Lucus’s eyes snapped back to blue, blinking at me a moment before seeming to realize his hold on my neck, letting me go to finally allow air into my burning lungs. He appeared confused when he turned, glancing back to his chair where London’s body lay, then stilled. “No,” he whispered. “My pet.” His hands clenched into fists at his sides, rage emanating from him when he looked back at me. “You,” he snarled, and I shrank back against the post, frantically working my wrists against the ropes. “What else will you take from me?”
“It was you,” I gasped.
“She was given because of you,” he spat out, and I shook my head desperately when his hand closed again on my throat, this time cutting off my breath completely with the force of his anger. I struggled, instinct taking over when I kicked out at him hard, feeling the solid impact of my heel against his body. He stumbled back, his grip breaking. I coughed, waiting for him to reach for me again.
He didn’t, though. Instead he turned back to London, his shoulders bowed when he walked to kneel beside her, his hand passing gently over her hair. His body jerked again, the same shudder running through him in much the same way hers had done in my apartment, seeming at war with himself. The possibility that he might have cared for London had never crossed my mind, but there was no mistaking the emotion in his features. Lucus might have been Belial’s chosen, he might have been granted powers past any mortal man, but just then he was only a pawn in his Master’s dark game.
“Get rid of her,” Lucus snapped, rising and turning his back on London’s body. Girly-voice didn’t move, but the other two did, lifting London and carrying her to the far end of the room where another door I hadn’t noticed was set into the back of the building. My heart wanted to ache for her, and for Gina and Alex, but the current horror of my situation was keeping my emotions locked down. I’d been prepared to die—several times now, and I was still breathing. A quick look at Alex showed he hadn’t moved, and I could only hope that he was still breathing, as well.
Lucus waited until the door closed to move again, turning slowly on the spot to level his light blue gaze at me. All emotion had left him, and the smooth mask was back in place. Whatever inner war he’d been fighting was over. “I have been far too patient with you, Avery North.” He snapped his fingers, and Girly-voice appeared at his side. “I thought you would be a worthy sacrifice for my Master, but I was wrong. He has lost patience with you, and I will not allow you to take anything more from me.” He motioned to Girly-voice, who nodded and stepped closer to me with a self-satisfied smirk. “If you will not give yourself willingly,” Lucus said from behind him, “Then you will be taken.”
My eyes widened at the words just before Girly-voice drove his fist again into my middle. My lips parted in a soundless scream for air, and he shoved a ball of cloth into my open mouth. I choked, trying to spit it out, but he quickly wound another piece of rope around my head, tying it off behind the post—locking both the gag and my head in place. I writhed, my cries lost on the two men who faced me.
“Such a waste,” Lucus sighed. I realized then that he was holding a sheathed knife in his hand, terror filling me as he slowly pulled a silver dagger free of its leather casing, the metal glinting menacingly in the firelight. My mind went blank at the sight of the knife, unable to move or even scream when he slowly approached. I stared up at him, tears streaming down my face as Girly-voice began the familiar low moaning chant. Almost immediately the echoes from outside began, drowning out my sobs. Lucus’s light blue eyes locked onto mine, his lips moving with the sound of the chanting as the dagger raised.
Every decision that lead me to that moment flashed through my mind. I’d been prepared to die like London, but the knife struck a chord of terror in me that I wasn’t prepared for and I realized I was screaming a single word over and over against the gag.
Carter.
Carter.
Carter.
“FIRE!”
The red door burst open hard enough to send it slamming against the brick. Lucus paused, the knife still raised, glaring over at the man who’d interrupted him.
“Fire!” The man pointed wildly back the way he came.
Lucus dropped his arm with a look of annoyance. “What?”
As if in answer, an explosion sounded from outside, the chanting cutting off as screams took its place. “One of the warehouses,” the man clarified.
“Idiots.” Lucus snarled. He tossed the knife aside and stalked forward. The man shrank back in fear, almost bowing down as Lucus neared. “The fire department will knock the gate down to get in here. Put it out!”
“We tried,” he whined. His face was smeared with a dark layer of soot, and burn marks patterned his clothes. “It’s too big.”
The rest of what he was about to say was drowned out in the sound of another explosion, the screams louder this time. Lucus cursed and stormed through the door, Girly-voice and the new man close on his heels.
A sob of relief escaped me, my gaze finding Alex’s unconscious form on the floor. We were alone, but there was nothing I could do for either of us, the ropes holding tight no matter how much I pulled against them. I slumped back in defeat, silently willing Alex awake with no success. The red door opened again, and my attention snapped back up, eyes widening at the sight of Gina slipping through, her gun in hand.
I cried out for her against the gag and she quickly raised a finger to her lips to silence me, crossing first to her brother and kneeling down to check on him, concern etching her features. For a split second I thought she was abandoning me again, but after a moment she rose and hurried to my post.
“I couldn’t get in,” she whispered, the rope around my mouth finally falling away, and she pulled the rag from between my dry lips. “There were guys with guns standing at every door.”
“Did you start the fire?”
“No,” she answered, working at the ropes on my wrists. “That was luck. They all ran off when it started.”
The knots pulled free and I stumbled forward, my shoulders aching and the skin on my arms rubbed raw. We both turned to Alex, Gina reaching him first to shake him roughly. “Alex,” she said sharply, “Wake up.”
“We’re going to have to carry him,” I told her, “He’s not going to wake up.”
Gina looked like she wanted to keep shaking him, but we each took a side, somehow managing to drag Alex’s much larger form across the cement floor and back towards the red door. It was the last place I wanted to go—Lucus could be coming back any minute, or one of his men, but the only other option was the door they’d taken London through, and I really didn’t want to know what was on the other side. Gina seemed to hear my thoughts when we entered the narrow corridor, turning worried eyes on me.
“We need to find London.”
I swallowed hard, averting my gaze and focusing instead on Alex. “Let’s get him out of here first,” I told her, “They might be coming back.”
She nodded, and we re-doubled our efforts to pull Alex down the hall. It felt even longer now than the stretch of eternity I’d been carried down coming in, his body getting heavier with every step. Gina and I were both panting by the time we managed to reach the end of the hall, Gina reaching for the outside door handle when it flew open, Girly-voice’s lanky form silhouetted in a flickering orange glow. There was a breath where we all stared at each other in surprise, and then Gina’s gun was in her hand again, leveled at his chest.
“Give me a reason to kill you,” she told him. Her voice was hard, and I didn’t doubt for a second that she would pull the trigger. Neither did Girly-voice, apparently, his eyes widening as he focused on the gun, his hands raising before he backed slowly out of the doorway and disappeared into the darkness.
Gina’s hand was shaking when she slipped the gun back into the waistband of her jeans and took hold of Alex. “You better not die,” she told her brother as we began dragging him forward again, “Because I’m going to fucking kill you after this.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
-TWO
* * *
A raging inferno of a fire was burning in a building across the yard, casting a hellish light over the many figures running about, the flames roaring high against the dark sky. I looked frantically around for signs of Lucus, Girly-voice or anyone else who might stop us, but they’d all disappeared, and the masses of people left behind were flailing about aimlessly without guidance. Most of them were scrambling with no actual purpose, though a few carried buckets towards the blaze, which judging from the size of it was a pointless effort.
In reality, our walk down the corridor hadn’t been long, but Alex was becoming too heavy for either of us to carry much further. Gina seemed to realize the same thing, because she shook her brother again in an attempt to wake him. This time he groaned, his swollen eyes fluttering, but that was all. My relief at the response was short-lived, though, when I realized that several people had stopped their running and were beginning to gather a few steps away.
“Gina,” I warned as two more joined their group, and she dropped her hold on Alex to pull her gun free again. This time, however, there was no response when she aimed it in their direction, no fear or even acknowledgement of the danger she threatened them with. They only stood watching us, their expressionless eyes gleaming eerily in the firelight.
Gina cursed, trying to keep one hand hooked around Alex’s arm while aiming her gun in their general direction, which left most of the heavy-lifting up to me. Our forward progression ground to a halt, and I dropped my hold on him just as the group before us began to move forward as a single unit. I cast a panicked look at Gina, who was swinging her gun wildly from one person to the next. There were more of them then she had bullets, though, and I had a feeling she could knock them down like pins without the others caring. Her eyes were wild, and I knew there was little stopping her from pulling the trigger, fully expecting the next sound I heard to be the crack of a gunshot.
But it wasn’t.
A loud crash came from the front of the compound, followed by the roar of an engine echoing down the access road, rapidly approaching. A horn blared just as a car shot into the clearing, scattering people before it, and skid to a stop near the fire. The driver never let up on the horn, catching the attention of every single person in the yard, including the group blocking our path.
“Come on,” Gina urged, grabbing hold of Alex again, but I stood staring at the car. There was something familiar about it, my breath catching when the door swung open and a tall, broad shouldered figure angled out. I caught sight of the megaphone in his hand just before his voice blasted through the clearing, echoing off the buildings around us.
“Police!” Ethan shouted, “Everyone down!” Perhaps it was the voice of authority that triggered in their washed-out minds, because nearly everyone around us immediately obeyed, dropping down onto the hard dirt with their hands outstretched. Those that remained standing did so in a dazed stupor, gaping at the car in confusion.
I was moving before I realized it, ignoring Gina’s shout from behind me, running past the prostate forms towards the safest place I’d ever known. Ethan caught me the moment I reached him, his arms wrapping around to crush me against his muscled chest, holding me tight.
“Thank god,” he breathed, only drawing back enough to catch my face in his hand, turning it up to look at me. “Are you alright?”
Tears were streaming unchecked down my face, but I nodded, my hands gripping desperately at his shirt.
“It’s okay,” he said, drawing me back against him, “I’ve got you.”
Sirens sounded in the distance, and the few remaining people still on their feet sprang into action, disappearing between the buildings and out of sight. I finally pulled away from Ethan enough to turn and find Gina and Alex where I’d left them, and I pointed them out to Ethan just as a crashing sound came from the direction of the fire. We all turned in time to see the rest of the burning roof go crashing down, sending a whirlwind of glowing cinders into the air. I watched the flames blankly for a moment, before my gaze focused on the outline of the barren tree before it, the realization slamming into me in a panicked wave. It was the building I’d been kept in that was burning. The building where I’d left my jacket behind.
“No!” The cry ripped from me and I lurched forward, only to have Ethan’s hand close on the back of my torn shirt, dragging me back against his chest.
“What’s wrong?” He demanded. “Is there someone in there?”
I stared tearfully at the inferno, my heart breaking. “No,” I choked out, “I don’t think so.”
The sirens grew louder, red lights flashing off the brick as fire engines, police cars and two ambulances rolled down the access road and into the clearing. Ethan left me then, joining the men who were raising people from the ground and herding them into controlled groups out of the way. I climbed on to the hood of his car to see above the crowds, grateful when I saw him directing a group of EMT’s towards Alex and Gina. I sat down once I’d lost sight of them in the swarm to wait staring dully at the swarming activity around the fire.
Gina joined me a short time later, edged out of the way by the paramedics. Neither of us would be going anywhere until we’d given statements, and from the level of activity going on, that was going to be awhile. She slipped onto the hood beside me and planted her boots on the bumper, following my gaze to the now-smoldering remains of the burnt building.
“You okay?” She nudged my arm.
“My jacket was in there,” I answered, and a look of understanding passed over her face, reaching over to take my hand. “I’m sorry,” she said simply. There wasn’t much else to say, and I knew she was distracted, her gaze searching the crowds of people for London. Most of those left behind seemed to be the broken zombies who had filled the space before the buildings, though more were joining the ranks, pulled from the warehouses. I didn’t want to think about how long they’d been kept locked away. All of Lucus’s inner circle—the men who’d brought me to him and the guards outside the building, including Lucus himself, had disappeared. Her expression was hopeful, and my heart clenched, knowing I needed to say something. I turned towards her, my mouth open and closing several times, searching for the words to tell her what happened.
“Gina—” I started, but the sudden whine of a siren cut me off, the ambulance carrying Alex rumbling to life. Ethan appeared, his attention on Gina, and I noticed the haggard lines of exhaustion and the rough stubble of beard on his face. He’d likely been looking for me since I’d disappeared on him, and a pang of guilt throbbed in my already battered heart.
“They’re taking your brother in now,” he told Gina. “Do you want to ride with him? Someone can find you at the hospital for your statement.”
Gina cast a questioning glance at me, but I shook my head. “I’ll stay and find you later,” I told her, and she nodded, giving me a weak smile before slipping off the hood to make her way to the ambulance. She stopped suddenly and turned back to wrap me in a fast hug. “Thank you.” She pulled away. “Keep an eye out for London, okay?”
“Okay,” My voice was tight, but she didn’t notice, already running towards the ambulance, slipping inside just before the doors closed.
Ethan gave me a questioning look, then reached for my hands. “I’m going to send someone over to check you out,” he told me, but I shook my head.
“I’m okay. Let them help these other people, first. They need it.”
His grip tightened slightly, concern furrowing his brow, and I could tell he was about to argue when a uniformed officer approached.
“I think you’re going to want to see this,” he told Ethan, gesturing at Lucus’s double-doored building. Ethan gave my hands a final squeeze before pulling away.
“I’ll be back soon,” he told me, a slight warning coming into his tone. “Don’t go anywhere.”
I crooked a smile at him and the two men walked away, the officer’s voice floating back to me. “It’s like a goddamned crypt in there.” I shuddered, turning
back towards the remains of the warehouse, watching as the fire crews directed their hoses at the last remnants of smoke still filtering into the sky.
Ethan didn’t need to worry, I was far past trying to run. Carter was gone. London was gone. We had managed to save Alex, but it was impossible to know if he’d really recover. More ambulances arrived to carry off people from the crowds, some of them too weak to stand on their own. I’d been living a nightmare, and it was all too much to take in—my mind blissfully numb to the reality of it. I stayed perched on the hood of Ethan’s car, still while the rest of the world went on around me.
The sun was teasing the horizon by the time the activity in the compound slowed. Most of the people were gone—the rest still segregated into smaller groups for questioning before they were released. The fire crews set up orange cones around the husk of the warehouse before packing up their gear and rolling out. A small collection of plain-clothed officers moved about the buildings, making notes and taking pictures of what they found. Ethan hadn’t returned, but I’d been checked on several times and now sat with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders and an untouched bottle of water in my hands. Other than that, I’d been left alone, which made me think that Ethan had given orders to leave me be. I knew the questions were eventually coming, but I was grateful for peace I’d been allowed in the meantime.
When the last fire truck pulled out, I noticed a lull in the activity. The remaining officials had disappeared, likely taking advantage of the morning light to explore further into the compound, and for the first time I found myself alone. Silently, I slipped the blanket from my shoulders and climbed from the hood of the car, making my way towards the soggy remnants of the fire. The roof had collapsed, but the brick—now blackened—still stood. The building was larger than I’d realized, housing several connected rooms where the fire had spread. The fire crews had removed the doors for easier access, and wet soot and rubble sloshed under the soles of my shoes when I moved cautiously inside.
Into Dust: The Industry City Trilogy - Book One Page 21
