I am the storm

Chapter 32 | The ruined base

My father awoke me in the morning (by stomping around from downstairs) at around nine in the morning. The outside was filled with drizzle and light dew and a low speed wind blowing through the small gap in my open window.

I got out of my bed and stretched each of my limbs individually. I paced over to my closet and picked out what I was going to wear for the day, I eventually decided on: a light red t-shirt, a pair dark blue jeans, a pair of navy blue and white trainers and my messenger bag. Initially, I planned to pack my messenger bag with my usual equipment but then I remembered that I had lost it when me an Sean had ran from The Bunker and a half-deranged Shadow.

After that I then walked out of my bedroom my face plastered with a newfound happiness to hear muttering from downstairs. I descended the staircase and moved to the kitchen to see my father and Sean happily talking and eating bacon sandwiches.

My father noticed me first, "morning Alexis how was your sleep?" His tone fatherly and cheery.

Sean looked up and quickly inserted himself into the conversation "morning!" As he gave a smile in my direction.

I smiled back to both of them and replied "yeah I'm doing fine thank you both" my tone reciprocated both of theirs.

My father finished buttering two pieces of toast then placed them both onto a plate and laid two strips of bacon on one of the slices then put the other slice on top of it. He looked toward me and responded "well wake yourself up! And eat Alexis!" In his over acting voice, then he retrieved a glass from a cupboard and filled it with water and placed it next to the sandwich he made prior.

Swiftly,I pulled up a chair and sat, then I proceeded to eat my bacon sandwich and drink my water all after I thanked my father.

My father instead of eating with me and Sean, cleaned up the pan he had cooked the bacon in and grabbed his coat. My father turned to me and grappled his arms around me and said "Alexis I've got to go to work but I love you and I just hope you're holding up after...mom" my fathers words struck me after the recent revelation about my mother.

Eventually, my father let me go and I replied to him it's okay dad I'm going to be fine" I gave a reassuring smile and my father smiled back.

My father walked to the door and said "well I'm off you two don't get up to anything while I'm not here and remember to take a spare key Alexis if your going out!" My father then left through the front door locking it behind himself. Me and Sean then proceeded to eat out breakfast with a reasonable amount of friendly chatter.

It was Sean who first brought the topic of his homelessness and Shadow, "hey Alexis, how do you think Shadow is holding up?" In his usual calm tone.

"Well I haven't really thought about it" I lied the truth is that Shadow was in the forefront of my mind purely because I had no idea how he was holding up, I knew that he had seen a psychiatrist in the past in the form of Philip but I honestly didn't know what his mental state was like.

Sean looked disappointed then he responded "well I was honestly wondering are we going to see him...today I mean?"

"Umm sure I guess we can after breakfast though," I responded to Sean's question.

Sean gave a child-like smile (the same smile a child would give if thy had been praised or if they were getting what they want). Sean then replied "thank you Alexis" In thankful tone.

We then returned to are friendly talk over our breakfast of bacon sandwiches, but in my head I feared going back to The Bunker because I was scared of Shadow.

How unhinged was he?

When we finished our breakfast I asked Sean if he was ready to go and he instantly replied with a 'yes' and we both left the house and I locked the front door behind us. The walk to The Bunker was filled with talking from both me and Sean and this entertaining conversation made the walk seem to move faster than usual.

As we approached the warehouse where The Bunker was located I felt uneasy. As though in my very core I knew that something was off, like an early warning system in my mind said something was wrong.

The warehouse door was slightly ajar with scuff marks around it as though something had rammed against it and forced it open. Me and Sean looked at each other confused until Sean pushed the door open and with a chilling creak it slowly opened up. Inside the warehouse Shadow's black van seemed to have holes, I knew that they weren't made by accident these were bullet holes.

Worriedly, me and Sean rushed over to the door of The Bunker to see...the big metal door wide open with dents in it (presumably made by the same gun that shot the black van) Sean turned to me and exclaimed "what the hell happened!"

I could only respond with "I have no idea," But what I knew for sure is that my so far 'good' day was going to get a lot worse.

We walked inside The Bunker to see the usual tidy space tarnished, papers scattered across the floor, his computers smashed and broken cupboards ripped open and some armour plating and weapons strewn across the room.

Me and Sean shuffled through the chaos noting the numerous bullet holes scattered across the walls.

I was slowly processing the chaotic scene laid out in front of me, and in my head I started to piece together what happened, but due to my limited knowledge I inferred that: someone had attacked The Bunker and confronted Shadow, then the intruder and Shadow had some sort of fight (the intruder possibly using a gun which created all the bullet holes) and as of now it was unclear who had won.

Suddenly, Sean tapped my arm snatching my attention before speaking "Alexis look at this!" Sean then motioned toward a video camera laying on the ground it's red recording light still flashing.

I walked toward the video camera and bent down to pick it up, I then turned to Sean and asked "did you turn on the record button?"

Sean replied quickly "no. It was like that when I first spotted it, wait do you think it's been recording us?" Sean's tone was worried and slightly nervous.

Swiftly, I snatched the camera and inquisitively I fumbled with the buttons on the camera until I eventually turned off the red button stopping it's constant flashing. I then turned to Sean and answered his question that up until this point I had ignored, "well if it did record us, it looks like it isn't now!" Then I handed Sean the video camera for him to inspect himself.

Sean fiddled with the camera until he flipped out a screen off the side of it, then he pressed a few buttons and the screen lit up and Sean's face grew pale.

He waved his hand to all me over and we looked at the screen, on it was a blurry picture of The Bunker completely ruined. Suddenly, on the screen a figure moved into place and I instantly recognised him. The figure was Mister Crow.

"Dear Alexis" Mister Crow's words echoed through the speaker on the camera as Mister Crow spoke in a cold, sarcastic tone. Mister Crow waited a millisecond then continued to speak "I thank you Alexis for leading me to your friend's base, but alas he was gone but he did leave a note and some clues saying where he was going but I've locked all that away in a closet to the left of the entrance!" Mister Crow's words were unnerving. Behind Mister Crow I noticed he had what appears to be a gun on his back holding on by a strap that lay around his shoulder. Mister Crow then continued to speak, but in a more staticky sound "but since I do have a head start I will tell you where the key to the closet is hidden. The key is hidden with the girl who saved you from my gun. And that's all I have to say!" Then Mister Crow moved out of the way of the camera lens and knocked it on the ground (precisely where Sean found it when we first walked in The Bunker) and presumably left the room. The video recording continued for about ten hours (all of which we skipped) then me and Sean walked out The Bunker.

Sean put away the camera and then turned to me and asked "So that's the guy who attacked us the other night then? But who is the girl who saved you from his gun?"

I thought my response over in my head until I could finally answer Sean's question hopefully correctly "well that is the guy who attacked us and as for the girl who saved me the only person I can think of is Patricia." It was then I remembered the fight me and Patricia had the other day and how little she'd want to see me.