Suicide Mission (Guarded Secrets #1)

18: "Good-bye life."

Spit Fire led me through the neighborhood via rooftops and back alleyways until we made it about it block away from the compound, where Demon's route started. "It's all you from here on out," Spit Fire said as she came to a full stop and scanned the area briefly before she turned to me again. "You're going to slide under that fence and follow the route Demon gave you. To do that, all you have to do is take a running start and slide straight under like you see girls do in softball."

"I never played softball," I said, confused on how to slide without hurting myself. I had seen some pretty bad injuries from girl's landing wrong or having inappropriate footing. That would not be the best way to start off this mission.

"That doesn't matter, it was an example. Just fall backward, and don't twist your foot." I offered a look that asked, how the hell I was supposed to manage that, but only got yelled at in return. "Just go!" Spit Fire ordered as she pushed me out into the open to fend for myself. "Raider and I will be in separate parts of the compound in case you need us. Just call out if anything goes amiss, but if you can, just slip out and make it as if we were never here."

"I can do that," I said with a nod as I took in a deep breath, hoping to relax my nerves a bit before I left. "Anything else?"

"I need you to relax, and remember Demon's advice and training along with Rum's as well. You can put it to great use if you just take the time to relax and ease into it. This is so much easier than you're thinking about, and I know it's difficult because you don't have an actual thief to train you, but it will work out. You'll learn from experience and it will help you grow."

"I will do my best, Spit Fire. Was your first mission easy?" I asked, getting a laugh from her to tell me that she found it to be a joke. I guess her's was just as difficult or worse compared to what I was doing tonight.

"I can only ask you to do your best," she said, completely skipping over my question. "Now go, I will see you soon and that's a promise. If you need me, I'll be around here and I'll help you." She turned and took off to wherever Demon and Whiplash had her set up for the mission. She would be waiting somewhere in the shadows in case I ran into trouble, and Raider would be waiting to cause trouble of his own for when I needed an escape.

Once she fully disappeared into the shadows, I took a deep breath to relax myself and to focus before I couldn't turn back. Without another moment of hesitation I took a running start toward the gate. My feet pounded the ground as I raced toward the compound. There was a sinking feeling as I got closer to the fence. There had to be a way to slide under the gate so I wouldn't injure myself, but I didn't have time to think about it. I had to react, and just learn from experience as Spit Fire said. I rolled onto my back causing dirt to fly up around me as I slid swiftly under the gate. It seemed to happen for me in slow motion while I barely managed to flatten myself enough to not scarp the fence's edges. The sharp points could easily do more than just give me a cut or poke an eye out.

My eyes must have been closed, because when my body stopped sliding on the ground they popped open. I was staring up at the open sky, filled to the brim with bright stars and a full shining moon that provided me with just enough light to see the building around me in the dim lighting. I heard footsteps near me. I popped up quickly, glancing behind me for whatever made that sound, but I didn't see anything. I glanced back toward the fence and to the small opening between the ground and the metal, unable to believe that I just did that.

"Get moving," I heard a familiar voice behind me. I turned to see Raider approaching me quickly before he grabbed my arm. "You're going to go to that building, and follow Demon's route to the letter. I have knocked out most of the street lights along your route so that it will be easier for you, but you only have a few more seconds before the guards come back around and notice the lights are off. So be quick, but don't get caught. I will be following you until you get to the designated building, then it's on you unless you get in trouble. Got it?"