by Kieran Song
Then the mysterious men came in a van and stole them both away. That same night, Allegra watched her brother get pummeled to death by a lead pipe inside the fighting pit. Now her parents would worry about them forever.
No one should love someone so stupid and weak. She was undeserving of it; but Dog did, and for some reason, Allegra couldn’t do the same.
It broke her heart.
Chapter Thirty-Two.
The voices from outside the hallway stirred Allegra awake from the couch. The last thing she remembered was listening to the sounds of rain pattering on the windowsill, lulling her to sleep. She cursed herself for dosing off and she immediately went into the bedroom with the intentions of waking Dog, but he was already sitting upright with the gun in hand. The leadened sounds of footsteps drew closer and the once barely audible murmurs of the men became clearer.
“What a waste of time,” one of the men complained. “I’m tired as hell. We’ve been doing this for almost six hours. Twenty-four floors of this garbage and another ten to go still.”
“Let’s just get it done and over with so I can go back to sleep,” the other one said.
Allegra stared at Dog desperately, her body frozen with fear. He looked her straight in the eye and calmly mouthed the words to her, “Hide.”
She nodded as Dog took her by the hand and led her to the kitchen and opened up the cupboard underneath the sink. Allegra crammed herself inside and watched as the door slowly closed, sealing her in complete darkness. She heard Dog walk over to the main door and unlock the bolts. He was smart. If the door to unit 2404 was the only one locked, it would only arouse more suspicions. She heard Dog scurry off, no doubt hiding himself somewhere in the small condo.
Silence followed, that was until the door of the unit creaked opened and the men entered inside.
“Maybe we should just give up, find ourselves an empty bed to take a nap in. We can return to Ryker later and tell him that we put in an honest effort.”
“Think of the payout Ryker promised us,” a guard said. “It’s enough to set us straight for a lifetime. If we manage to find those bitches, I’m going to take my share of the money and open up a nightclub and fill it with women and alcohol. I’ll be living the dream.”
“I know you by now. You’re not going to leave this place. You’re addicted to the fights and you’ll gamble away every cent you own.”
“Just you watch. When I own the hottest club in the country, you’ll be begging for me to let you in, and I’m going to turn you away at the door like some schmuck.”
One of the guards entered into the kitchen. Allegra bit her lip, nervous at the fact that only a thin wooden cabinet door separated her from him.
“Hey do you notice something strange about this place?” the other guard’s voice trailed from the living room.
“What’s that?”
“All the other condos are piled with dust except for this one.”
She was startled by the abrupt sounds of deafening gunshots and shattering glass. After what seemed like several agonizing minutes, though in actuality it was seconds, the sounds of explosive gunfire finally ceased.
“Christ, Dave?!” the voice from the living room cried out.
Dog roared like an animal and what followed were the sounds of struggle. Allegra cautiously opened the cupboard door and cringed as she saw the body of a guard in a sitting position, leaning against the fridge. His eyes were wide open, staring blankly at her while blood oozed from the bullet wounds in his chest.
Dog and the remaining guard were fighting in the open living room as furious punches were being delivered to each other. A gun lay by the ceiling-high windows, broken by the bullets, and it was obvious that they were both trying to maneuver towards it. The guard pushed Dog back and lunged for the weapon but Dog managed to tackle him to the ground where they continued to wrestle. Dog struggled to gain position on top and delivered a few blows to the guard’s face but lost his advantage when his opponent managed to shove a heavy boot into Dog’s stomach, winding him.
With the opening he needed, the guard grabbed the gun but before he could open fire, Dog charged into him headfirst like an angry bull, knocking both the guard and the gun through the window, broken glass trailing the body as he plummeted to his death. Allegra walked over to Dog, who was breathing heavily, a mixture of sweat and rain dripping down his face.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
Dog shook his head as he looked out the window and into the black abyss that swallowed up the sides of the building. The rain poured down like hundreds of silver needles that disappeared into the darkness.
“We should go,” Dog said as he walked over to the kitchen and did a quick search of the body lying there. He pulled out a hand held radio along with a set of keys from the dead man’s breast pocket.
“I think I found our way out of the city,” he said.
*
The descent down twenty-four flights of stairs was less tiring than Allegra had anticipated, but at that point she was running on pure adrenaline and she had the energy to scale down a mountain if required.
When they reached the ground level, Dog instructed her to hide while he scoped out the area. He was armed with a combat knife, taken from the dead guard’s boot.
He gripped the weapon and disappeared through the condo’s entrance and into the night while Allegra hid behind the concierge’s desk. She tried to steady herself and control the rapid beating in her chest along with her heavy breathing.
A few minutes later, Dog returned and motioned for Allegra to follow him.
It was a downpour outside, but the rain felt good. It had a calming effect on Allegra’s nerves and it woke her from the surreal daze she was in. Dog led her to a rusted black van parked a couple of yards away from the entrance of the condo.
“Do you know how to drive?” Allegra asked. Dog nodded.
“I’ve stolen a car once and took it for a spin, though I ditched it when the heat became too much.”
“You stole a car, but never thought of stealing yourself a pizza?” Allegra asked.
Dog shrugged as he opened driver side door and entered into the vehicle. “The guy who owned the car was an asshole.” Allegra entered into the van from the opposite side. After examining the guard’s keys, Dog found the one he was looking for which he inserted into the ignition and cranked it. The hum of the engine delighted Allegra and she barely contained her excitement as a wide grin spread across her face.
Dog switched the gears on the car, took his foot off the break and pressed down on the gas pedal, jerking the van forward suddenly. Allegra grabbed onto the side of the door out of reflex.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’m still a bit rusty.”
“It’s okay. I don’t know how to drive either,” Allegra replied. It took a few more minutes before Dog got the hang of it again and much to Allegra’s relief, the ride after was a lot smoother. When he was finally confident behind the wheel, he pulled the GPS out of his pocket and handed it over to Allegra.
“They must be able to drive in and out of Bimini somehow. I need you to find the path out of here. Look for a location that is clear of mines,” Dog said. “Do you know how to work it?”
“I used to help my dad navigate with one of these when I was a kid.” she replied. Allegra took the GPS and stared at the screen which was focused on a single blue dot indicating their position. She zoomed out of the screen and was overwhelmed with the collection of blinking red lights that surrounded the outskirts of the city. Ryker saved no expense in setting up mines along Bimini’s perimeter. She navigated the touch screen with her fingertips, frantically searching for some type of clearing, devoid of mines. When she finally found it, she squealed out of joy. On the screen was a winding pathway empty of mines, though the red blinking lights lined up alongside of it, threatening to blow up any travelers who veered off the path. As long as Allegra had the GPS, she could navigate Dog through it.
“The south-east region of the city, ju
st past the shopping district,” Allegra said. “That’s the route out of this place. Just follow my instructions.”
Dog followed her directions to the letter as Allegra navigated him through the city with the use of the GPS. A few times, a van drove right past them and Allegra had never been more thankful for the invention of tinted windows.
“We’re almost there,” Allegra said as she watched the blue dot on the screen draw closer to the escape route. As long as they remained hidden in the van, they were able to leave Bimini undetected. The idea of freedom was no longer just a dream and she was so nervous that the butterflies threatened to burst out of her stomach.
Suddenly the radio that Dog took from the guard crackled and Dallas’s voice came online.
“Ryker is heading for his house and he wants a couple of guards there just in case. I’m assigning you two nimrods to go, is that understood? And be quick about it, he’s pretty much there on his own right now.”
Dog picked up the radio, pressed the intercom button and responded. “Yes,” he said in a deadpanned voice, before dropping the radio onto the seat. Allegra saw the look in his eyes and it scared her.
“Don’t,” she said.
“I have to.”
“Please,” Allegra was desperate. “I’m begging you, we’re almost free. We can leave this place and then come back with the police. Let the authorities deal with Ryker.”
Dog slammed on the breaks, grinding the van to a halt. Without even looking at her, Dog grabbed the GPS out of her hands and examined it, no doubt looking for the coordinates of Ryker’s house.
“We’re free to go, you and me. We can begin a life outside of this place. You don’t have to do this,” she said, making one last plea to get through to him.
Dog said nothing as he handed her back the GPS. He took his foot off the break and began driving again and Allegra could only watch as the blue dot on the screen veered away from their original destination. He was beyond reasoning now. It was clear that Dog had every intention of killing Ryker tonight, even if it placed both their lives at risk.
Chapter Thirty-Three.
Dog parked the van a couple of blocks away from Ryker’s estate, well hidden behind an alleyway. Allegra was still crying and begging him to stay with her, and though his heart softened a little, Dog left her anyway.
She wouldn’t understand. Ryker was out in the open and vulnerable and at that moment, there was nothing more important than killing him.
Dog concealed himself in the shadows, the combat knife firmly in hand. The heavy rainfall soaked him to the core but he ignored it as he crossed the back fields of Ryker’s estate, keeping himself low to the ground to avoid detection. The large white house came into view, illuminated by the bright lights of the first floor, and inside was the man he needed to kill.
After examining the surroundings of the house and feeling confident no guards were present, Dog set foot onto the property. He passed by the patch of scorched grass where he had watched the pedophile burn, grimacing at the memory of burning flesh and the horrifying screams. Soon it would be Ryker who screamed.
He stepped onto the back porch and peered into the kitchen through the rear window. Not a soul in sight. Gripping the handle of the backdoor, he turned it slowly and pushed open the heavy wooden door, careful not to make a sound. Dog crept inside and closed the door behind him. He moved through the kitchen with light footsteps, knife in hand, and ready to strike at anything that moved.
As he rounded the corner, Dog looked into the next room and sitting at the head of the dining room table was Ryker. He was getting drunk off whiskey, one hand holding the bottle while the other clutched onto a glass, which he brought to his lips. The man was intoxicated and unarmed.
Dog stepped into the room and pointed the knife at Ryker, who was unfazed by Dog’s sudden appearance.
“I’m going to cut you open and watch you bleed,” Dog said. Ryker grinned at the threat.
“You always did have balls,” Ryker said as he slammed the glass down onto the table and rose from his seat.
“Stay right there,” Dog ordered.
“You know how much it hurts to be betrayed? Especially after everything I’ve given you?” Ryker slurred. “You were my champion. I had all my chips riding on you.”
“Don’t try to sympathize with me,” Dog said. “There’s nothing you can say that’ll save you.”
Ryker sighed. “You were both my biggest achievement and disappointment as well,” he said. “I discovered first hand that in life, the weak will always be shit upon. I built this Arena as a place where the strongest stood at the top of the mountain and the weak would be eliminated because in my eyes, weakness is a sin. The ultimate sin.”
“Stop talking.”
Ryker ignored him and took a step forward towards Dog. “You know what disappoints me the most? You were my champion; my avatar of strength and power. The symbol of everything the Arena stood for. In the end, you were the weakest of them all.” Ryker began laughing. “Well come on then, do it already. You’re not the only one who’s not afraid of dying.”
Dog focused in on Ryker’s fleshy throat and lunged forward with the knife, picturing the red blood spilling out of his neck like a geyser. Before the point of the knife could find its mark, a strong hand gripped his wrist from behind and flung him halfway across the room, sending him crashing against a china cabinet. Dog was winded as he tried to stand up, brushing off the broken glass and dishes atop of him. His eyes met Tiberius’s, who towered over him.
“Get out of my way,” Dog said as he rose to his feet.
“No.”
“Then die with him,” Dog said as he charged into Tiberius. The momentum sent them both crashing through the thin walls of the dining room and they collapsed into a heap, amongst the wall’s debris, into the living room floor. Dog was the first back onto his feet and was ready to deliver a punch to the back of Tiberius’s head but he froze when he saw Dallas stroll through the front entrance, dragging someone behind him.
“Allegra?” His heart sank and he fell to his knees as he watched two more guards walk through the door, clutching the prisoner, a burlap sack covering her head while her wrists were bound in chains. She tried to speak but her mouth was muffled and Dog only heard desperate sounding murmurs.
“Let’s do this outside,” Ryker said. “This idiot caused enough damage to my place already.”
The two guards handcuffed Dog at gunpoint. As they dragged him out into the yard, all Dog thought about was what they were going to do to her. The rain outside had died down but it was still tricking like tear drops from the sky.
“Stop,” Dog cried out. “She had nothing to do with this. I kidnapped her. Allegra is innocent.”
Dallas ignored him and pushed her down onto her knees in the very same place where they had burned the child molester.
From behind, Dog felt painful blows to the back of his legs, dropping him to his knees immediately. A gun jammed into the back of his head as Ryker knelt down before him.
“Allegra is no longer pure, is she?” he began. “It’s a shame seeing as how I’ve kept her innocent for so long. Do you know how much she was worth? Do you know how much you have cost me?”
“I didn’t touch her,” Dog pleaded. “Don’t punish her.”
“I don’t believe you,” Ryker said. “She’s worthless to me now. Absolutely worthless.”
Dog helplessly watched as Dallas pressed a handgun against the back of the burlap sack where her head was.
“I didn’t touch her!” Dog screamed. “Don’t kill her, please.”
Ryker stood up, walked over to Dallas and took the gun away from the guard’s hands. He pressed it against her head and stared at Dog with eyes that were possessed with fire.
“I still don’t believe you,” Ryker said, and he pulled the trigger.
A red mist sprayed from the brown sack and she fell to the ground, dead. A trail of blood oozed from out of the wound, blending with the water from the ra
in, and flowed like a crimson stream into the grass.
The only thing he cared for in the world was dead, and it was more than he could stand.
“You bastard!” he screamed. “I didn’t touch her! I didn’t touch her.” His mind dissolved into a liquefied hysteria and he repeated the same words over and over again, as if his protests could bring Allegra back to life.
“I never touched her…”
Ryker walked over to the dead body and smiled as he watched Dog gravel. “Now I believe you,” he said as he grabbed the burlap sack and removed it. Dog tried to turn away but one of the guards grabbed his head and forced him to look at the face of the person Ryker had murdered. It was Maria looking back at Dog, stunned while blood gushed from the red hole in her head. Dog closed his eyes and exhaled. No words described the relief he felt at that moment. Though he felt sorry for Maria, he thanked the universe that it wasn’t Allegra lying dead in front of him.
“I told you I’ll discover you fears one day,” Ryker said, just before barking instructions to the guards. “Bring him back to the Arena, and no more fucking screw ups. Be thankful I’m not docking anyone’s pay for this incident.”
Ryker headed back to the white house. Tiberius followed closely behind, but not before walking over to the body of Maria and closing her eyes with his brutish hands and whispering something into her ear.
They bound Dog by the legs as well as his wrists and dragged him to a white van by gunpoint. Dallas pulled open the sliding door.
Sitting inside was Allegra, bound and crying.
“I hope you two enjoyed your little adventure,” Dallas said as he forced Dog into the van. “Oh and by the way Allegra, you can thank your stupid hero over here for getting Maria killed.”
The ride back was silent, with the exception of the sobs coming from Allegra. Dog couldn’t handle it anymore and he finally spoke.