of balance, landing a punch on the jaw.
This time though, he dragged my hand looking forward to landing a hit, but I saw it coming.
I quickly side stepped and landed a hit on the back of his head.
He staggered back again, trying to escape, but I wasn't letting him him go that easily.
I ran towards him looking forward for a spinning kick, but this time he caught it, turning me around and elbowing me in the back.
I quickly backed away, unsheathing a knife I had hidden in my sleeve.
I wasted no time slashing at him while blocking his attacks, I managed to graze his hand before he kicked my hand sending it flying.
Shocked, I did not see his attack as he landed a punch in my ribs and abdomen bending me over before landing a hit on my back.
I was struggling to get up, gasping for breath, when he stomped vicously on my hands.
I groaned as the pain registered, rushing up my arm like a thousand needle pinches.
He slams my face against the floor and I felt the warm liquid rush down my lips.
Second hit, and everything started fading.
Third hit, and I was no longer in a secret alleyway in Cheylesmore, being beaten by Martin Hathaway, instead I was in Chapefields arguing with a girl with sand brown skin and cold blue eyes.
"How can you tell me not to go? It's not like you even care at all"
I stated, glaring at Elizabeth.
"Yes I do. I just don't want to involve myself"
Fourth hit
"Oh please, I don't want to hear it"
"Look, I appreciate what you're doing ok? I also wanna get my life back to normal but-"
"But what? What's keeping you back? Huh?! Do you think you're the only one afraid of those things? you think you're the only one scarred?! I had to fight that thing, had to bury a body in the night, scared that it will jump out of the darkness!"
Fifth hit and the rage welled up in him, as he vividly saw the same cold blue eyes unfazed.
Sixth hit and she spoke.
"You don't know... You don't know anything"
Seventh hit....
*******
The scientist smirked as he felt the boy go numb.
He had finally killed the brat.
The little rat who had threatened to destroy their whole plan in the blink of an eye.
Thankfully he fought many people like him daily and knew just what to do.
He was letting go when as quick as lightening the boy punched his midsection.
It connected with his ribs and he fell on his knees.
The pain that followed was unbearable, everything became blurry and he felt himself fading, he coughed and felt the warm sticky liquid run down his palm.
The walls seemed to be closing up on him.
He looked up and saw what confirmed his impending death.
********
I could not do it. Even though my brain screamed at me to do it I couldn't. I just couldn't kill the man.
He stared at me as if waiting for his impending death, his eyes reflecting his accepted defeat.
I drop the plank, the clatter the only thing heard, breaking the silence.
There is nothing to say as I stand over him, his eyes pleading with me to kill him.
I could just do it.
I shake my head, cautioning the thought.
I am moving backwards about to turn, when I hear the click of a gun.
"Don't move"
The voice of a man is heard behind me and I immediately halt, raising my hands up in the air.
Shit.
I glare at Hathaway, seeing him with a smirk.
There was nothing I could in this situation, gun pointed at me, my back turned, not even when he bullet is coming.
I was like a cornered lamb in this situation.
A cornered lamb..
An idea pops in my head, risky but worth it.
"Any last words?" Asked the man, so confidently.
I smirk.
"Any last words?"
I repeat before skyrocketing, looking for a spinning kick. As I crazily predicted, the bullet passed, barely, between the gap in my legs, flying towards the wall.
The man is to stunned to move and I kick him with all my strength, his head bouncing against the wall, emitting a crack.
He was dead.
I land roughly, dislocating my arm.
The pain is unbearable and to make matters worse my skin scrapes viciously against the floor.
I groan in pain, my vision doubled, and my ears wringing.
Through the sound, I hear Hathaway chuckle maniacally.
My eyes are barely open when all this happens;
He is standing up, he is walking towards the gun, he grabs it, and..
He is pointing it at me.
What a pathetic end I have, I have barely accomplished anything yet, but when I think about it, it's better I die now than have to survive in this cruel unforgiving, unforgettable world, which has only thrown the worst at me since I was born.
From my parents divorce, to my bullying at school, to my mother's death, to our financial problems, to our house problems, to my father's death, to my near death experience in University, to my girlfriend cheating on me, to losing my job, up to this creature, which led me here.
I guess it my death will be a good thing, the time I would finally have peace that I deserve.
I closed my eyes waiting for the shot.
But it never came.
Instead I heard the man scream in pain.
I open my eyes to see the image of Elizabeth gun in hand, pointing it towards Hathaway, who desperately scrambled up to no avail.
"Elizabeth don't!"
She turns to me, more beautiful than ever, she stares at me, her eyes reflecting all emotions she felt.
Anger.
Irritation.
Hurt.
Guilt.
Sadness.
"Don't do it". I repeat, softly.
"Don't do it". He says, his eyes tender and understanding.
I so much want to pull the trigger and kill this man, but his eyes stop me in my tracks, my heart's will for the first time overpowering my brain and common sense.
What was this feeling I felt?
It could not be love so what was it?
I lower my gun, pointing it to the man's leg.
I shoot three times, ignoring his screams of agony.
Hiro stared at me with an expression far from disdain, nodding his head slightly.
I walk over to him an help him up, wincing at his broken arm.
He seethes from the pain but says nothing.
The two of us stand over the man who should be Martin Hathaway, as he clutched his leg in pain.
"I'll take him to my base, get information out of him" I suggest, my eyes trailing over the fallen and harmless man.
Hiro thinks for a while before nodding.
"Sure, but don't kill him, send him far away later" He says.
It was a dumb decision he was making but it was his decision, who am I to interfere?
I nod slowly before carrying the man on my shoulder, ignoring his screams.
Together we walked away from that alley, the cold night breeze cool against my skin.
Hiro seemed fatigued, his eyes drooping.
"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.
"Ye..Yeah...."
He drawed his words, his eyes drooping even more.
And then he fainted.