7 Sweet Aroma

I raised my head to look at the captivating purple walls all around the bathroom. I got up and peered through the door. I saw a girl, a teenager probably snapping photos of herself in front of the dressing mirror.

She had eyes like those of comics characters. Her hair was between brown and blonde in color with black eyes like obsidian.

She had wireless headphones over her head, swaying her body according to the beat. I suspected that she was listening to good vibes as it was all written on her face. Maybe some Classics or House.

But if she could catch a glimpse of me from the mirror, one thought would have hit her harder than anything. 'A rapist in the bathroom.' As I was still naked but most of my body was covered by the door.

I smiled and thought that what would I give to be a teenager once again...

Living the carefree life without worrying, that it doesn't matter if tomorrow never comes. Just like what's she's doing right now. While the world outside is in chaos, she is here enjoying it to the fullest. Would it have been possible if I hadn't joined the recruitment a few years back? Would I have made a difference in my life or would I have ended up in Correctional Facility or doing drugs in a pawn shop's basement?

I joined the selection after my father forced me to. I had to make a difference in this life, that's what he used to say to me. That I couldn't fail and had to make my life better to safeguard a brighter future. I loved him, but not as much as I loved my mother. She was the other half of him but very different in every aspect. She was too perfect to be true.

He used to say, "Son, don't let it slip away."

"When you get older, your wild life will live for younger days."

"One day you will leave this world behind. So live a life you will remember."

Tears were rolling down my cheeks. I came to reality after testing some of it. She was busy taking photos and had headphones covering both of her ears. So she couldn't hear anything coming from the bathroom.

I turned on the faucet and stepped under the running water cascading downwards. Gritting my teeth as soon as the warm water reached my wound, I couldn't help but wince in pain. I washed in a hurry as I had to take into consideration that time was precious if I wanted to escape while I had the time.

After the warm shower, my eyes landed on the medical kit while I was looking for a bathrobe to wear. I opened it and found everything I needed. I applied some iodine solution to the bullet wound and used the tongs I found to extract the bullet.

I bit down on my bathrobe as waves of pain hit me one after another. I wrestled with it for some time before I managed to get a hold of it. I pulled and was shocked by what I found.

Before I could contemplate what I was seeing. My train of thought was cut off with a loud announcement over a speaker.

...

"Bravo 1, I can confirm that he is inside this apartment. But there are two heat signatures on the second floor three meters apart." Leah reported after checking the tablet gadget on her arm.

"Copy, but we can't barge in as we have already shot him, he can't trust us. And now there's a civilian next to him. And if we force our entry I can't imagine what will happen to us. We'll have to take heavy casualties." Bravo 1 said to his teammates.

"The guy's a f*ckin' terminator." Said Bravo 5 after remembering all the red-taped confidential mission documents they had to go through, just to get a grasp of who Max and his partner were and what they were capable of.

"The guy's probably good but the documents must have over-exaggerated details on certain aspects. Remember they said that the squad doesn't exist, officially." Replied Bravo 4, the only one with a heavy machine gun weaponry on the team.

"Don't underestimate him. I have lived for three weeks here and didn't know there were connecting underground tunnels, but he did. What does that tell you?!" Vega said after thinking for a while.

...

I wrapped some bandages and looked through the window only to see people gathering a safe distance from the team of soldiers on the road and they have already covered all the strategic positions for an escape.

I could see a middle-aged couple talking to one of the soldiers while pointing at the house. Probably they were asking what was going on seeing their house surrounded and that their daughter was in the house. And considering what has been going on for the past couple of minutes, they were worried about their daughter.

"Max, we know that you are in there, please come out without making a scene." Came the voice of Vega who was holding a transducer in her hands.

I reacted swiftly as I had a part of my forehead exposed but they didn't shoot. I knew for someone to join the Special Forces would have good marksmanship and other good qualities. And there could only be one reason for not attacking or disabling as they had done not long ago.

'Or.. could it be that they were confident on the first shot earlier?!'

The teenager in the next room. That was my conclusion as I could have minimized collateral damage if I was in their shoes. But I could not help think of the bullet that I extracted from my stomach.

I opened the door to the bedroom and stopped behind the teenager. She dropped her phone as an aftershock reaction.

I grabbed her by the arm took off her headphones and said to her.

"Take me to your father's room."

She flinched and looked at my hand like she was saying.

'Get your filthy hands off of me!'

I retracted my hand and she led the way out of the bedroom. I asked myself while following her.

'Why is she so composed? She isn't normal.'

After walking inside a spacious bedroom downstairs. I closed and locked the door behind me before trodding in the direction of the closet. I picked up a nice pair of sweatpants and a cotton T-shirt. I turned to look at her in acknowledgment as she turned her back to give me some privacy.

After changing my clothes, I asked her to accompany me to get some things from the kitchen. And that's when the breeze came in through the open window as I smelled her sensuous perfume into my eager nostrils. A sweet fragrance wafting off her body. At that moment I felt at peace as my mind settled.

I grabbed the car keys from the kitchen island and a knife before grabbing her gently and walking out the door.