Chapter Twenty-Eight

Zella Mills - Plaza de Vulcan, Naguela

Clutching a fistful of Zella's vest, Masha hoisted her effortlessly into the air. With a swift, controlled motion, he thrust her body sideways, her frame colliding with the windowpane. The window cracked against her back, but it did not shatter. Zella dug her fingernails deep into Masha’s wrist, desperate to scratch herself free.

Masha, relentless in his grip, dragged her across the room, her form limp and lifeless like a doll. Desperation fueled her every move as she lashed out, her feet striking furiously at his legs. Each kick was an attempt to inflict enough pain to compel him to release his hold. Her knife lay on the floor at the center of the room, where he’d wrestled it from her. If he wanted her dead, he’d had every opportunity to do so. He wanted to hurt as much as possible, projecting his frustrations upon her.

Zella’s body hurtled through the air, forcefully propelled towards the unyielding wall on the far side of the room. Her reflexes sprang into action, enabling her to realign her body mid-flight, altering the trajectory of the toss.

He had intended to crush her against the wall but failed to anticipate her agile readjustment. Her boots made contact with the wall first, her knees bending at the precise moment needed to absorb the impact and use it to her advantage. With a powerful push, she launched herself back in his direction, somersaulting elegantly through the air, his grip on her vest still unbroken. Caught off guard, his body involuntarily twisted back towards the window. A loud grunt burst from his lips as he staggered, his body jerking under the unexpected force.

As Zella's knees made a jarring impact on the floor, her eyes swiftly caught sight of her knife lying just beneath her. It was a twist of fate she hadn’t planned. Masha’s eyes followed hers, falling on the gleaming blade. He loosened his grasp in response.

Zella was faster than he was. In a fluid, lightning-fast motion, her hands left his thick wrists, and she took the knife handle in her right hand. With a surge of adrenaline, she thrust it up into his abdomen, feeling it slice into his ripped exterior.

Masha stood upright and stepped backward a few paces. His eyes were wide with shock, his mouth twisted. The knife was still in him, poking out from his abs. At some point during the fight, Masha had gone topless, leaving no barrier between his skin and the knife. For a moment, he stood there, gazing at her with hatred spread across his face. He remained motionless, perhaps knowing that his blood would spill out once he removed the knife. And then he spoke. “Yes, what do you want?” he grunted.

Zella stood, her head tilting in confusion.

“Listen, General, I don’t care what pictures leaked.”

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Oh, he’s taking a call?

“I’m looking the bitch that killed my brother in the eyes right now. The same one who got Zip. There’s no way in hell I’m letting this opportunity slip by just because it looks bad. If she’s an enemy of America, then she dies today.” There was a brief pause while Masha listened. Zella didn’t take kindly to being discussed like she wasn’t staring the man in the eyes right now. The temptation to make a run for her pistol was colossal. Masha roared again, distracting her from the urge. “Goddamit!” He yelled. He raised a finger to his ear and tapped his earpiece, his body flinching from the blade protruding from his abs. Zella listened to his brief communication with his comrades. She could not hear the voices on the other side, but it wasn’t difficult to fill in the blanks.

“Watts, Dark, check if anyone is taking photos…

“No, I’m looking her dead in the eyes…

“Fine, y’all can stand down. But I’m ending this right now.”

Masha fell silent, presenting Zella her chance to address him. “You done?” she asked.

“You didn’t grab your gun while I was distracted,” he said. “I thought you were the one who killed Zip? Where’s that killer’s instinct now?” Masha slowly wrapped his fingers around the underside of the knife’s handle. “You killed my brother, and now you have the chance to finish me. You’re a tough girl. I’m glad. Bleeding for my family’s justice will make it sweeter.”

“I don’t know where you got your information,” she told him. “Sure, I took down Zip. That's a fair trade for the you’re your group ripped away from me. And I won’t lie to you, wiping out every single one of you? Sounds like a dream. The world would be a better place for it. But before you come at me fueled by some misguided vengeance for your brother, get your facts straight. I didn’t kill him. Which means someone played you. And if I were you, I'd start questioning the one who pointed you my way.”

Masha’s eyes fixated on her, his expression contorted. With a swift motion, he pulled the knife from his abs, a thunderous cry escaping him. The bloody knife clanged against the floor.

The man deserved no pity, but Zella couldn’t help but feel for him. He was another person gamed by the system, caught in a web of lies.

Zella took a deep breath. Maybe we can go about this in a different way. She pulled up the bottom of her long vest, thankful that she was wearing an undershirt. She pulled it over her shoulders and stared at it for a moment as it dangled from her fingers. Is this even big enough to stretch around this guy’s body?

She tossed the vest to Masha, and he caught it. “You can’t be serious?” he grunted.

“You’re immortal. You’ll heal quickly. But this will stop you from losing too much blood. I’m guessing blood loss still affects your body’s performance.”

With a grimace, Masha wrapped Zella’s vest around his wound, stretching it around his torso to serve as an impromptu bandage. Carefully, he tied the ends on the side opposite the wound, his fingers working deftly. When he was done, he looked back at her with a complex mix of emotions. “Can’t believe this shit.”

“Still wanna kill this bitch?” Zella asked.

Masha stepped across the room, heading for the door. He placed a hand on the handle and paused. “Better pray you’re not the one responsible,” he said, his voice low and menacing. “Cause if I leave here today and later on, I’m able to verify that it was you, I promise you that you won’t even see death’s embrace coming. Your end will be swift and brutal.”

Zella picked up the knife from the ground. “Fair warning. But tell me, will you have the same unexpected fate planned for the ones actually responsible?”

Masha disappeared through the door without speaking another word.