Page 68 of Anathema
“Listen very carefully… There are twenty-five of us in this room, all armed and ready to take Adrian and Anathema down. What I need from you is for you and your friends to play along. We need Adrian alive after all of this is over.” His voice was instructive and commanding. He slowly released my throat enough that I could suck in a strained breath.
“How—” I swallowed. “How do we know who you all are?” There were at least fifty cloaked figures in the room with us. All of them dressed the same, the only distinguishing feature being height.
“Don’t worry about that. Take this gun; you’ll need it.” My fingers wrapped around the handle he had slipped into my palm, and I grasped it firmly. “Your friend over there should be receiving one as well. Shoot to kill, but whatever you do, do not touch Adrian. He is ours.” I could hear the smirk in his words as I turned my head slightly to see Chyler, who looked back at me with the same confused but determined expression.
“Are you ready?” His hand slid down from my throat, and my eyes locked on Derek as I nodded. I would make a beeline for him, and I knew Chyler would do the same for Atlas. The two of us would give anything to protect what was ours.
“Good. On three, be ready. You’ll know who to shoot.” He chuckled darkly.
“One…” I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins, my breathing quickening in anticipation.
“Two…” His counting was clipped, almost breathless. Or perhaps that was me, the pulsing in my ears muffling all sound around me.
“Three.” My body was shoved forward, and I brought the gun in front of my body, not even sparing a glance over to Chyler as I bolted across the room to where Derek and the others were kneeling.
Several cloaked figures around the room ripped off their cloaks simultaneously, and all hell broke loose. The vast room was thrown into complete and total chaos. Handguns and rifles were being pulled from behind backs and holsters, dark green uniforms filling the room. My eyes grew wide as I slid to a stop before Derek and realized just who had infiltrated the hideout: the Minneapolis SWAT team.
Almost half of the cloaks surrounding us had been removed, and those still wearing them were being gunned down where they stood as more filed in from other passages to see what the commotion was about.
“Grab her!” Adrian shouted over the gunshots and yelled as two cloaked figures charged towards us.
I pulled up my gun and shot at one of them, Chyler’s going off behind me, taking out the second. I looked over my shoulder to see her standing over Atlas with a murderous look in her eyes. She continued shooting at the cloaked figures as they ran for their lives, not even caring that they weren’t coming towards us. She was hell-bent on revenge for the beating they gave Atlas.
“Lex… what’s happening?” Derek rasped with a heavy cough, barely able to keep his focus on me. I turned to him, cupping his cheek.
“It’s alright. We’re getting out of here.” I soothed, pressing my forehead to his and closing my eyes tightly.
“If this reunion is done, we could really use the help.” The man who handed me the gun stopped before us. He was fitted in full tactical gear with a rifle in his hands. “Adrian made a run for it. We can’t let him leave these tunnels. Follow me.” He instructed before taking off down one of the passages.
I looked down to Madison, who was in no mental state to help; she curled up underneath Dean, tears falling down her face. Chyler quickly pulled out her knife, cutting the zip ties off Dean, Derek, and Atlas’s wrists before standing and replacing the blade in her sheath.
“Let’s go, Lex. She’ll be okay. They can take care of her.” She held out her hand to help me stand. “We’ve got a vendetta to rectify.” She smirked, bloodlust in her eyes. Mine briefly connected with Derek's before moving up to her fiery hazels. I returned the same smirk, gripping her hand in mine, and the two of us took off down the same tunnel as the SWAT officer.
I was ready for my revenge.
ChylerandIturneda corner, searching for where Adrian and the SWAT officer could have gone, until we heard shouting from further down the passage.
“This way,” Chyler called out, taking the lead ahead of me and loading her gun.
“Wait, Chy. We can’t kill him.” I reminded her, attempting to keep up. She was always a fast runner compared to me.
“The fuck we can’t. I should have killed him years ago when I had the fucking chance.” She snarled, and I shot my hand forward, gripping her jacket and pulling her back.
“Don’t you think Madison deserves this chance more than us? After everything we’ve put her through.” I stared into her eyes, searching for her reasonable side.
She was fuming at the state of Atlas, and I didn’t blame her. My heart twisted when I took in Derek’s swollen and bleeding face. But this was Madison’s closure, and she deserved to have every part of it.
“You saw her back there, Lex. She is in no mental state to do anything right now. He did what he always does. He got into her fucking head and made her feel weak and small, and I am sick and tired of it.” She shouted, her temper rising.
“They said we couldn’t kill him. Minneapolis SWAT needs him.” I added, crossing my arms, ignoring the shouting that echoed throughout the passage from the main gathering hall.
“Fuck what the Minneapolis SWAT wants.” Sarcasm that dripped from her mouth. “If they wanted to take in Adrian, they should have done it months—no, years ago. I’m taking what I’mowed. His fucking head on a goddamn platter.” She seethed before turning and continuing on to where we could hear the SWAT officer’s shouts.
“At least let me speak to him before you go all trigger-happy and shoot him. I still have questions that need answers.” I pleaded. If she was going to kill him for revenge, I at least needed to get my answers before I was left thinking about them for the rest of my life. I needed closure, too.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You actually care what he has to say to you?” She scoffed.
“No, but I’m not wasting my chance at knowing the whys and the reasons for all of this. Not to mention…” I paused. “I think Charlotte had a sister.”
