DEVORA HAD BARELY even made it to the helicopter before she heard the excited cries of her friends. Out from the clearing of trees, she could spy Travis and Dallas waving enthusiastically, urging her to hurry as best as she could.

"Just a little more and we're there," Devora said through gritted teeth.

The wound on Cain's side, though had been claimed to be small, was actually worsening with every step he took. He was obviously struggling with something as simple as walking properly, the grass below their feet crunching and scratching as he dragged his feet across the plains in an attempt to just get by. They were almost by Travis's side — since he had run towards them at full speed to act as a support when a gunshot went off from behind Devora — a flock of birds was scattering from the canopy into the brilliant azure sky.

Instantly, Devora turned her head back towards the commotion, her heart thumping so loudly in her chest that she could feel her ribcage practically tearing open. Then, it stopped. The blood in her veins ran cold, possibilities flying wildly through her mind as a sharp gasp was elicited from her.

"Hey," Dallas smiled, reaching their side without a clue as to what the gunshot might have been. He limped over, lips still ghastly pale. "Is Candice still raging like a hormonal bitch inside?" He forced out a chuckle. It took him a good second or two before he noticed that their little gathering was one man down, his smile dropped completely from his face. "Where's Nathan?"

Tears stung painfully against the rims of Devora's eyes as she bit down hard on her lips. Without a word, she eased Cain onto the helicopter and little Markus rushed towards his father immediately. They embraced, no words exchanged though the meaning between them was loudly spoken through something far more valuable. Father and son, finally reunited and one step closer to safety. While the scene was heartwarming, it still did nothing to soothe Devora's worried heart.

It took Devora not even a second's worth of hesitation before she reached towards her little stash of weapons, quickly pulling some more firearms and little knives before strapping them tightly against her. She turned, head too far into a determined sort of daydream as she strode back towards the direction of the little building where she had last seen Nathan and Candice in.

"Devora, where are you going?" Travis asked, a hand placed on her shoulder though she didn't stop. He was hence forced to walk along with her, strides quickening the more they left the site where the helicopter was.

Dallas was close behind, tottering around like a child that had just begun to learn how to walk. Any traces of pain from his wound was well-disguised; he was soldiering on like the trained killer he was.

"Dora?"

That nickname snapped the last nerve in Devora's body. For what felt like forever, since the blasting reverberation made by the shot of the gun, all that Devora could hear was the roaring of her own warm blood in her ears. She couldn't see beyond worry and panic, guilt flooding her like waves brought on by a hurricane and towards the coasts.

She blamed and berated herself for leaving Nathan alone. Although she knew he was a highly trained assassin and a very experienced fighter, he was also her teammate, her friend, and maybe something more. It was a foolish move on her part and could even be seen as a betrayal.

Worst of all, it might've cost him his life. She might've been the reason he perished.

"I have to go back. I left Nathan alone to fight Candice and that... that gunshot..." she trailed off.

"Shit." Tossing his hands up and into his hair, Dallas cursed out a bright vocabulary, to which Travis equally matched in a softer tone. "You left him there alone with that murderous psychopath?"

That was all that needed to be said. Dallas barely even waited for Devora's nod of confirmation before he took off in a sprint, arm still clutching his own bandaged wound as Devora and Travis ran after him. How he managed that with broken bones, Devora didn't know. At that moment, she didn't stop to think either.

The greens and browns of trees around them soon blurred as they sped past the road that was taken one too many times by them.

The throbbing pulse of Devora's rising heartbeat rang loudly in her ears. Each step she took closer to the building was but another ice cube added to her bloodstream, turning it down to freezing arctic temperatures. Although her muscles burned from the heightened level of activity, mainly running back and forth, it was not even near enough to slow her down for when a woman was determined, she was at her strongest point.

In fact, had Travis not stopped to pull both Dallas and Devora to a stop, they might have even accidentally run straight on into a certain dreaded blonde. She stumbled past the bushes, her usually beautifully-tamed tresses already tossed into a tangled mess. When the blues of Candice's eyes connected with that of Dallas's, her jaw dropped just the slightest.

"Dallas," she murmured his name under her breath, no doubt surprised to see him alive.

The cogs in Devora's mind clicked themselves into place, her own jaw slackening as she realized that Candice was here right in front of her and the only way that could be possible would be if her opponent was down, if she managed to overpower him, to overpower Nathan. The piercing note of the gunshot replaced the ringing of her own blood in Devora's ears and all that she saw was a blanket of red.

All rationality dissipated from the fibers of Devora's body. Burning hot fury melted into her bones, controlling the muscles of her body to move first. She took a step closer to Candice, swiping a blade from her left boot as she sliced across the air. Candice barely even dodged, missing the blade to the thin skin on her neck by a mere inch.

Devora didn't care. She didn't bother about the screams of Travis and Dallas, both telling her to be careful. She didn't spare a single second to concern herself about the fact that Candice was a much more experienced fighter in comparison. All she could feel was a rage that burned in the pits of her soul, the furious need to avenge her friends. Unlike what she would've believed in months ago, Devora was fighting to kill, and this time, with a personal vendetta.

Candice blocked her attacks easily, throwing a punch here and there even. It barely even took Candice a minute before she disarmed Devora, easily swiping the blade out of her hands in an easy kick to the wrist. The silver of the blade gleamed against the light before it landed in the palms of Candice's hands, her face smug for it barely even made her break a sweat.

"You're no match for me, Devora," she said with a hint of a smile.

Her arm reached back, adjusting the blade between her fingers. All too well, Devora knew that Candice was ready to strike. She was ready to fling the knife at her and straight into her skull.

"No, Candice. She definitely isn't." Devora had almost forgotten that behind her still stood two of her own, her friends that were nearly just as trained as Candice was had he not spoken. Dallas took a step forward, garnering Candice's attention easily. "But the cold metal of a bullet in your flesh might be."

In three rapid succession, Dallas fired his own gun. It took Candice by complete surprise, her body stunned backward due to the force of the bullets. Dallas fired strategically, aiming specifically to her two shoulders, deadly near to her lungs, and once more on the abdomen.

Blood immediately came pouring out, Candice staggering before dropping to the ground, shock was still written all across her face even while she lay dying. Life was slipping quickly from her eyes, but Devora couldn't care less. She needn't even turn fully to Dallas before he nodded towards the building.

"Go find Nathan," he instructed.

Devora needn't be told twice.

Immediately, she was back to her full speed, sprinting into the forestation and out of sight. Dallas turned to Travis, nodding him towards where the helicopter was parked at.

"Get back to your sister and start up the chopper. Once Devora comes back with Nathan, we move."

Travis wanted to rebut. He wanted to stay by Dallas's side, but the note hidden in Dallas's eyes stopped him. There was just something there within those irises, the hint of an emotion Travis could not quite point out or put his finger on. So he nodded, knowing that no matter what he argued, Dallas was not about to budge.

When Dallas was sure that Travis, too, was gone, he turned towards Candice, lowering himself onto the forest floor. Candice's eyes were still very much open, blood already tinting her lips due to the internal bleeding she suffered. Her life was starting to drain from her body, but the blues of her eyes were still fixed onto Dallas.

"I'm glad you're alive." She gurgled, the corners of her lips not quite lifting to a smile but her tone suggested it well.

"Too bad I can't say the same about you."

His words were painful, needless to say. Candice's lips were glued shut after that, her eyes never leaving Dallas's own as her eyelids drifted closer and closer to a complete shut.

"I never meant to hurt you, Dallas," she whispered, strength evidently disappearing.

Candice swallowed once, chest heaving up and down in an attempt to take in another breath of air but the wounds near her lungs were starting to tear further and further into her flesh and towards the edges of her organs. The hole in her abdomen was also worsening, blood gushing out as she witnessed her entire life flash before her eyes.

The last sight she saw was the sight of Dallas's face hovering above her own. He wasn't moving, just lingering. That was the sight she died to, her face emotionless and hurt gripped tightly. Just like that, she was gone, slipped out of the world of the living and into the hands of death.

Dallas felt a rush of cold air around him as he wrapped his arms around himself. Reaching down, he gently closed Candice's eyes before placing a small kiss on her forehead. She was dead, after so long of a time together and what felt like longer against each other.

And he didn't know how he was supposed to feel about it.

Standing to his full height, Dallas cast Candice one last glance before he turned on his heel, slowly limping back in the direction of where the chopper was located.

The leaves of the trees around him started to fall, almost like how snowflakes would during a winter storm. They swirled around him, gently fluttering to his feet as he trudged on without looking back again. He was glad to finally be rid of this chapter of his life, even though it meant that his best friend would be the one lying dead and cold on the forest floor, all alone.

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