MARIEL

27~ Tourniquet ~

The stench worsened as Tira descended the stairs. The screams did too. In the smoky haze, Tira fled down the stairs, bracing herself for more explosions; more gunshots; more assailants. As she approached the first floor, the agent heard footsteps pounding against the floors. Around the corner, an urgent whisper echoed in the stairwell.

"Our Father, Who art in Heaven -"

A middle-aged woman sat at the bottom step, a rosary held between her trembling hands. Black mascara smeared in rivers beneath her bloodshot eyes. Her dry lips moved quickly. "Hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come..."

Quietly, but quickly, Tira stepped past the whispering woman and darted from the stairwell.

As she approached the emergency exit, Tira retrieved her phone and pulled up the monitoring program linked to the recruits. As sirens distantly wailed, she tapped Thompson's name. The GPS enlarged, emphasizing the red dot on the map, and she clicked it. At this moment, he wasn't moving. He was either hiding, injured, or dead. The coordinates popped up, pinging him on the south side of Building A on the twelfth floor.

She'd go north.

Tira exited the back of Building B.

Radio traffic. Screams. Sirens. Her senses exploded upon exiting the building. The cold rain attacked like hard pebbles. Alongside the fence, people sat shivering, crying, praying.

"What's happening?" An older man, leaning against the fence, wailed as she passed him.

Tira did not answer. She continued to run.

At the back of the building, a long grassy pathway would take her northbound towards the law firm and the front gates of the courtyard. She'd have to navigate the crowd and the chaos up front, but if Thompson was alive he wouldn't see her from his location. At this time, there was more risk of him attempting to snipe her than the crowd trampling her.

Racing down the pathway, Tira remained as vigilant as she could without inhibiting the speed of her flight. Men, women, and families with children scattered about her, running the opposite direction. As their footsteps thudded against the grass, most were silent, as though they feared calling attention to themselves.

In the city, past the fence, red, blue, and white lights filled the stormy evening. Law enforcement. Firefighters. Ambulances.

Tira set eyes on the upcoming alley and slowed her pace in preparation to clear the corner. Slowing her breathing, she jogged to the end of the building, gun canted, and pied the corner with swift concentration.

Tira froze.

Momentarily, it felt as though her heart had stopped. It was only for a brief second in time, because in the next second she'd crossed the space between buildings to flatten herself against the back of the law firm.

Because she was certain she'd just seen Esther Caravan in that alley.

Tira looked at the phone. The coordinates still had Thompson on the twelfth floor in Building A. There wasn't time for this. She needed to cross the courtyard. But...

Breathing shakily, she tilted her head around the corner, to catch a glimpse. To confirm. And, the moment, while brief, told Tira everything she needed to know.

The rain fell in torrents. Lightning lit up the alley. Eric Carter sat upright, bloody, with his back against the wall. A little Arabic girl sat close to him, her knees curled up against her chest.

Esther Caravan, drenched, knelt over Tira's recruit. Her hands, though trembling, worked quickly at tightening a tourniquet around his leg. Once complete, she immediately pressed her hands against Eric's bleeding shoulder to hold pressure. Her head came up. As it turned, her eyes nearly found Tira.