Trigger Warnings: Gore

Tightening my grip on Jennie's hand, I shield her with my body as I drag her through the second hallway on the right. Bullets ricochet off the walls, the gunshots and Jennie's shrieks deafening within the small space. We rush through the narrow path and into the kitchen where the waft of cooked food greets us.

"Where you running off to, Ava?" Lena calls out in a sing-song voice as she follows us. "I just wanna talk!" Another gunshot rings out. A bullet hits the boiling pot of soup on our right. Hissing sounds of liquid spilling out on the stove resound through the kitchen. Jennie shrieks again, her nails digging into my skin as her hold on my hand tightens. For a tiny twig, she sure has a powerful grip.

She suddenly pulls me a little backwards before releasing my hand. A crash and a yelp ensues. I whirl my head around, only to discover that Jennie had slipped in the brown-red liquid that had spilled out of the shot pot from earlier. At the moment, Lena enters the kitchen. She slows down, her lips curving up in an evil smile as she raises her gun towards Jennie.

"No!" I yell. I rush at Lena and push her arm to the side. A gunshot rings out, the bullet hitting the wall above Jennie, who covers her head with her hands and screams.

So now she's a screaming twig...

I grab Lena's gun hand and shove her to the side. She crashes into the empty pots, some of them clattering to the ground. I slam her hand against the counter several times before she knees me in the stomach. Wind rushes out of my mouth, but I don't release my hold. Tightening my grip on her, I punch her in the jaw, a crunching sound reverberating through the kitchen. A grunt ensues from her before she swings her fist at me. Dodging her punch, I slam my forehead against hers. She grunts as pain ripples through my mind, the impact sending unpleasant vibrations on my skull. Fortunately, her hold on the gun loosens just a tad bit. This time, when I slam her wrist against the edge of the metal counter, the gun clatters to the ground. Fortunately, it doesn't shoot on impact. I kick it in Jennie's direction. Perhaps not the best course of action at the moment, but surely Miss Twig can handle one tiny gun.

With a vicious growl, Lena lunges at me, sending us both crashing to the ground. I block her punch to my face before I send one of my own. Blood flies out of her mouth, splattering on my skin as my knuckles make contact with her cheek. I catch a glimpse of Jennie from my right peripheral vision. She's holding the gun in her trembling hands while she remains cowering against the wall. Her panic-stricken eyes are staring at me, a complete change from the smartass just a few minutes ago. The possibility of her shooting me with that gun flickers through my mind.

At least, that's what I would do if I were her. But I have to remind myself; we are nothing alike.

Shaking those thoughts away, I grab Lena's shoulders. Her hands fly to my arms,  as expected. I fling her backwards over me with my whole body. She lands on her back with a pained grunt. I turn around, waiting for her to stand  and face me. With a grin, Lena wipes the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. She darts her eyes from me to the shivering twig in the corner and back to me.

"Well, who knew you would succumb to the charms of a skinny little Asian bitch." She smirks. "I thought your preference was for older women."

"Lena, you don't have to fucking do this.” I briefly glance at the counter beside her. She places her hand on the surface, just inches away from the butcher knife lying on top. Following my gaze, her grin widens.

"Oh, but I want to, Ava. See-” She takes one step forward, kicking one of the pots to the side. "-I've been waiting for this day when you would screw up so badly that Eve would send me down here to take you out. And I can finally take your place as the teacher's pet."

"Eve sent you to kill me?" I scoff in disbelief. Commotion from the front of the cafe reaches my ears. Of course the gunshots are sending people scrambling out of here. And I know that the cops will be here sooner or later. I need to deal with this problem now.

"Okay, maybe not to kill you. But she did send me to spy on you, and then drag you back to the compound if you don't complete your job. What were her words? Oh... 'You can bring her back with a limb chopped off, just as long as she's still alive’."

Okay, now that sounds more like Eve.

"And I guess... I was gonna do that," Lena continues, "but then I thought… hmm. You know what, this would be my chance to finally get rid of your fucking ass. And I could say that you made me kill you because that's... well, that's just how you are."

She spits blood from her mouth, the gooey red substance splattering on the floor. Licking her lips, she smiles, her red-colored teeth taunting me as she takes another step forward. Her fingers brush the hilt of the knife. Keeping my attention on it from my peripheral vision, I retain my eyes on her.

"You're not even close to my level, even when you're eight years older than me," I remark. "Eve would never look at you the way she does to me."

"You mean... when she fucks you?"

A mouse squeaks to my left. Oh wait… that must be Jennie… shit…

I suck in a deep breath. "What?"

"Oh, you think none of us know the reason why Eve keeps letting you get away with making all these small mistakes, huh? You say your last problem was six years ago, but we all know that your most recent problem was with that little girl. An incident which happened mere months ago."

"So?" I ask, pretending to act cool. When in fact, I have a feeling she's about to say something very, very wrong.

"So... the only reason you're still alive is because of your pussy, not your killing skills." Her hand closes around the hilt of the knife. Picking it up, she scrapes the blade on the metallic surface. The painful squeaking sound reaches my ears, but I don't flinch as my jaw tightens.

"You don't know shit about me and Eve. And you know what, Lena, I thought we were fucking friends."

She grins. "Well, we were definitely not fucking."

It takes everything in me to not lunge at her at that moment. I am angry, because she's right; about the real reason why Eve continues to clean up after my messes and lets me live. She has taken care of me in more ways than one, keeping me under her control. All those nights in her sound-proof bedroom. I was sure nobody could possibly find out, but I guess I was wrong.

So as much as I want to pounce on her like a panther, I resist the reckless urge. Sure, I have my trusty weapon in my pocket, but I also know that her knife-throwing skills are top tier. She can throw that blade at me before my hand even reaches my pocket.

"But come on Ava.” Lena taps the tip of the knife against the metal counter. "You know that there's no such thing as 'friends'. They're all a bunch of fake bitches who will betray you the second things get tougher and they need to fend for themselves. Oh look, that's me. I'm one of those 'friends'." She throws her head back, releasing a maniacal cackle before returning her predatory gaze at me.

"Isn't KSD supposed to be about sisterhood? Does a thing called 'loyalty' ring a bell in that fucking head of yours?" Even though this wasn't unexpected from her, I'm still a little shocked that she could actually kill me because she's... oh... "Wait, you're jealous of me?" I keep myself from bursting out in laughter.

I watch with amusement as her smile fades away. Her grip on the knife tightens until the whites on her knuckles appear.

"I'm not jealous of anyone," she growls. "Much less a troublemaker like you."

And with a quick move, she throws the knife towards Jennie standing against the wall instead of crouching down. She screams, still gripping the gun in her useless hands. Without thinking, I jump in the path of the knife.

I bite my lip to keep from yelling out in pain as the blade lodges itself in my shoulder blade. Thankfully, it was dull enough to only hit the bone but not go through. Crimson liquid begins to form a dark stain on my black shirt. Yanking the knife out, I hiss as pain shoots through my arm. I cover the wound with my palm and glance up at Lena watching with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Well well. Look at you, huh. What would poor Eve think of her fuck toy jumping in the path of a knife to save the very same bitch that she had ordered you to kill?"

She would probably think I'm a backstabbing slut. After all, she has called me names like that more than several times. Especially if I become a little too “friendly” with the other KSD members.

But I don’t have time to think about it. Rushing at Lena, I barge into her with my full strength. Her breath whooshes out of her as she slams against the metal counter. Utensils clatter to the ground. I swing a punch at her, but she blocks it and punches me in the stomach. I double over with a grunt. Grabbing my shoulders, she applies pressure against my bleeding wound. I yell out in pain before throwing off both her hands. Grabbing her wrist, I fling her around to the ground. Unfortunately, I crash down as well when she sweeps me off balance with her legs. I land right on my wounded shoulder, the pain of a hundred stabbings coursing to my brain. Before I can refocus, Lena ends up on top of me. She lands several punches on my face, each blow emitting a crunching sound as blood splatters her face and the gray counter behind us.

Her hand digs into my pocket. Before I can stop her, she takes out my knife. With a flash of speed, she unfolds it and stabs me in the stomach.

"Fuck," I hiss, the sharp blade penetrating my skin and flesh. I roll my head to the side towards Jennie.

"Jennie, get the fuck out of here," I yell as Lena raises the knife to strike me again. At my words, she stops, glancing between the two of us.

"I would listen to her if I were you.” She says to Jennie. "Although, I won't guarantee that you'll be able to escape that far."

I notice that Jennie is nervously holding the gun I had thrown to her earlier. Maybe Jennie can operate that weapon somehow. That would definitely be an advantage, since Lena probably thinks she's of no threat.

"I-I'm not leaving you," Jennie whispers, her voice trembling. Tears roll down her frightened face, shimmering under the pale-white light.

Is she seriously this stupid? Even a real twig is smarter than her.

Taking advantage of Lena's brief distraction, I slam my arm upwards against her wrists, bringing them to the side. My knife clatters to the ground. With a growl, she presses her knee into my stomach. It takes all my power to stop from screaming my head off, the pain enough to significantly weaken me. Keeping her pressure on the wound, she wraps her hands around my throat and tightens her grip. I struggle to breath, each gasp coming out in a mix of wheezes and choking. My energy is draining quickly as my lungs burn from the lack of air, when a gunshot rings out, followed by a stabbing pain bursting through my left leg.

Of course she shoots me first, that little–

A tiny squeak of "sorry!" interrupts me before a second shot pierces the blood-stenched air. Grimacing in pain, Lena releases my neck, her hand flying down to her side.

"You fucking bitch!" She snarls. I allow myself only a second to gulp in some fresh, sweet air into my lungs. When Lena turns back to me, she has left her vulnerable area wide open to me. Time for my favorite move.

With the speed of a snake, I jab two of my fingers into her eye. I yank her eyeball out, a waterfall of blood spilling onto my face. The coppery taste fills my mouth as my chest becomes stained with the warm liquid. Lena screams, covering her bloody eye socket. Dark red seeps through between her fingers. She stands and stumbles blindly backwards. With a wail of pain, she crashes into the shelves. It topples over, boxes and jars of food together with dishes spilling on the floor. She blindly slams into the stove. Her hand lands on the hot surface, another howl of agony resounding through the kitchen. The nasty smell of singed flesh joins the stench of blood and food.

I manage to stand, wobbling a little before I sturdy myself. Lena falls on her back, rolling from side to side like a dying animal. Picking up my knife, I grip the hilt and stumble towards her. I want to finish this job and kill this fucking bitch. She had the audacity to think she could kill me. Sure, she's a worthy opponent, but she's not on my level when it comes to being a skilled killer. Just as I am about to bend down to slice her throat, a warm hand lands on my arm.

"Don't," Jennie’s soft voice stops me. I turn around, her pleading eyes meeting my merciless ones.

I shrug off her hand and return my attention towards the bloody creature before me.

Jennie's hand grabs my wrist. "Ava, please."

"She needs to fucking die!” Anger seeps from my voice. Jennie flinches, but doesn't remove her hold.

"Don't... please," she begs.

I can't let this random little girl dictate what I should or should not do. Who is she after all? A liability. But her voice is so soothing, I'm actually hesitating on finishing the animal in front of me. This is not how I usually act. I never think twice about killing someone. Except recently.

Against better judgment, I kick Lena in the stomach, emitting a louder groan of pain from her. I spit on her. "I hope you fucking die, you fucking bitch."

The sound of sirens reaches my ears. The good old corrupted New York cavalry has arrived. My motorcycle was parked in the alley on the side of the cafe building. I had noticed a side door on my way to the front, which should be right under the red neon Exit sign to my right. There's a possibility that the police will decide to enter from there as well, but there's also the chance that they won't. Maybe we'll get lucky, and they are just a bunch of doughnut munching idiots.

"We have to go," I say in a strained voice. I step away from Lena, her short and wheezing breaths making me twitch. From what, I don't know. I glance at Jennie. "Do you have a safe place somewhere outside the city?”

"Uh... y-yes," she stammers. "My parents have a cabin near Lake Placid."

"Good. We're going there. I know the way to the neighborhood."

Before she can ask any of her annoying questions, I grab her skinny wrist. Sounds of slamming doors and raging shouts ensue from the front, but thankfully the alley is empty when we step outside. My black motorcycle with a red dragon/rose logo on the front is leaning against the concrete wall. Several people run from the cafe in the street, but nobody seems to  notice us.

Which is good, considering my clothes are covered in blood that continues to grow as it seeps from my wounds.

I motion towards Jenni. "Hop on."

"A... a motorcycle? Are you even in a condition to drive?" Jennie asks, hesitation streaming from her voice.

"I feel just fine," I flatly answer. My body protests by shooting bolts of pain throughout my battered body. "You can either go with me, or you can stay. Your choice, but I'm not fucking waiting."

I kick the motorcycle and it roars to life. Jennie slides behind me, to my relief.

I hand her my helmet. "Here, put this on."

"Don't you need it? Or do you have two?"

"Well, I wasn't planning to have company with me," I grumble. "Put it on."

A sharp inhale ensues, followed by the sound of the helmet's buckle locking. Her small arms wrap around my waist before I turn the throttle and drive out through the back. The sirens and frantic sounds of people fade behind us as we enter another street. The wind stings my face, hitting my bruises and cuts from the café battle.

The trip takes less than thirty minutes as I navigate our way through shortcuts. And the entire way, I struggle to keep myself awake. Drowsiness weighs heavily on my mind, threatening to knock me out while we're on the highway. Usually, barreling into a truck at high speed wouldn't be such a bad idea. But today, that thought is not only at the bottom of my list, it is nowhere on it.

Once we reach the woods, Jennie gives me directions to her parents' cabin. It is nearly dusk when we finally arrive at the small log house. Through my blurry vision, it seems to be pretty quaint. But I'm unable to notice anything else. Waves of exhaustion flow over me. The wind and adrenaline was what had been keeping me from passing out during the entire drive. Because when I finally park the motorcycle and pull out the leg stand on the gravel driveway, my body gives out

I crumple to the ground, darkness consuming my mind. I'm dimly aware of Jennie's squeak of concern as the harsh gravel meets my skin. Her terrified face is the last thing I see before my eyes close, a victim to the dark void.

Word Count: 3132