*~*~*~*~*~*Chapter 5*~*~*~*~*~*

"I have seen you before, who are you" Karl asked, staring the girl straight in the eyes. She raised her eye-brows and smiled even bigger.

"You don’t remember, do you. Well, that’s not that strange, I mean, you were lying unconscious on the beach while I had a minor battle with your partners" she said and laughed, a short, hard laugh. Nick didn’t understand a thing, but he saw that Karl did. The mans face went from white to red, when he realised what she was talking about. He tightened his grip round his weapon and grimaced.

"So, it was you, huh? You sneaked up on me from behind and hit me. How courageous"

"I had no choice, you were about to push the button, and I figured that I would have enough trouble with your friends…" she said teasingly. Nick couldn’t understand how she could tease him in a situation like this, he felt weak and felt that he couldn’t keep himself up for a longer time. The girl felt it and tightened her grip round him.

"So, you think I’m a coward. And you think that it’s brave to beat a young boy, starve him and lock him up in a cell. Nice attitude, but I think you are the coward here" she said mockingly.

"I am the one with a weapon here, you shouldn’t play with me"

"Who’s playing?" she asked.

"How many are you here?"

"It’s just me" she answered. Karl didn’t believe her, Nick saw that. But before Karl said anything else she interrupted him.

"What time is it?" she asked to nobody special. Nick looked automatically on his left wrist where the watch should have been. Karl just smiled and said:

"You want me to look away from you so you can shoot me, nice try young lady"

The girl looked offended.

"I would never…I can look myself" she said and raised her left hand, dropping Nick. He fell to the ground and let out a cry of pain. She didn’t bend down to help him. Instead, she had locked her eyes on Karl.

"Well, it’s 12 ó clock, bastard"

Suddenly, a loud roar was heard. The old factory blew up in a cascade of flames.

Karl turned around and was almost hit to the ground of the impact of the blow, coming after the explosion. When he turned his eyes back to the girl he saw that she was aiming for him with her weapon. Before he had the chance to raise his weapon again, she shot. He was thrown back and landed on the ground a few feet away. Nick breathed heavily. The girl turned around and helped him up.

"I’m sorry I dropped you, but it was safer that way" she said. Nick nodded.

They walked even further into the dark forest. Suddenly, the moon appeared and gave them some light. Nick saw a parked car and almost jumped of joy.

The girl dragged him to it, and leaned him on the side while opening the door. She helped him in and buckled his seat-belt. Nick gazed over her shoulder when she did that and saw a dark shadow of someone approaching them.

"Th..there" he stuttered. The girl reached past him, opened the glovelocker and pulled out a small pistol. She turned around quickly and shot in the dark.

Too late, it proved. The second before she shot, another shot was heard. Karl was quicker. But before she fell, she shot him. A whimper was heard and Karl fell to the ground, to never rise again.

She struggled with the pain. The bullet had hit her leg and it bled quite a lot.

Nick unbuckled his seat-belt and tried to help her.

"I’ll be fine…just get in the car again, we have to get out of here" she whispered. He hesitated, but obeyed when he saw the look in her eyes. She managed to get around the car, get in it and close the door. She took a deep breath and looked at Nick. He met her gaze and hoped that his gratitude showed. It did, because she nodded and gave him a weak smile. Then she started the engine and drove out of the forest on to a road.