Hangman's Army: Lake Of Sins, #3

by L. S. O'Dea

  “Now what?” Sassy was cranky because Brennon had won the contest and wouldn’t shut up about it.

  “She’s coming with us. Will you help me?” he asked one of the large Guards.

  The Guard looked at the little, dead girl and nodded. He picked up the child, her body stiff with rigor mortis, and cradled her in his arms.

  “Hugh, why—”

  “Trust me, Sassy. You’ll understand when we get back to the building.”

  CHAPTER 43: TRINITY

  TRINITY STARED INTO THE darkness. “Something’s wrong.”

  “Hugh’s fine.” Townsend held up the binoculars and scanned the front of the shelter. “There’s nothing to suggest that everything isn’t going as planned.”

  “Besides the fact that he should’ve been back over twenty minutes ago.” Their plans never seemed to go right and when they went wrong, things got bad fast. She moved toward the door. She was done waiting. He could be trapped or captured. Someone might be hurting him right now.

  “He said you were to wait here.” Townsend grabbed her arm and then quickly dropped his hold at her glare.

  “Good thing I don’t belong to him then isn’t it?”

  Bruno, who’d been leaning against the wall staring out one of the other windows, straightened and headed their way.

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Townsend followed her.

  Bruno was making his way across the room on her other side. She almost smiled. They thought they were going to trap her between them. No one took her seriously until she made them. She’d been taught by a Tracker and Handler for Araldo’s sake. Even when training, Gaar and Mirra fought to win and for them winning meant killing.

  “Don’t do this.” She unsheathed her knife and pulled a spear from her quiver before Townsend could blink.

  “Easy now.” The Almighty stopped but Bruno continued his steady approach.

  “Call off your Guard.”

  “Bruno? He’s not doing anything. He’s just going to make sure you don’t hurt me.” He held up his hand, halting Bruno. “Put your weapons away—”

  “You helped us Townsend and I owe you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t stick this spear in your gut.” She twisted the weapon, catching his eye. “I won’t kill you. I wouldn’t do that to Libby and the kids, but it’ll hurt.”

  “I’ll snap your neck like a brittle bone,” growled Bruno, creeping forward.

  “You might try, but you won’t succeed.” She took another step toward the door. “You may as well save us all the trouble...and pain because there will be pain for both of you.” She grinned, cockiness always unnerved her enemies. They probably expected her to shake and quiver in fear. “You won’t stop me from trying to help Hugh.”

  “He wanted you to stay here.” Townsend enunciated each word.

  “He can yell at me when I bring him back.” She moved another step closer to the door. Soon she’d make a run for it.

  “Hugh is going to kill me,” said Townsend.

  Her hand touched the knob and she opened the door, slipping into the hallway and racing toward the exit, expecting Bruno to be on her tail, but no one followed. She slowed as she made her way down the stairs. There was a slight movement in the shadow by the door. She froze and then sighed, putting the spear in her quiver and the knife in her sheath.

  “Say, you’re going to give me a heart attack.” She moved to the door, the little Servant behind her. “I’m going to find out what’s taking Hugh so long. Wait here.” She stared at him. “If I don’t come back, find my dad and tell him what happened.”

  Say blinked.

  She opened the door and peeked outside. Everything was quiet. She made her way down the alley toward the street. There was a musky scent in the air. She hesitated. A quiet sound, almost like a footstep, caused her ears to perk. It was probably a rat, but after years of living in the forest her senses were always on high alert. There was the sound again but this time faster and more distinct. Footsteps. Running toward her. Without thinking, she withdrew her knife and spun around. A large, male House Servant leaped toward her. She extended her arm and her knife slid into his heart. His eyes widened in shock as he landed, crumpling to the ground.

  A soft hiss drew her gaze from the dead Servant. Say lurked outside the building near the door, teeth bared. Her heart pounded. Something was definitely wrong. Then she saw them, four Servants, all large males, running toward her from the shadows. They were between her and Say, between her and the door.

  “Get Bruno,” she yelled as she raced down the alleyway toward the road.

  She had a head start. Outrunning them wouldn’t be a problem if she could dash straight into the street, but she couldn’t chance being seen and there might be others waiting for her. This was the trap. She’d known something was up. It’d been too quiet. Nature, even in the city, was only silent when danger was near. She glanced back. They were all following her, so either they didn’t know about Townsend or they didn’t care about him. She wasn’t sure which was better. Had the reporter betrayed them?

  One of the Servants was close and getting closer. She needed to do something and she needed to do it fast. She’d win in a fight, lessons with Gaar and Mirra guaranteed that she could handle one Servant no matter how good he was, but the other three weren’t that far behind.

  As she darted down a connecting alley, her years of training took over. She took in her surroundings, looking for an escape or possible point of ambush. The buildings were concrete not steel. She could work with that. She put the knife in her mouth and launched herself at the wall, retracting her claws like Mirra had taught her because claws couldn’t sink into stone or concrete. She hit the wall hard and slid down but then her fingers found a hold, temporary but that was all she needed. She repositioned herself and pushed, flipping backward and landing behind the Servant.

  He skidded to a halt. His thin back stiffening with surprise but he must’ve been well trained too because he whipped around, his hand knocking her back a step as a sharp pain lanced through her shoulder.

  “Wrong one.” Her other arm slashed outward, the knife slicing into his throat in one fluid movement.

  His face twisted in pain as he crumpled to the ground, her ears tipped back, catching the sound of someone approaching softly from behind. Her lips curled in disgust. He should’ve tried harder to be quiet. His life had depended on it. She turned and barely dodged his fist. He was closer than she’d realized. She ducked, blocking another punch as she jabbed her knife into his gut. His eyes met hers, pleading. He was young, about her age. Her hand rested against his stomach, her knife buried deep. He grasped at her wrist. She couldn’t undo this. The gut wound would be slow and fatal. The best she could do was to end it quickly.

  “I’m sorry.” She twisted her wrist and he gasped. One more push upward and his pain would be over. She stilled. Footsteps, moving fast in her direction. The other two Servants were running hard toward her. She freed her knife from his stomach and he fell to the ground, crying out as she darted behind a dumpster.

  She steadied her breathing. She could handle both of them if she had to, but it’d be better to deal with them one at a time.

  The two Servants charged around the corner and into the alleyway, skidding to a stop at their companion’s side. She’d never seen any of them before. These two were lean, muscular and in their prime. One had dark brown hair and the other one had blonde hair.

  The blonde began to sniff. She held her breath. She couldn’t count on the smell of garbage to cover her scent. The dumpster was spotless like it’d never been used. She had to hope that the stench of death would cover most of her smell. She needed them to separate.

  “Help,” gasped the young Servant with the gut wound.

  “He’s still alive,” said the dark-haired Servant.

  The blonde grunted but continued sniffing. He took a step in her direction. She tensed. He’d caught her scent. He hadn’t realized what he smelled, but he would soon. She glanced
around. The wall was behind her and the alley ended to her right. She’d have to run past them. She had the element of surprise but they were close. She pulled a spear from her quiver. Maybe, she could take one out from here or distract them by throwing the spear across the alley. The blonde wandered farther from his friend, leaving her an opening. It wasn’t much, but she’d have to make it count. Her muscles tensed. A few more steps would bring him in range.

  Suddenly, footsteps thundered toward them. Someone was coming. Someone big. The Servant who’d been following her scent, stopped and turned to face the sound. He nodded at the dark-haired Servant who was bent over their injured companion. The dark-haired Servant exposed his claws and with a quick twist of his wrist ripped out the throat of his friend. He flung the torn flesh from his hand and grabbed a gold chain and medallion from around the dead Servant’s neck, pulling it free from the shirt. He stuffed it into his pocket and straightened.

  She took a deep breath. She’d use this opportunity to flee. The Servants were distracted. They seemed unsure of who was coming and she had no intention of waiting around to find out. She straightened, staying hidden behind the dumpster as much as possible.

  “Go get Jooneen’s chain,” said the dark-haired Servant. “I got Drakka’s and Eela’s.” He patted his pants pocket.

  The blonde snarled at his companion but raced into the other alleyway and returned a moment later carrying another chain and medallion identical to the first. “Let’s go. He’s a big one and she’s not making this easy.”

  They raced past the dumpster and darted across the street, disappearing into the shadows. Bruno thundered around the corner. Her knees shook in relief. She was going to hug Say when she saw him whether he liked it or not. The Servant had gone into the building and all the way up the stairs for help. She owed the little guy big time. He feared closed in places. Besides tents, she’d only seen him inside at Ray’s and that building was a maze of entrances and exits. She stepped out from behind the dumpster.

  “Thank Araldo, you’re safe.” Bruno skidded to a halt, his eyes landing on the dead Servants. “Who are they?”

  “I have no idea.” She turned and walked toward the street.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Bruno jogged to catch up with her.

  “To find Hugh.” She glanced back at the dead Servants. “You and Townsend should get out of here. Obviously, it’s not safe.” Her heart was racing. If they’d sent these five after her, how many had they sent to capture Hugh? He couldn’t fight one Servant let alone five. She should’ve gone with him. She’d known better than to listen to him.

  Townsend ran up to them, reaching to pull her into a hug. She shifted her wrist so her knife glinted in the moonlight. She didn’t have time for hugs.

  He took a step back, his eyes on the knife as his smile wavered. “You’re safe. Hugh would’ve killed me if something happened to you.”

  “I doubt that. Hugh’s not a killer.” Unlike her. Blood covered her hands and shirt. The eyes of the Servants flashed in her mind. Pleading for help. For mercy. For life. She’d had to do it, but even after all these years, it still didn’t sit well with her. She wiped her knife on her shirt and slid it into her sheath. The world was a cruel place. She’d have to work harder to silence the little girl inside of her who wanted to save everyone.

  “You’re hurt. You need to come inside,” said Townsend. “We should clean your cut and get it wrapped.”

  Her shirt was hanging off her shoulder and the long gash was bleeding slightly. “It can wait. I need to find Hugh and you two need to get out of here.”

  Townsend glanced at Bruno, both of them confused.

  “We’ve been discovered. It’s only a matter of time before the Almightys realize that these five failed and send more, if there isn’t already another team heading our way.” She continued down the alley. She didn’t have time to explain this to them.

  “The Almightys didn’t send these House Servants,” said Townsend.

  “What?” She turned around.

  He looked at Bruno again. “They would’ve sent Guards, not Servants. The authorities don’t use House Servants for these types of jobs.”

  “Then who sent them?”

  “I have no idea. Did you recognize any of them?” Townsend headed toward the dead Servants.

  She followed him, trying to remember every Servant she’d ever met. “I don’t think so.” She was pretty sure that she’d never seen them at Ray’s but there were a lot of Servants in and out of his place.

  Townsend stopped by the dumpster. He pulled out his camera and turned in on, moving close to get a good image of the Servant. His eyes met Bruno’s. “Stay with her. I’ll be right back.”

  He walked around the corner and Bruno fidgeted, torn between his need to obey and his desire to protect Townsend. She glanced behind her. She had to find Hugh, but it’d be faster to wait for Townsend to return than to fight with Bruno. It couldn’t take him long to video tape two dead Servants. A moment later the reporter came around the corner.

  “I’ll try and discover who sent them.” Townsend met her eyes. “But until then, you should be careful.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “They weren’t after us and they weren’t after Hugh.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. All five of them had come after her. “There could be others attacking Hugh right now.”

  “I don’t think so. They would’ve ambushed him before he got to the shelter, but they didn’t. They waited for you.”

  “Maybe, they weren’t here when Hugh left.”

  “Or when Bruno came back? It’s possible but unlikely. These aren’t feral Servants. They’re all well dressed and well fed,” said Townsend.

  “Why would anyone come after me?” A chill ran down her spine. She didn’t want to go through this again. The last time she’d been hunted, Gaar and Mirra had almost died. “I have to find Hugh.” It was bad enough that he’d put himself in danger trying to save Reese, but she’d never forgive herself if he got hurt because of her. She took off down the alley.

  “Who’ll save Hugh if you’re captured?” yelled Townsend.

  “My friends.” She said over her shoulder.

  “No. Your friends will save you. Your dad. Gaar. Mirra. Are you willing to be the reason they all get captured or killed? You won’t be locked in some barn this time.”

  She stopped. Mirra was pregnant. Gaar was looking for others of his kind, searching for a mate. Her dad had Arthur. None of them could go through this again.

  “And who will lead the rebellion if both you and Hugh are dead? No one. The revolution will die and life will go back to how it was. How it still is for many.”

  “I’m not important to the revolution.” She turned to face him. She was nobody. Nothing more than a fighter.

  “I used to be annoyed by pompous Almightys, but now I realize that your and Hugh’s lack of self-awareness is even more irritating.” He walked over to her. “You’re the symbol of this revolution.”

  “No. Hugh is the face of the revolution. He’s the one everyone follows.” She didn’t want to be a symbol of anything. She wanted to find a mate and live quietly in the forest, raising her young and growing crops.

  “Yes, Hugh is the face of the revolution—the face of science and logic. The one everyone believes. The one they want to follow, but you’re the spirit. The heroine. You’re the young girl whose kindness and strength changed all our lives. You’re a Producer, the lowest of the classes, and you fought back. You saw it with my kids. They idolize you.” His lips quirked up a bit. “Like it or not, you’re the inspiration for a lot of people, especially anyone who has mixed blood or who has mixed children.”

  She didn’t want to be an inspiration to anyone. That’d make her a target. Her ears tipped back. There was a low rumbling coming from the alleyway. “Quick. Hide. Something’s coming and it sounds big.”

  “Back to the building. There are several exits. We can escape to another alley,” said Tow
nsend.

  “It could be Hugh.” Bruno’s head was tipped back, trying to catch scent.

  “We can’t take the chance that it’s not.” She ran toward the building, stopping at the door. “Where’s Say?”

  “Don’t know. Haven’t seen him since we got here.” Townsend held the door open for her.

  “Didn’t he come and tell you that I was being attacked?” She scanned the area but there was no dark shape in the shadows.

  “No. I heard him hissing and came outside to see what his problem was.” Bruno gave Townsend a gentle nudge and the reporter went into the building. The Guard sniffed again, holding the door with his foot. “Still can’t make out the scent. A lot of stink. Guards for sure. Get inside.”

  She took one last look but Say was gone. He must’ve been too frightened to stick around. Hopefully, he’d show up later. The city streets were dangerous. She entered the building. Bruno followed, closing the door behind him.

  She strained to hear through the thick door. She’d been mistaken. It wasn’t one big creature. It was an army of creatures. “We need to go,” she whispered. “Whoever’s coming, there are a lot of them.”

  She shoved at Townsend and Bruno but the Guard shouldered her aside.

  “We need to go. Now,” she ordered.

  “Still could be Hugh.” Bruno ignored her and cracked open the door, sniffing.

  “He’s going to get us killed.” She glared at Bruno and then at Townsend who shrugged. She wasn’t getting captured because of some stupid Guard. “Where are the other exits? You two can stay and get...”

  A large smile broke out on Bruno’s face. He looked at both of them, relief in his eyes. He was a Guard who’d die to protect Townsend, but he wasn’t a fool. “It’s Hugh and...some Guards.”

  She wiggled her way to the door and flung it open. Hugh moved toward them down the alley, followed by Guards of all shapes and sizes. He was here. Alive. She shoved Bruno aside and raced to him.