Sniper Part 8

Part...8 I think of Sniper. I am getting into it again. Haha I am excited for the next scene. Can't wait to finally resolve everything. There will probably be only a couple more parts to Sniper. Then I will have to find something else to write. I can honestly say that I haven't had this much fun writing in a long time. Thanks to all of you who keep coming back for more. You make this worth the work. I may never publish a book, and I may never meet any of you, but if no one ever sees these, I know that you guys have. One-Thousand, Two-Hundred people have seen my stories, and that's enough for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Enjoy.

Part 8, Sniper

“I can’t see anything.” Panic splashed through Anabelle’s words. “I can’t see anything!” She screamed.

Torment pulsated through her body, drawing her howls further into the void that was her prison.

When her eyes opened, she saw only a blood-drenched version of reality.

Blood. Blüd. He was here. He was here and he was hurting them. Everyone. The screams. The screams.

Over and over Anabelle cried out Alex’s name, hoping he had escaped so he could save her again. Guilt poured into her like a waterfall. He had already saved her several times over; by no means was he obligated to do it again.

He had no reason to.

“No one is coming for you, my dear.” as if reading her mind, Blüd spoke the words that she was too afraid to put to thought herself.

He kept coming back. She couldn’t shake his voice from her head. Her words quaked when she spoke. “Let me die.” she rasped. Even speaking sent showers of pain cascading over her body.

Blüd laughed that terrifying laugh again.

“Please,” she whispered, “Please let me die.”

“Never.” The syringe was dripping again, hovering inside her pale skin, trickling liquid into her bloodstream, slowly draining her of her life blood.

She knew the dreams would come soon. She could see them in the corners of her eyes, the breath that shallowly emerged from her rising chest. She heard them in the rasp of her voice and in the creak of the door as it opened and closed.

Despite the panicked thoughts that streaked through her mind, one kept materializing. She had to escape. She had to live. When her mother had died, her father had drowned in drink. He never really came back up. She had to survive. Her death would be the end of her father. She couldn't leave him like that. Memories zipped through her mind: her father stumbling into the house after a night of drinking, her mother lying pale and dead on the bed that had once been white-now covered in red blood. And Alex.

She had to help him. She had to find Alex.

Anabelle wrenched her arms up and winced as she felt the old leather bite into her already-raw wrists.

Pain erupted from her throat in a scream. With everything she had, she threw her arms up and dug her nails into the restraints. A crack snapped through her ears and the pain grew into something worse than she had ever felt. She stumbled from the bed.

The lock turned. she struggled behind the door, gripping the wall to steady herself. The door opened, concealing her, and as the figure entered, she slammed the door. The man cried out as the structure slammed into his unprotected temple. Cradling his punctured skull, he turned on her.

Anabelle quickly swiveled out the exit, shutting the man in. He yelled incomprehensibly and banged on the metal separating them.

She spun around. Three choices. Left. Right. Forward. Where did she go now?

+

The boat rumbled underneath Alex’s pained feet, causing him to shift uncomfortably from side to side. His heard thrummed in his chest. Anabelle was close and he knew exactly where she was. Blüd Enterprise. The old building where all this started.

James had wanted to come, but his legs were getting worse, and there was no way he could have come with them without slowing them down. No, this was something he had to do alone. Unaided.

Water splashed up into his face. Alex sighed with pleasure as the drops cooled his fevered face. The air that rushed into him blew his face back from his eyes, giving him a heroic look that he didn’t feel.

An hour later, he arrived. Stepping onto the land, he gazed up at the once-glorious construct. Gloomy boards covered the shattered glass windows, nails protruding from the ends. He closed his eyes, preparing himself for the rescue. He went over his plan: Get Anabelle, get Simon, get out.

Then, a scream shot through the air. His eyes flew open, and he jumped into action.

Sniper Part 6?

Hey, everyone! Sorry about today's late post! We had some technical difficulties here at HQ. Haha
So here is part...I think 6??? of Sniper. :) I hope you all enjoy it, because it took me a crap load of time to write. :)

Haha here you go. :)

Sniper, part 6???

Anabelle wandered into the kitchen to get them both some food and something to drink.

When she got to the table, she saw a neatly folded piece of paper. She snatched it up and unfolded it.

I take it he told you why you are here.

I’ll come back tomorrow to check on you. His leg looks fine.

-JS

Smiling, she folded it and replaced it on the table, so she could get their meal.

+

“Now gently lift me-argh!”

Anabelle smothered a laugh with her fist at his expression. “Sorry.”

He gasped and laughed with her. “It’s alright. Now slowly lift my leg, and put the cloth underneath. That’s it. Now dribble some of that alcohol on it.” She did as she was told and he gritted his teeth against the pain. New fresh blood oozed from the cut.

“There. Good. That’s good, see? The blood means any infection is out of the way.” He ran his fingers through his messy hair, “See, I told you you’d be good at this.”

“Yeah.” she said, laughing, “Next time, we’ll move to the more difficult things like amputating your arm.”

A mock-worried look crossed his features. “Maybe keep you on the little things for now, like...stab wounds...and poisons…”

Anabelle smiled, then looked around, unoccupied for the moment. “What is there to do around here?”

“Boring you, am I?”

Anabelle held her pointer and thumb an inch apart. “Only a little.”

He laughed and then put on a thoughtful face. “Hmm...well, I have a few books...somewhere.”

She made a face at him. “Got a violin?”

“Haha yeah, I’ll just go grab one from storage.” a breathy laugh. “No, I never really got into instruments. Music, yes, but...other peoples’ not my own. My mother used to play piano, and before he passed, my father would play guitar for their duets. Mom could do anything she set her mind to.” his fond smile vanished. “James says she doesn’t play anymore, though. A result of my absence, no doubt.”

Anabelle’s brown knit.”She doesn’t know where you are?”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know where we are. I had James bring me here. Whenever I go back to the city, I have him blindfold me.

“I told my mother I was in some trouble and I had to leave, and that was that. James brought me here, and I’ve lived here ever since. I only ever went back to watch you perform”

A smile kissed the corner of her mouth. “You watched me perform?”

“Of course! I had to keep you safe. Your father’s bravery saved hundreds, but after he left Blüd Enterprise, he didn’t have the money to keep you safe. So I did it for him.”

“Which of my performances did you go to?”

“All of them.”

Anabelle gaped.

“And for the record, that guy you dated a few months ago-he was a total jerk. I approve of the breakup.”

Anabelle gasped. “All those times, you were there and I didn’t even know it.” She frowned. “Has Blüd tried to get me before now?”

Alex shifted nervously and chose to look at his hands rather than answer the question.

Anabelle scoffed. “How many times? Two? Three?”

“Five, but the third time, James took all the heat. I had the flu, and he wouldn’t let me help. I convinced him to let me see you play, but when I tried to protect you, he threatened to tie me up if I tried to help.”

“All those times.” she whispered. Her lip was going to split if she kept gnawing on it like this. She swept a hand across her face. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why protect me? And my dad! You don’t even know us!”

Alex looked at her for a long time before answering. “Anabelle, what Simon did...he had the courage to do what I could not. What I was too scared to do. If I had told everyone, Anabelle, I would have had the money to protect myself from Blüd. But your father...with nothing to speak of but a cheap house and a ten year old daughter...he did it anyway, and there is” he paused, taking a breath, “no describing how much I admire that. How much I regret not telling.” he slid his hand onto her cheek. “So...since there was no way for me to protect your father-he insisted on living a normal life- I had to protect the thing that meant to most to him and make it mean the most to me.” he cleared away Anabelle’s sudden tears with his thumb. “otherwise...my conscience would tear me up.”

She raised her hand to his on her cheek and said, “But you’ve saved me five times now, Alex. You don’t have to do it anymore.”

He withdrew his hand from her face. “Maybe. But in my mind, I can never truly repay your father.” he took her hand and rubbed her knuckles, studying them. “Besides…” he said, looking up at her eyes, “I kind of like having you here. So you may be stuck with me.”

Anabelle laughed a little and opened her mouth to speak when a nearby crash caused her to turn her head.

“What was that? Get a whole lot of visitors out here?” she asked, smiling.

“No...only James.”

“I’m sure something just fell like a pot or something. I’ll go see what it is.” she rose to leave, and felt Alex’s fingers close around her wrist. She looked back.

“Here.” he whispered, handing her the kitchen knife. “Just in case.”

“Ha-ha.” she whispered sarcastically, taking the knife and moving to the doorway. She quietly stepped into the hall, and looked into the kitchen cautiously, holding her hair back so as not to allow it to swing into view.

Heavy footsteps alerted her to another’s presence nearby. Three men stood in the kitchen, and another knelt on the ground, teeth gritted in pain. James.

Anabelle gasped and ducked back behind the wall. When no one made notice of her sound, she glanced again. There was a tall man and two short men. The tall man had blood-red eyes and a jagged scar going down the length of his face.

She had seen enough. She carefully returned to Alex. When she their eyes met, her face told him everything.

“Help me up.” he whispered, urgently. She slipped an arm under his shoulder, and lifted him to a standing position. He nodded his head at the closet. “There.” Anabelle helped him to the doors which she slid open, doing her best to be quiet.

“To the left, there’s a handle on the floor. Lift it up. There’s a trap door where we can hide.

When she lifted the door, blackness roared up at them. They descended. Anabelle hated the dark, and when they both sat with relative comfort on the dirt floor, she gripped Alex’s fingers tightly.

“The water!” she said, looking frantically at where she knew him to be. “If he feels that it is still hot, he will know we are here!” she pulled herself away from him despite his protests. “It will only take a minute. I’ll be right back.”

Unable to move unaided, he said “Anabelle?” she turned. “Be careful.” she nodded and smiled confidently at him before leaving silently. She closed the hatch behind her.

+

Once topside, she snuck to the table where the bowl was. She carried it to the doorway where she searched the hall for the intruders. Once assured it was clear, she passed into the kitchen where she proceeded to dump the liquid.

She hurried about her job, glancing up every few seconds for her own safety. A shout alerted her to a predator. She dropped the bowl, shattering it, and took off down the hallway. She could hear the man in pursuit, his heavy boots thudding on the wooden panels beneath their feet.

She swerved unexpectedly around a corner and then another, finally finding herself lost among the maze of hallways. She sunk to the floor, gripping the knife tightly to her chest. A trickle of blood popped from her lip as her teeth dug into it, causing her to swallow the scream that welled up inside her throat. Then she heard him.

“Anabelle…” she shuddered and her breathing grew faster as she began to panic. That voice.

“Come back to me, my dear.” Tears rolled from her eyes, adding to the nervous swear that already drenched her face. Her dream came back to her mind, unbidden as she shivered spasmodically.

“Anabelle…” it was him all over again. He was getting closer. She could tell-she could hear him. “If you come out now, we won’t kill you.” he laughed, sending goosebumps cascading over her clammy skin. “We might hurt you, but I promise, it won’t kill you. Not just yet.”

Anabelle tried hard to hold back her sobs. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block him out.

“But what about poor James here?”

They came back open. Wide open.

“Here’s a new deal: If you come out now, we won’t hurt James.”

“No, Anabelle! Run!” James’s voice shot into her ears.

“If I were you, I would hurry. My men are a bit anxious to remove some of James’s fingers.” he was closer. “So I” closer “would” closer “hurry up” he was so so close. “if I were you.”

Anabelle plunged the knife behind her, around the corner, and as she tried to draw it back, found her hand clamped in place by another person’s fingers.

“Missed me.” As she turned, she saw that Blüd’s smiling face was mere inches from hers. She screamed as she struggled to get free, but his fingers-like the blood in her nightmare-would not be pushed away. Something heavy struck the back of her head, and just before her eyes shut, she thought she heard Alex screaming her name. He’s stuck. He can’t move, she thought, I have to help him out!

Then the black again.

Thanks sososososososo much for reading!!!! Thank you everyone! Haha It took me a while to write today's so I hope you all enjoyed it. The suspense is going to kill me, and I already know what happens!!! Haha I hope you all liked it!!!

Have a great night, and Lord willing, I will see you tomorrow!!!

Blessings <3 :)

Sniper Part 5

So here's part 5 of Sniper!!! I wrote so much today! I feel awesome! I thought I should probably type it all up before I head off to work. So here it is! The part you have been waiting for!!! Reading this part will tell you all why Alex kidnapped Anabelle, and who the mysterious doctor is!!! Enjoy. :)

Sniper, Part 5

After Anabelle told him what happened, he didn’t seem affected much by it. He simply closed his eyes and shook his head, repeating his before-mentioned crass comment about Alex being a fool.

“Let’s get him into his bed. He can’t stay here on the floor. He needs to be able to breathe better.” The man said, calmly. He hoisted Alex over his shoulder, taking care to make sure Alex’s injured leg did not bang against his hip.

Anabelle followed, now feeling rather useless, as the man lay Alex gently on the bed she had been using before it all happened. Her mouth closed, and her old habit of biting her lip returned. She hadn’t realized that was his bed.

“Now,” said the man, hands on hips, with a stern look chiseled on his face, “go get some cold water in a bowl and a cloth. I’m worried he might get a fever.”

When Anabelle stood there, unmoving, eyes glued to Alex’s face, the man sighed and moved in front of her, blocking her view of the injured on the bed. “Hey, Alex will be okay, but I need you to get me that water, yeah?” Anabelle’s distant eyes flicked to the man’s face.

“What’s your name?”

He smiled, little crinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. “James.” he told her, “Why don’t you go fetch me that water now, yeah?”

Anabelle pursed her lips and turned to leave, noticing for the first time that James’s accent was British.

+

Hours later found Anabelle sitting alone by Alex’s bedside. James had left, saying that he would return the following day to check on them. “When you see him sweating, wipe it off with cold water. Make sure it’s cold.” he had said.

Anabelle found some bread that had been baked the previous morning and munched half-heartedly on it. She laid it aside after a bit, not really hungry. Her dream seemed glued to her eyelids, something she could not remove. Every time she blinked, she was drowning again. So she stayed awake. The day passed slowly and uneventfully, as Anabelle tended to her patient, never leaving his side for more than a few minutes for fear he would awaken alone.

At about one o’clock the next morning, Anabelle woke up, her hand grasping Alex’s and her cheek pressed to them.

Her throat dry and sticky, she rose to retrieve a glass of water. When sthe tried to pull her hand from his, she was hindered. She glanced back to see his fingers tightly gripping hers, and his nearly-shut eyes staring back at her like lines on a paper. Her own tired pupils shot open. She held the cold cloth to his face, and patted the sweat away.

His lips moved just barely, releasing a croak that Anabelle couldn’t hear.

“What?” she put her ear so close to his lips that she could feel his breath.

“I said…” he coughed, “I said ‘good morning.”

Anabelle grinned hugely at him. “Good morning.”

“Think I could-” another cough, “Think I could get some water?”

Anabelle turned quickly, detaching their hands and ran into the kitchen where she spilled water on the counter in her rush to bring it to him. She slid her palm beneath his head and tipped the lip of the cup into his mouth. He gulped several times and would have continued had she not pulled it away.

“James said not to let you drink too much at a time.”

Alex laughed hoarsely. “James was here?”

Anabelle nodded. “He was the one who stitched you up after...after I…”

Alex frowned and sat up, placing his hand on her cheek. “Hey, it’s alright. You didn’t know what you were doing.”

Tears slipped down her face, and he wiped them away with his thumb. “Hey.” he said, a smile in his voice. She looked up at him. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and reached for his cup of water. “Who is James?”

“James is…” he blew air out of his cheeks as he ran a hand through his hair. “James is...the reason I am still alive.”

Anabelle frowned. “Well, yeah, but who is he? How did you meet him?”

A far-away look came to his face. “Before…” he flung his hand in a semicircle around him. “Before all this, my family was actually really rich. My mom owned Marcks Industries-”

“The medical facility?”

“Yes.” he nodded several times before continuing. “So lots of money came in from charity, thanks, and sales. Marcus Blüd, owner of Blüd Enterprise-yes, the medical provider-was very close to my family. He was like a father to me.

“One night, when I needed some help with a relationship, I went to him for advice. When I asked the information desk where he was, I was led down to the bottom floor-the floor he had always told me was for top-secret research.” Alex’s eyes grew wider. Anabelle took his hand again, and he grabbed it so tightly his knuckles went white.

“There were rows and rows of cells. Each cell held a person. Most were screaming-begging for release. The rest lay limp on the floor. Dead.

“When I found Blüd, he was watching some man in a lab coat stick a little girl with all kinds of needles. She couldn’t have been more than nine. She kept screaming-screaming for her mother, so loudly that they finally sedated her and she slept.” Alex paused, obviously trying to keep his calm. “Finally, Blüd turned and saw me. I asked him what was going on. ‘We are...researching, Alex. That’s what this company does. We are furthering the knowledge of the human race.’ he said. I told him that if he didn’t shut it down right away, I would tell everyone. I should have left without a word, because he told me that if I told anyone, he would kill me. ‘We wouldn’t want your mother to be heartbroken, would we?’ he asked. So I kept quiet, went back to my everyday life like a coward.

“A year later, we were at his company picnic. He threw one every year. I saw someone tap Blüd on the shoulder and beckon him into a different room. I followed.

‘I can’t do this anymore, Blüd,’ the man said, ‘It’s wrong. I have my own little girl at home, I can’t keep doing this.’ Blüd told him that he could leave, but if word of the research got out to the public, Blüd would find him, and kill him.” Alex shuddered. “A week later, it was all over the news: Blüd Enterprise had been kidnapping people off the streets and doing experiments on them to research human endurance. Anabelle, the man who told everyone, his name was Simon Lochton. Your father, Anabelle. I helped him escape Blüd. I gave him a new identity, and he escaped.”

Anabelle drew a sharp breath, and held her hands to her face as large, betrayed tears dripped from her face slowly, and then all at once.

“That-that man who shot me-”

“Was Blüd. He was trying to get to your father. Simon took away all that Blüd held dear, so now Blüd wants to do the same to your father. He wants you.”

Anabelle crushed her fists to her eyes and rocked slowly from side to side, weeping loudly, Alex sat up enough to reach his arms around her and press her head to his shoulder.

“That’s why I brought you here after the shooting. I thought that Blüd had given up on your father a long time ago, but when I saw that he wanted you, I couldn’t let that happen. When I helped your father escape, Blüd killed my sister. James made me this place.” Alex looked up admiringly at their surroundings. “He saved my life, and now I am going to save yours.” he rubbed her back gently. “James brings me supplies, now. He gives me updates on my mother, and keeps her safe.” he paused. “I brought you here to keep you safe.”

Anabelle untucked her hands from between them, and threw them around Alex’s neck, hugging him tightly. He pulled her in closer.

They sat there for the remainder of the day-Alex doing his best to comfort her-and into the night. And when Anabelle came awake the next morning, his arms were still wrapped protectively around her.

Thanks so so much for sticking with me through all this! You guys are so awesome!

Have a great weekend!

Signing out. :)

Blessings. :)