Agent 13 (Book 1)

Chapter 14

Thirteen's POV

My eyes dart in every direction trying to find some way out of this. My hand reaches slowly for one my knives...one of my 'special' knives.

"Do you really think that's the best idea?" Jason whispers so only I can hear.

"You got a better one?" I bite back.

This doesn't make any sense though, if they wanted us dead they would have fired already, instead they remain standing there, guns trained on us. Realization hits me like a ton of bricks. They don't want all of us dead.

Immediately my mind starts to play this out, what would I do?

I click the button on the knife, the countdown starting, thirty seconds. I raise the knife over my head making it out to look as if I'm going to throw it at them. I don't.

I whirl around and toss it behind me and the fifteen or so guards that are coming up behind us. The force of the explosion shoves us all back and immediately gunfire sounds.

I'm up on my feet in seconds, grabbing Ryan I duck behind several crates and barrels. Devin and Jason make to my side, Cody and Chase stuck on the other.

"This was your brilliant plan?!" Cody shouts.

"Didn't see you coming up with any ideas!" I shoot back.

"Well how the hell do you plan on getting us out of this one now?!"

"We're wearing bulletproof vests!"

"So what!?"

"So don't let the bullets hit your head!"

I grab on to the collar of Ryan's shirt and drag him behind me running towards Chase and Cody. As soon as I reach them I press my back against the crates crouching down as bullets lodge themselves into the barrels and crates. Jason and Devin follow my lead and come running to us.

"So what exactly is the brilliant plan cause so far the only thing you've accomplished is setting fire to half the warehouse!"

"It's only like a fourth, chill Chase. Besides no one's died."

"Yet," Ryan interjects, my glare shuts him up right away.

"He's got a point," Devin mutters. "What is the plan?"

I pull another few knives out of my boots, "Don't die." I reply. I move to a better position before letting several of the knives fly.

"You know I think a gun would be more effective right now," Jason says as he pulls a gun from his waistband.

"Well, by all means, go ahead."

"I was talking about for you."

"I gave mine to Ryan." I retort.

"Well luckily for you I grabbed an extra one off the guards." he tosses the gun to me and I catch it effortlessly.

The rest of the guys have begun shooting, Ryan included. I hold the gun out in front of me and aim, but not firing a single bullet. I tuck the gun into my jeans. I see Tony make a run for the exits and I jump up and run after him. I grip the handle of my dagger tighter as I get closer, while he struggles with the door.

I swing my arm back prepared to let the dagger sink into his shoulder, perfectly aware that we need him alive otherwise I would kill him. He swings his arm around faster and punches me in the stomach causing the dagger to fly from my hand, and me to double over.

I straighten up quickly and pull the gun from my jeans aiming right at his head.

"Step back and place your hands on your head," I order. He complies. "Call off your men."

"There don't seem to much of them left," he mutters, as he turns to face me with a smirk on his face.

"Call them off," I repeat. I'm aware that all eyes are on me, and the firing has ceased. The actual fire, however, continues to consume the warehouse.

"You heard the girl."

"Keep your guns on them," I order the boys.

Tony starts walking back towards the door. "Don't move."

He smirks at me, "Why? What'll you do? Shoot me?" He taunts, my grip on the gun tightens. "We both know you won't." I grit my teeth together. My eyes darting towards my dagger on the floor across from me. He sees it too and gives me a look before running towards it.

I lunge for him, knocking him to the floor as the gunfire starts up again, my fingers brush against the handle and I grab it, but it's too late.

I throw the dagger at the door and Tony slams it shut just in time, the dagger bouncing off the door and back onto the floor in front of me. I grab it and rush to help the boys with the last few guards.

"You had a clear shot!" Cody growls out as I take down one of the guys he happened to be fighting.

"Did you want me to kill him? We need information from him." I hiss.

"You didn't have to kill him but you could've slowed him down! Now he got away!" I jam my knife into one of the guards and shoot Cody a nasty glare. Fire rages on our left.

"We have to get out of the building," I say as I throw three knives into the remaining guards.

Devin runs to the door and attempts to open it. "It's locked from the outside."

"Can't we just kick it down?" Cody asks.

"Yeah have fun kicking the six-inch thick metal door down." I retort. "There might be a fire escape on the roof but we'd have to move now, that fire's getting bigger by the second and pretty soon it's going to completely consume this warehouse."

"Well whose fault is that?" My elbow goes into Cody's gut causing him the sputter and double over. "The stairs are that way."

We take the stairs two at a time finally making it to the roof only to see that the entire bottom level is engulfed in flames and smoke.

"Good thing we got out when we did," Jason mutters. "I see the fire escape." We all begin running to it.

Suddenly the ground beneath us begins to shake.

"An earthquake right now? Seriously?" Jason says as the roof of the building begins to c***k.

"Get to the fire escape now," I order.

"What's wrong?"

"That wasn't an earthquake."

"Then what was it."

"One of the detonators I set."

"I thought you said they weren't on a timer," Cody interjects.

"They aren't. I think Tony has my phone."

"What!?" the building shakes again only harder.

Suddenly I feel the floor fall out from under me.

"THIRTEEN!" I hear their shouts.

My hands reach out and grab on to one of the metals beams holding the ceiling up. I look down only to see the raging fire beginning to consume the second floor beneath me.

"Thirteen!" I look up to see them peering through the hole at me. Cody reaches his hand down to me and I reach mine up.

My eyes are drawn to the beam across from me as soon as the building shakes again.

"GET BACK!" I yell out to them just as the beam fails and collapses into the fire, part of the ceiling going with it. Everyone jumps back just in time except for Cody. My hand shoots at and grabs onto his wrist as his clasps around mine.

"i***t," I grumble.

"How many of these charges did you set?" He asks.

"Seven. You're lucky they're all underground or else this warehouse wouldn't exist right now."

"I don't feel very lucky." He glares at me. "Do you think you could swing me over to the staircase?" He asks.

"You weigh more than an elephant." He shoots me a deadpan look. "Maybe," I say.

I start swinging my arm back and forth with him helping, or so he says. I let go and he lands safely on the staircase.

"Your turn!" He shouts to me. He holds out his hands, prepared to catch me if necessary.

Just as I'm about to start swinging, the building begins shaking again. I hold on to the beam tighter waiting for the shaking to stop. I let out a startled shout when the beam drops on one side.

"Thirteen!" Cody yells out, panic evident in his voice.

"Oh how sweet I knew you actually cared." He begins grumbling under his breath. Without any warning the beam drops.

I land on my side on the second floor...right in half the fire, of course. I vaguely hear Cody yelling for me to move. I look up only to see most of the ceiling coming down at me. My eyes widen and I roll to the side away from the debris, unfortunately, the floor breaks and I fall through back to the first level.

My vest catches fire and I quickly remove it. I can hear Cody yelling out for me, but I can't see a thing through all this smoke. I begin running in the direction of the stairs only to see that it's completely blocked off. I run back to the door and try to get it open again but it doesn't budge.

There's a loud cracking noise above me and I look up to see yet another beam collapsing. I jump out of the way just as it lands right where I was standing. I have to get out of here now. Only one problem, there's no place to go.

The tunnels. Most of them would be destroyed by now, but not all of them. Of course, there's also a remainder of two detonators left in the tunnels...oh well.

I head towards the door leading to the tunnels and throw it open running down the stairs and taking the tunnel on the right. Hopefully, this leads to an exit. I know for a fact that there is one down here. Where? I don't know. Hopefully Cody gave up on me and got out.

I make several more turns either running into a random room or to a tunnel blocked by debris. the shaking starts again and I almost fall over, the walls begin to c***k around me. I quickly duck into one of the random rooms just as the tunnel's ceiling begins to cave in.

I throw open the door on the other end of the room running into the tunnel. A door sits at the end of the hallway with a bright glowing red sign with the word 'EXIT' spelled out across it...how freaking cliché.

I run towards only to feel the ground shake again.

Last one.

Only this is much stronger and knocks me to the floor, the ceiling and walls cracking and caving in. My hands cover my head as the tunnel begins to collapse, dust and dirt flying every which way. I cough as I breathe it in.

The shaking stops and I look up. Only to see that the exit is completely blocked by at least six yards of rubble. I turn to my side fully prepared to go back to the room and find another way out. Only that way's blocked too.

And I'm stuck in the middle, with no way out. At least there aren't any more detonators left to be set off.

I rest my back against the wall, barely even able to sit up, much less stand in what's left of this tunnel.

I look down at my shirt which is basically ruined due to all the rips and burns in it from running mindlessly through the fire. Breathing seems harder between all the dust and smoke I've inhaled in the past half hour or more, possibly less.

I let out a sigh and close my eyes leaning my head back against the wall behind me.

Those boys better have gotten out when they had the chance, I expect a thank you from them for saving their lives when I get out of here.

If I get out of here.