Chapter 4 - Playing the Victim
Eleanor watched Bane's men carry the man and then drop him on the ground. Her eyes swept over his fallen body and his deep breathing. His eyes behind the horn rimmed glasses opened and closed as he fought to bring himself out of a daze. Eleanor's fist clenched tightly in anger. How could Bane do this to an innocent man? Eleanor was pissed. She turned to Bane to see him read over some papers. A second later, the man rolled himself of the over edge and into the water. And then, there was gunfire. "No!" she screamed, racing to the edge. Within a few seconds, his body was gone.
He was dead.
She just saw a man get murdered right in front of her eyes. Her brother was next to her with him holding his gun. How was this man her brother? How did she ever become part of this?
Again, she turned to Bane. "You…" Bane's attention was directed to the small blonde. "You're a monster!" she screamed at him. "How did I ever join this sick group? I hope you burn in hell, you sick mother fucker," Eleanor hissed at him. Her breathing was heavy from anger and her eyebrows were creased together. Bane and Barsad exchanged a few words and Barsad handed Bane a phone. The words that the man next to her said blurred together with the sound of the rushing water. Bane strolled up to the bald man, said something and patted his chest. A confused expression fell onto the man's face and then was a loud pop. Eleanor's body jumped at the sudden sound and her eyes rang. And like before, the body went over the edge and into the water.
There was a moment of silence when Bane turned to her. He was only about five feet away and her heart was hammering. The fear crashed back onto her like a tidal wave. Bane didn't say a word, but simply raised the gun that he had just used. "You will play the victim well. Find out what you can and come back to me in two weeks." There was a pause. "Or I will find you." He took a step forward and Eleanor held her breath. "Don't disappoint me or you'll regret it."
The gunshot was a loud pop that reverberated through the sewers. The bullet hit Eleanor hard in the left shoulder, sending her off of the metal platform. It was only for a second or two when she watched the distance grow between her and Bane. When she fell below, her head snapped backwards, cracking against the concrete. Her world flashed to a bright flash of white light and then darkness. It only had to be at least fifteen seconds before she regained herself from the trauma. Water filled her mouth and she tried to claw her way to the edge of the waterway, but all that resulted were broken nails. Red colored the surrounding water and her shoulders. Her mind was spinning out of control as she tried to keep the water out of her mouth. "Don't disappoint me or you'll regret it". The image of Bane's eyes were stained in her memory like a bad coffee spill on cotton. She tried to scream for help, however, water continued to fill her mouth. This time she couldn't keep it out. Eleanor held what little air she had left and that's when her head went under the water. She could see the lines of light stream through the water. Her blood intertwined and churned within the murky water - like fire licking at the sky. And then, it was dark.
There was no more sound of rushing water. It went quiet.
Just pitch black and silence.
Eleanor kept reaching out for something to get a grip on. Even if her world was out of control, she wanted to keep fighting. She wanted to live. This ill-fated case of amnesia could just be a blessing for her. Was there really a chance of her life starting over?
Her body surfaced as the depth of the water shrank and she hit a open metal gate. Her shaky finger gripped the metal bars as she coughed up water. "Hey!" A male voice yelled from beside the water. Eleanor weakly lifted her head to see a police officer with black hair that was slicked to the sides. A warm sensation dripped down the back of her neck and soaked her shirt. She then realized it was nighttime. She couldn't see the starlight though; the city light was too bright. She watched the officer say something to figure that was laying on the ground before he rushed into the water. A hot feeling ripped through her as the pain finally set in. Eleanor let out a cry and couldn't hold up herself anymore. She was in too much pain. Her body collapsed back into the water.
Only a second or two later, a pair of hands snatched her up and leaned her against his body. "Hey! Can you hear me?" he shouted at her and she began to cough again. He adjusted her body to get a better view of her face. His hand fell behind her head, giving her the proper support she needed. Blake couldn't believe what he was seeing. Her was face was bloody and bruised. She let out of a small cry when her shoulder was moved incorrectly. Her hand instantly fell onto the gunshot wound as the tears spilled over her wet cheeks. "Let me see," the man gently ordered and brushed her hand away. Eleanor heart was racing while her mind did the same. Could she trust him unlike she could with Bane and her every own brother? Officers were good. They were here to help, right? Blake saw that the bullet had cleanly when through her shoulder. As he was checking her wound, something stopped him. His hand felt warm. He lifted his hand from the girl's head to see his hand coated with bright red blood. She heard him mumble something and then picked her up out of the water. She curled into in his chest, draping her arms around his neck. The young officer carried her to the edge of the water - where the other man was. He softy laid her on the ground and took off his jacket to tuck it under her head. One hand went to place pressure on the gunshot wound as the other held her head for stabilization. She pressed her hand against her mouth to muffle her crying. Beside her, she could hear the man radioing for another ambulance. His attention was redirected to her. "What's your name?" he asked and she shut eyes tightly from the endless pain. "What's your name?" he repeated after no response.
"E-Eleanor," she replied with a quivering tone.
"Eleanor what? What's your last name?"
She let out a cough and a sickening feeling bloomed in her stomach. "I don't know." The officer gave her a confused look. "I can't remember anything," she whimpered as distant sirens started getting louder. They were almost here. "I don't know who I am or even where I'm at," Eleanor told the man with a distance, stared look in her blue eyes.
He nodded once. "Alright, you just hang on, okay?" he said with confidence and an undertone of compassion. "You're going to be okay." He pushed wet pieces of wet hair out of her face.
Eleanor's eyes fluttered with lightheadedness as the ambulances were parked only a couple feet from them. "You care."
Another expression of confusion grew on Blake's face. The sound of slamming doors echoed against the empty walls. "Yes, and you're going to be okay," Blake reassured the battered girl again. He watched her eyes start to drupe and her body began to quiver from the cold water. A paramedics were quickly by her and Gordan's side. Blake stepped out of the way as the men loaded her and Gordon up in gurnies. The girl was so tiny and was probably in her early twenties. He couldn't have imagined anyone beating a girl senseless. Blake swallowed hard. He could only imagine what else that had done to her. After a long stare on the girl, Blake jumped into Gordan's ambulance.
Author's Note: I'm so so sorry it took forever to post this! My life has kinda been crazy. Please please leave a review and tell me what you think of this chapter and the story itself! Thanks !
~Salem
