“No. You sick fucker,” I screamed, scrambling to my feet.
I only made it three steps before the same pole that had taken out Ink was slammed across the backs of my legs, sending me sprawling into the slush. Pain shot through my body, making me want to throw up.
Skye was suddenly right beside me, standing tall and defiant, anger blazing in her dark eyes. “You motherfucker, what the hell is wrong with you?” she screamed at Jebediah.
“Well, well, well… I do love me some chocolate,” he purred, his face filled with lust.
“Get your creepy fucking eyes off her,” I growled through the pain.
Jebediah let his hideous tongue slip out between his lips in Skye’s direction before gifting her a wink and looking away, ignoring me completely.
“Freaky bastard,” Skye grunted as she tried to help me to my feet. The pain, however, kept me on my knees.
“Our fighters haven’t yet been selected, but if you’re tempted by the flesh of a true innocent, step forward, now.”
Six soldiers were quick to step forward, including three who were standing on the podium with Jebediah and Jeze. A fighter was quickly chosen, a giant, thickly built man who rivaled Fury in size. Fury! The thought made me lift from the mud and desperately seek out the familiar face, who I knew would kill anybody who even breathed in Hadley’s direction. I couldn’t find him anywhere.
“And is there another who will fight for this girl’s virtue?” Jebediah asked.
Ink tried unsuccessfully to climb to his feet, falling back to the ground and throwing up to one side. He couldn’t fight. We needed fucking Fury.
“Fury,” I screamed.
“He can’t hear you,” Jebediah sung from above me as cool as a cucumber. “He’s otherwise occupied.”
“You son of a bitch, I’m going to fucking kill you,” I cried.
Jebediah simply rolled his eyes. “So you keep telling me,” he said in a bored tone. “Dozer here needs an opponent. Either someone step forward, or I will choose someone to volunteer.”
From my right, I heard boots crunch through the crusty layer of freezing mud and I accepted Skye’s help to rise to my feet, my legs were throbbing. The soldier brandishing the pole smiled at me, familiar rotting teeth grinned my way. Smiles!
“And I’m going to kill you, too,” I growled, which only made his grin wider.
“I’ll fight.”
A mixture of relief and terror made my limbs shake. Or maybe that was the cold. Mud had seeped into my clothing, chilling my already cool skin.
“Max,” I whispered in gratitude.
“S’okay Gracie, I got this,” he murmured as he walked past me and headed for the field at our backs.
Ink was now standing, and swaying dangerously, blood dripping down the back of his neck and into his shirt. Moving toward him, I tucked myself under his arm, trying to support as much of his heavy weight as possible. Skye stood beside us, a crease between her brows as she took in our field in all its horrific glory.
“He’s got this, right?” I murmured.
Ink buried his nose in my hair and took a long deep breath. “That’s right, buttercup,” he answered, holding me close.
“I should have stayed at the damn cave, the whole world’s gone mad. This creepy fucker on his matchstick throne, a fighting arena, and you two hugging and shit.” Skye shook her head but smiled.
I tried to match her smile but couldn’t find it in me. Hadley was still crying, but she’d stopped struggling, realizing her attempts were futile.
“This will be all over soon, Hadley,” I said to her.
Never for one moment did I worry Max wouldn’t win. Our men had won all these fights, and Max trained every day with Ink. Even though he was the oldest of the Liberty soldiers, he was just as fit, if not more so.
We didn’t have the same view from the ground as we did from Jebediah’s platform, but I’d rather burn in the bonfire than join his crazy up that ladder. Instead, we stood on the very edge of the field, my feet itching to step onto it and help Max.
“My visions blurry,” Ink confessed quietly, shaking his head as if to clear it. “What weapons does he have to choose from?”
I glanced at the two posts with weapons hanging from them at various intervals.
“On the right post, there’s something that looks like a long blade… like a sword, I guess. There’s a shorter and wider version of that and an ax.” My gaze moved to the left post which was slightly further away. “The other one has a mallet, something like a baseball bat but it looks like it has spikes coming out of it, and a big fucking knife.”
“You want the post on the left,” Ink called out to Max, who was standing about twenty feet away. “You want the bat.”
Max nodded and rolled his shoulders.
“Why the bat? Wouldn’t the sword be better? It’s sharper.”
“Max has no experience with swords, and his knife skills are average at best. The bat is easy to swing, and it leaves space between him and his opponent. That fucker’s big, he’s got Max on size and muscle mass, but Max is fast. He can win this, he just needs to keep distance and get to that fucking bat.”
“All right, looks like we have a fight,” came Jebediah’s voice through the giant speaker. “Boys, the rules are, until the first bell, you may only use your fists or your feet. But after that bell, you may select a weapon. Knockout is a win, death is a win. Winner gets the girl!”
The panicked murmurs and cries from the crowd clearly indicated they weren’t happy with this arrangement.
“Gladiators… fight!”
“Oh shit,” Skye whispered, horrified.
My body was strung so tight I thought I might crack under Ink’s firm hold.
Jebediah’s fighter, Dozer, ran straight at Max, all brute force and power. Max ducked and weaved like a pro, dodging Dozer’s heavy punches. He was fluent and graceful, where Dozer was scrappy and unpracticed. But when one of those massive fists clipped Max’s jaw, he actually flew through the air and hit the ground with a thud. I gasped, Ink swore, and Hadley sobbed through her gag. Max was quick to get back on his feet, though, spinning and executing a beautiful roundhouse kick that knocked Dozer back a few feet.
Just then, the bell sounded. It was too soon, they’d barely had time to get warmed up. Max began a mad a dash for the post on his left but was abruptly brought to a halt by Dozer who grabbed him around the waist and squashed him to his chest, one arm wrapped under Max’s chin.
“What’s he doing?” I panicked.
“Break free,” Ink ordered Max.
Max squirmed, his arms trapped by his side, his legs failing to catch purchase as he tried to blindly kick. His face was red, and he seemed to be gasping for air.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Jebediah groaned from above us. “He’s taking all the fun out of the fight.”
Max slammed his head back right into Dozer’s face, the crack sickening. It did what it was supposed to do though, it gave him the freedom he was after. Both men staggered for a moment, blood pouring down their faces, their chests heaving. Dozer was the first to right himself, his heavy footsteps taking him toward the right post, the closest one.
“Move,” I screamed, wanting to be out there dragging Max myself toward the other post.
Shaking his head, Max took a few unsteady sidesteps away from the direction he needed to go before he seemed to straighten up and jog forward. Dozer had already reached his post and was working through the hanging weapons. Max was still a good ten feet from his selection. My gaze moved frantically from one side of the field to the other, watching with a sick feeling in my stomach as Dozer pulled the short, wide sword free. He turned and ran straight for Max, who was only now climbing up the post to reach for the bat.
“Move it,” Ink hissed.
“Come on,” I breathed quietly, bouncing on my feet as if I might magically will Max to move faster.
The bat was firmly in place, and Max needed to climb higher to release it from the wir
e which held it there. Dozer drew his blade back and just as he swung it right for Max’s belly, Max dropped, using the bat to block the strike.
“Fuck me,” Ink groaned, running a hand down his face.
Max was on the defensive now, blocking the hammer type blows that Dozer was raining down on him. Both men were tiring, but it seemed more evident in Max as he scrambled up from the ground and lumbered out of the blade’s path yet again.
Swinging his bat, the weapons clanged against each other as both men fought for their lives. When Max’s bat went low and collided with Dozer’s leg, the man let out a god-almighty howl. Max pulled the weapon free, the sharp objects protruding from the bat had been lodged deeply in Dozer’s flesh. My lips broke into a smile.
“Go, Max! Hit him again,” I screamed hysterically.
As Max brought the bat back over his shoulder to land another heavy blow, Dozer’s sword buried to the hilt in Max’s stomach. The world around me disappeared, the light from the fire faded, the music vanished, and all I saw was the horror and comprehension on Max’s face as the thick blade was wrenched free from his body. Before he could hit the ground, Dozer stabbed him again, this time through the neck. My body felt light, my legs and arms numb.
He’d lost.
Max crumpled to the ground, his bat rolling free from his hand.
Max was dead.
“No.” The word fell from my lips on a small puff of air.
Turning in a daze, I found Jebediah crouched on the platform above us, his shiny, fancy gun that had killed Connie in one hand, the barrel scratching his jaw and a manic grin on his face.
“Fun, fun, fun,” he purred while rolling his neck. “So much fucking fun.”
Ink’s body stumbling against mine seemed to snap me out of my moment of stunned silence. He was trying to reach for Dozer who limped past us with blood dripping from his forehead, matting in his wiry beard. Still too out of it from the pole to the back of the head, I caught Ink just before he fell to the ground. Noticing where Dozer was headed, I left Ink’s side and made a run for Hadley. I had to save her, I couldn’t stand back and watch another of Liberty’s lives be ruined. Dodging the quick hands of the soldiers, I reached Dozer’s back and drew my knife from the hidden compartment in my boot. Holding it in a strong hammer grip, I buried it in the side of the man before me. It sunk with ease, but before I could do more damage, I was dragged away by a hand around my throat.
Then, there was chaos.
Somebody was on top of me, their hand still around my throat cutting off the precious air. I could hear Ink grunting and shouting, so close yet so far away. The brilliant gleam of something shiny caught my gaze, and I watched in sick fascination as it was pressed against the head of my old friend Smiles, who currently had his hands around my throat.
“Get. Off. Her,” Jebediah said in a voice so calm it scared me.
The grip on my airway disappeared, and I drew a deep breath. Before I could enjoy the moment, another of those pretty guns was pressed against my head, while Jebediah continued to point the ‘Pale Death’ barrel at his own soldier.
“You keep fighting, Ink, and I’ll see how pretty she looks with her brains splattered in the mud.”
“You fucker,” Ink growled, his voice more animal than human.
Jebediah leaned down into my personal space, his lips so close I could feel every exhale against my cheek. “You pull something like that again, and I will begin to kill your precious people, one a day, until all that’s left is you, me and my men. Then I’ll drag your ass down into the Underworld where you’ll rot in the darkness.” The frenzied gleam in his eyes told me he would see through on his threat. “And you!” He swung his gaze to his soldier. “You don’t lay a fucking hand on her unless I say so,” he shouted. Then, he fired his gun and Smiles fell to the ground. “Take your prize, Dozer.”
I whimpered as Dozer, who was now bleeding from a hole in his side, threw Hadley over his shoulder like she was nothing more than a sack of potatoes. He disappeared into the crowd with her, and I could do nothing but watch. Jebediah moved away, and I slowly sat up. Ink was so close I could reach out and touch him, Jeze at his back, a knife under my man’s chin, the blade piercing his flesh on his neck.
“Let’s get something to eat,” Jebediah suggested, holding out a hand to Jeze. “I don’t suppose you’d care to join us?” His gaze was on Skye, and I knew from those pale, manic eyes he was hungry for something other than food.
“Not unless you want me to stab out your eyeballs,” Skye spat out.
For a moment I tensed, expecting Jebediah to retaliate, but as per his usual, unpredictable self, he threw his head back and laughed. “Feisty.” He glanced my way. “You might have some competition, little bird. I like her.”
Anguish nipped at my sanity. Skye was now in his sights, and it appeared once Jebediah set his sights on something, he took it.
Ink was now on his knees beside me, dragging me into his arms. He was bleeding from his nose, his face already beginning to swell. “Don’t you do that to me again,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion.
There was no way I wouldn’t do it again. I’d fight for my people until I took my last breath of air. With my eyes still glued to the path Dozer had taken, I whispered, “Hadley.” My heart was broken. We’d failed her, and lost a good soldier and friend in the process.
Ink held me even tighter. “I’ll get her back, you have my fucking word.”
CHAPTER 22 – Ink
I struggled to my feet, pulling Grace up with me. She was shivering, we were both wet, but the freezing air couldn’t penetrate the heated fury pumping through my veins.
“You okay, Ink?” Skye asked.
I nodded. I was nowhere near okay, but Skye’s voice was mixed with uncertainty and fear. She needed to hear I was okay, that I had this, even if I wasn’t and I didn’t.
“How are you doing, Gracie?” she asked, turning her attention to her best friend.
Gracie didn’t answer, her eyes unfocused and her face far too pale.
“Grace?” Skye asked again.
“She’ll be okay, Skye. We just need to get her warmed up.”
Skye reached for Gracie’s hand, holding it tight and casting me a worried look. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving Gracie unresponsive. We both needed to get out of our wet clothes, and Gracie needed to feel safe. This was the same thing that happened after Connie. Her mind slipped away in an effort to protect herself from the horrors she’d seen. The only problem was this time I didn’t have the luxury of holding her, and helping her back from the shock. We had a mission to execute, but added to that burden was the need to get Hadley back, and find out where the fuck Fury was. I assumed Jebediah had him somewhere. Henry was quick to run to my side, his bushy eyebrows furrowed in concern.
“Have someone follow Dozer and see where he takes Hadley,” I ordered. Henry disappeared into the crowd, and I dragged Gracie along with me as I tried to block out the pleas and cries of our people. My head fucking throbbed, my vision kept blurring, and I felt like I wanted to throw up again. I had a serious concussion, but I didn’t have time to deal with it.
Niall peeled through the panicked crowd and ran my way. “What the fuck?” he spat out, tension lining every part of his wide, muscled body.
“Axel, Charlie, Ethan, and Isacc will already be at the barracks locking it down. We need to go find Fury. Now.”
“Let’s regroup and meet at my cabin.”
Niall disappeared too, and we finally put the buildings and the chaos at our backs as I hauled Gracie toward her cabin.
“This is bad, Ink,” Skye murmured. “We need to get out of here. We need to get the people to the barracks. Now.”
“It’s happening, Skye. We have a plan in place, things are in motion, but we can’t act too soon. We need the diversion. I’ve also got a weapon hidden at Gracie’s, and you girls are going to need it. In one hour exactly, you begin moving our people to the barracks. Most of them know what’
s happening, they’ll be ready. You, Gracie, Ashlynn, Axel, Charlie, Ethan, and Isaac, you take that barracks back and you lock it down tight. You hear me?”
Skye had a wild look in her eyes, but she nodded, helping me maneuver Gracie through the forest trees.
“Ink,” Ashlynn’s panicked cry couldn’t be missed.
She threw herself in front of us, stopping me in my tracks. Her face was fresh with tears, the heartbreak in her eyes so heavy I felt the weight of it.
“I’m gonna get her back.” A sob fell from her lips, and she tried to hold it back with one palm over her mouth. “I swear it, Ash, I will get Fury, and we will get her back.” She nodded but said nothing. “We need to get everyone locked down at the barracks. You remember what I told you?” She nodded again.
I’d been over our plan with her only yesterday, and she was one hundred percent on board. As a doctor, she held a more official position in Liberty. The people listened to her, they respected her, she could help keep order and reduce panic.
“Our plans haven’t changed, we just need to get Fury and Hadley.”
“Hadley?” Gracie murmured, her mind seeming to thaw from its catatonic state.
“I’m going to get her, baby. I’ve got Henry on her right now.”
She nodded, looking a little lost and forlorn.
“You know what you’ve gotta do?”
“I remember.”
“Good girl. You give me one hour, then you clear out the cabins. I want everyone in those barracks.”
“I know. I got it, Ink.”
Dragging her forward, I pressed a forceful kiss to her lips before giving her a final nod and stepping away. Moving over a hundred people into a building which butted up against the field would be difficult. I only hoped the diversions we had in place would be enough to draw Jebediah’s militia away.
***
“He’s in there, those hillbilly fuckers who call themselves soldiers were shooting off their mouth about how heavy the bastard was.”
Hillbilly was the right word. Most of Jebediah’s men were obviously former soldiers. The way they stood, took orders, and carried themselves gave it away. The three men who currently stood huddled outside the old, tin, tool shed right back by the far, eastern corner of the compound, looked unkempt and incompetent. They were all carrying rifles over their soldiers, but they were talking loudly, without care for who might see or hear them, nobody had eyes on their surroundings. They were loose-limbed and casual as if guarding a possible threat were nothing more than a catch up between friends. These men were dressed in ratty clothing, their hair matted, unruly beards taking over most of their faces. They were definitely apart from the more expert soldiers.
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