Page 55 of A Game of Survival

“Let's move.”

We cover the open ground in a matter of seconds, spreading out along the length of the house, keeping away from the windows. The darkness of nightfall keeps us well hidden as we move as one, a fully armed unit prepared for war. As Silas takes point with Quinton beside him, Zack and Marcello fall in behind them while Sully and I take the rear. Normally I would stand next to my brother but we agreed that in this situation, we need to be the head and tail of the snake.

Silas gives Quinton a nod and he opens the door to the front of the house and they creep inside. Two heavy thuds and a muffled garble can be heard between the claps of thunder filling the night before Quinton appears at the door giving the rest of us the green light to follow.

Three bodies lie still in growing pools of their own blood, their necks slit open and eyes boring into nothingness. The sight would be enough to make any grown man sick to their stomach but my stomach only twists with the need to spill some blood of my own.

The house is small, with scarce furniture but even through the dimly lit rooms, the dampness visibly soaks into the walls, filling the air with a thick musk. I signal Zack and Marcello, instructing them to clear the upper floor before we move on. The ability for us to communicate silently makes it easy to comb through the building, picking off those who lie unprepared for our arrival. The four of us remaining filter through the first level of the house, knives drawn as a first choice of weapon. The quieter, the better. After clearing the floor we circle back round to the kitchen as Zack and Marcello make their way back into the room with a nod to confirm the floor above is clear.

Silas moves towards the cellar door, hesitating slightly with his hand on the knob. I nudge Sully, nodding for him to take over and he does without faltering, pushing his way past Silas and opening the door. The staircase leads onto a narrow corridor. The coldness of the space seeping into our rain soaked clothes sends a blistering chill throughout my body, but it doesn’t come close to the soul shattering sound of Lucille’s screams filtering through the concrete walls.

“Fuck. We have to get in there!” I snarl, trying desperately not to think of what could be happening on the other side of the wall.

“Why the fuck is the door locked?” Silas seethes as he tries to ram his entire weight against the thick metal of the door.

“Just fucking get it open!” I demand, fisting my hair into my hands as Silas rams the door again with no movement at all.

Sully and Zack both run to the other end of the corridor, searching for another way in. “I saw a crowbar upstairs, I’ll get that.” Marcello shouts.

“Don’t bother. All of you, get out the fucking way.” A harsh voice snaps. We all spin towards the direction the voice came from.

“Max? What the fuck are you doing here?” Silas shouts, stepping into his face. Max shoves him back with more force than I thought he possessed, sending Silas into the wall behind him.

“I’m saving my fucking sister, now MOVE!” he snaps back before glancing back up the stairs and yelling for whoever he brought with him to follow him down.

“Where are the kids? Where is Alessandro?” I ask, suddenly distracted as I watch a group of men sporting FBI jackets and vests, all armed ready with M4 Carbines, come filtering down the stairwell. “Max? What the fuck are the FBI doing here?” I spit, rushing his body, fisting his shirt.

“I’ll explain later, just get out of the way.” Max hisses, shoving my arms away.

I look at Silas whose face looks as furiously confused as my own as Max works together with a couple of FBI agents to set up a small explosive against the metal door.

“Fucking hell Irish, you brought explosives?” Silas snaps moving away from the door.

“Actually, they did.” Max smirks, nodding towards the retreating FBI. “Everybody move back.”

In the next instant the wall explodes and dust pollutes the small space.

“Lucille!” Max shouts through the thick cloud.

I wade my way forwards through the debris and toward the light shining through the opening, meeting Silas and Max on the way. We step through the broken brick, completely unprepared for the scene before us.

As the dust settles, my eyes zone straight in on Lucille's body with Ronan between her legs, he’s fumbling with himself trying to retreat, no doubt shitting himself at the exploding wall behind him. Lucille’s face is turned in our direction but she isn't looking at us, her eyes are glazed over, completely unaware of our arrival. I hear a deep threatening growl beside me, unsure to whom it belonged to. I drag my gaze away from her as Cole struggles against three men all trying to detain him. Almost as though they haven’t noticed our arrival, as he gives the three grown men a good run for their money. There's blood, a mix of fresh and old dried into his clothes, his hands are bandaged and he sounds feral as he roars at them, spitting death threats to them all as he desperately fights to break free and get to Lucille.

My mind snaps instantly, like an elastic band being pulled all too tight. I move forward with swift precision, swiping my blade from the strap on my vest, and slicing it with a fluid motion across the nearest of Ronan’s men who stands dumbfounded having been taken by surprise at the sudden chaos. I catch Silas doing the same, mirroring my movements and striking down another of Ronan’s men in his path. Beside me, Max falters at the sight of his father bearing down on Lucille. I keep my eyes locked on her, trying to get to her as my eyes lock on the movement of her hand reaching for a discarded gun. My blade disconnects from the soft flesh of our enemy, expelling his sticky warm blood over my hand. My chest seizes as I watch Lucille's face morph from being void of all emotion, to shock, to pure panic as she squeezes the trigger and Ronan’s limp body falls on top of hers. Her piercing scream echoes around the room as she stares down at his lifeless body and the thick crimson blood spilling over her bare legs. It’s a sound I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Suddenly the room erupts as though time has finally caught up. Gunfire reins down around us as the three men failing to secure Cole fire shots at every angle. I move fast, throwing my body to shield Lucille as Silas and Max, who seems to have mentally checked back in, do the same.

“It’s OK, Love, I’ve got you.” I groan, hurling Ronan’s body from between her legs. My chest aches at the empty void of her eyes as she glances up at me, no longer screaming.

“I thought…I thought he was going to–”

“Shhh, it’s over now.” I whisper, pulling her trembling body into my chest and cradling her safely in my arms.

“Linc, we’ll cover you, just get her out of here,” Silas snaps as he pierces a guy's eye with a single shot.

I twist my head, searching for Cole across the room. He’s hand to hand with a large tattooed bald man. I don’t remember seeing this many bodies when we entered the cellar but they seem to have multiplied since the explosion. Fuck.

“Linc, we can’t leave him,” Lucille whispers, placing her hand gently on my cheek. “I won’t leave unless it’s with all of you.” I glance down at the woman in my arms, half naked, covered in blood and dirt, with a fresh bruise beginning to blossom across her cheek and bloodied scrapes covering her knees. Her body is so fragile against my own, so beaten and broken, yet still she has the ability to make me question my own instincts. “Lincoln, please!” she pleads, softening her eyes, begging for me to change my mind.

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