A Locked Box

Chapter 22

   Devin sat there, listening to the violent chops of a kitchen knife. She was taking her anger out on whatever she was cutting. His best guess was zucchini or another vegetable for an omelet. He didn't dare go into the kitchen. He had a feeling that told him to wait in the living room. His own anger was gone now and all that was left was an empty feeling inside of him. She came out with two large plates and two cups of orange juice, her face expressionless.

   "Thank you." his voice was quiet, uncertain when he took the offered plate. If she was feeling guilty, she didn't show it as she curled into a ball on the corner cushion of the couch. They both ate in silence, the first time in a while that neither of them had anything to say. As Devin brought the glass of juice to his lips, Kat smacked it out of his hand. It smashed into sharp pieces on the carpeted floor. He stared at her with wide eyes. "What!" he regretted his outburst the second the word slipped from his lips.

   Kat stared at the liquid soaking into her carpet. "It was poisoned." the three words seemed to go through one ear and out the other to Devin.

   "Excuse me?" he asked, standing in protest.

   Kat nodded as if she was reassuring herself. She made a disappointed sound with her tongue. "I thought they would have noticed that it wasn't odorless." her voice was far away like she was talking to an invisible person somewhere else in the house. Her voice rose in volume as she glanced around the room. "I know you're here somewhere! I bought that bottle of juice just yesterday and you have had no time to slip something dangerous inside it!" Devin stared at her like she was crazy. She really looked it.

   "Kat...I don't think anyone is here except us," he said lightly.

   She ignored him, going into the kitchen to grab a weapon to protect herself. "You shouldn't make me hunt you down! It'll end the same either way!" she shouted as she entered back in with a large knife in her hand.

   "Kat! What are--" Devin roared but quickly stopped at the feeling of a cold knife to his throat and a strong grip on his shoulders.

   "You should have listened to your friend here and dropped the subject." A male voice sneered from behind him. Kat scoffed, her knuckles white against the handle of the knife. The assassin was cocky. Not knowing Kat's unpredictability was a terrible mistake. When Kat raised the knife slightly, he chuckled. "You wouldn't throw that even if you wanted to. Your precise boyfriend over here will be dead before he hits the ground."

   Kat smirked. "Hey Devin, I'm sorry." She raised the knife further.

   Devin stared with wide eyes, fear freezing him in place. The assassin was starting to feel panicked, unsure if he had understood Kat's personality. He thought for sure he had the leverage in the situation. "You wouldn't!"

   Kat's smirk grew. "Watch me." she threw the knife towards the masked assassin, just grazing Devin's cheek. The knife embedded into the wall behind Devin. The assassin was off to the side, unbalanced from the turn of the events. Devin was sucked to the perimeter of the room, the fear pressing him against the smooth surface. He tenderly touched the small cut, red blood sticking to his fingers.

   The assassin lunged forward with his knife in hand. "You gave away your weapon," he said with certainty. "The stories are as fictional as dragons."

   Kat chuckled as a knife fell into her hand from under her sleeve. "Wrong again." she dodged his attack and put a couple of feet of space between them. She stood between the assassin and Devin. "Let me guess, this is one of your first missions." the hair standing straight on the assassin's arms confirmed Kat's assumption. She smiled. "Congrats on making it in, but I'm sorry to tell you that you won't be leaving here in victory." The assassin lunged in anger. He missed again and Kat pushed him away. He stumbled back as Kat moved closer to Devin. He was taller than her but she was like a protective bear mother. She was growing bigger and bigger after each second, thoroughly scaring the amateur assassin. "Leave now!"

   "I have an assignment to complete." he said robotically. She had would have said something similar if she was in his shoes. He lunged again but this time he landed a cut on Kat's arm. He became cocky in that second of triumph and didn't see the glint in Kat's eyes.

   Like a flash of lightning, Kat had overpowered the man, disarmed him, and pressed him painfully against the ground. She held his arm, ready to twist it and break it. The numbness was consuming her as she flicked her wrist. The man screamed out in pain, Kat pushing him away to the living room window. She was on him before he could recover. The knife in her hand slashed and cut, blood spilling onto her hands and clothing.

   "Kat!" Devin screamed, staring at her slack-jawed and wide-eyed. The numbness dispersed like steam in a hot bathroom. Kat stopped, the knife dropping from her hand and clattering onto the slippery floor. The assassin, taking the opportunity, jumped out the window and fled with a broken arm and bleeding flesh. Kat turned, took one look at Devin, and fell to her knees. She was staring in shocked incredulity at her red hands. She became aware of the pain in her arm where she had been grazed and of the horrified look settling into Devin's features. "Kat! What the hell!"

   Her bottom lip trembled as the realization of what she had done sunk in. Her hands pulled at her hair. "I...I..." Devin just stared. His worst fears were coming true. Without a word, he booked it out of the room and apartment. A single tear slipped down Kat's wet cheek. It mixed with the blood on her, consumed by the red liquid. It was a great symbol of how screwed up her life was. How her emotions and present mattered little to her past life. How she would never be a normal person or have a normal life.

A/N

Here's a second chapter because I feel like I've failed as an author slightly. So here you go. Intense stuff but fun to write. Sometimes, I think I have a knack for writing heart wrenching and deadly scenes but that's just me. Nothing really great to talk about and I don't feel like ranting so I'm gonna go.

Author out!