Clandestine (To Love or To Kill)

SEVERAL gunshots reverberated inside the massive hall of the Barredos four-story mansion. The window glasses broke, and the million-worth of rectangular chandeliers fell on the carpeted floor.

As the bullets ricocheted back and forth, the electricity suddenly went out. Only the full moons illumination peeking through the broken windows gave light around. Shari was alert and did not hesitate to pull the trigger that targeted the enemies. She was an excellent marksman, and she never missed. Yet her body was sweating hard, and her plain white shirt was stained with so much blood since she was engaged in hand-to-hand combat earlier.

She winced in pain as she looked at a minor cut on her forearm. Shari had made a mistake a while ago, thinking her opponent was not armed. But it was nothing compared to the probability of getting out here alive.

Shari gritted her teeth as hell broke loose. Blood had spattered everywhere. A pile of dead bodies cannot be concealed despite the darkness. She sprinted fast and carefully took cover at one large circular column near the grand staircase. She could not be careless since a stray bullet could land on her body, or maybe from a sniper outside.

She waited years for this moment, and losing was not her option. Shari knew the drawback of her plan, and she was willing to trade her life to succeed—as a last resort.

”Damn! ” she cursed as she checked the remaining bullets of her caliber 45.

This won last, she thought. Shari tightened her grip on the gun. She could hear the sound of the sirens outside, and if she ever miscalculated, she would end up dead or spend the rest of her life in jail.

Shari quickly got inside the nearby elevator; thankfully, she was still in one piece. She hit the fourth floor, and the hammering in her chest grew louder. The house was surrounded, and the most sensible thing to do was to escape. She had killed dozens of people, and turning in to the police was the last thing on her mind.

And yet it seemed that fate had another plan for her tonight. Because when she got out of the elevator and ran to the roof deck, a red chopper had just landed.

”Oh, **! ” Shari silently swallowed. She saw a group of elite soldiers in their SWAT uniform with their high-caliber guns coming down from the helicopter.

Shari quickly stepped back and went inside the technical room to further assess the situation. She could hear the leader coming inside. She automatically glanced at one functioning tablet showing footage of the roof deck.

”This is Falcon. Do you copy? Im inside the vicinity…. ”

Her ears picked it loud and clear from the tablet resting on her side.

”F-Falcon? ” Her jaw flexed, and she tightened her grasp on her gun.

It appeared the inevitable would happen anytime. Shari tried to calm herself while waiting. She had no choice, and she could not turn back now.

Shari became oblivious to the surroundings and focused on the door that might open at any time. She was ready to pull the trigger and face her certain death. Perhaps this would be the end of it all. She wanted to believe in her deity that if she didn die tonight, she would continue her revenge and make everyone pay for ruining her life.

But what about Visha? Her poor little girl. She would grow up resenting her for not coming back.

I promise to come back alive for you, baby. It was a fools hope, she knew.

The door was forcibly opened just as the light came back; it flickered a few times before it became steady. A familiar man in his elite black uniform came into view. His eyes widened for a moment while his long rifle pointed at her.

”S-Shari? B-but…how? ” the man looked at her in disbelief. ”Shariah, no! ”

”Falcon, we meet at last, ” she whispered.

”No! Stop! ” the man tried to halt her, but she knew what to do.

Shari smirked as her tears slowly cascaded down her cheeks. She pulled the trigger three times without any remorse.

Oh, shit! Shari was hit in her legs and lost her balance. Her sight started to blur. It took her a while to finally let go of her gun.

She tried to smile, but everything went black.