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His office keys were still in the doorknob, dangling there in a position he never would’ve left them in. Especially considering they’d been in his pocket moments ago.
She’d stolen his keys, entered his office… There was only one reason for her to be there.
He pushed the door in, rushing straight to his desk. They’d lost their doctor, nearly lost one of their brothers, and risked blowing themselves and an entire town to smithereens, all for a very important communication device that would allow them to listen in on conversations being had by the UNR. It was the lead they needed to finally begin their journey of taking back the whole country, rather than fighting the small battles they’d fought up until now.
Except the device that they’d risked everything for was gone.
So were a knife and two handguns.
Hayden jogged to Anna’s temporary quarters, only to find the place empty and dark.
By the time he made it to the compound’s gates, he saw them cracked open, a white piece of paper stuck between the metal grates. Grabbing it, he began to read.
I borrowed your toy. I’ll bring it back (or I won’t). Thanks for all the help.
xo, Anna.
He read the note over once more, and again. Then, a slow smile spread across his lips, his eyes lifting to scan the surrounding trees.
Did you think it would be that easy, Anna?
Hayden shook his head as he tucked the note into his pocket. He’d give her the night for a head start. Then he’d remind her that she could run all she wanted, but she wouldn’t escape him. Not again.
? ♥ ?
Anna wiped her hands on the damp rag, watching its cream color slowly change to a deep red.
She hated this. Hated every second of inflicting pain. But this was the monster they created, and if she was ever going to right that wrong, she had to be that monster. Wholly. Even if she hated every second of it.
The UNR, or Union for National Reform as they’d deceptively called themselves, had created her, and she would use everything they taught her to destroy them, even if she destroyed what was left of herself in the process.
“So let me get this straight,” she started. Her boots tapped against the tile floor, creating a resounding click each time she took a step. It had a nice effect. “You built enough bombs to wipe out an entire town, but now you forget how to make them?”
The man who sat before her, tied with intricate knots of rope to the rickety wooden chair, trembled in his seat. She, along with the Resistance, had risked their lives running into this damn town that had been rigged with enough explosives to wipe it off the map for good. They stopped it, saved everyone, took out the bad guys. The Resistance, the heroes.
She rolled her eyes.
“I swear,” the man pleaded, “I don’t remember! I didn’t do it alone, and--”
Enough of this. Anna threw her blade down, and off went a pretty little pinky finger. Screams filled the underground space, but it didn’t matter. Nobody would hear them; of that she was certain. Hayden would hunt her down once he found her note, sure, but she had time. The Resistance leader may have seemed like he had all the answers, but nobody in this world was exactly as they seemed.
“Please, stop. Please.”
“I want to stop.” What did he not understand about this? “But I need to know how to make the bomb. So stop lying to me, and I’ll stop hurting you. Simple win-win situation.” Didn’t think she had to spell it out for him, but, apparently, she did. Again. And again. And again.
“I already told you, I don’t--”
There was no more time for playing around. She held the knife over his wrist. “Fingers not valuable enough for you? The next thing I’m cutting off is this hand.”
He must’ve seen the impatience in her eyes, because his own nearly bulged out of their sockets. “No! No! Please! I’ll… I’ll show you how to make the bomb.”
She pulled the knife back, holding back the sigh of relief she felt, then smiled her sweetest smile. “See? Was that so hard?” She gave him a wink. “Let’s get started.”
For the next hour, he gave her everything she needed to know. The supplies she’d need, what they looked like, where she’d find them. How to measure and combine them, how to piece together the parts, how to not blow herself up in the process.
It was a lot to take in, but Anna had gotten very good at picking things up as quickly as possible. She had to, as a female officer for the UNR. Leadership wasn’t kind to anyone, but they certainly weren’t kind to women. Especially ones on the smaller side, like Anna. So she forced herself to get good at her job. So good, nobody would ever even think to cross her.
It worked, and it worked well. So well, she was able to quietly climb the ranks, gain more clearance, and, best of all, plan her revenge against the monsters that made her.
