Rise from the Ashes

Chapter 1: Awake

Her body felt numb as she gently rocked back and forth as though on a ferry going across the Hudson River to Jersey. Pain brought the calm feelings to an end as it swelled in the back of her head, her stomach bounced into knots, while something warm trickled against her bare leg.

'Blood,' she thought as her eyes flashed open only to be met with darkness.

Memories of her foot crashing through the tail light while sharp shards sliced through her frail skin. The multiple sucker punches to the gut whirled in her stomach while bullets piercing through the air echoed in the back of her head. Within the next moment, the slick barrel was pressed against her trembling skin by her own hand.

'Should've pulled it,' she silently growled before remorse clawed at the pit of her stomach.

"Just stay alive for me," her love's plea overpowered the gunshot ringing through her memories.

"Forgive me," she mumbled as the rumbling beneath her began to slow.

Her hands reached above her, looking for an emergency lever that'd open the lockdown trunk. She found nothing but a cold hard metal surface caging her. Instincts went into full survival mode as she surveyed her surroundings.

'Trunk, 2018 Dodge Challenger,' she thought as her hazy soccer punched memories slowly leaked back into her brain.

'Wrench!' she rejoiced, trying to pull up the floor beneath her.

Before she could, the engine died, her body froze while her hand slowly undid her belt buckle, revealing her last hope. The small two-inch knife would be useful if Benito showed his ill self.

The trunk rattled above her as she applied all her weight to her non-wounded leg. With tense muscles, she pounced for the unknown soldier's throat.

Caught off guard, he fell to the ground while his thoughts rushed to comprehend what was happening. She jabbed the blade into the thyroid gland just below his quivering adam's apple. Her empty stomach heaved as her bloody fingers left the growing scarlet pool.

'Get it together,' she encouraged as she reached for the soldier's abandoned black Glock 22.

Looking around, she recognized the seemingly identical parking garages that were sprawled across New York, only this one had roughly 10 cars on the whole level at a quick glance. The cold concrete and dark night sky revealed nothing about her location.

"Hey," a stern voice caught her off guard.

She turned towards the voice, noticing a tall white man dressed in a t-shirt covered in a 30-pound bulletproof vest, thick combat pants, steel toe boots, and strapped across his chest was a dark Colt 24 Carbine rifle.

'Shit,' she thought, pulling the trigger before he had the opportunity.

"Son of a-" he yelled, taking cover as the bullet shattered the window to a black Jeep Rubicon behind him.

She ducked behind the rear tire, breathes came out in ragged gulps as he shot back; this time, the firepower was stronger. His bullets shattered the Dodge's windows, popped both rear tires, and punctured the shallow trunk.

'Where now?' she thought, looking around for an escape plan.

Her fear struck eyes glanced towards cars close by, but hotwiring would take too long. Service elevator and stairs were behind the cascade of bullets; she'd get shot the moment she ran. Then her gaze grasped onto the car ramp in the middle of the garage.

'Bingo.'

"IDIOT STOP!!" someone screamed, pausing the gunfire.

Slowly she turned and glanced over the slick car. A man in a slim navy suit, with slicked-back dark brown easily mistaken for black, stood in front of the soldier.