The Five Unnecessaries

Chapter 23 Part 2

Alex pulled away and nodded to the alley. I took a breath and ran. I kept running, turning around only once. He had leaned against the wall, his head in his hands as he sank to the ground. With each step, I hated myself more.

I traveled for one mile through alleys, under doorways. To my relief, my pack was still where I had left it. I took a trip down in a dumpster, carefully placing the baby on my pack, while I changed out of my dress and stuffed it into the bottom pouch. As I was about to jump out, I realized that my hand was shaking. I stared at the baby on the dumpster floor, now not even sickened by the smell or my surroundings. Saving his life might mean that Alex would die.

I unraveled my braided hair, Alex's promise unraveling with it. I was more than a block away and I hadn't forgotten him. I kept telling myself to focus on the journey ahead.

A door crashed open in the alley. I heard a half-grunt, half-scream.

And a muted gunshot.

I knelt, ordering my body to remain frozen. The next sound was a knife hitting the asphalt in the alley. There was scuffling. The knife scraped on the asphalt again. Then, a groan and a short scream, as if the knife had hit its target. I felt adrenaline take over my body.

I knew that voice.

It was Brie.

I didn't think as my feet moved to jump out of the dumpster. Someone had Brie locked in their grip, their arms wrapped around her neck. I ran up behind her attacker, grabbing the hair of the woman and pulling back. She was strong and managed to keep a grip on Brie's neck as she pulled out her gun. But Brie did something—probably bit her arm—and the woman yelled and released her. She kicked Brie forward as she did. Then she fell backward, sending me to the ground.

I was prepared, catching myself and jumping back up. But I wasn't prepared to see our attacker from the front.

She was pregnant.

I moved to block her next kick as I tried to process what had happened. She must have been trying to entrap Brie, who hadn't fallen for it. I blocked the next kick, then knocked her gun away. Brie coughed again.

A Sentry wasn't far behind. He would kill us. They might find the baby.

And if they traced the baby's DNA, Alex was dead, too.

I was fighting for four lives.

I tried a quick jab, which hit her in the neck, but she blocked my next kick. I kicked higher. That was a mistake.

She grabbed my ankle and pushed back, kicking my other leg out from under me. I hit the ground, hard, the air sucked out of my lungs. She was pulling out her knife. Brie was still on the ground, whispering her plea, "You'll be safe with us. Please."

The woman pinned me. Her knife was inches away from my face. Her knees dug into my arms. I could feel my pulse raging, wondering how much longer my blood would pound through me. She cut one side of my arm before lifting the knife up over her head. I couldn't stop staring at: the weapon that would tear through my flesh and push out my soul.

But it never fell. It only jolted. And then froze.

I felt the pressure of her knees release. I scrambled out from under her, trying to shuffle away. I heard her, losing breath on top of me, and looked away, so I didn't have to see death overtake her eyes.

I barely had time to think before trying to get out away from her, now able to see the knife in her back. Brie was on one knee, gasping for air, the arm in front of her red and soaked.

"C'mon, Brie, we have to go... you're bleeding." The gunshot must have only grazed her because she was still moving her arm. "Brie?"

She wasn't moving. While being entrapped and nearly murdered must have been horrible, I didn't think it would paralyze her. Not her. She was staring at the woman, then moved to turn her over. There was a wired comm on her, attached to what must have been a synthetic stomach.