A Mind To Kill The Average Joe

DAY 23/People Hunting

Samantha felt weird, everything around her sounded off. There were people mumbling. There were out of place sounds  in the background like the tapping of shoes and high heels against the floor, the 'tick-tick-tick- tick' of cascading nails on the dashboard. She heard Joe, he was making conversing softly over the radio music. She would open her eyes, but they felt heavy and happy where they were. She submitted to her urge to sleep. Moments later, she felt tingling in her toes and fingers. Her heart was racing and a wave of energy washed over her. It woke her right up.

She saw that she was in a hospital. She assumed Joe was checking her out. They both left with a familiar nurse pushing her out. Samantha realized that she liked the sound of the wheels rolling against the smooth floor, but not the ones of the stand for her drip-bag. The sliver lining was Penny, her beside nurse. Samantha had only known her for a couple of days but Penny had earned her 'friend' status. They would both talk each other to sleep in unsettling nights at the hospital. They'd talk about shows, relationships and traveling the world. Samantha knew a lot about Penny and she trusted her. It was almost sad knowing that she had to say goodbye.

When they had exited the door, it was like a heat wave, the most unwanted and unexpected hug from the world that assaulted her entire body. The whole time she was in a temperate, cooler than cold or just a slightly chilled room. Samantha felt like she was breathing in heat or nothing at all. This made her have a panic attack. Then, she started to calm down all of a sudden. She didn't know if it was because of the radiating brightness from the sun hurting and tiring her eyes or because the lack of air was making her pass out. She thought, "What the f@#k? How am I suppose to run away? Am I hungry or something?...Is this how Neo felt,  when...he..."

Nurse Penny had injected some of the sadative into her through her drip bags tube. "What?" she responded to Joe's slightly judgemental stare. "Would you relax. I used a little bit." After Joe secured Samantha into in backseat, Penny and Joe got in the car. "I like her." said she while she overlooked a copy of Samantha's file in the front seat. "But, I don't know how long I can keep this ruse going." she said jokingly, " I mean, I don't even know the full story yet. I'm just covering your a$$..."

"I don't appreciate the shade." Joe said.

"Well then, you can jump out of the car if you feel like it." she responded.

"Is there something bothering you dear?" He asked.

"Nothing at all...", She gave him a faint smile and said, 'I love you' in a tune.

*

Samantha was in her wheelchair all alone in a motel room. She had woken up on the bed and gotten into her wheelchair. Things were a lot cooler now, but that might of been credited to it being night time. There was nothing to do but practice now. She didn't do this herself in the hospital so there were things she needed to get use to. Like how her sweaty palms made her hands slip from the wheels. Or her own weight overpowering her. She stared longingly at the chair before diving back into her pillow.

Joe and Penny weren't anywhere near her. They were gone for an hour or more as far as she could tell. "Have I lost the will live? What am I doing with my life? What am I going to do with my life?" She contemplated.

Joe came back and took her outside. The spontaneous said of him not appreciated. Not to mention, for some reason he felt the need to change the bland no name car to a sketchy black car. "My grandfather better not be the godfather...", She uttered, "Where are we going, Joe?"

"It's a nice place close to the beach. You'll like it." he said. Nurse Penny was dressed in plane, comfortable looking clothes. It distracted Samantha for a moment. Penny waved much to her bewilderment. "Penn, you look less like a German fascist and more like shut-in who about to initiate me into a cult..." Samantha asked Joe, enjoying Penny's instant fixation of herself in the sideview mirror, "Isn't it too late for a beach?"

"What do you mean?" he stated, "It's early. Yeah. But it's also a long drive there to make it just in time."

"You're very well rested honey."  Penny pointed out, "If you're feeling tired, then that means you had too much sleep. That can be tiring, and a very bad thing too."

"Okay. So why are we going there?" asked Samantha in her optimistic state. "To pick up sea shells? To make sand angel's? Sand castles? Or just to stroll on the beach?"

"No. Non of the above." Penny explained, "Your body's suppose to feel lighter in water. We're going to do some breathing exercises then some stretches. And finally try to wiggle some toes in the sand...maybe we can do some of the stuff you mentioned before. But that is if you really want too."

*

Its was a long drive to the beach. Even though Samantha felt like all she's been doing is sleeping, her head felt heavy on her shoulders and her brain like mush. She tried to keep her eyes open but she just couldn't. The car came to a stop. Penny turned around to find Samantha sleeping away on herself. She uttered, "Libra's scales are crooked. Find me a feather. Give me your heart. "

Samantha was wide awake. She sat up, took a look around then spoke after identifying where the voice came from on hearing Penny's second statement, "Are you ready for your mission?"

She responded, "Agent Carnelian, activated."

Penny had a faint smile. She handed Carnelian the folder and stated, "It's a simple mission. Nothing more than a test for you. Everything you need to know is in that folder. Look it over. I expect you to follow through agent Carnelian..."

They pulled over to the side of a cliffed road where some houses could be seen on account of the terrain. Carnelian did some stretches and exercises before getting into her prepared disguise. Penny viewed the beach houses from her sniper rifle. Of course, they were only targeting one.

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