Story I wrote for a contest.

Never actually entered because I went over the word limit but oh well.

Redemption

I could see her but I could not tell if she was breathing or not.

“Rani!” I shouted, feeling a wave of panic course through me when she didn’t respond, “Rani!”

I ran to her motionless figure, there was blood trickling slowly from a gash in her head but none from where the bullet had pierced her side.

“Mmph,” she groaned and rolled over, “Ouch.”

“Are you okay?” I ask stupidly.

“I just got shot,” she gets up gingerly and reverts back to her sarcastic self, “What do you think?”

“You’re not going running with me tomorrow.”

I give her a small smile as she unzips her jacket and examines the bullet lodged in her flak vest. She doesn’t want anyone to know but I can tell that she’s visibly shaken by the encounter; I give a brief glance to a man laying in a pool of blood a few metres away, I guess I am too.

Rani cautiously touches the wound on her head and winces, “Harah.”

“Language,” I mutter to her condescendingly and despite the moment, we burst out in laughter.

“Tell me what happened?” Rani manages to choke out between laughs.

“We got back-up just after you and Uri went in, MSS sent a team in to help...”

“Rani and I will go in first; you wait for back up and follow.” Uri called, drawing his weapon.

“Any idea of what they’re planning?” I try to make myself heard over the din of the busy harbour.

Uri shakes his head, “We have a brief idea but nothing certain.”

I hang back with Michel and watch as Rani and Uri, a van pulls up beside us.

“Kuai yi dian!” I hear a foreign voice shout to his or her team.

The back door of the van opens and a swat team emerges, someone – who is obviously the team leader – walks up to us.

“Officer Jin-Shen Zhao,” he says in accented English.

I shake his offered hand and gesture to Michel and then myself, “Officer Michel Yaniv, Officer Adina Galit. No time for pleasantries, we have two people already in there.”

Officer Zhao nods in understanding and gestures to his team and barks out orders in Chinese.

On the count of three, we storm into the warehouse.

I run around the warehouse, firing off a few shots her and there, looking wildly for Rani and Uri.

I spot Rani fall to the ground and hit her head on something sharp on the way down.

I could see her but I could not tell if she was breathing or not.

“Rani!” I shout, feeling a wave of panic course through me when she didn’t respond, “Rani!”

Rani nods in understanding.

“Where’s Uri?” I ask, looking around like I expect him to jump out from behind a wall and yell ‘Surprise!’

Rani’s face gains a haunted edge and she looks down at her hands.

“Oh,” I realise the inevitable truth and blink back a few tears.

“I couldn’t, I couldn’t” Rani’s voice breaks as tears brim in her eyes, “There were too many, it was a mess and I couldn’t get to him, I couldn’t save him.”

“Uri!” Rani calls out, avoiding all the men and firing shots at as many she could hit, “Uri!”

“I’m fine Rani!” he calls back to her, “Keep going, back-up will be here soon!”

I pull her into a hug, careful of the wound on her head, “It’s not your fault Achoti.”

Rani just buries her head in my shoulder and sniffs, trying to stop the tears.

Sometimes I wonder if there was more than friendship between them.

Harah - S*** (Hebrew)

Kuai Yi Dian - Hurry Up! (Chinese)

Achoti - My Sister (Hebrew)