Lapis Lazuli

7 - Sacrifice and Deception

7 -Sacrifice and Deception

Ralph, Rob, and the Twins' faces flashed across my mind, the operations we took, the moments we had together up to that point when they took the rest of the girls with them in the truck, headed for the tunnel.

If I had seen all of these sooner than I did, I could've saved them.

Self-blame was washing over me, my subconscious reminding me of our plans to leave the organization 2 years from now and live our lives, separate paths, a decent one at that. Had I been able to piece every detail a little earlier, we could've radioed them, saved them.

But the anger towards the one we all trusted was far greater than the blame. Now that things have gone her way, I wanted nothing more than to slit her throat and made sure she choked with her own blood.

But that would be an easy death for someone who has committed the worst crime anyone could have done in being a member of a group who has established trust towards each other--deception.

And there could be more to her plans. Though I was able to understand most of it, I still have questions. The least I could do now for Ralph and the others is to keep the rest of us from being sacrificed in whatever Katelyn is aiming for. I didn't have memorable moments with Katelyn, but we have established a bond. I never dreamt of a day when I would have to press my knife against her neck with nothing in my mind but the desire to see her own blood coat my hands.

"Rain, what the fck is going on?!" Nicole's voice brought me back to reality.

Katelyn breathed heavily, the blonde strands of her hair caressing against my hand that was holding the knife against her. It took a lot of my self-restraint to resist myself from slitting her throat right there and then.

"Yes, Rain," Katelyn muttered, her eyes wide. "What the fck is going on?"

Her tone told me something else---Drop the knife or I will kill you---but I couldn't care less. If it was worth acknowledging, this mission is over. We're on a quest now to saving our own damn asses.

"Ner," Philip's whisper was enough to tone down my fury, but it was still there.

"Do you really think," I began, making sure she can feel the intensity of my restrained rage. "That I have no idea what you're doing behind our backs?"

The look of realization that swept across her face ignited the need for thrill in me. If it was anything, she already has an inkling that I had an idea of what she was doing, but the surprise still got to her.

She feigned confusion, but I knew better than to fall for it. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Chaxton."

"One thing you taught me years ago Katelyn," I pressed the knife further against her neck. I might've felt Nicole raise her hand in an attempt to stop me, but I ignored her. "Is that the eyes can never conceal one's real thoughts, if one would look closely enough."

The innocent expression I was getting annoyed of was suddenly replaced with a wicked look--a look I was waiting for. Her lips that were doing a good act of quivering suddenly became firm, curving into a smirk I wanted nothing more than to punch out of her. Her eyes glinted with amusement, fuelling my anger even more.

"I didn't expect you'd take that advice seriously, Chaxton," She muttered, the smirk never fading from her face. "You're a prodigy of analysis and strategy, after all."

Her movements were fast and sleek and unexpected. Her right arm swiftly slammed against mine, pushing the knife away from her neck and grasping it with her other hand as she raises her foot, nailing me on my chest so swift and hard that I plummeted against the ground, the knife already on her hands.