What She Thought She Knew (Rachel Moore Mystery Book 1), стр. 9

As I was walking down the street, I realized that I had no idea where I was going. Normally the idea would have had me worried, especially on a mission. At that moment, however, I simply allowed the flow of the crowd to guide me to wherever they chose.

Ironically, I was led to the site of where my mission was held just a few days ago. Knowing that the whole thing was possibly meant as a trap left me shivering in acknowledgment. That was a real bullet I had just dodged.

The entire area was sealed off, and warning signs were placed all around. A Seeker team was scattered along the perimeters as they made sure no one entered the ruins.

There had been a brief announcement of the disaster on the local news during my stay at the hospital. The media's interpretation was that the explosion was caused by a gas leak. Another example of the Seekers' influence over the information released to the public.

I didn't know why, but something within me compelled me to check out the ruins. As such, my feet moved on their own accord towards the center of the destruction. The Seeker agents who saw me merely glanced at me, but didn't move to stop me.

I reached the center of the ruins and stopped as I was unsure of what to do next. I vaguely remembered reading an article that discussed the psychological need for one to visit the very place where they had suffered, or nearly died. The reason for me, however, seemed to have been more complex than any explanation the article gave.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something metallic shine under the bright spring sun. Curious, I stepped towards it, and bent down to get a better look.

It was a plain silver ring with symbols that engraved it around the entire circumference. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the symbols were actually Latin words, though I couldn't understand what they meant. Who would have thought that I would have needed to learn Latin?

After a moment of debating, I decided to keep the ring, and slid it into my pant pocket. Maybe it was valuable.

I snorted at the mere thought, and walked back towards the main road.

________________________________________

I spent the next couple of hours wondering around the block, not really paying attention to the details. Before I knew it, the sun had already set. The city lights became brighter, and more numerous. It was exactly what was expected from the city that never slept.

Abruptly, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I shivered involuntarily. In the distance, I heard some gunfire before they came to an abrupt halt.

Heart beating quickly, I cautiously made my way to the source of the disturbance. I arrived back at the ruins, and was met with the sight of corpses.

I turned around as I looked for the ones responsible while stepping back into cover.

As if on cue, dark figures began to surround me. I pulled out my gun, and made sure that it had full ammo, before I placed it in a defensive position. The figures' faces were covered, but I was able to make out the signature glowing eyes that not even the darkness could have hidden. Phantoms.

I narrowed my eyes as I allowed my Seeker training instincts to kick in, and waited for the first move. I caught movement from the corner of my eye and immediately reacted.

I swirled around and caught the knife that was aimed at my throat. I pulled violently at the arm, and firmly grabbed the knife before it flew through the air. I kicked the Phantom on the stomach, which pushed him back. Rapidly, I threw the knife and it hit the chest of an oncoming Phantom. He crashed to the ground. There were still more.

Strong arms trapped me from behind. The force caused me to drop my gun, and I was pushed against the perimeter fence. As I twisted my waist, I managed to put my feet in the air, and climbed up the wall. I used the momentum to do a back flip, while I sent my captor falling to the dirty ground. I landed on my feet gracefully, and anticipated the next wave of attack.

I grabbed my gun that was flung earlier, and fired a couple of rounds into some of the incoming Phantom agents. At the same time, I was dodging some of their own return fire. I slightly grinned as the rush of adrenalin coursed through my veins.

I ran towards the nearest Phantom agent, and slid under his legs. I then kicked him where it really hurt.

The figured dropped to his knees and held onto his private area, before he finally fell to the ground in a fetal position.

I smirked, but quickly regained my focus as I felt a bullet scrape my arm. Nothing serious, but it had stung like a bitch.

I narrowed my eyes, and I ran in between whatever cover I could find. All the while, I headed towards the last two Phantom agents. I managed to surprise one of them as I jumped onto his back, and cracked his neck. The last survivor turned around, and kicked me onto the ground.

I landed painfully on the arm that was grazed by the bullet. I hissed as the discomfort got worse.

The sound of a gun cocking, however, momentarily made me forget the pain.

I looked up to see the last Phantom agent aim my gun at me. I couldn't even move up to try to defend myself, so I covered my face with my uninjured arm.

Amazingly, the Phantom agent let out a sharp breath, and I saw blood soak through his grey shirt. He dropped to his knees, and fell over, his blank eyes stared at me.

I couldn't hold back