* * *
"Alright, everybody, listen up!" she raised her voice over the hubbub that was the warehouse with thirty men inside.
Slowly, the conversations trailed off, and looks turned to her. They frowned in confusion, taking in her small, ragged form as she stepped away from the shadows and into the light. All that separated them was a few feet of space - and an impenetrable shield that shimmered ever so slightly around her. She fed it more energy, letting it envelop her like a second skin before raising her voice again.
"Somebody here knows where I can find my sword. I suggest he speaks up, and in return, me and my friend will leave without any trouble. You can go on that job of yours, make some money, enjoy your life for a few more days or be good boys and leave town. Otherwise," she paused, giving a narrow look to the three big thugs that stood closest to her, and pointed the axe at them one after another as she spoke, "I'm gonna chop off his arm, his head, and his balls. The sooner I get my katana back, the more of you will live to see the light of day. Deal?"
She beamed at them to no effect as the dumbfounded crowd of Beasts advanced on her, stopping only when the one-eyed fighter raised his hand, stepping forward. As usual, no one had taken her seriously, except the one who had nearly got killed by her in less than ten seconds.
"Where's Martinez?" he asked in a gravelly voice. His eye rested on the axe she was holding.
"Who?" She squinted at him, confused. "Ah, the little squeaky fellow downstairs?" she asked, remembering about Emilio. "Yeah, he's dead."
"You lying bitch!" another Beast exclaimed, using his big paunch to make his way through the crowd. "Forgot to mention you killed our boss before you came here with your little proposition!"
Her mouth opened and closed as she heard a distant clang coming from the basement, but stopped her head from turning so she wouldn't direct their attention to Marco. Since they hadn't attacked her yet, she wondered if her bluff would actually get her the sword.
With a quiet sigh, she lifted the axe to point at the fat Beast. "You - I never said anything about Emilio, I said I'd leave without any trouble." The axe turned to the one-eyed man. "You - do we have a deal or not? Bring me my sword, and no one else dies tonight. We leave, and you can be on your merry way of killing and rape, unless I see your ugly mugs in the city again."
"She's not going anywhere!" the fat Beast yelled before the other one had the chance to say anything, making her eyes roll skyward. "Emilio was a friend of mine!"
"Then you have my condolences! You're shit at choosing friends. Anyone else in our little club want to make a statement?"
"I am not a rapist!" Another thug stepped out of the crowd. His bald head gleamed like a polished apple, sticking out a good five inches above everyone else.
"Good for you, Baldylocks! I'd clap, but you know what they say about clapping."
"What??" He blinked stupidly.
"You don't clap with a big fucking axe in your hands!"
"Silence!" the one-eyed Beast lost his patience.
He turned to her just as another metallic clatter from the basement reached her ears, making her grip on the axe tighten. His one eye narrowed dangerously, and everyone quieted, letting a strained silence fill the room.
"Where's your friend?" he growled, darting a glance at the hatch.
She cursed in her head as something moved at the edge of her sight. Someone had made the mistake of sneaking down there. She could feel the situation swiftly slip out of her control. The turbulence that she had planted in the heads of the men before her was dissipating with every second, once their new leader brought up Marco. Now, she just hoped they were too stupid to realize that her show of self-assurance was nothing but a way to distract them. There was no reason to keep stalling, though. She had seen all she needed to see, and that was a disorganized bunch of thugs who weren't that eager to fight.
"Um, my friend?" she snapped back to the conversation, as if she had been lost in thought and not counting the Beasts again, assessing their size, weapons, and posture. Her thumb pointed at the hatch behind her. "He's still chained up, passed out. You know Emilio." She gave a quick grimace, hiding the tension that was building up in her veins as the one-eyed Beast fidgeted with his weapons belt, unconvinced.
His arms relaxed when he looked at her again, and she breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Go bring- "
The room shook with an earsplitting clang, followed by a scream and a loud grunt that could only be Marco bashing someone's head in. She gulped as thirty wide eyes turned to her.
"Negotiation over!"
Her axe swished through the air, cutting off the first enemy's head. She used the momentum, taking off another man's arm, before burying the axe between the third one's legs.
"Gotta keep my promises." She winked at the one-eyed thug, ignoring the cries that filled the room while the others scattered in the shadows by the walls. "I want my sword back, Blinky!"
He stared her flat in the eyes, standing in the center. "Kill the girl," he commanded, carelessly turning his back to her and walking away. From the way he strode to the far wall, she could tell he had something else on his mind. Probably, calling his boss and waiting it out so he could present her head to Chuck and get that promotion.
Her lips stretched in a savage grin as she raised the axe. "Come back and fight, you coward!" she snarled, putting everything she had into the throw.
The weapon hurtled through the room, spinning, only to smash into the electric board on the wall when the Beast dodged it without looking.
"Dammit, woman!" Marco's annoyed voice sounded from behind her.
She cringed, blinded by the sudden darkness. Flashlights would turn them into walking targets, and she preferred to leave that stupid option to the Beasts.
In a second, it proved true.
The sounds of struggle faded behind when she darted to the first flashlight-wielding Beast by the far wall. Marco would be alright with his shield for a few minutes, and her job now was to keep them covered. She slammed into the Beast from above, startling him with a punch to the face, then slitting his throat with Emilio's knife. His dropped flashlight still exposed her, and she felt two hands lock on her ankles at once as she darted upward.
She swung around and bent double, plunging two knives into the two attackers' eyes. Their grasp on her ankles loosened as they screamed, backing off into the others, giving her a chance to dive for the flashlight. With two more men cut down in the chaos that followed, she broke free, the flashlight dimmed enough for her to safely reach the second level and take stock of the situation.
"I've got eight!" she called out to Marco, waiting for his response before she let the flashlight come to life for a second, illuminating him and a half-dozen Beasts.
"I've got thirteen!"
"What??" She dashed to another corner on the mezzanine as the remaining Beasts caught up to her hiding spot. One of them whipped out a flashlight, and she threw a knife in his direction, hearing a painful grunt. "Nine!"
"Fifteen!" Marco boomed in response.
She heard chains rattling on the stone and turned her flashlight back on again, eyes wide. "Are you still wearing the chains?!"
The Beasts followed her voice, while she darted back to the floor to scavenge some weapons off the fallen enemies.
"Yes."
"But I left you the keys!"
She found a lone Beast and slit his throat from behind, snatching a short sword from his hand as he fell.
"I couldn't find the right one!"
Back on the second level, she pointed the flashlight at Marco and the thinning crowd of enemies. He swung the heavy chain like a lasso, making them back off before he knocked one of them off his feet. One of her knives quickly found his sprawled form, burying itself in his chest.
She scoffed, changing her position again. "You can find a secret terrorist facility in the Middle East, but you can't find the right key?"
"I didn't have the time?" he rasped, as if someone was
strangling him.
She didn't risk exposing herself again and simply dashed to where she had last seen him. Her left arm wrapped around someone's thick neck, his hair too long to be Marco's, and she drove the tip of the sword through his spine.
Marco recoiled from them, catching his breath. Her flashlight came to life as she dropped it on the floor for Marco.
"Jesus, woman, careful with that!" he exclaimed, seeing the size of the sword she had been operating in the dark.
"I am. You win this one." She was moving back-to-back with him, assessing the few Beasts that crowded nervously around them. "I'm going after the boss."
"Could use some help here," Marco grumbled, taking the sword from her. "He's probably gone anyway."
"Nah, you're good. And he's still here. But he's about to take off if he's watching."
Like a bullet, she flew straight to the small door she had spotted earlier, not far from the main entrance. It opened with a squeak, revealing a narrow shaft, with the moon shining brightly on the other end. Now she knew why the Beasts didn't care about an attack from the air. With the only way in being so restricting, it would be suicide.
With a deep breath, she gathered the last of her energy, firing it up into a shield. The darkness in the shaft was absolute, and she rose slowly, cautious of traps. When she reached the top, she found the one-eyed Beast speaking on the phone. Idiot, she scoffed inwardly, whipping out a knife.
Her smile turned into a horrified grimace as he shifted his posture, revealing what he was holding in his right