blood moon, marc spector

four.

"YOU CANT KILL HIM." was the first thing frenchie said to lilith once they were both alone.

"unfortunately." she replied, knowing he was talking about marc.

something about his continuously stubborn selfishness bothered her, made her want to wipe his smirk off his face. he could've ruined the entire mission, yet he was acting as if he'd saved it.

frenchie shook his head at her comment. "i really don't understand the problem." he said. "should he have stepped in like that? no, probably not. but, if he hadn't, the mission may have gone south."

"oh, so you're on his side now?" she asked, looking up at him.

the man gave her a look. "no, i'm not on a side. i'm just saying that maybe.. maybe he isn't so bad." he shrugged. "there's a reason that you two are the most sought-after mercenaries in the world."

lilith shook her head. "i just don't get him."

frenchie looked like he was about to reply when they heard a gunshot, followed promptly by a chorus of screams. the two mercenaries looked to each other as they pulled out their shotguns, cautiously moving towards the sounds. 

when they were beyond the buildings in their way, they could see a crowd of people scattering. everyone was panicked, and lilith couldn't tell where the commotion had started, or where in the crowd the instigator was. 

"are these the people marc evacuated?" lilith wondered aloud, looking over to frenchie.

the man's jaw locked. "shit." he breathed, eyeing the civilians. 

lilith finally spotted the center of the action. a man was running away from the crowd with a gun, a crazed look in his eyes. frenchie nudged her shoulder with his elbow. he was a part of the terrorist organization they'd been sent to crete to kill. somehow, he'd escaped.

not another word was exchanged between the two as they moved in different directions and advanced towards him. lilith put her hand under her jacket to hide her shotgun, pretending that she was searching for a phone. she made a quick look for civilians before taking the gun out of her pocket to shoot the man, who had moved into a alleyway. 

he could sense her, somehow, and turned around with his own weapon pointed at her. lilith was faster with her finger on the trigger, but everything still went silent for her in the moments between her pulling the trigger and the man slumping to the ground.

"you okay?" frenchie asked from the other side, only visible to lilith once the other man had fallen.

lilith had never gotten shot on the job. wounded, maybe, but never shot. she nodded. "yeah. i'm all good." she looked over her shoulder. "do you think any others got away?"

frenchie followed her gaze. "i guess we'll find out." he said, tilting his chin to the side to encourage her to follow him. 

the two walked around the nearby buildings, trying to be inconspicuous while also being painfully on guard. as they rounded each corner, lilith could feel her heart rate increase-- only to be met with an empty wall or an abandoned street.

"it'll be dark soon." frenchie commented, noting the pinkish sunset that was starting to form. "think we're safe to stop looking?"

lilith nodded, her hand still firmly holding onto the shotgun in her pocket. "yeah. yeah, let's be done for the night."

the two didn't say much else to each other as they walked back towards any semblance of humanity. crete was the most populated greek island, yet there seemed to be no one in sight for a mile. they finally found a lit square that seemed familiar, and wandered from there towards their hotel. 

"see you tomorrow." frenchie said. 

"yeah." lilith said. "see you." 

she closed the door to her small hotel room, which was completely void of light. she fumbled around on the wall for a light switch, and ultimately gave up. her eyes adjusted to the darkness after a moment, and she managed to remember enough of the room's layout to find the bedside lamp. 

when lilith moved to the bathroom, she was unsurprised to see that she looked like shit. she'd been on edge all day, and admittedly was just as anxious in her hotel room as she'd been in the deserted alleyway. she held onto the countertop, eyeing her reflection in the mirror across from her. she didn't think she even looked like herself.

she showered, tugging pieces of dirt out of her hair as she did so. the collapse of rocks in the cave had left all of her clothes covered in a dusty haze of brown, which she knew she'd eventually have to scrub out. 

lilith had brought only one extra pair of clothes, so she ultimately climbed under the covers in jeans. she fell asleep almost instantly, which was a welcomed contrast to her usual insomnia. she rarely ever dreamed, and this night was no exception. 

she woke feeling various aches throughout her body that she'd grown to find normal; daily reminders of any running or working out from the day prior. light was filtering in through the curtains as she sat up, holding her hair back with a hand. 

since she was already dressed, lilith washed her face and brushed her teeth before tossing her duffel bag over her shoulder and leaving the hotel room. 

she took the elevator down to the main floor,  moving straight to the dining area. there weren't a lot of breakfast options, so she had a coffee to tide herself over.  

when she glanced up from her drink, she immediately saw marc sitting at the end of the table. he met her gaze, and she promptly looked away. "where were you yesterday?" he asked, his voice close. he'd moved over to her. "you and duchamp disappeared."

"i was cleaning up your mess." she replied, taking a sip from her drink. 

his brows furrowed. "what do you mean 'my mess'? i saved your ass back there!"

lilith set her cup down. "when you blew up the place, did you think about checking to see if anyone got away?"

marc thought about this for a second. "what do you mean?"

"a guy with a gun was shooting randomly about a mile away." she said. "french and i found him, stopped him, and then came back to the hotel." 

marc didn't reply, looking down at his plate for a moment before standing to throw his uneaten food away. lilith watched him go before she threw out her coffee cup. the coffee was harshly bitter.