She

Plan It Out

He turned off the kettle and poured them both a cup of tea. “I heard the alarm for your house go off, but then some of the cameras went out. What happened?” he asked. He was like her personal ADT system and there was no one she trusted more with her home security. She explained to him about the home intruders that had come and how they escaped. He didn’t say anything nor did his expression ever change. When she was done, he sipped his tea then asked: “Did he come to visit you?” She shook her head no and stared into her cup of tea.

“He sent Gabriel.”

“That was low.” He growled with clenched teeth.

It saddened her still to see the gap she had created between them. “Wipe that look off your face. It was Gabriel’s decision to choose him and he stayed even though he knew what would happen.” He scolded. “Yes, I know Galiech,” she sighed deeply. “What we have to focus on now is our next step. We are not sure if the intruders are who we think they are yet because from what I gather you did not see what any of them looked like right?” he stated, changing the subject. “Yeah, that’s right. Jumping to conclusions would be foolish at this point but still, we have to prepare for the worst.” Together they went over several mock scenarios, plans, and other information centering around this event. After several hours, the first thing they decided to do was move their headquarters to a safe house several miles away.

Galiech started the preparations for their initial move and Sharon went back to the room to check on the little girl. She found her fast asleep in the bed and decided that she should get some rest as well. Sharon texted Galiech on the new phone he gave her to let him know that they were going to take some time to rest before they head out. Finally, she laid down next to the little girl and closed her eyes. It felt like it had been days and not hours since the last time she closed her eyes. Soon she drifted off to a place where wild fantasies met dangerous flashbacks. Somehow in her semi-unconscious state, she reached out only to find an empty bed. She shot up immediately thinking the worst had occurred. Her senses perked up completely, but her mind was still in a dreamy irrational haze as she jumped out of the bed to search. She opened the door and a familiar musk hit her nose. “Galiech,” she whispered. “Galiech is safety, we are safe here.” she thought as the fog from sleep lifted from her mind. She peeked into the kitchen to find the little girl and Galiech eating and laughing together. Even more relieved, she smiled and mused at how they fit together so well. Before she could be noticed, Sharon slipped back into the room to pack the supplies that they would need into the duffel bags. By the time she was done Galiech walked into the room with the little girl holding bags with food. “Are you ready?” He asked. She nodded and took the little girl by the hand.

Galiech lead them out of the room and further down the hall to a back door. They exited the house to a ramp that looked endless and the lighting was dim. Their footsteps echoed in this stone hallway even with their boots and their pace was slow and steady to accommodate for the little girl’s short legs. Sharon suddenly quickened her pace as they finally neared the end of the ramp. It opened to a rather sizeable cave in the woods. One steady stream of light shone through the entrance that was blocked by a huge stone. Once outside the cave, they would have to be quick, although she doubted, they would be watching this deep into the woods. The transition was smooth as Galiech scooped the little girl onto his back and tossed the second bag he had to Sharon. She threw it across their body as the entrance to the cave began to open. They hit the woods in a sprint, heading towards the east side of the river that flowed through the woods. They kept a constant pace for a quarter-mile before slowing down. Soon after they reached a log cabin that was rather small with one window and a locked door. Galiech headed directly for the back and Sharon followed. He slid the little girl off his back and reached into the side pocket of his backpack to take out a small spray bottle. He sprayed at the bottom of a nearby rock and picked it up. Underneath was a silver key attached to a key fob that he picked up. He pressed one of the buttons and the back wall of the cabin lifted. The little girl watched with amazement in her eyes as the wall lifted to reveal a modified 2016 Chevrolet Malibu in all black. Sharon put the bags in the trunk, and everyone hopped in the car, Galiech in the driver seat, her in the passenger, and the little girl in the back. He backed out the cabin and drove off as the wall came back down.

The beauty of the day passing by the window as Galiech navigated through the woods nearly made her forget why they were in the woods. However, there was a bad feeling she could not shake since they got to the woods. Despite the feeling, the lull of the car ride and the blending of the trees drifted her right to sleep somewhere along the ride. She opened her eyes only to find herself back in her bedroom laying down. For a moment she wondered when she reached back home and who carried her inside. Then it hit her, it must be a dream because Uncle Galiech said they were going a ways off to another building. Suddenly a voice came from the corner of the room where there was no light. “Don’t be afraid, but I need to talk to you because no one else will listen to me.” She instantly sat up, searching the room for whoever spoke. She spotted an outline of a man walking out of the corner of the room, but the low lights made it hard to tell who was there. However, his voice had a familiar ring to it and that’s when it hit her. “You’re the one that was at our door today, aren’t you?” she demanded. “Yes...” he replied. “What are you doing here? I don’t want to talk to you!” she yelled. “Please calm down, I only want to give you a message for Nie...Sharon okay?” “I don’t want to hear it. Leave me alone before I kick your butt!” He threw his hands up. “Okay I am leaving, I am not trying to hurt you, but this message is only to keep you and Sharon safe, don’t you want that?” She paused. “I want you to trust me that I’m only here for that okay?” he continued, not moving from his spot. “How?” She said defensively. “Well it’s your dream so think really hard about your favorite toy and it will come to life and be your protector.” Cautiously she focused on her favorite teddy bear, Tommy. After a moment she saw his arm move, then his leg shook, and he popped up into a stretch. Suddenly, he was flying across the room straight for the man's face. The man didn’t react as the teddy bear hit him with a flurry of furry kicks that hurt more than he would like to acknowledge. When his barrage of kicks was over, he ran over into the little girl's arms. “Tommy,” she squealed. “You’re alive!” She said as she squeezed him a little harder. She let go and all attention was on this man who had invaded her dreams. “You have 10 seconds,” she said, feeling more confident with Tommy by her side. He took a step towards them and his tone became more serious. “I need you to let your Sharon know that they are coming after her and know where she is going but if she meets me at Alpha 7 then I can help.” He took another step forward. “Please…” he continued. “Time is up.” she interrupted. “But I need you to remember Alpha 7…” Ignoring him she turned to Tommy “Come on we have to think of Sharon as hard as possible and she will save us.”

Sharon loomed over the little girl and shook her. “What’s wrong?” she asked concern smeared across her face. “You’re shaking like a leaf and you were calling my name, what happened?” The little girl gasped and threw her arms around Sharon’s shoulders. “Where’s Tommy?” She whispered. Sharon reached in her bag and pulled out Tommy the teddy bear. The little girl hugged Tommy closely, letting out several deep sighs she said thank you to Sharon. “I saw that man in my dreams, the one that was at the door today,” she said quietly. Sharon’s body tensed on reflex. “Sssh, it is okay. Do not worry about it, you are fine now.” Sharon reassured her. “But…but he said that they were coming after you and you have to meet him at Alpha...7 because you can’t...you can’t...they’re going to get you!” The little girl let out a sob. Sharon squeezed the little girl into her chest and said even if they come for me, they will never take me, so do not worry about a thing. You got that?” The little girl nodded her head and seemed a lot calmer. However, Sharon’s mind was racing. Had this turned into a worst-case scenario? Did she slack off this much, that they had so much information on her? She stopped...wait how did he contact her? Sharon’s eyes widened slightly, and she looked down at the little girl. She had the ability and they knew it. A feeling of dread and relief simultaneously flooded her body as conflicting thoughts flew through her mind. She then realized that the girl was now looking up at her, analyzing her reactions. She relaxed her body and smiled. She told the little girl that she was going outside to speak with Uncle G, as the little girl likes to call him, and she would be back. The little girl nodded and snuggled with Tommy in the back seat.

#

They had stopped at a rest stop for a few minutes so Galiech could get food and information, He was just walking back to the car when she got out to talk to him. He leaned on the car next to him and she told him about what had just happened. His face turned grim as the realization hit him, that they were in a worse predicament then what he originally thought.

“We will have to change things up now and assume the worst.” He told her. “What did you find out?” Sharon asked. “The details are fuzzy but there is a general buzz about a big undertaking that is going on at the company, but he is missing one thing. Whatever that thing is, he has been searching for it for years now. Suddenly the search is being pushed into overdrive. My working theory is that he is looking for her and now with what you told me I may be right; you are a big obstacle for him. She put her head back, soaking up the moonlight, and processed all the information she now had. She took a deep breath and said: “We’ll let the bastard try.” “So, what is the next step since we can’t go to the safe house with her?” He inquired. “I am going to have to talk to him.” She sighed. “You do not have…” The icy cold look she gave him stopped him in his tracks. “Do you not get it, it is unavoidable, so I rather do it on my terms.” He threw up his hands and shook his head. “I won’t argue with you since there is no changing your mind, but I will say this because I love you, do not let him get into your head in any way for even a second!” He said sternly. “Okay I got it and I love you too G-man,” she said, more relaxed. “Oh, that is old school,” he chuckled.

They both got back in the car and pulled out into the road. Two hours later they reached the Sunrise Hotel. They had an agreement with the hotel that allowed them to rent out two adjoining rooms on a month to month basis. The room was under an alias that they barely used, and the room was always paid in cash. Since it had now gotten dark Galiech parked near the entrance in the front and went inside to check into their rooms. Sharon and the little girl stayed back in the car so that Galiech could make sure that it was safe. To lift the girl’s spirit, Sharon decided to play one of their games. They would go back and forth trying to find words that start with the last letter of the previous word. “The first word is name” Sharon started. “Elephant” “Train” “Ready” “Now” “Water” “Rub” “Behind YOU!” yelled the little girl. It took a second for the fear in the little girl’s eyes to register. By the time that it did, two arms were already reaching through the window to grab her. As soon as her body was partially through the window, she planted her feet on the seat and pushed off. Putting her full weight on the attacker, she threw him back onto the floor, while backflipping off his shoulders and landing with a punch to his face. The assailant lay there for a minute dazed from the punch to the face. Suddenly the car engine started up and Sharon lunged at the driver's door, which was locked. Just then the assailant that was laying on the ground, got up and ran to the passenger's side. Sharon reached into the back seat through the window and was only able to grasp the little girl's arm for a second before the car pulled away. For a moment all she could do was watch as the car sped away with the little girl’s body slumped in the back seat. It was only for a moment and before the car could hit the road she was running into the hotel. She ran to the third floor to find the room where Galiech was supposed to be in and started banging on the door. She banged frantically until he opened the door and she barged into the room. Pacing around the room, her hands shook violently as she tried to find the words. “What is wrong?” Galiech asked. “They took her… how could they have known so quickly...why is this...how did I let this happen… Gal…” She looked up to see a modified company tracker in his hand with the number 85 written on it. “Don’t forget” and a single small pop was the last thing she heard before it all went black. Sharon fell to the floor with a bullet in her chest as Galiech stood over her holding the smoking g*n. The look on his face became very distant as he took out his phone and sent a text message. He grabbed a bag from the closet and walked to the door. He hesitated momentarily before he opened the door to take a breath. He walked out, closing the door behind him, and walked up the flight of steps to the next floor. Galiech walked down the hall and to the other room that he prepared. He sat on the couch and waited for ten minutes when someone knocked on the door. He opened the door and let in the two assailants that had attacked earlier in holding the still unconscious little girl and some of their bags. They laid her down on the couch and sat at the table. Closing the door behind them, Galiech, grabbed a bag and walked to the table. He took out two wads of cash and gave each of the attackers one. “Break it down and we are out in ten to the nearest location the Organization has is Beta Two.” Galiech ordered. Then he turned to the little girl who was now sitting up on the couch and stared. His face was emotionless, and his cold eyes etched its way into her head “Sharon is dead. I shot her and if you do not want to be next then I suggest that you do not try anything stupid.” Then his face changed slightly. “You have a purpose far greater than Sharon realized and that is what finally killed her.” He continued. “Now let's take a trip.” He said as he dragged her to her feet. They walked to an inconspicuous gray SUV in the corner of the parking lot. She got into the third row and moved all the way to the corner. Everyone else got into the SUV after her and they pulled out of the parking lot. An hour later they made it to another motel, but this had a neon sign that advertised that there were no vacancies. Galiech got out of the driver's seat and motioned for them to let the little girl out of the back. As she got out Galiech grabbed her by the arm and held her tight enough for her to flinch. Then he turned to the two attackers and told them to take the SUV back to the other motel, take care of Sharon’s body, and come back. Turning back to the little girl, he tightened his grip and grabbed the bags out of the car. “Listen to me very closely. One wrong move and that is going to cost you your life.” He reminded her as the car pulled off. “Those feelings of dread, hurt, and anger, I want you to remember them as you sleep tonight and when you have another dream, I want you to tell the man exactly what happened. What you think are dreams, are more than “just” dreams, but you will learn that in your own time.” He told her. He saw the fire and hurt in her eyes, as her little body trembled, with what he assumed was rage. Galiech turned away and walked to a dark gray Ford with the little girl in tow.

As she passed the back, she tried to read the license plates, but the weird glare made it impossible to read. When they pulled out, he began to talk again reminding her to not cause any trouble and relay what had happened to whoever comes to her in her dreams. She zoned him out and all she could hear him say was “Sharon is dead...” Her chest felt like it was going to explode with fire, and she had pressed her nails so hard into her fist that they were starting to bleed. Her emotions were all over the place and would swell up to the point where she thought she would go crazy. Then she would do as Sharon taught her to do in extreme situations, push it down until she felt nothing. But it was much harder than any training she had gone through before. However, part of her did not believe Sharon would die so easily even to Unc…no…Galiech so she was going to find her and get her help. First, she had to survive, and then she had to escape and for that, she would need to rely on her training. She tried her best to stay awake, but the drone of his voice and the rhythm of the moving car had her drifting off to sleep. When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the car but back in her room. Her little jaw clenched in anger as she realized she wasn’t alone. She looked at the chair in the corner where a shadowy figure sat unmovingly. “It is all your fault; I just know it is!” She seethed. “She is dead, and he killed her...Galiech killed her but it is your fault. Why...why did you do this?” She cried. A man stepped in from the doorway and she recognized him from her last dream. He took a couple of steps towards her and sighed. “What you will soon come to understand is that what he did was what was best for you. Things could have been different but that does not matter anymore because you will soon be where you belong, with us.” He proclaimed. Suddenly a furry leg in a boot came flying across the room and hit him in the head. Blood trickled down the side of his face as he stumbled a bit holding his head. Another kick came from the opposite direction which he barely managed to miss. “Bashakin, come,” said the man in the chair in a barely audible tone before he disappeared. Bashakin shook his head and disappeared. “Tommy” she cried. “I know, we lost her… but we will get her back,” he told her as he held her in his arms and she quietly sobbed.