Hotel Six: A Call of Duty Fanfiction

Chapter 25: Inside the Walls of Jericho

The morning painted bronze rays upon the frosty blue and white landscape, the pink and grey winter sky making the cold landscape almost feel cozy. However, the car, though the heat was blasting, didn't take the chill out of Jessica's bones. She felt on edge; she hadn't run a solo mission in years, and this one felt higher risk than any other mission she'd ever done.

The car came to a stop, and the driver let her out. "Your bag is in the back; make sure you keep your phone charged. The safehouse is southwest of here by four klicks. Stay warm, and keep us updated."

She nodded. "Will do. I'll keep you posted. Get out of here safe, a'ight?"

When the driver left, she shifted and ran in the direction of the safehouse. After about twenty minutes, she approached a white, empty house, and paced around the outside. There were scents everywhere, several men and a dog, but all of them were faint from the cold air. A cigarette butt on the ground still smelled vaguely of a man's breath. The scents couldn't be much older than 24 hours at most. The wolf reared up on her back legs and propped herself against the door with her front paws. Her nose scanned over the whole entrance; she detected much fresher, warmer smells inside. Perfect.

She turned the knob. Locked. Galaxy walked around until she found a window and she pressed it upwards. Also locked. She walked backward a few paces, then crouched low and launched herself through the glass. Gal winced when she felt a shard cut her foot. She lifted her front paw and gave it a lap, and then began walking through the house. So many scents, much stronger than the ones outside. Certainly one of them might lead her somewhere useful.

They did. All of the trails converged on a floorboard that stuck up above the rest. She pulled at it and, to her surprise, a door came with it, which led to a basement. Down the stairs, she descended, following the trail to a tunnel, which led to another door that popped up in a field a short ways from the house. The trails parted after that, but Galaxy tracked one in particular to a road. She looked back at where the other trails had parted, making a mental note of the location in case she needed to pick a new trail.

The great wolf looked up and down the road; no cars were coming, and she trotted along, following the scent at an easy pace. "Well, as long as I don't lose the trail, I'll probably find this guy by dinner." she thought. 

A couple of miles down the trail, she could smell the strong stench of male urine. Perfect. She had a much stronger scent to follow now. A cold wind buffeted her coat and swept the male scent into her face. Indeed, it was pungent, but it clearly defined the path and the wind was blowing in the perfect direction to keep the scent blowing toward her.

She kept up the pace for several more miles- perhaps about ten or so- and by then, the sun was high, and there was glistening perspiration upon the snow. Galaxy stopped and laid down in the shade of a skeletal tree. She tried to ignore the hungry groan of her stomach, but it was starting to ache. But she didn't dare check for the scent of prey in case it took her too far off her track, not in this cold. She at least needed to see where this led before she satisfied her own needs.

Another couple of hours later, and she couldn't resist the smell of a rabbit that crossed over the man's trail. Gal quickly slunk along the rabbit's path, following her nose to a burrow. She listened for the tiny sounds of rabbit squeaks and nervous breaths before furiously digging after them. A little grey one dashed past her maw and she pelted after it, snapping at its long, fragile hocks until she finally grasped it by its hips. It released a panicked wail before she broke its tiny neck between her teeth, and began to tear at its hot, tender flesh. With only a few crunches, it was gone; just enough to take the edge off her growling belly.

By the time she returned to the trail, the scent was getting colder and drifting away on the wind. She hurried her pace and continued down the road until a car came her way. Galaxy lay low in the snowdrifts until it passed. When she stood and took in the scent, it was marred by car oil and petrol. 

In a panic, she ran down the road until the heavy stench of the city hit her in the face like a fist. She skidded to a halt and looked down a shallow hill. Samara was just beyond her, and in it, the scent was lost.

"Son of a bitch..." she growled to herself. She shifted and looked at her phone. God, was it really already almost 1530? Jessica looked at the city, distress clear on her face. Perhaps it was a good time to take another rest before going back to the tunnel for another trail.

The bustle of a small bar drew her attention. Jess could smell the food inside, and though it wasn't quite the same as anything she smelled back in England, the idea of having something to quell her hunger made everything smell appetizing. She came in, greeted by the pungent smell of vodka, borscht and, what might have been tea, though heavily disguised by the smell of warm bodies and vomit from somewhere closer to the lav. Clearly, she was still in hunter mode. 

"Welcome in," said a tired looking bartender. "What can I get for you?"

She read over the menu briefly. Though borscht seemed like the right choice, she worried it might make her stand out. "Why are you overthinking this, Gal? Americans order burgers all the time, and Brits drink tea like water; what's a little borscht going to say about you?" commented Sahsa.

"I will be having your Pirozhki." she said.

The bartender turned away and she blew a warm breath into her cupped hands, glancing around her. It was odd, she felt like there were eyes on her, yet no one seemed to even notice she was there. Why would anyone even be looking at her anyway? She was dressed plainly and was simply eating at the bar. No, she drew no attention at all.

"I'm so nervous..." she thought. "Maybe Soap was right; maybe I am worried I'll get caught."

"Stop overthinking your ruse. The second you believe you're lying, everyone else will too. Just play along; you're a Russian for the next two and a half days." replied Sasha nonchalantly.

But still, she couldn't shake the feeling. She didn't want to look around in case her senses were right. 

"Can I get you a drink, ma'am?"

Jessica blinked at the sight of a little golden-brown savory pastry before her. "Oh, of course," she replied. "I'll have a shot of vodka, please."

The bartender nodded and looked back at his supply. "Straight, or flavored?" he asked.

She thought for a moment, mulling over the names. "I think I will have your..."

"Foxberry vodka." said a man standing just behind her.

She started at the voice and turned back to see who was speaking. Her heart stopped and her blood ran cold at the sight of a dark-haired man with a scarred face and blue and green eyes.

Oh shit...

The man took a seat beside her- an almost graceful, regal air about him as he moved- and he slid something to the bartender. "She strikes me as a foxberry-kind-of-woman."

Jessica looked the man up and down and scoffed lightly. "I appreciate the suggestion," she said. "However, I think I'm going to have your Cintron." 

"Ooh, independent, I see..." said the man. "Well, hopefully, you're not so independent, you won't let a gentleman pay for your drink?"

She straightened and watched him from the corner of her eye. "Perhaps... Perhaps not. Depends who the gentleman is."

He gave a small bow with his head and reached for her hand to gently take it in his. "Vladimir," he said, raising her fingers to his mouth, though didn't kiss them as she had expected. "And you are..?"

"My name is Sasha."