Lapis Lazuli

8 - Broken Bonds

8 - Broken Bonds

Bullshit.

It was the first thing that came to mind.

Philip's eyes were trained on Katelyn's phone, his fingers navigating across the screen with such ease and fast pace that it made me think he had used it for a long time already.

Dirty-blonde girl kept her gun pointed towards me, her other hand holding Philip's gun, which was aimed at Nicole. Suddenly she didn't look that innocent anymore, and her unfaltering grip on the guns told me that she  was far from being ignorant of how to use the weapon. There was no doubt in her eyes---she'd fire a shot if we try to do anything. If Billfort or Rottmayer would do the same, I wouldn't be surprised if she shoots them either.

My gaze slowly moved to Nicole, just in time for her to glance my way. Philip threatened her into lowering her gun, which was already on the ground just in front of her. Confusion and utter disbelief wasn't hard to read from her expression, and I'd bet a thousand bucks I was wearing the same look.

Katelyn's mass of blonde hair was sprawled on the ground, her face planted against the hard cement. A small round hole appeared noticeably against her pastel jacket, blood starting to pool around her body. A part of me silently pleaded for her to be still alive, for us to figure a way out of this mess, for Nicole to be able to treat her wound. If I envisioned ways on how to kill her a moment ago, now I want nothing more than for her to survive this. It dawned on me that despite my anger for her, she was still someone I established a bond with---a friend. And I didn't want her to die.

But her body remained motionless on the ground. Her skin had started to turn pale, but it could have been just my pessimistic point of view. And no matter how much I try to ignore it, I could feel the coldness of her body as if she was just next to me.

My troop leader just sacrificed our comrades like scapegoats for us to be able to leave the city. And now my bestfriend for almost a decade shot her, still our own comrade. He wasn't like the person I knew anymore, and the look on his face had me thinking and believing that he would kill me too, without having second thoughts.

The blood on my head seem to dry up, and I shut my eyes. I didn't want to think anymore. Thoughts of what happened for the past hour procured more destructive thoughts, scenarios, and what-if's. It was unlike any mental and emotional torture I've experienced before.

"You're not a student of Billfort Academy," I muttered, not bothering to ask anymore. Every part of me threatened to go weaker than I already felt they have. Surprisingly, I was still able to see the smirk that grew on dirty-blonde girl's face.

"Your wit and common sense turn me on. It's hard to find a male troop member who actually uses his head nowadays," She exclaimed with a smirk, her eyes looking at me from head to toe. "And you don't look so bad too. Those eyes are so captivating, by the way."

I didn't bother saying anything, I was too consumed with the urge to wring my hand around her neck. She must've understood my impassive gaze, and the smirk on her lips grew wider as she chuckles afterwards.

"It actually pissed me off when you didn't bother finding out what my name is," She went on, and faintly I noticed Nicole's hands clench into fists.

"So I'm just gonna tell you now," She went on with the smile still on her face, completely unmindful of our silence. "I'm Alice Gladstone. It's a shame for the introduction to come afer all this, but still, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Philip remained silent beside Alice, his eyes trained on the phone he was typing on, his expression stern. I took notice of his fingers pressing rapidly against the screen, and I realized then that he is conversing with Kier Johnson, the COO, the person who killed my own comrades, the person who is after our troop.