Wake up

Chapter 85 - Wake up

Mike stood outside the warehouse window with the system gun locked tightly in both hands. The night air felt cold against his skin, but he barely noticed it. Through the dusty glass, he watched his clone still trapped behind Claire’s invisible shield. The clone attacked again and again, but every punch stopped several inches from Claire’s body. Claire simply kept moving closer to Mia, who lay helplessly on the concrete floor.

Mike’s fingers tightened around the grip until his knuckles turned white. He forced the system shop open one more time. The handgun’s description appeared in front of his eyes, and the ammunition looked nothing like normal bullets. He did not care. The only thing in his mind was Mia lying there helpless. He accepted the gun without a second thought.

Inside, the clone threw another punch that stopped inches from Claire’s cheek. She tilted her head back and laughed. Mike raised the barrel and lined up his aim through the dirty glass. His heart hammered so hard he could feel it in his throat. The moment Claire lifted her head toward the clone, Mike pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened for a fraction of a second. Then a deafening crack split the night. Instead of a normal bullet, a swarm of furious blue sparks burst from the barrel and screamed through the window. They slammed into Claire’s invisible shield, making the barrier suddenly glow bright white. For half a second it held before cracks spread across its surface. Then it shattered into countless glittering fragments. The pieces scattered across the concrete and over Mia’s naked, trembling body.

Claire’s eyes widened for the first time. She looked around in confusion. The shield was gone.

The clone moved immediately. His fist crashed into her jaw, snapping her head sideways and spraying blood across the crates. Claire staggered but stayed on her feet. She spun and drove her knee toward his ribs while her other hand still reached for Mia. The clone blocked the knee, caught her wrist, and twisted hard. Something popped inside her joint. Claire screamed and ripped herself free before raking her nails across his face, leaving three long bloody lines.

They crashed into a stack of wooden crates. The wood splintered beneath them as Claire snapped her teeth toward the clone’s throat, laughing through the blood running down her chin. The clone shoved her back, but she drove an elbow into his temple and staggered him. He recovered, grabbed a fistful of her curly hair, and slammed her face into the concrete once, then again. Blood spread across the floor beside Mia’s cheek.

Claire rolled away, kicked the clone’s knee sideways, and scrambled back to her feet. One eye was already swelling shut, and blood ran from her nose, but that filthy smile remained on her lips. She lunged again, her fingers aimed at his eyes. The clone caught both of her wrists, slammed his forehead into her face, and broke her nose before driving his knee into her stomach. Claire folded over, blood and spit spilling from her mouth, yet she was still laughing.

The clone grabbed her by the hair and pulled her upright. Claire suddenly snapped her head upward and tried one last desperate bite at his throat. The clone turned and spun, his heel catching her squarely in the temple.

The crack echoed through the warehouse.

Claire’s body went limp and hit the concrete in a heap. Blood began pooling beneath her head, but that same smug smile still twitched on her lips.

The clone stood over her, chest heaving as he stared down at the body. His fists remained clenched, and blood ran down his face from the scratches Claire had left behind. For several seconds, he did not move, as if he was making sure the fight was really over.

Mike shoved the side door open and walked inside. He looked at Claire’s still form, then at the blood covering the floor and the broken crates around her.

What the fuck, he thought. When did she get this good at fighting? She almost took me down.

The system voice appeared inside his head.

[Not you. Your clone.]

Mike frowned. “But our abilities are the same, aren’t they?”

[That’s true,] the system answered.

Mike did not waste another second. He moved straight toward Mia.

She was still lying on the concrete, completely still. Her eyes were closed, and her body did not move at all. Mike dropped to his knees beside her and cupped her face with one hand before giving her cheek a soft slap.

“Mia. Mia. Mia, wake up. See, I am here. Mia, wake up.”

Nothing.

He touched her cheek again, then moved his fingers to the side of her neck. He pressed two fingers against the spot where her pulse should have been and waited. Nothing. He pressed a little harder and waited again, his eyes fixed on her face. Still nothing moved beneath his fingertips.

Mike's hand began to tremble. He checked again, moving his fingers slightly higher and then lower along her neck, desperately searching for even the faintest pulse. There was nothing.

He fell back onto his heels.

“Mia… wake up.”

Nothing.

Mike waited longer, pressing harder as if his fingers simply had not found the right spot. Still nothing moved beneath them.

He fell back onto his heels.

“Mia… wake up.”

His voice cracked.

“No. Mia. Mia!”

Tears filled his eyes and spilled down his face. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her once, then again, but her head only rolled loosely with the movement.

“Mia, wake up.”

She remained completely still.

A faint sound came from behind him.

A broken, wet laugh.

Mike did not hear it.

Claire was still lying on the floor with blood pooling beneath her head, but her eyes were open just enough to watch him. The corners of her bloody lips slowly curled upward.

That same filthy smile returned. Then another weak laugh escaped her throat.

She kept laughing. "You filth, HA HA HA HA HA HA."

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