Chapter 5: Answers!

The night was dark with the only light coming from the half-moon and a poorly lite street lamp as Seth Mendez walked towards the motel room Clair Rain was staying in. The light inside just went off and Mendez saw his opportunity to move in. Creeping along in the shadows, he came to her door and softly wiggled the knob. Locked, of course! Like that would stop Mendez, he had a contract to fulfill and he was NOT going to fail. Especially since Clair had foiled has big payday many years ago when she stopped him from stealing the Tonbokiri Japanese Legendary Spear.   Pulling out his lockpick kit, Mendez fiddled with the lock for several moments before he heard something click. It’s unlocked, time to send Clair to Hell! Mendez thought. There was a slight creaking sound as the door opened. Hoping that Clair didn’t hear the creaking, Mendez slowly walked over to the bed and pulled out a silenced pistol and pointed it at Clair’s head. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Clair’s eye shot open. Seeing a dark figure standing over her, Clair tossed the covers of her bed at him before rolling to the other side and off the bed.           Once on her feet, Clair ran over to the dresser and grabbed her katana and .9mil before twirling around, holding her handgun straight out and her katana towards the side. “Who are you?!” Clair stated.           Having regained his footing, Mendez ripped off the bedsheet and pointed his gun at Clair again. “You should have stay asleep! It would have been much better!”           “Mendez?! Why? Why are you trying to kill me?!”           “Why else because I was told to! You upset the wrong person this time Rain! I’ve wanted to do this since the Alexander venture!”           “Killing me won’t be that easy!” Clair said as she ran forward and swing her sword in Mendez’s direction. Mendez of course dodged by binding backwards before firing another burst. Clair too dodged by backflipping and twirling in mid air as she returned fire. Mendez quick grabbed the door and blocked each round. As he opened the door again, Clair was right there, Mendez raised his arm to fire again but Clair was quicker and with one swipe of her sword, removed Mendez’s right hand and forearm.     “AHHHHHHHHHHH!!” Mendez screamed as he grabbed his bloody stump before dashing out and into the darkness. Clair fired three more rounds at him, but he had already disappeared. Clair walked back into her motel room, throw her gun on the bed before grabbing the sheath to her sword. She sat down after securing her sword and grabbed her phone. Scrolling through the contacts, she found Chase’s name and hit ‘call’.     The phone shrieked into the still night, slicing through the silence until a weary, low voice finally answered. "Hello?!" he groaned, stifling a yawn.   "Chase, it's Clair. Get to my motel immediately! We need to talk!"   "Clair? What's happened?"   "Just come. It's urgent."   "Yeah, alright. Let me just grab some clothes."   As the call ended, Chase threw off his covers and sat up, rubbing his eyes wearily. He squinted at the clock—2:04 AM. Couldn't this have waited until morning? he thought, frustration gnawing at him as he stumbled to the dresser for a pair of jeans.   Grabbing his phone and wallet in haste, Chase dashed out and slid into his rental car. He sped through the deserted streets, the minutes stretching into an eternity, until he finally reached Clair’s motel. The scene was chaos—several police cars with lights blazing like a warning beacon were stationed out front as he pulled in. "What the hell?" Chase muttered under his breath, parking at the edge of the lot and stepping out, his heart pounding in his chest.   As he approached where Clair stood, his eyes locked on her as she conversed with a local police officer. Even from a distance, Chase strained to catch snippets of their conversation.   "So, you have no idea who attacked you?" the officer pressed.   "No, I was trying to sleep. I’m an American archaeologist working on a recent discovery at Chichen Itza."   "Ah, I see. Well, your passport information checks out. We need you to remain in contact during our investigation..."   "Clair?!" Chase called out, urgency lacing his voice as he hurried forward.   The officer spun around, thrusting a hand out in a sharp 'stop' gesture. "Halt! This is a secured crime scene!"   "She's my friend and colleague. We’re traveling together."   "I'm sorry, but you must stay back!"   "Officer, it's alright," Clair interjected, ducking beneath the police tape. "Come on, Chase. Let's head back to your motel."   "Okay, but what happened?" Chase demanded, the sense of dread gripping him tightly.   "Mendez attacked me," Clair whispered, glancing over her shoulder, her voice barely audible yet loaded with fear. "I-I... I couldn't stop him. He got away. I think that Monarch Trinity is here."