As soon as I'm settled into the supply closet, I turn the Walkie Talkie on, while placing my refreshments on a shelf. Immediately, a voice beeps in. "Carolyn, are you okay?" It's Josh. I hold down the button. "Yes, I'm fine." He sighs, saying, "Good. I'll clock in later." All of us respond with, "Ok," and end the call.
I check my watch. It's five fifty-five. Any minute now, El Miedo should start waking up. Suddenly, I hear heavy footsteps coming down the hall, followed by a few light ones. If I assume correctly, the only heavy feet could belong to Carlos, so the light ones must be two of his minions. I wait until Carlos is just past the door, then swiftly open the door, stepping behind the smaller ninja. In a second, my left hand is over his mouth, leaving my right arm to force his arms down. Fortunately for me, the other minion isn't a ninja, but Carlos's bodyguard, who's beady little eyes are so far into his head, he probably doesn't have peripheral vision. I drag the skinny guy into my closet, where he's knocked unconscious by a blow to the head. I didn't really pay attention while I was hitting him, but now that he's on the floor, the short, dark hair and pale skin could only belong to Adam. I feel remorse for a split second before remembering how much of a traitor he is. He deserved it, I think to myself. Right?
To be honest, I didn't think I would get someone this early. The sooner the better, though. I check my watch again. Six fifteen? Wow. Time flies when you're destroying your enemies. The Walkie Talkie comes on. "It's Chris. Still here." Then Rafael, with "I'm here." One after another, they guys beep in. We're all worried about Ben, who's hiding in a cabinet, amongst the pots and pans. But sure enough, "Ben's here."
We only have to sit in silence until seven, when the Battle starts. Once they see us missing, Carlos will send his troupe to various locations, in search of the missing ninjas. Then, we attack. With all the extra time, I lean against a set of shelves, and think about what the near future has in store. I cannot wait to get back to NY to start a life with Josh. He's everything I've ever wanted, and now I get to spend the rest of my time with him? That's the dream, right? It'll be awesome, we'll have a beautiful wedding that we'll sing at, maybe adopt some kids, and travel the world, going on great adventures. Gosh, Carolyn, you're in deep this time. All of this thinking has worn me out, so I decide to catch a few winks.
Upon awaking, I hear footsteps in the hall, again. This time, it sounds like two people. Using my method of operation, I wait till they're past the door, then tiptoe behind them. It's Bonita, pushing someone in front of her. She's holding the mans wrists behind him, like handcuffs. His belt is dark blue. Without hesitation, I step to the left, delivering an elbow to Bonita's jaw. She falls, dropping her prisoner. I kick her firmly in the side, then the head. Picking up whichever of my teammates it is, I shove him into the closet, and lock the door. Taking the sack off of his head-Bonita must have put it on to shield his eyes-I find Josh, breathing heavily. Shocked, and concerned, I hold his face. "What happened?" I whisper. He explains how he was under Carlos's desk, but Bonita came in to get a few things. "I don't know what she got, but she found me." I begin kissing him everywhere, almost like a mother, when he stops me. "I've gotta find somewhere else to hide." That's too risky. "Stay here," I suggest, "We make a great team." Josh ponders it for a minute. "Sure. Okay, I'll stay." I describe the experience in this closet. "Oooh, lots of free time," he says, making his bedroom eyes at me. Just as I'm going in for a kiss, the Walkie Talkie goes off. Another check-in. Everyone but Phil responds. We stand in mourning for a while, until more of El Miedo comes down the hall. "You ready?" I ask Josh. He nods, then follows me out. I motion to the bodyguard, and Josh trails him. In a second, Josh is in the air, wrapping his legs around the guys midsection, while driving the poor mans face into the floor. I'm using my shorter staff to jab my opponent in the back, causing him to fall, so I can throttle his neck. We drag them back to the closet, pushing them onto shelves. Josh catches his breath. Then, "How about we finish that kiss?" I smirk, pulling his face to mine. If I could summarize our relationship in one word, it would be passion. We're so passionate with each other, it's incredible. During the kiss, I slide my hand under his uniform, massaging his chest. This thrills Josh, I can tell, because he makes the kiss French, deepening it. Like the mood killer it is, the communication device beeps. Ignoring it, Josh continues caressing my face with his strong, yet gentle hands. "Guys, I think we got them all." This, however, makes us stop. Josh chimes in, "There are twelve altogether, including Carlos. How many have you gotten, Henry?" Silence, then "Two, same as Chris." Josh counts. "Okay, so four, plus my one, and Carolyn's three, that's eight. You get any Ben?" A cough. "Only one. But Rafael got one guy too, before, he, uh, you know." Josh nods. "Okay. Jack, you there?" Jack's a stutterer. "Y-yeah, but he's n-not dead y-yet. W-wait. Okay , n-now he is." Josh and I grin. "Good guys. We're almost done." He ends the call before anyone can add it up. Turning to me, Josh declares, "We have to find Carlos."
The hallways in this facility were obviously not made for hiding. As Josh and I sprint lightly, we've got to stop every few seconds to listen for Carlos. When we finally make it to his office, Josh places a hand on the knob. "Get behind me," he orders, so I do. Letting the door swing open to reveal a seething Master Ninja can now be crossed off of my to-do list. Carlos is furious, uttering, "Let's see what you got," before running towards me. Josh springs in between us, thrusting his right foot into Carlos's chest to buy us some time. As soon as he's on the ground, I take my long staff, and bring it down, onto his throat. Surprisingly, Carlos has quick reflexes. He grabs my staff, breaking it in two. Rising, the older man gives a roundhouse kick to the head, that Josh can't escape. Watching him fall is the final straw. With tears flying, I punch Carlos in the jaw, while simultaneously booting him in the back. The look of defeat as he drops is impossible to miss. A final foot to his head puts him to rest, forever. Hurriedly, I shake Josh. "I beat Carlos! Come on, get up! It's over!" I shake even harder. Josh slowly lifts his eyes to look around, coming to settle on mine. "You did it. We won," he whispers, hoarsely. I embrace Josh, and help him stand. Steadily, we begin to walk. Out of the office. Out of Mexico. And into a beautiful future.
