Chapter 4- The Assassin's Messenger

Parker meets a spy.... (She appears in later chapters.

Chapter 4:

            My foot shook with anticipation. I took a breath and steadied it as the three suits walked by. They were laughing. I waited until they passed then went in the direction they came from. The first three houses were unlocked and anything useful was gone. The forth house was locked. I quickly picked the lock. I went in and shut and locked the door behind me. The suits probably knew every house that was locked or unlocked. The medicine cabinets were full and there were still some good food in the cabinets. When I reached for the top shelf, the pain on my side made itself known.

            It had been three days since I said goodbye to Levi and the next day I was in a lot of pain but I didn’t take anything. Other people needed it more than I did. Three days later I was still feeling it and the bruise was still pretty prominent. I grabbed my side, “S**t.”

            The barking started and quickly got louder. I shot out the back door. I jumped through the broken window in one of the empty houses. I touched everything, especially the couch and all the chairs.  The dog was right outside and howling. I could hear Suits shouting orders at each other and plans. I started out the window then dropped back in when three more suits ran by. As soon as they were gone I shot towards the other house and burst through the front door. I ran into the kitchen to be greeted with an open drawer right to my sore ribs. I struggled not to scream out. I just sat down and whimpered.

            I heard the front door burst open followed by the back door.

“There’s a rebel somewhere in these houses. He couldn’t have made it past this block,” The dog was going crazy. The one who seemed to call the shots shouted, “Shut him up!”

            I tried to stand but it was too much and I sat back and waited.

“Dale, Jake, and April upstairs. Thomas, bedrooms. I’ll get the living room and dining room. Lexis, Kitchen!”
            “Yes sir!” A whole group.

“Report if you see anything.”

            I could hear them riffling through stuff. The kitchen had an island and I quickly pulled myself to the other side. I would give myself at least a few more seconds. I thought about it and almost laughed. Brought down by an opened drawer, how lame. Not that anyone would know. I would just not show up at any of the camps. Eventually they would assume I was dead and a new messenger would be given my route. I stared at the area I knew she would be coming. I noticed the floor was dirty. It’s blue and white tiles reminded me of old T.V. shows. I saw her government issued shoe first then her gun. She stepped around the corner and pointed the gun right at me.

            She was staring into my eyes and I wasn’t about to look away, “You might as well shoot me now because I’m not talking.”

            “Shut up!” She whispered.

I heard the others shouting that their areas were clear. She looked through the doorway then worded, “Stay here and be quiet.”

            I let go of my side.

She shouted, “Clear!”

            I gave her a questioning look. She motioned for me to stay put, “I’ll be back.”
I nodded and she holstered her gun. Her hair was in a tight ponytail. She was about my size. She looked like someone I wouldn’t want to mess with. She turned and stopped, “What are you doing in here? I told you it was clear.”

            “Are you sure?” It was the one barking orders.

She took a step forward almost out of my sight. I was just waiting for the guy to jump around the corner and shoot me in the head.

            “Are you saying I can’t do my job, Blake?”

“You sure are defensive.”

            “No. But you are making it sound like I can’t scope out a room,” I hoped he didn’t take two steps forward and turn his head to the left because that meant she was going to get hurt too.

            “Looks fine. Come on.”

They both left. The house was emptied so I checked out the window. There were dozens of them on the street. I sat back on the ground and hit my head against the island hoping it would jog an idea. I stood up and started going through the drawers. I found duct tape and clear plastic wrap.  I went to the kitchen door and pulled the plastic wrap. I taped it to the bottom of the door frame. I wasn’t going to be blindsided. I sat back on the other side of the island and waited, checking the window every once in a while. I eventually fell asleep.

            The squeal woke me up and I was standing before the thud of her hitting the floor. She cursed, “D****t! Did you do that?”

            “Yes.”

“It’s clever but I told you I was coming back,” It was the girl from earlier. I checked my watch. Three hours had passed. Half of the time I was asleep.

            I shrugged, “Didn’t know if you’d bring company.”

“You forget I could have shot you in the head,” I helped her up. She brushed off, “What are you doing here anyways?”

            I shook my bag, “Medicine.”

“What is your name?” Her eyes were suspicious slits.

            I thought about lying then smirked, “Parker.”

“The Parker? Like the messenger?”

            I nodded once.

“You should not be here! If they knew you were here they would torture you until you told all the information you have. You are lucky I was the one to find you. I’m Lexis by the way,” She held out her hand and I shook it.

            “So you are-”

“Informant. I get plans and give a heads up to the rebel camps. I’m a pretty big deal, well not as big of a deal as you. I hear about you showing up with medical supplies.”

            I just looked at her.

“You are shorter than I thought you would be. You also are really skinny.”

            “You are loud for a spy.”

She smiled, revealing all her teeth, “Mr. Parker, I came to save you and you are being rude.”

            I sighed, “Sorry. I’m a little cranky and a little in shock. I mean I have lucked out a lot recently between you and The Shadow.”

            “The Shadow? You met him?”
“Yeah and our meeting also started with his gun aimed at my head.”

            She laughed and it was a cute laugh. She was actually a really cute girl. She had freckles and dark brown eyes. Her hair was dark and in a straight ponytail. It went to her shoulder blades. Too bad I wasn’t interested in settling down, “You are quite lucky he didn’t pull the trigger. If he thought you were threat enough to point a gun at it’s surprising you weren’t threat enough to shoot.”

            “I wasn’t a threat. I just… We just had a misunderstanding.”

“So are you like best friends now?”

            “No. It was a one day thing. I am starting to understand why you are a spy. You are very nosey.”

She shrugged, “No one mentioned how cute you are. I mean you are a little on the short side but with your short brown hair and blue eyes it’s surprising you haven’t been scooped up yet. Or have you?”

            I closed my eyes, “No and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Sore subject? Rejected?”

            “No. Listen, I appreciate you helping me out. Is it safe for me to leave now?”

Her eyes rolled to the window, “They are patrolling four streets away. They do a block at a time. This is a very loyal controlled town.”

            Loyal is what they called themselves. She had obviously been with them a while. I didn’t really have a choice but to trust her. She finally nodded, “Yeah, its safe.”

            “Good,” I headed out. She was following me. Her hands were behind her back and she looked incredibly young, “How old are you?”

            “You ask a lot of questions,” I stated.

“I’m twenty-one.”

            “I’m eighteen.”

“Aw! You are so young!”
            I was standing in the living room. I had stopped because there was a picture on the mantel, dusty but unbroken. It was two boys. The older one was sitting with his legs crossed. The younger had his arms around his shoulders. She was still talking. I very slowly turned to her, “Sorry, I wasn’t listening.”
            I pulled the picture so I couldn’t see it anymore. The knot in my chest started to loosen. She scoffed, “You are strange. What was that picture?”

            I opened the door as she looked at the picture. I could hear her walking behind me, “You had an older brother?”

            I shook my head.

“That’s even worse. I’m sorry. My mom dumped me at a fire department day one.”
            I slowed down and she walked beside me. For the first time, I touched her shoulder, “I’m sorry, Lexis. I really am.”

            She smiled, “Thank you. You really are a sweet guy. I mean you must care if you’re risking your life for a few medical supplies.”

            “What else would I do?” I was walking again. She kept up with my quick pace. She grabbed my arm, stopping me again.

            “Um, not something that would get you killed?”
“I have just one life. The supplies I get can save hundreds. It’s not logical to stop,” I pulled my arm away and continued my brisk pace.

            “Are you even human?” She was surveying the wooded area.

I was listening for any signs of others following us.

            “Yes, I’m-”

There was a crack and she shrieked. Luckily I had spotted the strange pile of grass, right before she put all her weight on it. The cover fell and we clung to each other, not entirely sure how we got that way. She kissed my cheek, “You saved me! How’d you know?”
            I shrugged, “I almost didn’t,” I peered into the hole even though I knew what was lurking in it. I bit my thumbnail as the red mist swirled about a foot from my toes. She was holding my arm tight, “Don’t stand so close! You are going to fall in!”
            “Lexis, chill. I know what I’m doing. You are the one that almost fell in.”

“You are such a boy!”
            “You are such a clutz,” We both laughed at that.

We kept walking and talking. She told me about her job and how much she enjoyed knowing secrets only she could get. She laughed, “Like I said, I’m kind of a big deal.”

            I laughed with her. She was funny. She was caring and adventurous. She liked a little danger but still worried when others got to close to it. I studied the way she twirled a strand from her ponytail  around her finger. Her dark brown eyes widened and she whipped around when she thought she heard something. Her gun was holstered but I knew she knew how to use it. I could tell by the way she had it aimed at me before. She walked ahead of me, probably so I could get a look at her. She was built. I could tell that, even though she had a jacket and everything. She was all girl when it came down to it, she walked on her toes and kind of hopped. He hips swayed and so did her ponytail. She peaked at me over her shoulder. I knew she was going to so I was already scanning the empty buildings when she did.

            It wasn’t the first time confusion washed over me after checking out a woman. I understood how beautiful they were. Most of the time their skin seemed so soft and touchable. They were curvy and really the best word was beautiful. I watched other guys practically drool after girls who were just as pretty as Lexis. They would kill for this opportunity to impress and be alone with her. I knew how great I should feel but honestly I felt nothing. Well, I felt happy about meeting a great person. She seemed awesome and a friend that I would enjoy her company but nothing more.

            I didn’t feel the need to grab her and kiss her. I didn’t want to do a few pull-ups on a nearby tree so she would be impressed by my manliness. I didn’t flaunt the fact that I ran into abandoned buildings to get medical supplies for the med-tents in the camps.

            She touched my chest and giggled, “Earth to Parker!”

“Sorry. I’m usually alone out here,” I took in my surroundings. Everything was abandoned. It was a small town to begin with but it was blocks and blocks of houses, overgrown with grass and trees. I could hear wild dogs barking and probably their hound barking back.

            Lexis shivered, “That’s lonely.”
“I don’t mind.”

            We walked silently. Our shoulders bumped occasionally. She did it a little more purposefully.

“What?” I kind of laughed.

            She sighed and her eyebrows were up, “You weren’t kidding about not settling were you? I have been trying to flirt with you this whole time and you just ignore it.”
            “Sorry?”

She winked, “You better watch it, girls like a man who doesn’t want attention. The more oblivious, the better they say.”

            I chuckled, “Hey! I am not oblivious.”

I saw the two suits, three houses away. I grabbed Lexis’s arm and yanked her into the ally. We were sneaking until we were clear again. Both of us were on high alert. I glanced past her, “So what were your orders?”

            “My orders?” She was watching behind us.

“What are you supposed to be doing?” I struggled to keep my attitude at bay.

            “Finding you. There’s a group with Blake, the others are spread out. They are probably screwing around anyways.”
            I peeked around a blind corner, it was clear and we passed. She was watching me, “Do you not have a weapon?”
            I looked at her blankly.

“I’m just asking because I could have easily killed you. You didn’t even put up a fight or anything. You just stared, quite hatefully if I might add. You should have fought back.”

            “I’m kind of a pacifist. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“What if they are going to kill you? Are you going to fight back?”
            I shrugged, “I hide or run. If I have to fight, chances are they have a weapon and I don’t have a chance. I can’t take someone’s life over my own.”

            “What if it was someone you cared about?”
I was flustered for a second. Could I kill someone if they threatened someone I cared about? I sighed, “That is not an issue.”

            “What does that mean?” She jogged ahead so she could walk backwards and we were face to face.

            I shook my head, “Exactly what I said. Can we talk about something else?”

“What about Shadow?” Her eyes lit up.

            I laughed, “Crush much?”
“Hell yes! He sounds totally hot! He has a kill count of over a hundred suits, so if I meet him I hope it’s in normal clothes, otherwise...” She made a gun with her fingers and mimed shooting herself.

            I laughed, “We only spent a few hours together.”

“Tell me everything!”

            Thinking about Levi, I was still kind of in shock. I told her about him saving me from the teeth collecting suits. I left out the part about his little sister. While we talked I made her stand watch as I collected supplies from a few houses. My bag was full by the time she asked what he looked like.

            I shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“How do you not know?! He was right there.”
            “He had everything covered except his eyes. He had light skin. His eyebrows were light brown, and his eyes were,” I paused thinking about them, “Uh, hazel. He was also probably an inch or two above six foot.”

            “Guns?”

“A load of them, he even had leg holsters.”
            She sighed and her eyes rolled, “He was buff wasn’t he?”

I thought of his broad shoulders and the way he held his little sister protectively. I finally nodded, “Yeah I guess but anyone is compared to me.”

            She laughed loudly, “Oh, Parker! You really crack me up. I wish you knew how cute you were. You may not be Shadow but you definitely have your own nice guy thing going for you.”

            Something beeped. She instantly fished in her pocket and checked what looked like a little phone. I hadn’t seen a working one in years. I was staring at it as she read something on the screen, “I have to go, otherwise they’ll leave me. I would like if we met up under better circumstances next time.”

            I smiled, “Definitely, maybe we’ll be in the same camp sometime. This is my route, well not here, but the camps closest.”
            She waved, “I hope to see you again. Stay safe, okay, Parker?”

I nodded, “Don’t get caught.”
            She lifted a shoulder, “I’m the best at what I do, remember?” She flipped her hair teasingly then waved as she ran back.

            I shook my head and went back to the one place I could truly call home.

Author's Note

Anything helps.... Questions? Comments? Grammar? Character development? Word choice? HELP!