Chapter 9

Lawrence p.o.v

My dreams were nonsensical as usual, and all of them involved pain. Eventually I woke, but my dreams seemed to follow me as my body still shook with pain. I could now feel, ropes around my wrists, and a bag over my head. I was sitting on a chair and I was away of another person breathing across from me.

"Hey" I said into the silence. A pause then.

"What?"

"In my left jacket pocket, I'm dying for a smoke." he seemed to understand and after some shuffling the bag was lifted from my head and a cigarette was placed between my lips. I saw I was in a dim concrete room with no windows and one wooden door, probably a basement of some sort. My captor lent in to lit my cigarette with my lighter. I focused and it glew a hot red, scorching his hands. He screamed and dropped it as I trust upward and headbutted him with all my strength. He stumbled and I spun, smashing the chair across his chest.

Now mostly free I jumped over my bound hands so they were in front of me and went for my lighter, I never got there. Someone jumped on me tackling me to the cold floor as more people surrounded me. They beat me, many using clubs, until my vision was gone again.

This time I didn't dream, instead I floated in a red haze of pain, not all of it mine. I felt a bayonet twisting in my gut, shrapnel embedding itself in my legs, and axe splitting my collarbone. Eventually I regained some consciousness, short glimpses clouded with agony. I saw the doors of a van from the inside, a glimpse of rolling fields, then another concrete room. I think I was there for a while because I saw it many times, then once the door slammed open and a girl was wrestled into the room. She fought hard, and it took three guys to subdue her.

Eventually, I woke up for good, the chair was gone and I was sitting on the cold ground with something warm pushed against my back. After a while the thing moved, it groaned and squirmed. I guessed it must have been the girl I saw earlier so I whispered. "Hey," no reply, but she stopped moving. "I've got an idea" I described my plan and she seemed to like it.

*

I coughed and strained. "Ahhhh! Help, please!" A guard came in looking confused. "Ahhh, help me!"

"What's wrong?" He questioned warilly. I coughed and struggled more.

"I'm sick, I'm dying!" HIs eyes widened and he came closer. Perfect i thought. I shoved back and the girl pushed herself standing with me on her back. I coiled up and kicked the stunned guard square in the chest with both feet. then dropped back to standing. "Ha, take that fucker" The girl had already freed herself with her boot knife and started on my bindings.

After a few precious seconds, I was out I ran to where my jacket lay and grabbed out my lighter. The door slammed open and I instinctively raised my new weapon and pulled the trigger. The sound was immense, and in such an enclosed space my ears rang so loud I could barely hear myself shouting at the gun.

"No!" I yelled at the now shrinking pistol. "No fucking guns! How many times do I have to tell you! Fuck!" It morphed into a shortsword "Better" I lunged and hacked downward at the next guy in the doorway, he parried and I kicked him in the balls, I stabbed him in the heart as he crumpled to the floor.

Stepping over his body I started to run with the girl hot my heels. At the end of the hall another guy stood brandishing an axe. I felt my sword elongate, and I gripped the spear with both hands. I ducked low and thrust upward, under his guard, planting the spear tip in his stomach.

We pushed past to the door, and I motioned for the girl to wait. Slowly I pushed the door open, moonlight flooded the dark hallway, I poked my head out and looked around. A few people milled around a courtyard, enclosed by a wooden palisade. However as I scanned further I saw part of the wall was under construction and open to the outside.

I motioned her to follow and crept out along the wall of the building we'd just left. Sticking to the shadows we made our way around till we were just 30 meters from the opening. Now she took charge, she watched the patrolling guards till she saw an opening, then, "go!" She whispered yelled and we ran.

It didn't take long before we were out of the wall and we dove into whatever cover we could, in my case a fucking thorny bush, which was some class A bullshit if you ask me. We sat there motionless until we were sure we weren't spotted then we met up and walked deeper into the forest.

After what seemed like hours of walking we collapsed next to a small stream. Adrenaline now gone, the pain started to return to my body and I slumped against an old oak.

"That was a close one," the girl said from opposite me.

"Yup" I replied, really just wanting to sleep.

"I'm Reyna Ramirez, daughter of Bellona, preator of the twelfth Legion. You?"

I sighed, looks like sleep wasn't happening. "I'm Lawrence" this was followed by silence, then.

"Is that all?" I sighed again, she seemed to notice this time. "Well what's your last name at least?" I winced, but not in pain.

"Don't have one." Another silence, and was wondering if I could catch a quick nap during all her dramatic pauses.

"What do you mean? You were never given one?" I nodded.

"Never met my parents, so they might've given me one, but nope. When I was old enough, I picked Lawrence get I heard a story about the British guy, in world war one, thought he sounded cool."

"Lawrence of Arabia?"

"That's the one, never gave myself a last name, didn't think I'd live long enough to need one. So far, seems like I was spot on."