Kapitel 14: Another Call of Duty

"Urrgh! Fuck... that was a painful landing Abasi. Thank you very much!" Amanda complained after her buttocks fell first on the floor of her house.

At first, it confused her, feeling water on her tiled floor but recalling the storm the night before, she concluded, the sea had come inside her home. Getting up, she found some of her belongings scattered on the floor and a portion of her roof was already missing. Part of her ceiling was already on the floor.

She let out a heavy sigh, realizing; she needed to make a major home repair... and cleaning.

Fortunately, she was used to being flooded. She had made interior modifications, ensuring her clothes did not get wet and her valuable documents were kept locked in a safe.

Every day, before leaving the house, she would turn off her electricity. It was a protocol for living on the coasts of Trinity Bay.

The first thing she needed to do was to get changed and fix the roof before going back to where she parked Christopher's car.

Amanda was a girl scout. She had her tools ready, stashed next to her safe. She had waterproof HardiFlex and Spanish tiles kept from her self-made stock area. It took another two hours to get her roof done.

It was already evening when she found herself back to the place where she parked the car. Her bag was still inside and so was her phone.

Returning to Christopher's house, she saw him ran up to the driveway, panting with his forehead creased.

Christopher brushed his hair with his fingers as he said, "Where have you been? I was worried sick."

"Sorry," Amanda said after getting out of the vehicle. I had to fix my house. "Part of the roof was missing."

She threw the keys to him and said, "Thank you for last night, and thank you for letting me borrow your car. I'll be getting back now."

"What? No? Does your place even have electricity after the storm? Amanda!" He caught up with her and held her arm. "I am not letting you go unless I know you are safe."

Amanda wanted to try... try avoiding the person who could hold her hand. This was as per the advice of their leader, Trisha.

She said, "Chris. This is Trinity Bay. The safest place on earth! Of course, I'll be safe. I've lived here for almost a year. I know exactly what I am doing and I know my limitations. Please... let me go."

"Amanda, granted you've lived here long enough. However, I am a man and no man would let a girl walk for an hour to her home. If you really insist, I will drive you home." He said while remaining to hold her arm.

Ultimately, she agreed, and they drove together to the South Beach in utter silence.

"Why are you suddenly giving me a cold shoulder?" Christopher asked. Last night, they were practically cuddling and now she was avoiding him.

Her mouth fell open, unable to let out any words. After nearly a minute, she said, "I - I just have a lot in my mind right now."

Amanda did not allow Christopher to follow her down the beach. She insisted that if he did, she would no longer speak to him.

Thus, he respected her preference and let her off at the pine tree by the road. He watched her disappear through a narrow trail, heading to the beach.

Christopher remained inside his car for another hour. Just in case Amanda would change her mind, he would at least be there. Unfortunately for him, she never walked back up the road. He returned to his home, somewhat in dismay.

Days went by and Amanda did not hear from Christopher. Even after she had come back to work. She assumed he had returned to wherever he came from, and she tried her best not to care.

Despite him not showing up at the restaurant, Christopher's neighbors came by to have lunch or breakfast and so did Martin. In the middle of the week, Martin walked up to Amanda and said, "Chris had matters to attend to at his father's hometown, but he sends his regards and promised to be back and see you."

Her eyes grew wide and took a moment to pause before she responded, "Um... I wasn't - I wasn't looking for him."

Martin leaned back and said, "Well... that is very uncommon, consideration his charms."

"Huh! Well, there is a first time for everything, sir Martin." She said before asking, "What will you have today?"

It was because of Martin's visit that Amanda ended up thinking of Christopher that same evening, as she rode back to her home, in her bike.

Half a mile away, a voice called for her, "Amanda. I need your help. I have never dealt with such a disgusting beast in my life!"

"Taara? Where are you?" Amanda answered back while looking around, making sure there was no one nearby.

"Amanda, I'm sending you over. Taara needs help," Abasi cut them off.

Without another word, Amanda saw herself disappearing before she could even object. She was off to another call of duty.

Reappearing in the middle of a wetland rainforest of Australia, a reptile's tale immediately welcomed Amanda, swinging her body across the river.

Amanda's back slammed into a log of a tree that hung from one side of the riverbank. She practically flew ten yards away. "Urrg!! That was a pain!"

When she had a good look at the monster before her, she saw a lizard in a human stand - a large reptile three to four times her size. It was running towards her. It's ravenous, drooling jaws were wide open, shrieking as it swayed its head from side to side.

"Amanda! Get up! Aaahhh!" As the air carried Taara a good twenty feet above the ground, she thrust from one hand; blades made out of the strength of her wind, and it pierced through the lizard's armored scales.

While the creature roared in pain to Taara's strikes, it diverted its gaze to the master of the wind, determined to get revenge.

"Hey!" Screamed Amanda. Her eyes glowed in red and her fire slowly burned down her clothes. Her second layer of skin had already covered her entire body. When her fiery wings erupted from her back, she said, "You are going to burn!"

In a fraction of a second, Amanda blazed right into the lizard's frame and threw fireballs on its torso, but its armor was tougher than she thought. Her attacks merely made the monster step back and growl in pain.

The reptile was quick to counter, swinging its tail again to Amanda. She sailed up to avoid its powerful blow. It instead knocked down another tree by the river bank. "Woah, that is some tail!"

Amanda determined they needed to use a stronger force that she said, "Taara, we need to go 30 or 40% on this lizard!"

While Taara distracted the reptile with more arduous winds, Amanda prepared a weapon of her own. With her fire surrounding a meter of her body, she created a whip of fire.

"I'm going for it, Taara!" She warned before sprinting back to the lizard. She avoided the monstrous strikes left and right while binding its legs in her whip of fire.

As a result of her attack, the reptile's legs were completely tied as it flamed and as Amanda pulled forcefully on the whip, two of its legs came off.

With the creature in agony, Taara saw an opening. She formed together, the shrewdest blade of wind, and thrust it against the reptile's tail. She repeated the process twice before she finally cut through its entire tail. Its hind part had caused the most damage around the rainforest. She wanted to get rid of it first.

Taara flew down with Amanda, saying, "Apparently, I just needed someone to distract it."

Amanda nodded, watching the reptile screech in torment. With the monster disabled, they could easily send it back to where it came from.

"Let's return this lizard to its - world - Fuck. God, no..." Amanda interrupted herself, cursing the second she saw the reptile growing back its limbs. "No... I have work tomorrow."

"I don't even get why you have a job! Just ask Brody for gold!" Taara said while shaking her head.