The Program [COMPLETED]

Chapter Seventeen

The soldier opened his mouth to scream, but was cut short as the knife struck with a great thud into his shoulder.

Aiden landed on top of the second soldier, grappling with him and forcing the gun out of the man's grip. Meanwhile, Eden shrieked in surprise, stunned by Aiden's unexpected appearance. Zariah used the distraction to her advantage, kicking outwards towards Eden with one of her legs. She knocked Eden to the ground, wrestling with her and eventually gaining the upper hand on her opponent. Aiden succeeded in obtaining the soldier's gun, using it to strike him hard across the head with one swift motion. He saw the man's eyes roll back into his skull as he slumped to the ground, unconscious. Aiden turned his attention to the soldier he'd thrown the knife at, who was now leaning against the side of a tree, gasping for air. Aiden had chosen not to kill the soldier. Instead, he'd aimed the knife for the man's shoulder in an attempt to disarm him. The soldier's fingers reached desperately for his gun, and Aiden promptly kicked it out of his grasp. Zariah was handling herself well, but Aiden lunged to help her by picking up one of the soldier's guns and aiming it at Eden's head, putting a stop to their struggle.

"Whatever you do next, be careful," Aiden warned quietly. His finger hovered over the trigger. He nodded to Zariah, who returned his gesture in thanks.

Eden looked up at him with a murderous expression. Zariah had her pinned, using the leverage from her shoulder to keep Eden in place. It seemed that even with all of Eden's extra precautions to keep Zariah subdued, Zariah didn't even need her hands to win a fight against Eden.

Eden's eyes darted around the forest anxiously. At least she was smart enough to know that calling for Maddox was a deadly mistake. She swallowed, turning her attention to Aiden.

"This has nothing to do with you, Aiden," Eden whispered savagely. "You don't have the guts to kill me. Maddox is going to tear you to pieces."

"Quit stalling for time, Eden," Aiden rolled his eyes. "It won't do you any good." He motioned for Zariah to get to her feet and turn around, using his second knife to cut the rope binding Zariah's wrists together. He handed Zariah the knife, pressing it into the palm of her hand.

Eden opened her mouth to speak again, but Zariah was faster. She punched Eden hard across the face, and Eden's head lolled to the side from the sudden attack. Her eyes closed, and she fell, unconscious. Zariah pushed the girl aside before getting to her feet to join Aiden.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I had to do that."

Zariah was a mess. Her face was covered in cuts and bruises, and blood was running down her cheekbones like rainwater on a glass pane. Upon further inspection, it looked like all of Zariah's wounds weren't major, and would heal with time. Aiden sighed in relief, but new adrenaline surged through him. Maddox would be returning any minute now, and they didn't have the time to waste.

"Come on, let's go," Aiden urged. "Maddox is-"

Aiden pushed Zariah out of the way as a knife blade whizzed in their direction. The two of them rolled onto the ground, peering at the silhouette of Maddox's stocky build in the moonlight.

"Eden!" Maddox cried, noticing his comrade's unconscious body. "I'll kill you!" he shouted, chasing after Zariah and Aiden with a vicious look in his eyes. Aiden felt obligated to believe him. Maddox was completely remorseless in his pursuit of them, and would stop at nothing to put an end to them both. The three soldiers Maddox had taken with him followed close behind in a merciless rampage.

Aiden and Zariah sprinted for headquarters. Bullets cut through the air near them, the silenced shots ricocheting off of the metal siding of Second Unit and lodging themselves in the earth.