Initiation

Chapter 7: Pursuit

     "Don't let the girl escape!" I yell over the madness as Chloe's retreating form reaches the doors to a hallway.

I am satisfied to see two agents following her after they cuff two of Argon's men.

"Sam!" An extremely worried feminine voice calls from a distance. Cassidy's long, dark brown hair billows behind her as she sprints toward me. Her eyebrows pull together when she stops in front of me. Her chest is rising and falling slowly. I wince at the unexpected pressure her hand brings to my face.

"I'm going to kill them."

     I place my own hand over hers, pulling it down.

"Geez Cassidy can you relax a little," I chuckle at the annoyed look in her pearl-grey eyes, "you know what I can do. I'll be as good as new."

She rolls her eyes at me. "That still doesn't justify the way your face looks." She scolds.

     A slight smile remains on my lips. Cassidy always worried about my well-being on missions. Even though she knew how capable I was of defending myself. After all, we've known each other since we were just little kids.

She shoots me a well-intentioned glare before a softer look forms onto her defined features.

"Here take these- you doofus."

      A playful grin forms on my face as I place the clear ear pieces into my ears. Before either of us has a chance to say anything a familiar voice speaks in our ear.

"Argon's brat is escaping," Roy Slater breathes in heavily, "can't go after her- tending to a fallen agent."

I place my finger down onto the communication device, "Roy, where are you?"

He doesn't answer for a bit.

"Never mind me man, go after Argon's girl. Agent Brandt is on her tail in the south corridor."

I knew Roy's encounter with Chloe must have been serious due to his flustered tone. Cassidy gives me a knowing look, she too noticed his tone.

      The warehouse had been my home for the past three and a half months. I knew this place inside and out. Cassidy follows behind me as we enter a storage room. The dim lighting made our journey rather difficult as we weave through crates piled twenty feet into the air.

"Sam," Cassidy whispers while placing a hand on my shoulder, "you hear that?"

     I stop immediately and close my eyes to focus on pinpointing the sound. A light thudding can be heard up ahead. Then as the noise gets closer, labored breathing can be heard. The sound is light enough to know that the person coming our way is a girl. Chloe.

     This part of the warehouse was falling apart. The walls were close to being paper thin. We had no issues hearing Chloe pass us on the other side of the wall.

"Come on Cassidy" I urge before we take off running back the way we came.

     We emerge out of the storage room into the hall without difficulty. Chloe had nowhere plausible to go. My eyes catch her retreating form up ahead. She is running toward a dead end, but this didn't stop me from chasing after her. Cassidy quickens her strides to match mine as we race down the hall.

      Chloe finally notices us behind her a minute later. She wastes no time trying to shake us from her tail. Burgundy flames effortlessly erupt into her hands. Cassidy's steps falter when Chloe sets the entire width of the hall on fire. I continue on shouting, "She's mine Cassidy! Check to see if the others are alright!"

In no way did I want her to follow me. I couldn't afford Cassidy getting hurt. Our minds were linked anyway. When I needed her, she would know.

     Cassidy halts behind me as I run forward, leaping over the flames on the ground. The hot air wraps around my skin. Beads of sweat form on my forehead until the temperature changes. Chloe glances quickly over her shoulder. Her pace picks up once she's seen me.

     I can just imagine how hard her heart was beating right now. How the adrenaline must be rushing through her veins like mine. Her energy must have been waning, but her spirit burned. I had to admire the girl for her endurance and willpower, but this had to end now.

     I will ice to form underneath my feet, creating an ice path. Those years of hockey lessons as a boy came in handy. Gliding on the ice was like a walk in the park. My arms swing at my sides. My leg muscles constrict with each movement. 

     The strides of Chloe's legs lengthen. Her chest is heaves violently as her lungs fight for oxygen. A two-toned aura sphere forms into Chloe's hand out of pure desperation. My eyes narrow as the energy is thrown at me, but I had a trick up my sleeve.

     My knees fall to the ground, sliding across the slippery surface. My abdominal muscles harden to hold myself up as I lean back. My heart constricts for a moment. The aura sphere had barely missed the bridge of my nose. Bricks crumble to the ground behind me. Chloe does not slow down one bit. This really has to end. Water encircles my hands just before I shoot a steady stream of water at Chloe's back.

     Chloe slows down, diving to the ground. In a quick fashion she brings her arms and hands forward. She tucks her body and legs toward her chest, and somersaults across the floor. Before she pushes herself back up the water flies overhead hitting the wall. Water splashes back toward us. A gentle mist forms in the air. 

     A dark burgundy flame erupts off of Chloe's hand which melts a hole into the metal blockade. The strong scent of burning metal infiltrates my nose. Smoke forms as a result from Chloe's scalding flames. My eyes widen in shock as she, without hesitance, jumps through the hole. The thick black smoke swallows her whole. If she could blindly jump out of the building then so could I.

     Hey everyone, so I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I believe the part where Chloe dives from Sam's water stream is written correctly. I am in no way a gymnast or someone who does parkour, so if that scene doesn't make sense let me know. I did some research, and even attempted at somersaulting on the ground myself to get a feel for it (embarrassing...yeah, kind of). It did help me understand the movement a little more, obviously not to scale that I wrote it of course. Don't try that at home please! 

Did you have a favorite part of this chapter? If so what was it? 

Love getting feedback from you guys, so don't be too shy to comment. Till next time! :)