Changed by Time ✔

twenty-six.

2243 hours

Andrea moved from rock to rock, switching her cover every few seconds. Even then, she was cutting it close.

Abigail was firing at her with a sniper rifle, also changing her position almost as much as Andrea did. Kita kept up their pistol, firing at Andrea every time she came out in the open. Regardless of the risk every time she went out into the open, Andrea kept moving.

She kept her hand pressed against her arm, putting pressure on the fresh bullet wound. The bullet was still lodged in there, but Andrea didn't have the time to get it out or truly treat the wound – which would only be bandaging it at this moment.

Andrea stopped behind one of the larger rocks, pressing her back against it as she let out a hiss of pain. Her chest raised up and down as she took in heavy breaths, panting as she tried to cope with the constant gunfire and her gunshot. She hadn't been in this heavy of a firefight in years.

With every echo of the gunfire that bounced around the cave, another memory from that night resurfaced in her mind. She could feel the wind blowing against her face as she and Mark ran from the operatives, desperate to try and find some solitude in the forest. 

The silence, at first, was deafening.

Her mind raced from her first night with Mark in those woods and the last. She pulled her hand away from her wound and stared down at her palm. Blood caked her skin, dripping off of her fingers and palm. In the brief moments between Abigail and Kita taking turns firing at Andrea, she could hear the droplets of her blood hit the ground.

She could almost hear the rain falling around her, her mind bringing her back to those moments in the woods when she was running from the facility with Mark. The wind switched to soft raindrops pressing against her face, switching to the pounding of a thunderstorm drenching her.

Andrea pressed her hand against her wound again. She leaned her head back, lightly tapping it against the rock. She closed her eyes, sweat dripping down her forehead and over her closed eyelids. She truly felt like she was back in those woods again, running away from certain death. Only this time, she was alone.

Her mind snapped back to reality as a bullet broke off a top piece of the rock, flying past her and embedding itself into the ground in front of her. She spun around, sliding past the open gap and to the next rock.

Suddenly, the gunfire almost totally ceased. She could hear the two conversing, though she couldn't really tell what they were saying. She peered around the side of the rock, watching as Kita slumped down and began rooting through the bag again. They picked up a small box and threw it up to Abigail, who disappeared again to reposition herself.

Kita went back into the bag and began rooting around again. Andrea surmised that the two had run out of bullets in their attack, which left her with an opening she wouldn't waste.

Andrea leapt out from behind the rock, sliding down it and taking cover behind the next one. She kept moving in the same pattern, quickening her pace with every step. She eventually made it to the rock just below where Kita was perched.

She pulled her hand away from her wound, wiping the blood on her palm onto her coat. In an instant, she vaulted off of the rock and leapt up towards Kita. She landed on their back, slamming them to the ground as they let out a yelp of surprise.

Kita began reaching for their pistol but Andrea stepped on their wrist, pressing it hard into the ground until she heard a sickening crunch. Kita let out a grunt, clearly holding back how much pain they were truly in.

Andrea grabbed the pistol and threw it further downward into the cave and more towards the golden pool. She lifted her foot, revealing Kita's freshly broken wrist. She clicked her tongue as she said, "That looks pretty bad. We wouldn't want that to get any worse than it already is... now would we?"