Fire and Ice

Sergeant Keith

The moment that I witnessed blood trickling down Kade's neck was the moment that my heart shattered. What did this dude want from me? Kade was my best friend- correction, Kade was my boyfriend. I wouldn't let him die in the arms of someone I hated.
"Don't move any closer boy!" Keith bellowed. Ash didn't move an inch. "You girl," Keith yelled to me. "Hand over yourself or he dies!"
My eyes widen in utmost shock. Again, why did he want me? I was totally useless to him. It's not like I had special powers! I didn't have telekinesis or telepathy or anything.
"Why do you want me?" I shouted back, my voice wary. If all he wanted was me, I'd trade my life for Kade, because that's what friends do.
"I'll answer that if you come with me!" He responded with no worry in his voice. This is why they had attacked. To capture me, to use me, possibly kill me. And what for? Vengeance? Revenge? As far as I knew, we had never met these people before so I don't know why they would be furious with us.
As soon as I started to step forward, Ash grabbed my shoulder and spun me to face him. "Kalista you can't do this. I won't let you." His voice had sympathy. "You'll have to pry my fingers from your shoulder to leave." Although his voice cracked and his eyes were as wide as possible, he had a death grip on me.
"Ash if I don't go with them then Kade will die." I replied softly enough so that only the two of us could hear.
"But if you do go with them, you'll die." Ash whispered just about crying. Why did he care? He probably wanted me dead. After all, he had threatened to reveal a secret to get me kicked out of training as a rogue.
I began prying his fingers from my jacket and he let me. "This is going to be all your fault. You're letting Troy down, you're letting me down and you're letting Kade down." Ash's voice trembled when he mentioned Kade. If he had cared for my life, he wouldn't have threatened me with my spot as a rogue.
I hesitated as I took one step away from Ash. My knees felt like buckling from under me and my stomach was twisted in knots that ate away at my nervousness. I turned towards Ash and then I turned towards Kade. Kade was my boyfriend but Ash was my partner in crime. One decision could change my life forever.
"Kalista just leave me. I can deal with him." Kade choked out. I whipped my head towards him and saw more blood starting to stain his shirt. In seconds he could die. Could I risk my life for someone I loved? I was the best rogue in our facility and possibly the whole country.
"Come on Kalista." Keith said smirking. "You wouldn't want this innocent boy to die would you?" A tear stung my skin as it rolled down my cheek. I could feel a waterfall of emotions about to pour out of me.
I glanced down at my weapons. My job, or the boy I loved? Minutes passed and time was ticking away.
Then I made the decision that would tear at me months from now. I turned towards Ash, grabbed his wrist and ran for my life.
While running, I looked back and time fell into slow motion. Keith was slitting Kade's throat and his expression had my betrayal in it. My mind said I'm sorry but my heart said your fault.
~
When I had looked back for that split second at Kade, I saw blood everywhere. Still gripping onto Ash, tears burned the back of my throat. I wouldn't cry. It showed weakness.
What would Troy say? He could kill me if he found out I let Kade down.
"Do you- think he's g-gone?" Ash choked out. I turned around and he was no where to be seen. He may have stopped chasing us but that didn't mean he'd stop trying to get a hold of me.
"Just keep running. Try to find- the facility- before-" Before I could finish speaking, an arrow whizzes past my head, just barely missing my left ear. In fact I don't think it missed. It might have singed some of my skin off my left ear.
I reached up and lightly touched my left ear. Removing my hand, red residue slid onto my fingers. "How much farther?" Ash asked, not being able to speak louder than a whisper. "My legs are killing me." He said before I could speak.
I nodded. "My legs are also kill-killing me but we're al- almost there." My throat was as dry as the desert. From heavily breathing combined with the three hours of sleep I got, made it almost impossible for me to keep going. I could just buckle over and sleep but that would make me bait for our attackers.
Although it was dark and rainy outside this morning, I could faintly see the training facility in my line of sight. Only a few more seconds and we'd be safe from Keith and his violent sidekicks. I wonder how much training they had. Could they possibly beat me in a battle?
"When we reach the door," I attempted to say quickly. "You open the doors while I stand guard. No offense but I'm a better fi- fighter."
Ash looked at me with annoyance. "Our battle yesterday says otherwise." He responds quickly.
Once reaching the big black door, I release my death grip on Ash and I let him unlock the door. There were five locks on the door. I just had to stand guard for them. Ash knew them well so he could quickly throw open the door and we'd be safe from harm.
"Hurry." I say as he starts on the first lock. For some stupid reason, our locks were combination locks.
Seconds later, I'm ambushed by about four people. One lunges for me but I dodge the attack and knock him to the floor. "Kalista give up." A familiar voice says and throws a punch towards me.
As I block his hand from penetrating my body, I respond, still out of breath. "Rogues don't give up. Therefore I won't ever give up." My words poured out in a teasing way.
The other two people were flanked on both my right and my left. The person on my left tried kicking my head but I ducked and slid my leg out to trip him. Fortunately, it worked and the guy fell to the floor. I quickly stood upright and dodged a fast flying punch that had aimed for my abdomen. Stopping the punch with my palm, I used my free hand to punch my attacker and kicked him onto the rich soil of the Earth.
Feeling someone grabbing my leg and pulling me down, gave me a jolt and I quickly kicked him hard in the face. "Done!" Ash said with the door open. 'Just in time' I thought glancing at all of the injured ambushers. I rushed inside the facility and Ash quickly closed the door and locked the first lock in seconds.
Ash had just began working on the fourth lock when multiple bangs hit the door. Were they firing at us or were they trying to break down the door? Either way wouldn't work. Our facilities had strong metal doors. There was no way they would get trough unless they knew the lock combos.
All my mind was thinking about was if Troy was okay. Part of me wanted him to not come back so I wouldn't have to tell him what I had done. But the other part wanted him to come back and continue to help us. He's the one who taught us everything. We'd be nothing without him.
Now that I could think without being chased or in danger, I remembered that Kade was partners with Julius. Where was Julius? Was he killed and that's why Kade was alone?
"All locks are locked." Ash said turning towards me. "Let's head to the bunker." I take a step towards the basement bunker. Forgetting that my thigh was gushing blood, I trip and fall onto my knees. "Kalista! What happened out there?" Ash asked, helping me up from the cold, hard, unused floor.
"Dagger flew- into my- leg." I chocked out, my leg in burning pain. He held onto me as I hobbled to the safe bunker. The safe bunker was only supposed to be used in emergencies and I think this was an emergency.
Ash helped me down into the bunker until I had sat down on the couch that had been provided in out safe place. Then he turned on a light and shut the door above us. Luckily we kept extra bandage rolls down here but my stab wound wouldn't hold off forever.
"Here," Ash says grabbing a roll of bandages. "Let me." I let him unwrap my old, bloody bandages and throw them onto the floor. His eyes widen when he sees the wound. I hadn't been able to see it because it had been dark in the forest. I glance at the wound and almost faint. It was worse than I thought.
"I can handle this." Ash says and begins wrapping my wound with new bandages. "I've been practicing a bit."
As he wraps my thigh, I wince a few times. When he finishes wrapping, he puts the rest of the bandages back into the emergency supply. "That may take a while to heal considering that it's a stab wound." Ash said as I sat there bored.
Remembering Julius and Troy, I bring up conversation about them. "Did you see Troy or Julius out there at all?" After he shook his head, I responded, "Me neither. I hope their all right."
Up above, I hear footsteps. Luckily the only people that know about this underground bunker are the people that train here. If there were intruders, they would never find us. Unless we made a loud noise. Then we'd be dead.
"You check that side of the facility and you check that side. I'll look around this main lobby." The voice was Keith. If I weren't injured, he'd be dead in seconds. Hopefully Keith didn't check for underground bunkers, because we were in the bunker that was in the main lobby. Where Keith was searching for us.
Ash quickly shut off the light and scattered around for me. I felt him sit down right next to me. "Don't scream." Ash whispered in the darkness. That would be stupid to do. Why would I even try to do that?
"Come out, come out wherever you are Kalista!" Keith roared up above. My heart raced as I continued to listen to his footsteps.
"Sir," A different voice said from up ahead. "The rain has stopped. They could've esca-"
"NO!" Keith said, voice bellowing. "They didn't escape. I would know if they escaped."
"Hey I wonder if there are any sort of bunkers or safe zones under here." Said the same unfamiliar voice.
Crap. "Ash!" I said trying to keep my voice down and calm.
"Shh, it's okay." He rubbed my shoulder to comfort me. "Your Kalista, the best fighter I know. They won't lay a finger on you."
Someone steps onto the door and they stop moving. "Keith this feels different right here."
Recognizing Keith's footsteps, he walks over and steps onto the door. "I agree. Open it."
My eyes widened in the darkness. "Ash is there a secret door out of here?" I ask scared.
"Sir it's locked." The voice says.
"Then blast it open or something. We have to look everywhere!" Keith said, making it obvious that he was getting mad.
"I think there may be a way out but we have to hurry." Ash responds quietly. If we didn't get out, we were fighting.
"Faster." Keith said sternly to his friend.
Ash got up, trying to stay quiet. I couldn't see where he went but I could hear him feeling around for stuff. We couldn't turn on the light or light may seep through the roof and our cover would blow.
"I think I've got it. Almost." The voice says from above. I just wondered how they got into the facility since there are many locks on the door.
Only seconds later did I start to hear the latch of a door beginning to open. Light poured inside the bunker. I looked around but Ash was no where to be seen. I glanced around a bit more and noticed a small door. Ash escaped through that.
As I rushed over towards the door, I stumbled, remembering that they had unlocked the bunker door.
I flung my head out the door but my body did not follow. Someone had a grip on my ankle, pulling me back inside. "Don't move or we'll just make it more painful for you." Keith barked out to me.
Although I didn't think I could take much more pain, I struggled to get free from the grip. But they were stronger. They kept on pulling, dragging my body back inside where they might as well just kill me and use my blood to write a message. At least that's what I imagined would happen.
Keith's assistant shut the door as soon as my whole body was back inside the now lit bunker. "There's no escape now." Keith's assistant said smirking in an evil manor.
Before attempting to fight back, Keith hits me over the head with some sort of weapon, knocking me out cold.