Chapter 11: Jaclyn

Exciting chapter over Jaclyn's capture.

Chapter 11: Jaclyn

    Jaclyn awoke to screaming. She could feel the agony of the scream, the desperate help that never came to weep over the smoky death. She didn’t dare open her eyes though. She focuses her fingers to feel again, and the surface she was on was cold metal. It reminded her of the surgery table, of when Ian knocked her out cold and she awoke to something far worse than she imagined. The scream, it died down at this point, though it’s withering wail was the worse of the pain. Or it was just all in her head. She couldn’t mix reality with it. The sound sounded too surreal, like when you were half awake and heard something. Jaclyn couldn’t tell, and she didn’t know where she was. Memory of the fight zips by, but that was it. She never remembered going to sleep.

    A voice penetrates her thoughts like a knife to Jell-O. “…I’m not sure what she is.” It was the boy. The damn boy! A flurry of rage makes her blood pump, but she smothers it. Eyes still closed, Jaclyn listens to the close conversation. “Is she one of them?” An unfamiliar voice asks the boy. Boy snickers. “I’m not sure. Man, she’s decent at fighting though. Very useful. But I’m not sure how to keep her with conditions like that.”

    “You could always kill her. Keep her on a tight leash.” The other voice comments. Jaclyn could almost see Boy smile wickedly. “Yeah, you’re right.”

    Jaclyn takes a chance and peeks her eyes open. They were about 15 feet away from her, standing in a corner and talking privately, though there was no one else in the room. Jaclyn could already tell her enhancements retracted by her vision, so that meant she has been sleeping for a long time. They usually did that when she slept for about 2 hours. So how did she fall asleep?

   Jaclyn was on her side, staring out at the two. She feels around with her mind but found they were the only two in the room. The hallway was empty, and a wooden door protected them from the hallway. The thing was she didn’t know if they had a gun or not on them. It seemed like they always did, but she couldn’t take the chance. It was too risky. She could call out to Chris, but she didn’t feel the presence in the back of her mind. Which worried her to death. He could still be sleeping, or he could be dead. Two options that were so far away from each other, that Jaclyn couldn’t choose. If the gang found her, then that means they were stalking her from before. They could have found Chris and Tai by now, and it would be all her fault. Jaclyn grits her teeth, biting her tongue hard enough to stop thinking about the thought. She needed to stop blaming herself. But you were the one that chose to go out at dark without letting them know. Jaclyn just couldn’t even trust her own thoughts. They teased her, told her the people were right about her, told her that she should let Ian do what he wants. Told her she should kill herself.

    But sometimes she would resist the voices and would troop on, hope becoming a pebble inside of her. She lost hope a lot, but it was like a lost dog. Eventually, it would come back, but it wouldn’t come back the same way it entered. It came back small, broken, or battered. And yet Jaclyn clung to it still, because it was still there. It was still alive, though it was hurt. And that was what mattered to her, that she hasn’t lost it entirely.

   Jaclyn shuts her eyes and commands for her enhancements. She would have to catch them off guard, hope making her fearless. If they killed her, well then she would have the burden lifted from her shoulders. Cause’ sometimes to stay alive you got to kill your mind. The conversation lasted a few more minutes of useless stuff. But it stopped abruptly when she guessed they looked back at her. “Why…” Boy says, but it trails off as they approach her. A good sign so far that they thought she was sleeping. Jaclyn had a plan brewing, and it was the only plan she had. If it went haywire, Jaclyn would be on her own from there.

    She could feel their presences on either side of the table, inspecting her like a new species. “What the-“ Was all Boy could say when Jaclyn springs to life and wraps her hand around his throat, digging her claws in soft skin. He coughs as she squeezes hard. “Move a muscle and I’ll rip his throat out.” She snarls at the other man, who stands paralyzed. Jaclyn turns back to Boy, who remains calm, though fear was present in his eyes. “Hello again.” She smiles, then returns her eyes back to the other man who stayed paralyzed. Jaclyn carefully gets off the table with her hand still in his throat, and moves to the side, so that she could see both out of her vision. “Clever,” Boy says, though his voice quivers. She could kill them, but where would she run from there. This building was crawling with them, and the entrance was probably going to be guarded. Jaclyn didn’t know what to do with the gold once she got the upper hand. “You gonna kill us?” The other boy says. He was a little older than Boy, with dark black hair and a jutting jawline. “Huh? You gonna kill us or not? Cause if you are then get it over with before I kill you.” Boy teases. Jaclyn didn’t know how he could keep his cool when he was about to have his throat ripped out. Jaclyn gets up in his face, squeezing his neck tighter. She digs her claws deeper, and he wheezes. “You wanna bet?” Jaclyn snarls. She presses deeper, and blood was streaming out from his wounds. The other boy didn’t dare move a muscle. “Darris, now.” Boy wheezes. It all suddenly clicks to Jaclyn. She whips around to get at Darris, but she was already late. He whistles an ear-piercing screech, and Jaclyn’s insides turned to liquid. This wasn’t her card, it was theirs. They wanted her to do this so that she was occupied. No wonder Boy and Darris never attacked her when they had a chance with their weapons.

    Jaclyn didn’t know what to do, so she uses her lightning speed to turn Boy around and wrap her arm around his neck. She brings her claws to his back, digging them in ever so slightly so that they hurt the most. He winces but remains breathing. Darris pulls out his gun and aims it at the two of them. “You’re gonna shoot one of your own?” Jaclyn warns. She could see his hesitation in his eyes, but his gun was steady. “Darris,” Boy wheezes from her. Jaclyn digs her nails around his back, and he sucks in an air of breath. “You messed with the wrong person.” She could snap Boy’s neck at this point, but she didn’t want to. He deserved a slower death. Jaclyn could feel minds approaching the room, and a wave of fear flushes through. She could take down one person, but a whole squad? Jaclyn leans into Boy’s ear, “Try anything clever, and I’ll rip you apart piece for piece.” She hisses, feeling adrenaline pumping through her veins now. She was on her own, with no plan what so ever. Darris still had his gun pointing at the two of them, but now he looked too hesitant. Time was running out, and several people were coming their way. Jaclyn tries to get a quick layout of the underground, using her mind to siphon it all from the approaching people. There were two exits she found. They were far from here, and if she ran, she needed to run full speed. Jaclyn hypes herself up, a ball of doubt welling inside. She could die or live. And the chances of living were slim even with the help of her enhancements.

   Jaclyn estimated the people were a few away, and if she needed to leave, it would be now. Jaclyn inches closer to the door with Boy still in a chokehold. He coughs and sputters at her movement. “Don’t shoot and I won’t kill him. Okay?” Jaclyn says. She was fairly close to the door, and she thought she could make it without getting a bullet in her back. Darris looked hesitant, but he still doesn’t lower his gun. Jaclyn takes the chance to retract her claws from Boy’s back and tighten her grip on his neck. He coughs once more but remains still. What was he planning? Time was running low, and you could hear the footsteps getting louder. Jaclyn curses then makes her move. She pushes Boy with her incredible strength, and he stumbles forward towards the door. She bolts towards it, using him as a shield if Darris pulled the trigger. She flings the door open, ripping the handle in the process, and a bullet whizzes by her head, inches apart. It almost made her stop, but she was still alive. Jaclyn takes a right immediately, hearing thunderous footsteps right behind her. The other group was too late, and that saved her life from them. Jaclyn pushes herself even though her left thigh hurt with every step. Still, she plows forward, reaching the intersection of hallways in a few mere seconds. And it was fifty meters away from the door. Jaclyn turns left, feeling luck from there. She remembered the exits, but she didn’t know where she was. Up ahead was an open room, with chairs, desks, and equipment all pushed to the side.

    She reaches the clearing and found another fork in the hall. The footsteps pounding behind her were faint, but getting closer every second. Jaclyn squeezes her eyes shut and prays she goes the right way. She goes right this time, speeding off into the distance of a dark tunnel. She reaches the end of the tunnel and stops dead in her tracks. It was blocked by rubble and office equipment. The ceiling must have collapsed, and Jaclyn’s heart sinks to the bottom of the floor. She could hear the footsteps reach the clearing, and she moves to the side of the cement wall, hoping they couldn’t see her in the dark tunnel. “Which way?” A voice asks. Darris.

   “Split up. I haven’t ventured this far.” Boy says, his voice booming her thoughts like a knife to butter. She could feel several minds enter her tunnel, and she presses her back to the wall, scooting towards the rubble. It was dark, even for her with night vision, so she hoped that they couldn’t see her too. She closes her eyes, hoping they also couldn’t see her glowing eyes. She stretches out her mind, feeling them approach her in a few seconds. The tunnel was wide, though the ceiling drooped a little. Jaclyn could still fight though, so that made her a little comfortable.

   The footsteps stop, and she could feel 7 men next to her. They were so close, but she guessed they didn’t see her because there was no knife in her throat. “Road’s blocked.” A voice sounded, but she didn’t recognize it. “Yeah, dumbass, I didn’t know that we stopped. She’s not here,” Boy laughs. “But what if she’s hiding? She could be anywhere.” Jaclyn breathes through her nose and holds her breath, hoping they didn’t feel around the walls. They were literally a few feet away from her, and they couldn’t see. She could feel one of them so close to her they could turn around and reach out their arms. Jaclyn prays they don’t go looking for her, sweat pouring out of her. “I don’t know man. We could do that if you want, but we can’t see a damn thing here.”

    Boy ponders, then says: “Maybe we should go back, find the other group and see if they have a sighting.” Jaclyn peaks her eyes open and could see them in a huddle nodding their heads. “Alright, let’s go.” Jaclyn sighs silently as they start to jog back.

     She immediately takes a step forward, and a sound like a bomb going off echoes through the tunnel. Her foot hit something, and it went skidding through the tunnel, each individual noise like a scream. “What was that?” Someone says from up above. The group stops running and she could feel their presence go tense. “S**t, what the hell was that?” The same voice repeats.

    “Shut up Henry,” another voice barks. The voice stops panicking, and the group listens for another sound. “What do you think it was.” A voice asks the group. “I don’t know. Maybe it was her.”

    “Her? No. She couldn’t be there when we were right there.”

  “You never know. We could’ve had her if…”

  “It could’ve been a rat.” Voices argue. Though, none of them were Boy. “It’s her. I know she’s here.” Boy says. “How do you know that? It could have been an animal or something. How are we even supposed to fight in the dark?” Henry whines. These people were just little boys, and she was the bear. What was she supposed to do? If they charge her, she would have the upper hand with a better sight in the dark, but she was only one person. Against 7 trained guys. Boy curses, knowing if that was her and they left she would get away. “Alright let’s go.” Boy commands, making a quick decision. Jaclyn lets go of all her breath, relieved. She needed to get out of here before they come back.   

    Footsteps echo as they get fainter, leaving the tunnel and going towards the other tunnel. Jaclyn takes a tentative step forward, then another. Once the footsteps disappear, she starts off at a light jog, trying not to step on stray debris. Jaclyn reaches the end of the tunnel, and pokes her head out, looking for anyone. There was nothing in her way. Jaclyn didn’t know where to go, knowing that Darris and his group were searching the other tunnel. She just couldn’t figure it out even with adrenaline pushing her forward. Jaclyn looks down the hall Darris went, seeing if they were approaching but the coast was clear. She turns around, looking towards the hall she came but the only thing she saw was a blade soaring towards her face. Caught off guard, Jaclyn uses her speed to escape the knife by grabbing the hand. The knife stopped centimeters from her nose. Her assailant looks at her with fear in his eyes, and she growls. Jaclyn could feel her body go numb, and her emotions freeze besides the flaming rage. The boy was no older than her and had fiery red hair. Jaclyn twists her body and kicks him with all her might, sending him tumbling backward. The group must have waited for her to come out.

    Jaclyn could feel something whizz by her head, feeling the air of another blade. She whirls around to see another boy, the same age as her. He backs up as Jaclyn strikes, and Jaclyn could sense another person behind her. She kicks behind her, shoe connecting with stomach. There was an oomph, as another assailant goes flying from her kick. The first boy strikes again while she was preoccupied, and Jaclyn dodges, moving to the right and grabbing his arm at the same time. She twists, and a scream of pain pierces her ears. Jaclyn advances on the injured guy and claws at his face, tearing cheek and scraping bone. He falls immediately, and Jaclyn could feel herself crave the feeling again.

    Jaclyn hated that feeling, though once she uncovered it again it felt like she never experienced it before. Brand new and thirsty for more. Jaclyn snarls and turns around, two other guys she didn’t recognize charging forward. They both wield blades, though none of them were double like Boy. The first one was a little bigger than the other, and Jaclyn charges for him first. She reaches him and swipes at his face, but he parries with his blade. He swings at her with his left fist, going in for her stomach, but Jaclyn beats him to the target. She plunges her other claw in his shoulder, digging around and scraping bone. He squeals with pain, stumbling back from her. But that was her first mistake.

   The second guy plunges his knife in her shoulder blade, and it felt like Ian was there again. Jaclyn howls in pain, twisting her body around and blindly swinging. She feels her nails graze skin but didn’t sink in fully as the second man jumps back. Using her good shoulder, Jaclyn swings again but misses as he dances away swiftly. Jaclyn backs up to the side, the three of them making a triangle. The first man was pumping out blood from his shoulder, but otherwise, he seemed fine.

   The shorter man twirls his blade in his hand, hatred gleaming in his eyes. Jaclyn smiles even though her shoulder was on fire, and makes her move. She takes a quick step, and leaps in the air, split-kicking the two in the air. Her feet connect with skull, and both of the men fall like heavy trees. Jaclyn’s bloodlust gets the better of her, and she tears the two apart piece to piece. When she was finished, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, blood dripping from it. She needed so much more. It was like a craving that made you do bad things, but it was meant for her to survive. No one would understand it but her, and that she found frustrating. Jaclyn looks around, but no other men were in the room. The two that she kicked wasn’t here either. Jaclyn takes the chance and runs, going towards the tunnel she didn’t venture yet, blood dripping from her mouth still. The tunnel was long and narrow, with several forks in the way. After random turns, Jaclyn found she entered a small hallway with stairs. This was it! She takes two stairs at a time, the air getting fresher every step. Finally, she reaches the top and was in the crumbling office building. She looks around, finding nothing but dawn and a light breeze.

    The sun was just coming up as she ran. She ran for what seemed like hours before she found the right building. Jaclyn’s shoulder was killing her, pumping out precious blood each second she wasted, and a wave of tiredness sweeps her off her feet.

 Her whole body ached and hurt as she came to the entrance of the apartment. Her bloodlust has worn off, and that made it even worse. She blinks her eyes lazily and pushes the rest of her energy out to make it up the stairs before the blood loss and tiredness made darkness come early.