Shadow Killer

Twenty Two

The hot water drips over my back, turning red at my feet as I wash Thomas's blood off me. I stand there staring blankly at the wall, letting the water cascade down, while I try to gather my thoughts and recollect myself.

I was beyond angry that we had been caught. I was furious that they outplayed us, and we fell right into their plans. I should have known better. But I didn't. I mean, everything worked out in the end, but I wish it didn't pan out the way it did.

I dry myself off and change into some sweats before joining Tyrone and Jamal at the table. They pour me a coffee which I sip carefully, trying not to burn my tongue.

"What's going to happen next?"

I shrug, "we'll stay the night and get some sleep, and leave tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?"

"That makes sense, the police will be searching the streets around the bar like crazy. They might not know it was us, so we might have some time on our side."

"Yeah, and driving during the day is too risky. Its dark at night."

Jamal nods his head, leaning his arm on the back of the chair, "that Thomas dude said something about New Mexico. What are we going to do about that?"

"Well, Posie and I copied all the files from his computer to that Maria's tablet, so I think we should go through the files and decode them. It might have some new information on there that can help us."

I nod, moving to go get the devices we had accumulated. I lay them on the table, pointing at them. "Mike, Maria and Thomas. Lets start with the laptop we found at Mike, and go from there."

Tyrone pulls it close, and fortunately, it is unlocked, "do they seriously have no security? Anyone can log on."

"Yes, but what are the chance that everything is encrypted or in Russian."

For the remainder of the night, the three of us go through about six cups of coffee each as we pour over all the information. Jamal scribbles everything in our notebook while Tyrone and I try to make sense of whatever is on the screen. We transfer all the decrypted onto Maria's tablet, agreeing that the smaller device will be handier than a heavy laptop.

"You know I still can't believe they caught us. Like one minute I'm talking to the dude at the bar, trying to converse with Thomas Pierce, and then next thing I know I'm tied up in a chair."

"Yeah, that was rough."

"We fell right into their hands. We're just going to have our wits about us and be smarter next time."

"It's going to get harder from here on out, isn't it?"

"I wish I could say no, but I don't think we're just hunting HYDRA members in hiding anymore."

"Wait, so we may have uncovered a huge HYDRA conspiracy." I nod. "Talk about plot twist." Jamal says, shaking his head.

I stand up from the chair, massaging my hip joints, which were getting sore from sitting all night and day, "I might go for a walk, get some fresh air and stretch my legs."

"It's not like there isn't any air inside."

"Do you want us to come?"

I snigger quietly at the two responses, "I'll be back. Maybe pack your shit up, so we can leave sooner rather than later."

I walk down the street, hands in my pocket and my hood on to cover my face. The motel we are staying at is along a quiet residential area with a nearby park which I walk towards. I enjoy the cooling air brushing against my face. Even though circumstances weren't ideal and I was once more on the run, it was liberating to be able to go for a stroll through the park and to be able to enjoy it.