The FORGOTTEN Edge

Chapter 9

Nadia wondered a little way past her designated zone. She was ready to go back to the house and for all this to be over. Nadia was freezing, with no adrenaline left in her body she was growing tired. A glint of light struck her in the eyes, making her blink erratically. A small piece of glass laid at her feet. She bent to pick it up only to see it covered in blood. She stepped away, gasping in shock. Blood. She looked around frantically. It was very fresh blood. She could see the old cars ahead. Nadia held her gun tightly and made her way to the rusted cars. She wasn't sure what to expect but she knew she was onto something when large clumps of blood started to appear in the dirt. Nadia realised she was probably walking into a trap, her radio was broken. Nadia peered into the car. The window was smashed in, blood covering the side of the car and dripping onto the dirt. Nadia squatted down low and tried to focus. She made her way around the side of the car, her heart pumping hard in her ears and her legs feeling wobbly under her. As she made her way around the car she could see an arm, a shoulder, a head, a chest… it was one of their men. She hurried to his side. He was unconscious, blood running down the side of his head and pooling slowly under his body. "Hey, hey, hey," she whispered, shaking his body. His head rolled to the side, "Nadia…?" He gurgled. She looked him over, he was bleeding and hurt badly but was too heavy for her to carry. "Where is your partner?" She asked, her voice shaking. "I… don't know…." He told her, and he groaned. She looked around, she was on her own. She tried to control her own shaking. "Who did this?" She questioned. 
"It was too dark…"
"Where did they go?" 
He looked down towards the docks. She took a couple deep breaths. "Come on, can you walk?" He groaned loudly, so loud that she thought someone should have heard them. She rolled him over and tried to pick him up. He was so heavy that she was struggling to move with him. She half carried and half dragged him down the hill and to the office. He was groaning and sputtering, trying to tell her of the danger waiting for her.

Nadia dropped him against a barrel, it was cold against his skin. Nadia kept low and traveled through the pile of cargo boxes, she was confused where everyone was. She got to the office, only a few meters ahead when she saw a dark figure. He was under the window, holding a gun, she thought it might have been his partner until he pointed the gun through the window. She crept forward, voices inside the office mixing with those who were on guard as they weave through the boxes. The figure could hear them too, she could see them trying to decide on who to shoot down but she wasn't going to give them that option. She pulled her gun up and took aim. The gun shot spooked the people inside the office who came running out. The people on security darted towards her. Nadia on the other hand was just surprised she had done it.

Loren looked at Nadia, "What happened?" He asked her. River was trying to bandage the man she had found, his partner still nowhere to be seen. "I'm sorry, I strayed a little far from my post but I thought something was wrong…" Nadia said, her back against the wall. Loren was looking at her, judging her. "He stabbed me," Silver said, a man with grey hair and blood soaked clothing. Nadia looked at her shirt, it was covered in his blood. She felt gross, and sticky but didn't complain, she was just glad he was alive. She couldn't carry the weight of another life on her shoulders. "Where's Nate?" Loren asked him. Silver shrugged, "he wasn't there when I was attacked, he went to check the cargo bay."
Loren turned back to Nadia and nodded, "good work, now go find Nate," he said, "you're all dropping like flies, we need the docks secure in half an hour!" 
Nadia escaped into the night. She stood outside the door and took a lung breath of air. West came down the side of the building to her, "Come on," he told her. They watched River patrol the side of the docks before starting the track through the cargo bay. With Nate down and Loren watching the two men, it left little people to keep the docks secure. 

A head popped up around the cargo bay, Nate. "Nate? You left your partner to get attacked," West said once he appeared through the boxes. "Is he ok?" Nate asked. Nadia wasn't sure if he actually cared or was worried about getting in trouble if he died. "He will be," West said. A small knock sound grabbed all their attention. Nadia froze and waited. "We aren't alone," West said, stating the obvious. They all moved around the side of the boxes, waiting for a sound. It was dead silent, like nothing was amiss. Nadia could feel something was wrong. She looked around, they didn't have many options. "Help me," she whispered as she grabbed a hold of the top of a cargo box. "What are you doing?" West asked. "We need to see," she told him, "and I'm the smallest one, I won't be seen," she added. She pushed up to try and hoist herself up but after carrying Silver she was low on energy. "Are you serious? You're a girl! Let me," Nate scoffed and tried to push his way to her. West stepped in front of him, "no, she's right. She can do it," West said confidently. Nate watched as West gave Nadia a boost onto the cargo box. She smiled at him, maybe now he was starting to believe in her, or maybe he just didn't want to get anyone else shot that he thought was of use. She scrambled up the second box and then the third. She saw Nate and West go in separate directions; she was left on her own. 

Nadia looked down, she was up high. Her vision spiraled for a second, she hated heights. Nadia stood and moved along the boxes. The boxes were very strong but weathered nonetheless. She traveled along the boxes until she saw Nate weaving through the boxes and West moving around the other side. She noticed a figure who had also spotted Nate. The figure followed after him but every time he got close to Nate, Nate would turn a corner. She wasn't sure if Nate knew he was being followed. She could see it happening clearly, it was like some sort of cat and mouse game. Nadia picked up her gun and aimed at the figure when Nate suddenly turned from out of her view along with the man on his heels. She froze, she didn't know what to do. West was gone. She looked at the boxes Nate had disappeared behind, he wasn't returning. She worried the man had gotten him, was he lying in a pool of blood just like Silver had? She could hear low talking. Maybe West had gotten to Nate. She then noticed West heading toward the docks. A sudden bang sounded, like someone was thrown against the boxes, the sound repeated and repeated. She looked at the leap between the row of boxes she was on and the ones where Nate was. It was a long jump and she was tired. She took a breath and gathered her courage. She imagined herself landing on the other side as she jumped. She hit the other side very hard, her feet not gripping onto the box at all. She slipped onto her side and rolled off. Her heart thumping and a sudden feeling of falling. She landed on her side, a crack sounding loudly in the night. She saw Nate pinned to the box and the man holding a knife to his throat. She kicked her foot out and knocked the man over. He fell onto the ground as a few spots of rain started to fall. Nate dropped to the ground, and gasped, a long red mark on his neck. Nadia didn't waste any time and jumped onto the man as he tried to stand, she landed a hit to his face. His head whipped back and he stumbled. He charged back at her but she moved around him and again tripped him. On his way down to the slightly muddy earth his elbow connected to her face and left her dazed. He grabbed her throat and squeezed. Her throat ached as she squirmed. She pulled her legs up and kicked him in the stomach until she was dropped. Nadia spotted his knife in the dirt and picked it up. It had blood stains on the handle and was oddly warm. She held it firmly at him. He stood and looked at her, his hands up in surrender. "A woman?" He smirked. "Yeah, and one that could have killed you," West said from behind him, grabbing him.