STEEL (The Aurum Trilogy Book 1)

Chapter 9

NINE

Jonathan

“DOES THE TRUTH HURT, LAUREN?”

I shouldn’t have said that. I shouldn’t have called her a monster. I shouldn’t have compared her to The Control. I shouldn’t have…

It’s too late. All is said and done.

I paced back and forth, running my fingers through my hair. I wanted to rip strands of it out of frustration and plain regret. I faced a tree, barren like the rest and slammed my fist against it, willing it to turn back the hands of time.

She was no monster. She may have already killed a lot of people in the past but her past is not a mean to define her. Lauren saved my life. She could’ve joined The Alliance and left me there in the Safe House to explode to bits. She could’ve left me during our journey to Bunker 53 and let me manage on my own. She could’ve done a lot of things to get rid of me… if she was truly a beast that I accused of her.

I slumped on the ground and buried my face in my hands. I kept on asking myself why I had let her go that easily. I promised myself I won’t let anything happen to her. My thoughts raced from the probability of her location to what was happening to her now. Has she reached The Hawk and killed the people they sent to look out for us? Will she come back and realize that for once, I’m right and that she shouldn’t put her life on the line, that revenge is nothing but a tight cord that would surely claim all of her? Did the agents kill her or did she kill them?

So far, I haven’t heard any gunshots. There was no smoke rising above the air which meant that nothing had been blown up, YET. The helicopter still hasn’t left the spot where it was landed on so it meant that The Hawk’s agents were still around the area. I placed my hands on the dagger Lauren has left me with. Out of obstruction, I threw it in the air and it hit the bark of the tree just across me. I stood up lazily and yanked it out of the trunk.

That’s when I heard the gunshot. I paused, thinking maybe it was just a warning shot to ward us off or to lead me to them. I stared at my reflection in the blade and turned it over in my hands. I examined the dagger’s hilt and recognized that a hawk was carved in the center of it. I heard another gunshot. I stopped in my tracks and waited for another. Within a few breaths, another shot fired. Followed by another, then another. And then, it was followed by multiple shots blasting in the air. I placed the dagger back to its sheath and ran like the wind towards the direction of Bunker 53. Lauren could be out there, in the middle of danger. She was one against all of them. Lauren could be hurt or hit. She couldn’t fend off other top assassins on her own, no matter how good she is, even if she is the best female asset The Hawk has to offer.

I didn’t know which way to go. I turned right, thinking that it might be a shortcut to the helicopter. As I did so, I heard a loud explosion followed by another. The gunshots kept on firing so I figured that Lauren was still alive, she was still out there, fighting for her dear life.

Please be safe, please be safe. I whispered to myself, running faster and faster, using up all the amount of energy my body has left. Leafless branches sprung everywhere, scraping my cheek and slashing on my arms and hands. I stumbled upon rocks and climbed boulders which left gashes on my palms. Salt stung my eyes. My mouth felt dry like sandpaper but I couldn’t stop to drink. One second could define Lauren’s fate. I ran faster with wider strides just to get to her on time. I uttered a silent prayer and pleaded that nothing happens to her.

Suddenly, the shooting stopped. She must’ve died. A voice muttered in my head. I quickly pushed the thought away. Steel couldn’t die. She’s too strong, she’s too powerful. She can outsmart a thousand soldiers if she has to. She can do it. She has to.