FRAGMENTS ; Simon Riley

Chapter 15.

ROSALIE

—————————

"I told the stars about you."

MY boots landed softly on ground as I made my way into the abandoned warehouse. It was a long and silent flight in the heli, with Simon that didn't even glance at me for once, didn't even bother to explain the mission to me.

If it wasn't for Price who had picked up what was going on. He had the decency to explain it to me instead, before leaving the base.

At least Simon was guiding me through the mission by the intercom. He was stationed far, somewhere hidden where he could have a full view of the place with his sniper.

"I cleared up two enemies at the back." He informed me gruffly, tone sounding as if he didn't want to be there.

I moved silently and stealthily, my weapon always ready in my hand in case an enemy appeared. With a nod, I looked in the direction where I sensed a glimmer: his sniper. And finally I advanced inside. It was silent—oddly so.

With the silencer, I killed only a couple of enemies, then reached an empty room, full of hanging maps and a desk with some papers and a laptop. I lowered the rifle once I was sure there was no one else there, and advanced to the desk full of useful intels.

"How copy? I have no sight of you from here." Simon's voice oozed from the intercom, "There's.. so many papers, I'm checking them," I reported back, before my eyes fell on an USB, the one Price was looking desperately for. Could it be?

"I found—" I couldn't even complete my sentence as I was hit from behind on the helmet, making me stumble.

I recovered quickly, raising my rifle, but the enemy was quicker, hitting me in the leg. A pain spread through all my nerves and bones, I groaned in pain but didn't distract myself. Anyway, it was a good moment to kick the weapon away from me, letting it slide into a corner of the room.

"Nova, what's happening?"

I wanted to answer Simon but this fucker wasn't making it easier. He launched at me, our bodies stumbling on the ground as he took the chance to rip my intercom away. I was struggling underneath him, this man was ten times bigger and stronger, and he ambushed me perfectly.

He put all his weight on me, I tried to wriggle, to free myself. My nails scratched all over his face, desperately trying to get into his eyes and blind him. His hands snapped to my neck, wrapping around it with pressure that drove the air out from my lungs. The man screamed something incomprehensible in Russian, all the while I struggled.

All the blood rushed to my face, my nails dug inside the skin of his arms, making him groan out in pain. With the remaining forces, I balled a hand into a fist and swung it over his face, hitting his temple.

He fell to the side, finally setting me free from his weight, but there wasn't much time to recover. I launched at him, straddling him as I repeatedly hit his face with my fist, each blow sending pain through my nerves and bones.

I wasn't done, I wasn't going to be done soon.

The control was slipping right through my fingers, my head was spinning from the adrenaline, from the shock, from the pain, from the lack of oxygen.

The sound of bones breaking filled the entire room, I kept on going until I couldn't feel my hand anymore—until the enemy's face was unrecognizable.

The human's skull has 14 facial bones, 8 cranial bones. And I was sure this man had lost at least six of the facial ones.

One eye was open, blood was all over his face, and it was coming out of his nose and mouth in a disgusting way that made my stomach turn. I was frozen on top of him, slowly coming to my senses, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I let my lungs get filled by pure oxygen.

What did I just do?

The enemy tried to speak, but only disgusting and struggling gurgles came from his throat. I stumbled on my feet, grabbing the gun from my holster, pointing it right at his head.

I had never reduced someone in such state: unrecognizable and suffering.

The hand, holding the gun, trembled. My eyes were fixed on the man laying on the ground, barely breathing.

"Sergeant Nova!" Echoed from afar, slowly getting closer.

My back touched the wall as I backed away, my finger was positioned on the trigger, shaking. What was going on? Why was I hesitant when he had tried to kill me in the first place?

"You're too good for this field, my love."

Get out of my head.

The gunshot ricocheted around the warehouse, but it wasn't enough. The enemy's eye was still open, staring at me with that bloody pupil.

"Your little and gentle heart can't handle the violence and raw reality of wars."

Whoever you are. Get out of my head.

Another gunshot rang out, blood splattered everywhere.

"Let me protect you, my love. I beg you."

Get. Out.

Four, five, six. Then the magazine went empty, the click of my gun filling the silence of the room.

The enemy held no face anymore, just a lifeless corpse without an identity.

"Fuckin' hell.. Rosalie." Simon's voice came from the entrance, his eyes staring in shock at the sight of the room, of the blood covering the ground, the lifeless body, and then at my curled form on the ground.

He knew he didn't need to ask anything, he knew that I was triggered, I was in shock from the attack. There was softness and guilt in his hazel irises, his steps slowly approaching me before he crouched down to reach my level.

"Are you alright..?" He seemed to be forcing himself to not blurt out something.

Simon pushed away a fallen strand of my hair from my face, the tenderness of his actions making my heart ache.

"The USB.. is on the desk." I rasped, watching him follow my words and collect the intel. But I stayed unmoving on the ground, on the verge of tears when reality started to kick in and my previous actions became clearer to my mind.

Only then, I let out a small sob, catching Simon's attention.

"You did so good. It's okay. You did amazing." Gently, he pulled me in an embrace, engulfing me whole with the familiar warmth of his body. He pressed his lips on my temple, leaving them there for a few seconds, and I savored the moment to calm down the agitation.

Why did it feel like a habit? Like my soul was interlinked with his.

He knew better than ask me anything; without saying a word, he slipped an arm under my knees and held me effortlessly in his arms, walking out of the warehouse and towards the extraction point.

Face buried in the crook of his neck, I let my body lull to rest.

(A/N: this chapter is unedited. wrote this through an hangover because I don't have time today to update😫. Love you, thank you for reaching to this point!)