Silhouettes of America - Book 1 of The ARMOR Series [Completed]

30: Corrupt | Corinne

Current Time: Monday, 04:00 EST
Current Location: Arlington Hotel, Arkansas, USA - 34.5167*N, 93.0532*W

Violence breeds violence.

Corinne laughed exuberantly hearing from Nike that the traitor has been exterminated. Jacob Collins was a good friend of her back when he was still an ARMOR disciple; but he committed treason so he deserved death.

However, something left her hanging. She knew Jacob took a bold step in revealing ARMORs identity by sending a letter to the White House. But why didn't he tell the US President that his wife was a part of the terrorist group? Corinne finds it odd but later on, she realized that Jacob must be afraid that she'll kill George rightaway if word comes out. It is known that the death of the US President will open a huge way for Russia to attack.

"That was one brilliant move Jacob," Corinne spoke as if Jacob was there, slugging the Pinot Noir. Her amused laugh echoed throughout the four corners of the hotel room. Indeed, she rejoiced over the death of Jacob Collins.

Corinne stood up and walked over to the mirror. She takes a good look at herself and thought: How far have I gone? How far can I go? Streaks of the past came up in a second, the day when her thirst for revenge all began.

Flashback summer of 1998. The 13 year-old Corinne sat on the bench of Hawkins Park. She sighed as she looked at the moon in the sky. "Why are you alone tonight, Mr. Moon? Why did Ms. Sun left you?"

Corinne couldn't forget 1985 which marked a sad year for her. Britain and USA had a huge clash that resulted in a declaration of war. Bombs smashed the cities of America and slain a number of civilians including Corinne's father who was working in a bakeshop at that time. Corinne cried so hard the day they buried him. His dad left them without a proper goodbye, and her mom was left without a choice. She applied for multiple jobs to earn a living and so she can send her to school.

Corinne hated it when people leave. If her dad was still alive, her mom wouldn't be as stressed as now. "But it's not dad's fault, it was war," she whispered into thin air. "I hate wars."

She stood up and walked home, leaving the bench as she grieved in silence. Upon reaching home, she took a quick glance at the neighbouring house, feeling something odd about it. Everynight, she would wake up to hear screams outside, not that of pain but that of satisfaction. Happy screams reverberated in her mind which got her thinking: What could these people be doing at night? Why does she scream happily at night?

The SHE Corinne was referring to is her childhood friend, Irena. They got along well in their childhood days; they played a lot of stupid games and had fun times together. Until one day, when gradeschool came to a close, Irena decided to be a lady and stopped hanging out with her although they were on the same class in highschool. The reason is simple: Irena's mom and dad went abroad for business. She was left in Hawkins with the maids.

Irena's mom and dad were too hooked in their business that they forgot to check on her. They never called, causing their daughter to rebel. She got into fights in school. She would yell everytime she didn't get what she wanted. She would throw the things at home. Irena's sudden change in behaviour urged the maids to leave one by one. Lonely without family and proper care, Irena hang out with different guys and even asked them to come over in her place. Irena never talked to Corinne anymore and they became strangers to each other again.

One morning, Corinne woke up early and thought it would be nice to breathe the fresh air while the day is still young. She opened the window to see the sun slowly peeking out from the dusk. The ground is moist and the grasses are filled with dew. In the garage of Irena's house, Corinne saw a man standing at the gate. Someone rich and famous. Corinne gasped in shock to see Irena pecking a goodbye kiss from her lover, a man who was almost twice her age. The old man who made her burst happy screams everynight. A high Government official.