Heart Of The Storm

-Chapter 3- No Escaping Fate-

Aella

My eyes flutter open at the sound of a door closing, the bright lights hitting them as I squint. I'm so tired... I just want to roll over on the bed and continue-

I shoot up into a sitting position and take in the unfamiliar room around me. Where am I? And why am I in here? I look down as I try to piece together what happened, tracing the cuff of the unfamiliar black and tan hoodie. I don't recall wearing this before I fell asleep-

Everything clicks. The Retrievers, the tranquilizer, teleporting. I have no idea where I landed, I don't even know if I'm still in the same country. I notice the lack of restraints and collars, meaning I'm not in the Retrievers possession. Throwing off the bed covers, I see that the rest of my clothing is the same, even though my boots are sitting beside the bed instead of being on my feet. Good, it'll make leaving that much quicker. I glance around and see my bag in the corner, and get up as fast as possible, not wanting to fall from a lack of stability. Slipping my shoes back on, I grab my bag and make my way over to the window, looking out to see what lies below...and I groan.

Crap, it's too high up.

I think as I take in the three stories between me and the ground. I look over to the door, and contemplate silently. This means I'll have to go through three floors to find the exit, avoiding anybody who's here and not getting lost. Even if the people here are nice I can't stay, just me being here puts them in danger.

I walk silently over to the door, twisting the knob slowly. It moves without a sound or difficulty, so I pull the door open a sliver and peek through the crack. The hallway is empty both ways and the stairs are to the left, so I slide out of the room and make my way towards the stairs, keeping close to the wall.

It's quiet, no sounds, no movement...it's like I'm the only person in here. Glancing quickly, I creep down the empty stairs while hugging the wall, and keep doing it until I reach the bottom of the stairs to the first floor. It seems that this is where my luck runs out, for the sound of feet thumping above alerts me that I'm not as alone as I thought.

"She's out of her room! Find her!!"

"Tell Apollo now!!"

Screw quiet, I need to get out of here. I don't know who Apollo is, but I'm not waiting to find out. I haul ass through what appears to be a living room, and make my way to the nearest exit as I hear the pounding feet behind me.

"Wait! Miss!!" A guy yells, reaching for me as he edges closer, and I instinctively crouch low and grab my knife, swinging it behind me and aim for his legs to distract him. He falls for it, jumping back and looking down, so I take the advantage and swing back up, slicing across his cheek and nearly hitting his eye.

"Shit!!"

Just before I grab for the door another one tries to grab me, I aim for his chest , slicing open his shirt and cutting through his skin. He lets a string of curses as I cut his hand as well, keeping him from grabbing me. Two more men come down the stairs, and I brace myself for a fight.

I drop down to the floor and swipe my leg out, knocking the one I cut in the face into the path of the other two. I uppercut the one with the chest wound while he's distracted, knocking him back and throwing him off balance before I throw my knee into his stomach. I feel a pair of arms grab my shoulders and I throw a swift jab to his stomach, making him grunt in pain as I push him down to the floor.