-Jen-
"What's going on?" I asked. "Why am I going to die? Why aren't you trying to help me out?"
My dad chuckled and the dogs surrounding his legs snarled at me. "Because you weren't supposed to be born. You really think you're my daughter? Ha! That's really funny." He went to talk to one of the guards.
I didn't understand. What did he mean I wasn't supposed to be born? Before I could ask the door behind me opened up again and guards came in. I turned to see my sister and my friends. Kodi was limp in Jack's arms and Chloe actually had regret on her face.
"Chloe! Jack! Are you okay? Is Kodi okay?" I called to them. Jack looked to Chloe and then to me, giving a small nod and a smile. I smiled back but tears fell down my face. I knew the circle of guards wouldn't let me move but I desperately wanted to hug them all.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked me from across the room. They were being put in a large glass display model.
"I'm fine!" I answered.
A guard chuckled. "Not for long. Bruce is here."
Bruce. Bruce? Where have I heard that name before? "Bruce?" I asked. The guard didn't answer.
"DAD?" Jack screamed from across the room. I watched her eyes widen in shock. "You always said you were out with business, is this your business? Having assassins come and kill people? You hired Chloe to kill my sister?"
Chloe? I looked to her, but she kept her eyes down. Our dad laughed, looking into the box that held my sister. "Of course I did, except I took her under my wing and trained her to kill quick and easy, but it seems you three got attached to her, preventing her from doing her job. So now, I have to take it into my own hands and kill her."
"But why? Why kill my sister? What about our other sisters? What about mom?" Jack screamed at him.
"If you must know, she isn't my daughter. She was conceived when I was at work. She was born by another man. She doesn't have a purpose on this world. Whenever I see her stumbling around with her homosexual friend, it only makes me hate her more. What is her purpose? She is clumsy, she's blind, and I already have three daughters not including her. Why do we need five females in one household? It was supposed to be easy. Kill her and we have my three daughters. Not three daughters and an illegitimate child."
I clutched my chest, but the tears didn't stop. He hated me. I didn't even do anything wrong. I tried my best to show him that I was a good child, but I guess all was in vain since I wasn't even his daughter. I sobbed loudly covering my face and letting my glasses hit the ground.
I was going to die because I wasn't perfect.
-Jacklynn-
I was enraged. How dare he talk to her like that? "She's still my sister, and she's perfect. How can you call yourself a father if you plotted to kill your youngest daughter!"
Dad paced in front of the glass containing us. "It wasn't that hard of a plot, when I realized that the child looked nothing like the rest of you, I realized that she wasn't mine. I got 0618 to befriend her and make it less obvious that she was intended to kill her. I took good care of you and your sisters, didn't I? You three grew up with love. I'm not going to waste my time on a child that didn't belong to me."
"You're horrible!" I screamed. "I hate you!" I dropped to my knees and sobbed just as loudly as my sister across the room. Jen looked horrible, her hair was a tangled disaster, her glasses lay on the floor in front of her, a moldy blanket covered her from the waist down and she didn't seem at all comfortable.
Chloe wrapped her arms around me and I almost pushed her away until I heard her whispering quietly. "We can get out of this. I know this building like the back of my hand. Just don't say anything." She looked at me and I have a quick nod.
I wiped my face and looked to Kodi. She was still asleep, but she rolled over and went back to laying still.
Dad had walked away from the glass and was now standing in front of my sister. Jen's eyes were wide with horror as he held a gun up to her face. He didn't shoot it though. He only emptied it in front of her. "I have a better idea. How about having the woman I hired kill her instead."
-Kodi-
Everything felt hazy and cold. I pried open my eyes and gasped as I spotted Jen sitting on the ground. My heart hurt and I leaped from the ground, but arms wrapped around me.
"Sit still and be quiet," Jack said softly so that the guards didn't notice. I looked to her, then to the guards and then back. I spotted Chloe standing in front of Jen with a gun in her hand.
No.
She wouldn't.
She cocked the gun.
I closed my eyes and turned away.
The gun went off.
I choked on a sob and dropped to my knees. Jen is dead and I didn't even understand what was going on! More gunshots followed and Jack grabbed my arm.
"Now! Let's go!" She said. I opened my eyes and looked to find it pitch black, except for the bright bursts of light from the gunfire. Chloe was dodging and shooting, keeping Jen behind her at all times. I kept hold of Jack and followed her to what felt like a cold door. It was hard to tell with it being so dark. There was lots of shouting and I gunshots around us. Was Chloe sacrificing herself for us?
Jack grunted as she pushed onto something. I stood next to her and helped her push onto the hard door. It opened a little and I deemed it big enough to sneak out in. Jack went in first and I was going to follow when I felt something grab my arm. I almost screamed but a hand covered my mouth.
They let me go and pushed me into the door. I fell into the cold hallway and two other bodies fell right on top of me. I groaned. "Kodi!"
Jen smiled at me, hugging me tightly. I hugged her close and gave a sigh of relief.
"You two can do that later. We gotta get out of here. I killed Bruce but they still have Pierce. Pierce is unpredictable and we have to be careful." Chloe said softly.
"Who's Pierce?" Jack asked.
"He was the second in command but now that Bruce is dead, he's in charge."
Chloe walked forward and pulled out a knife to unscrew the screws on a vent and motioned for us to climb in. Jack climbed in and I followed but Jen hesitated before looking at Chloe.
"I don't think I'll fit in that," she said softly. Chloe looked at Jen and sighed.
"Alright we'll find another way. You two, go and make your way through this vent. Straight the whole way through. Do NOT take any side paths," Chloe instructed. I nodded. Chloe handed me a small cube. "This is like a tracker and speaker combined. I'll use it to make sure you two make it safe while I take Jen another way."
I wanted to protest seeing as she's the one who got us into this, but I swallowed my pride and nodded. Chloe put the vent back up to cover us and with a salute, grabbed Jen's hand left us. Jack sighed before crawling through the vent. "We gotta go if we wanna see her again," Jack said softly.
I nodded and followed her though the small vent.
-Chloe-
Jen was slowing down and panting hard behind me. I stopped her and picked her up in my arms. Jen squeaked but wrapped her arms around my neck.
"You're not going to kill me, right? I do matter, right?" She whispered.
"I'm not going to kill you. I didn't want to and avoided it as much as possible. And you do matter. You'll always matter to me, and your sister, and Kodi." I hoped my words made her feel somewhat better. Jen didn't say anything.
I kept my pace down the hall and gasped when I saw the man I didn't want us running into. Pierce. He was insane and has escaped many asylums and psychiatric hospitals. He stood at about six feet with black hair slicked back from his wild green eyes. He had pale skin and pointed teeth he had sharpened when he was younger.
Pierce noticed us and smiled, his crazy wide smile. "Chloe, is it?" He asked, taking a step forwards. I took a step back. "Don't be afraid, my dear. I'm not mean like Bruce. I don't kill unless I deem it. You don't deserve the life you've lived. I want to help you."
I took another step back. "I just want my friends to get home safely. I don't care what happens to me, just as long as they are safe and out of the system, I'll be happy."
Pierce cocked his head. "No you won't. I can see through that stoic look you have. It hurts you deeply that you can't be with them, the only ones that you considered family." I flinched and Jen gasped.
"You see us as family?" She asked. I looked down to her and gave a small smile. She smiled back and I looked to where Pierce had propped himself against the wall.
"Tell you what, Chloe, how about I let you and your friends go. You can't ever come back to this place. You have to return all of your equipment and never ever speak about us to anyone," Pierce said, counting off his fingers.
It sounded too good to be true. "What's the catch?"
Pierce laughed. "No catch. You've already done what I wanted done. You got Bruce out of the way so that I was finally in control. He never listened to what I've told him. I kept saying how he couldn't just kill her off because she was born by another man. I kept warning him it was the wife's fault, but he didn't ever listen. He got what he deserves. Besides, you've always been a good agent, helpful to the cause, good with people, despite that stoic and unemotional brick wall you put up, and think of this as a retirement. You're still young. Go and enjoy life. You've got friends. Here, I'll escort you and your friends in the vent back to the cabin you she was taken from."
Is he serious? Did her really just let us off like that? It seemed very unlike the things I've researched about him. But here Pierce was standing, offering us a free outta hell card. I looked down at Jen who was still smiling at me.
"Let's go home! I think I need a nap," she said smiling. I looked at Pierce who smiled again. I followed him down the many halls and watched as people charged at us, but stopped when Pierce gave his piercing glare, hence the name, and they all froze.
As we made it outside, a group of guards were standing at the open gate where Jack and Kodi should've came out of by now. Then I heard the screaming.
I looked over to Pierce and he laughed. "I don't think I should go get them; I might scare them. You two go get them, I'll wait here. I nodded and kicked off my boots so Jen would have shoes in the snow. She slid them on and I took off my coat to wrap around her shoulders.
"We aren't going to kill you, please come out of the vent. No hard feelings, we were only doing what Bruce told us," A guard said.
"0418, move. You'll only scare them even more," I told him. He rolled his eyes and they all backed away. I crouched in front of the vent and saw them bunched together. Jacklynn was a snotty crying mess. "Come out, Jen is standing in her nightgown in the snow."
Jack opened her eyes and they immediately lit up. I watched her crawl out quickly and Kodi came out after her. Jen hugged her sister tightly and they were crying together. Kodi walked up to me and, without blinking, swung her fist. I didn't move, letting her fist collide with my cheek and knocking me back a bit. I grabbed my sore cheek and Kodi shook her hand out.
"That's for not telling us what was going on." I was caught off guard when she hugged me. "That is for saving Jen. I'd be nothing without her. Thank you so much. Just don't let this happen again." I nodded and she gave a salute before walking to Jen. I walked to them and Jacklynn gasped.
"Oh man, I didn't think she'd hit you for real," she said. I mean I guess it was fair? I didn't really care at this point. I could've easily avoided it, but it definitely wasn't worth her rage. I shrugged it off and Jack bent down and scooped up some snow to make into a ball. She pressed it softly against my cheek, and once again I was caught off guard when she gently kissed me on the lips. I looked at her in confusion and she smiled with a blush across her face.
"I think we should get going, the hummer is here," Pierce said. I nodded.
We all followed Pierce to the hummer on the side of the facility. Kodi leaned down to Jen. "Who's that?" She asked.
"You could just ask me," Pierce answered. Kodi blushed and Jen laughed.
As we climbed into the hummer, I felt a great relief lift off my shoulders. It was as if something good was coming my way.