Conspiracy
Chapter 9
Hawk fell to the ground with a bullet wound to his left shoulder, clutching it in pain. He looked in shock at the splotches of scarlet blood that started to seep through his shirt. He looked up at Raven, a pained expression etched into his face, his eyes taunting her with a simple question: Why?
Raven's breathing grew shallow as she felt tears begin to form in the backs of her eyes.
Kyra stood rooted to the spot, as shocked as everyone else. She couldn't believe what had just happened, and were those tears collecting in Raven's eyes? Raven never cried. This was too much for them to handle. Why would she choose to shoot Hawk and not Brady? Kyra didn't know what to do. She wanted to run and comfort Raven who seemed to be in extreme emotional shock, she wanted to go help Hawk who looked as if he were about to keel over and die, but she could do neither. She could do nothing but watch.
Mya held a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming at what had been done. Raven was no different from the rest of them, and now she looked like a lost, little girl unsure of what she had done.
Matrix shook his head, his mouth opening and closing silently. No words came to him. Why was it that all of sudden, they were all lost? Why couldn't they kill a single person when they had killed dozens at a time? Why was Raven losing her tough exterior and giving away instead to the emotions that she never showed to anyone, ever? Matrix's own gun sat, untouched, in his jacket pocket. He could not finish what Raven had started. No matter how much money was in it for them. This fight solely belonged to Raven now.
Brady was frozen in place. A searing pain ran up the side of his body, blood soaking through his clothes. The gun he held in his hand dropped with a sharp slap to the ground, the cartridge rolling out of the black case and spilling the bullets everywhere. They rolled, the small golden trinkets, all over the ground. He looked at Hawk who had tears in his eyes from the immense pain that must have been surging through his shoulder at that moment. Then he looked up at Raven.
Raven looked so alone as she stood there in her little silver dress, the wind picking up her hair and sending it out softly to the side. A curl blew across her face as a tear began to roll down her cheek. What had she done? What was wrong with her? She had chosen to shoot Hawk, someone whom she had classified as one of the most important in her life, over someone she barely knew? She held her ground as a small sob escaped her body. She held the small black revolver in both hands. She looked down at it; one of her most trusted weapons had betrayed her. She raised her arm in a sudden rage of anger and flung her shiny weapon of choice at the nearest wall. It hit the hard brick and fell to the ground. Raven stared at it silently. Then she fell to her knees and tilted her head to the ground, closing her eyes and letting her tears trickle slowly down her cheeks. She took no notice of the hard gravel beneath her knees, she thought no more of her image. She had made a mistake, and it was a big mistake indeed. Everything backfired, and it all blew up in her face. Brady was a secret service agent, and she couldn't kill him. He would most definitely go out into the world and tell of whatever information he had on the black widow spider and her group of freelance mercenaries. They were all doomed. Perhaps her friends would get out of this alive, but she would be sentenced to death no doubt. She needed help now, and there was only one mans who could give it to her: her father.
After the first bout of shock wore off, Kyra walked silently towards Raven and knelt down beside her. Raven didn't look up. Kyra bit her lip and looked back at Matrix and Mya who shook their heads sadly as they walked slowly towards Hawk who had stopped squirming and now sat in deep thought on the ground, trying as best he could to keep his mind off the pain he was feeling. Kyra didn't take notice of their
head-shaking. She was determined to talk to Raven, or at least get her to look up from the ground. She gently placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. Raven flinched, but didn't look up. This was going to be hard, especially since they were still all in a state of shock. When it really dawned on them what had happened she didn't doubt that she herself would be in hysterics. Her life was at stake now.
Matrix and Mya lifted Hawk to his feet and each threw one of his arms around their shoulders. His wounded shoulder bled heavily onto Mya's arm, but she took no notice. This could be a matter of life and death, in fact she had no doubt that it was.
Raven looked up as she heard the shuffling of feet come towards her. She gave a sad glance at Hawk who gave her a sad look in return.
"I'm sorry…" She whispered, more tears rolling down her cheeks. She shook her head in agony at her stupidity. "Get him to the hospital now."
Matrix and Mya disappeared around the corner of the building, not wanting to go inside or they would scare the people who had already stopped dancing when they heard Raven's gun go off. Kyra stared after them until they were no longer in sight, then turned back to Raven.
"Go with them." Raven said.
"No way! I'm staying with you." Kyra objected, shaking her head.
"Go…" Raven said, averting her gaze back to the ground. Kyra didn't want to leave her, but she did. She left her best friend at the mercy of Brady Black in the middle of a dark alley. Her footsteps echoed and faded away until all was silent.
Raven raised her eyes and met the troubled blue of Brady's. He towered over her, stepping backwards and leaning up against a wall as he held his shoulder. Raven sighed deeply, placing her hand on the hard ground as she shifted her legs, standing up. She would not look up. She couldn't. She had tried to kill this man, and now he stood wounded in front of her, having narrowly escaped further damage. This was not how things were supposed to have gone, and this was not how things were supposed to have ended. How could she say she was sorry? She supposed he deserved a little more than that.
She took a step towards him, finally raising and keeping her eyes level with Brady's. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, unsure of what to say, or what to do. Why did she feel this burning connection to him? It was so hard to explain it. Should she help him? He was bleeding, wounded, and susceptible to an infection.
No, she would not help him. With the small ounce of pride she had left, she fought off the urge to play Florence Nightingale to someone who had been the cause of her shooting one of her closest friends. Raven stood inches from Brady, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. What would she do now? Should she do what she always did when thing went wrong…run?
The next thing she did was on pure instinct. In a rush of courage or whatever it was that suddenly spilled from her heart, she kissed Brady full on the mouth. It was so sudden that he didn't have time to react, and by the time he finally realized what had happened, Raven had already pulled away and escaped into the shadows.
Chapter 9
Hawk fell to the ground with a bullet wound to his left shoulder, clutching it in pain. He looked in shock at the splotches of scarlet blood that started to seep through his shirt. He looked up at Raven, a pained expression etched into his face, his eyes taunting her with a simple question: Why?
Raven's breathing grew shallow as she felt tears begin to form in the backs of her eyes.
Kyra stood rooted to the spot, as shocked as everyone else. She couldn't believe what had just happened, and were those tears collecting in Raven's eyes? Raven never cried. This was too much for them to handle. Why would she choose to shoot Hawk and not Brady? Kyra didn't know what to do. She wanted to run and comfort Raven who seemed to be in extreme emotional shock, she wanted to go help Hawk who looked as if he were about to keel over and die, but she could do neither. She could do nothing but watch.
Mya held a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming at what had been done. Raven was no different from the rest of them, and now she looked like a lost, little girl unsure of what she had done.
Matrix shook his head, his mouth opening and closing silently. No words came to him. Why was it that all of sudden, they were all lost? Why couldn't they kill a single person when they had killed dozens at a time? Why was Raven losing her tough exterior and giving away instead to the emotions that she never showed to anyone, ever? Matrix's own gun sat, untouched, in his jacket pocket. He could not finish what Raven had started. No matter how much money was in it for them. This fight solely belonged to Raven now.
Brady was frozen in place. A searing pain ran up the side of his body, blood soaking through his clothes. The gun he held in his hand dropped with a sharp slap to the ground, the cartridge rolling out of the black case and spilling the bullets everywhere. They rolled, the small golden trinkets, all over the ground. He looked at Hawk who had tears in his eyes from the immense pain that must have been surging through his shoulder at that moment. Then he looked up at Raven.
Raven looked so alone as she stood there in her little silver dress, the wind picking up her hair and sending it out softly to the side. A curl blew across her face as a tear began to roll down her cheek. What had she done? What was wrong with her? She had chosen to shoot Hawk, someone whom she had classified as one of the most important in her life, over someone she barely knew? She held her ground as a small sob escaped her body. She held the small black revolver in both hands. She looked down at it; one of her most trusted weapons had betrayed her. She raised her arm in a sudden rage of anger and flung her shiny weapon of choice at the nearest wall. It hit the hard brick and fell to the ground. Raven stared at it silently. Then she fell to her knees and tilted her head to the ground, closing her eyes and letting her tears trickle slowly down her cheeks. She took no notice of the hard gravel beneath her knees, she thought no more of her image. She had made a mistake, and it was a big mistake indeed. Everything backfired, and it all blew up in her face. Brady was a secret service agent, and she couldn't kill him. He would most definitely go out into the world and tell of whatever information he had on the black widow spider and her group of freelance mercenaries. They were all doomed. Perhaps her friends would get out of this alive, but she would be sentenced to death no doubt. She needed help now, and there was only one mans who could give it to her: her father.
After the first bout of shock wore off, Kyra walked silently towards Raven and knelt down beside her. Raven didn't look up. Kyra bit her lip and looked back at Matrix and Mya who shook their heads sadly as they walked slowly towards Hawk who had stopped squirming and now sat in deep thought on the ground, trying as best he could to keep his mind off the pain he was feeling. Kyra didn't take notice of their
head-shaking. She was determined to talk to Raven, or at least get her to look up from the ground. She gently placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. Raven flinched, but didn't look up. This was going to be hard, especially since they were still all in a state of shock. When it really dawned on them what had happened she didn't doubt that she herself would be in hysterics. Her life was at stake now.
Matrix and Mya lifted Hawk to his feet and each threw one of his arms around their shoulders. His wounded shoulder bled heavily onto Mya's arm, but she took no notice. This could be a matter of life and death, in fact she had no doubt that it was.
Raven looked up as she heard the shuffling of feet come towards her. She gave a sad glance at Hawk who gave her a sad look in return.
"I'm sorry…" She whispered, more tears rolling down her cheeks. She shook her head in agony at her stupidity. "Get him to the hospital now."
Matrix and Mya disappeared around the corner of the building, not wanting to go inside or they would scare the people who had already stopped dancing when they heard Raven's gun go off. Kyra stared after them until they were no longer in sight, then turned back to Raven.
"Go with them." Raven said.
"No way! I'm staying with you." Kyra objected, shaking her head.
"Go…" Raven said, averting her gaze back to the ground. Kyra didn't want to leave her, but she did. She left her best friend at the mercy of Brady Black in the middle of a dark alley. Her footsteps echoed and faded away until all was silent.
Raven raised her eyes and met the troubled blue of Brady's. He towered over her, stepping backwards and leaning up against a wall as he held his shoulder. Raven sighed deeply, placing her hand on the hard ground as she shifted her legs, standing up. She would not look up. She couldn't. She had tried to kill this man, and now he stood wounded in front of her, having narrowly escaped further damage. This was not how things were supposed to have gone, and this was not how things were supposed to have ended. How could she say she was sorry? She supposed he deserved a little more than that.
She took a step towards him, finally raising and keeping her eyes level with Brady's. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, unsure of what to say, or what to do. Why did she feel this burning connection to him? It was so hard to explain it. Should she help him? He was bleeding, wounded, and susceptible to an infection.
No, she would not help him. With the small ounce of pride she had left, she fought off the urge to play Florence Nightingale to someone who had been the cause of her shooting one of her closest friends. Raven stood inches from Brady, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. What would she do now? Should she do what she always did when thing went wrong…run?
The next thing she did was on pure instinct. In a rush of courage or whatever it was that suddenly spilled from her heart, she kissed Brady full on the mouth. It was so sudden that he didn't have time to react, and by the time he finally realized what had happened, Raven had already pulled away and escaped into the shadows.