They were able to cut her completely loose within a few minutes and carefully lifted her out of the chair, moving quickly out of the path of the shotgun. After putting her down and checking her over, Mace walked back to the chair and knelt down, holding the barrel of the shotgun as he pulled the trigger. The blast blew a hole in the headrest of the chair and Yvette curled into Jim, weeping at what had been designed for her.
The time between gunshots down the street was becoming more frequent as the number of shrieks was rising, and Mace briskly turned his focus back to Yvette. “Are you alright? What happened? I need to see the note they attached to you.”
Yvette was shaking badly. “I thought they were going to kill me. They told me they were going to kill me.” With trembling fingers, she unclipped the note and handed it to Mace.
Mace was silent as he read the note:
MACE: If you ever want to see your bitch alive again, you’ll do exactly what I say. You’ll find more instructions in the lobby of the hotel.
Kevin
Mace stared at the words, his face flushed with rage. His hands began to shake. He crumpled it up and threw it to the side. Jim and Yvette both stared silently as Mace ran his fingers through his hair, tensing his jaw.
He finally turned towards them with a cold detachment that put them both at unease. “I want you both to stay here. I’ve got to check out the lobby.”
The marlin was on the ground so he pulled the 9mm out of its holster as he moved towards the hotel lobby. His head was down and he was fixed for blood. He could see movement within the tinted doors of the lobby and he raised his foot, kicking the doors in, ignoring the pain that drove down his leg.
The door was wired as a trap as well, and as they opened, they released Butters, who had been set up as a surprise for the first person to enter. Mace didn’t blink as he raised his pistol and put two shots into Butter’s skull. He didn’t question the size or condition of the infected, only looking around briefly before yelling at the top of his lungs, “I am going to fucking kill you, do you hear me?”
His voice echoed through the lobby of the hotel as he stared at the huge banner hanging three floors up from the hotel balcony directly across from him. It looked like the message had been written in blood. The banner was a bed sheet stretched out, and on it were the words “You’re all going to die.” Red drips flowed down the sheet from where the blood had been applied too thick. Mace stared at them and the words seemed to zoom forward in acceleration.
He felt dizzy as the room started to spin around him. He walked to the first open room he saw and sat down on the bed. He put his head in his hands, trying hurriedly to think. What the hell was happening? How had they been played so badly? He rose, pacing back and forth, before putting his fist through the small bedroom closet.
The door slid open a few inches, and inside he could see a hand lying motionless on the ground. He swung the door open all the way and took a step back, staring at the naked body of a teenage girl, one of the girls he had seen in the photograph.
He saw Jade’s face in his mind’s eye and he moved quickly out of the room. There was no way he was going to lose her and there was no way he was going to let them live.
Chapter 67
Gilbert had been lost in a violent hallucination when he heard someone scream out in anger. He was covered in sweat and his eyes had rolled back in his head. As he returned to his present circumstances he remembered what Kevin had done to him, and he could now feel the pain of the scorch marks on his chest.
He began to thrash against his restraints, pulling with all his might at the straps that held him down. He needed to release the fury that burned from the inside out.
As he tugged he felt a strap loosen, and he started breathing harder in anticipation of his freedom. He relaxed for a second and then pulled again, harder, and felt the strap loosen further. A wicked smile spread across his dried and bloody lips. He’d have his revenge. He’d murder every last one of them.
Chapter 68
Jade had been about a half-a-block ahead of Father McCann when she raced around the corner trying to come up behind the hotel. The gunshots continued to ring out and she was trying to get there as fast as possible. She let out a gasp and tried to stop as soon as she turned the corner.
Kevin and at least twelve gang members were directly in front of her and coming fast. They looked as surprised to see her as she was to see them. She wasn’t able to stop her momentum and collided with several of the boys as they tried to jump out of the way. The force knocked her backwards and she landed on her back, twisting around to keep from being trampled.
As soon as she could, she scrambled to her feet. The boys surrounded her, looking psychotic in their affliction. In the split seconds that transpired next, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Kevin moved forward and she recognized his face from the hospital picture.
He was standing about five feet in front of her as he pulled a large hunting knife from a sheath on his belt. A smile slowly spread across his face. One of the boys moved to her left and reached for her arm. She swung her arm up and hit him with a backhand to the face. Another boy tried to grab her from the other side and she kicked him hard in the shin. Before she knew it, she was being grabbed and slapped by numerous hands. She fell down but was picked back up, stretched out by her arms and held from behind. Kevin walked up and eyed her up and down slowly.
“You’re Mace’s bitch. This is just too funny. I was just coming to see you.” He smiled at her, continuing to scan her body. He shook his head, raising his eyebrows. “You are one fine piece of meat. It’s almost a shame I have to kill you.” She spit at his face in defiance, remaining silent and in shock by the sudden turn of events. Kevin moved up and pressed the knife against her throat. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, you won’t have to wait long. Mace will be joining you soon.” Jade felt the blade push tight against her skin and she closed her eyes, waiting to feel it penetrate and slice.
Father McCann came hobbling up from behind at that moment, shocked by what he saw. “Wait! My life for hers,” he blurted out, catching everyone’s attention. He put his hands on his knees for a second, trying to catch his breath, and briefly lowered his head. He lifted it, slowly straightened up, and stared straight at Kevin. “She’s worth more to you alive than dead.” He glanced briefly at Jade. “With her alive he will do anything you want. I am Mace’s spiritual advisor. Killing me will hurt him almost as much.”
Several of the boys grabbed his arms as Kevin approached. “You’re his spiritual advisor? What a crock of shit that is.” Kevin widened his arms, knife still in hand, and asked mockingly, “What about me? Do you think you could advise me spiritually?”
Father McCann recognized the opportunity to manipulate the situation and responded. “You are nothing but a piece of rotten meat in a skin sack. You are destined for shadows and you will be damned for all eternity. That’s the only fucking advice you’ll get from me.”
Jade understood what he was doing and tried to tug her arms free, yelling at Kevin. “No, he’s just trying to bait you. Don’t you get it?”
Kevin ignored her and headed straight for Father McCann, holstering the knife as he did so. Father McCann looked nervous as Kevin stopped within a few inches of him, eyeing him coldly before reaching up and touching his collar. “So, you think you know my future. Would you care to guess yours?”
Father McCann’s winced as he realized what was about to happen. “Let her go and I’ll pray for you in heaven. God’s mercy is boundless.”
Kevin smiled at him. “You said nothing about letting her go. You said you’d trade your life for hers. That just means I get to play with her later.”
Father McCann looked around briefly, hoping that something or someone might save them. “If my death will prevent her any harm,” he nodded towards Jade, who was frozen with apprehension and fear for Father McCann, “then I will gladly hand it over. However, if you hurt her, I will not rest in death until you face God’s judgmen
t.”
Kevin looked at him and smirked. “I thought you were supposed to pray for your enemies? What kind of priest are you?”
Father McCann looked at him solemnly. “I am the human kind. I am not perfect, nor do I pretend to be. I would think that a lifetime of service to Him might buy me a favor or two. I would ask that that favor be you.” He leaned towards Kevin and said softly, “Let that favor be for mercy and understanding. I know that what has happened here has been horrible and difficult, but don’t lose your compassion for your fellow man. Let me help you understand the beauty that is life and help you find the purpose of your existence. We are all deserving of love. Let me open your heart and introduce you to its changing power.”
Kevin stared at him blankly, touching the handle of his knife in its sheath. He finally posed a question that caught Father McCann off guard. “Would you die for me?”
Father McCann probed his eyes for the longest time, searching for the meaning behind the question. “If it would change your heart, I would.” He took a deep breath and continued slowly. “I don’t want to die. There are still things I would like to accomplish, but if my death would allow these people to live, I would lay it down with no regrets.”
Kevin pulled the knife from its sheath. “It won’t.”
He moved forward and plunged the knife into Father McCann’s stomach, twisting it as the old man shouted out in pain. Jade screamed and reacted fiercely, tugging and pulling at her restrainers as Kevin extracted the knife. Father McCann looked wide-eyed at him, then at the blood that was oozing between his fingers as he clutched his stomach. He raised his eyes towards heaven as Kevin plunged the knife in again.
Father McCann let out a cry, and as Kevin backed away Father McCann collapsed to the ground. Blood formed on his lips and he began to talk softly, mouthing words in a hushed tone. Kevin leaned down to hear what the old priest was saying
“I don’t want to. No, I’m scared.” The old man spoke in short gasps as the life drained out of him. He continued to stare up at the heavens as he lay there, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. His eyes were cloudy and he was somewhere else. “You were like a son to me. I knew the first time I met you.”
Kevin stood up and smirked. It was all nonsense. He spit next to the priest’s head and turned to walk away when Father McCann said something that almost made him turn around and shoot him. “You will live Mace. You will find your peace.”
Father McCann looked out into another dimension. “Yes, yes, I am ready.”
Jade was beside herself with rage and grief, screaming, “Father Jack! No, NO!” She turned towards Kevin with fire in her eyes. “What have you done to him you bastard!”
She kicked one of the boys with her heel in the shin and used the back of her head to ram against his face. He let her go and she elbowed the other one several times in his jaw until she was able to squirm free. She rushed to Father McCann, kneeling beside him as her tears spilled onto his face. His eyes seemed to grow clearer as he focused on her.
“Father Jack. It’s going to be all right. I’m here. I’m here!”
He looked up at her as a crease of pain stretched across his face. He slowly lifted his hand to touch her cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood from his bloody fingertips. “Say goodbye to Mace for me.”
She shook her head as tears continued to spill down her face. “Nooo, I can’t do that. You can’t go yet! No, please!”
His look of pain eased as his eyes began to dim. His arm fell back to the ground, stretched wide as he whispered, “I love you.” His eyes closed and he grew silent. Jade knelt over him, desperately wanting him to say or do something more.
Two of Kevin’s boys grabbed her, pulling her back as she fought and cried, never taking her eyes of his body. He was spread out like Christ crucified.
Chapter 69
Mace tore out of the hotel and headed towards the rest of his party, who were still exchanging shots with two of the gunmen and the rapidly approaching infected. Jim and Yvette immediately ran after him from where they were hiding, staying out of sight of the infected. Mace ran past the tree line and into the no man’s land as Roy caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye and yelled for cover fire.
Mace already had his main gun out as he pulled his .38 from behind his back, firing in the direction of the last two boys. The rest of his party fired a volley of shots to protect him as a horde of infected continued to rush towards them. The boys barely had time to comprehend what Mace was doing before he was on them. He moved swiftly around their plane of cover and shot the first one directly in the forehead. Deliberately aiming for the leg of the second, he placed a shot to his thigh, followed with a bullet from the .38 to the shoulder. The kid thumped onto the ground and began yelling at him. “You fucker, you mother fucker!”
Mace ground his foot hard into the thigh wound. The kid screamed in agony, flopping about. Shrieks grew in volume as the infected moved swiftly towards the other men. Shots rang out all around as Mace’s party formed a small circle, taking out any infected they could. With blood in his eyes, Mace ignored an infected that was racing swiftly towards him. A shot rang out from behind him and the zombie went down. “I want to know what Kevin’s plans are. You’re gonna tell me now!” He ground his foot in deeper and the kid howled out in pain.
“Fuck you! You’re done, you here me? You’re all dead!”
Mace lifted the 9mm and shot the teenager in the face, snarling, “You first, you fucking little punk.”
He turned back towards his party, who were now moving in his direction, reloading and firing steadily at the infected. “We’ve got no time to waste,” he yelled. “They’re heading to the hospital. They’re going to kill everyone.”
A close shriek caught his attention and he turned. An infected was barreling towards him, its mouth wide open, a thick paste of blood oozing down its chin. He dove out of its way, firing repeatedly in mid-air as he went down. Bullets ripped through the creature’s torso, causing it to stumble and fall less than a foot away. Mace quickly got to his feet, never taking his eyes off it. A blood-curdling shriek filled the air as it rose again in an acrobatic jump, and Mace placed the barrel of his gun against its mouth, turning his face as he pulled the trigger.
As the mob of infected grew closer to Mace’s party, he yelled out, “The flash grenades! Use the flash grenades!” They had two flash grenades left from Mace’s original stash from his apartment. Roy nodded in understanding and swung the backpack that housed them off his shoulder, quickly pulling one out as the other men fired unceasingly.
As the infected drew closer, Roy pulled the pin, throwing the first grenade into the middle of the pack in front of them. It exploded with a large bang and flash, and the infected closest to it crumbled to the ground, their eyes blown from their skulls. Those that weren’t killed we’re either blinded or freaked out and frozen in place, faces twisted expressions of waxy terror.
Roy pulled out the second grenade and threw it in the direction of the remaining infected. The men moved backwards towards Mace, continuing to fire as they did so. The second blast had the same effect, and the threat quickly dissolved.
Once they’d caught up with Mace, they immediately started running towards the hospital, desperation crawling up their spines as they thought of their friends and family being butchered at the hospital. They cut through the office building in the back and passed within ten feet of Father McCann’s body. Nobody noticed him.
As Mace ran, his thoughts were focused entirely on Jade and what could happen to her. A streak of fear chilled his blood and made his legs weak as they pumped steadily. His mind clouded over and tried to focus on something different, instead recalling the fear he’d felt the first time he’d realized he loved her. At the time, it had felt almost as terrifying as this. He’d never loved anyone, having endured a cold and lonely child hood, and it left him in such a vulnerable state he had no idea how to cope with it.
He felt like a child, scared and unsure, and h
e’d broken things off a few days later. He could still remember how crushed and deflated Jade had been; the hurt had been so deep and transparent in her eyes that he couldn’t wait to get away from her. She’d never gotten upset, just gently squeezed his hand, kissing him on the cheek before saying goodbye and leaving.
He’d realized his mistake almost immediately and was completely heartbroken by what he’d done. He was sure she’d never have anything to do with him again and thought he’d lost her for good. He’d called Father McCann for advice and had gotten a short, “Well call her, ya bloody idiot and don’t let her get away!”
He took his advice and nervously called her at home, his stomach clenched and twisted, thinking he might hang up when she picked up the phone. He’d stumbled over his words as he tried to explain that he wanted her back. She’d stayed silent for a second before saying she’d love to see him again.
She never brought it up again or threw it in his face. The relief he’d felt at the time had been enormous, and now the thought of losing her again was beyond comprehension. He picked up the pace as they quickly shouted out a plan and broke off into two groups before reaching within eyesight of the grounds.
Chapter 70
As they came within a block of the hospital, Mace and Roy headed to the front while the rest of the party branched off to circle around to the rear. Mace and Roy slowly walked towards the entrance of the hospital, keeping an eye out for any sudden activity or motion. They were scanning the buildings windows and rooftop in anticipation of another sniper. Mace’s entire body was tingling from the stress and uncertainty of what would happen next. Roy’s gait was mechanical and deliberate as he forced his body to move forward through the fear that gripped it.
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