by W. A. R.
George stopped reading after that and Amber knew that was the end of what Damien had written. His eyes, watered and rimmed red, were focused on Amber and George. George lowered the notebook to his lap, his numb fingers leaving its page before he ran a hand through his hair. Amber rubbed her hands across her face, desperately trying to rid her face of the tears that had escaped her tormented eyes. She felt like sobbing but she knew that she couldn’t do so. George could find nothing to say and Damien could say nothing at all. She wasn’t sure how to begin, and so the words that croaked out she simply didn’t stop them. It was the right time, then; she felt it through all of the anger, the hurt, and the throes of emotional chaos. It was now or never.
“What…what if I told you…I would let that happen; that I would make it happen?” Amber stuttered. George immediately sat up in his seat, turning to face her and her eyes dragged up from the floor to the injured man before her. George turned in his seat, his stature straightening.
“Amber, what are you saying? You are just going to kill him? Just like that?” he asked of her and she turned her eyes to him, catching his glare. “What has been wrong with you? Ever since that day…”
“That’s why I needed you to stay.” She said softly before glancing at Damien. “I am going to tell you both something. Damien, I am telling you because you deserve to know and George…because I need you to know for when I’m…” she couldn’t bring herself to finish. His eyes widened and she could hear Damien’s heavy breathing in the silence. “I will need you to promise me you won’t repeat this, to anyone, at all, until the time is right. Promise me this, even though you won’t like what I will have to say. I need you with me in this.” She asked of George, and he swallowed, uncertain and clearly afraid of what she was going to say.
“This is about the other day isn’t it?” he asked and she nodded.
“Promise me, George.” She demanded and finally he nodded. She felt a burden press on her shoulders and she exhaled. It hurt, oh God it hurt so much, but she had to do it, she had to tell him. He was the only one she could trust. He wouldn’t judge her; he would understand why she had done what she had done.
“I swear on my life this remains between us…” George paused and Amber picked up nervously where he had left off.
“…until the time is right.”
“…until the time is right.” He repeated and finally, stealing one last look at Damien, she began her confession.
Chapter Eleven
The following day:
This was it, Miles thought as he breathed in deeply. This is the day that they were getting out of there. It was still in the wee hours of the early morning and Miles was wide awake, his mind racing with the possibilities that the day may hold for them. Ryder would be gone, and so, Miles planned to take action then. Ryder had helped them and he didn’t want the man getting caught in the crossfire that would be their reckoning. Still, as he scooted farther over, clearly under the watchful eye of Lacy, things were brought up to question. Namely, Lacy and her sister. He hoped that they wouldn’t give him any problems during this mission because he was desperate to get Brian and Shelly out of there. The scenarios ranged from outrageous to wonderful in his mind; drifting from them all dying as they fought their way out to finally, possibly, seeing Amber’s face again. It had only been a week and a half almost and yet that was still far too long, especially given the circumstances. If he were honest, whenever the sun had gone down and they all sat peaceably in the silence every night, his mind drifted to her, remembering every facet of her that he had learned, from her generosity and her kind smile to how she felt beneath him, around him. She was everywhere, and always had been and to have that taken away from him was so excruciating that if the possibility of seeing her again wasn’t an option, it would be downright unbearable. She was this for him, his driving force and his steadfast certainty in the face of any trial he dealt with. He hadn’t expressed the depth of his devotion for her, and that seemed to be on his mind as of late. She knew he cared, even that he loved her, but hell…Brian loved her…Shelly loved her. He wanted another chance to show her that everything he held for her was so very different from everything and everyone else…no, he needed the chance to express that to her. And so, he scooted further to his left, remembering the roundabouts of where he had left the broken piece of glass, determined to leave that dank place and show her. He knew she had to be aching, caught in a whirlwind of perpetual hell, having lost so many people dear to her, and she needed him. She needed an anchor…otherwise, how would she unwind and release the tears and anguish that needed to be released? How could she let go if there was no one to bring her back?
It was dark still, and he could barely make out the shadows in the blankness of the room, but he knew everyone was awake and watching, waiting. He had yet to tell them of his plan, in fear that they be overheard as Ryder had done with their previous conversations. But, they trusted him, and had yet to question him and he knew that whenever it all began that they would follow whatever he and Brian thought best, regardless of how uneasy they were. There were no footsteps outside of the door, and if there were, his heart was pounding so loud in his ears he wouldn’t have been able to hear that faint noise.
“What are you doing?” Lacy hissed through her teeth finally. Miles could sense how on edge the irritating woman was and he had wondered how long it would take her to ask him about something, whether it was what his current mission was, or whether it was asking about the plan.
He rolled his eyes and scooted a bit more, his fingers scanning the carpet as best he could. “I am looking for something. Now, stay seated and be quiet.” He grunted before finally finding the glass. “Success!” He exclaimed breathily, earning a chuckle from Shelly and Chloe. He wrapped his weakened fingers around the base of it and pulled it up from the carpet before turning it just so in order to saw at the binds that held his hands hostage. His heart began drumming a heavy beat. Thump-thump! Thump-thump! It was so loud, and as he felt his confines loosening, he knew this was it. It was a late realization, one that he hadn’t fully accepted until then; yet it was still one that he needed to accept. There was no turning back from this point, whether they had weapons or not, and whether or not they had to fight for their lives…and even more dreadful, whether or not they saw the rest of their people. That thought alone stilled him for a moment, realizing there was every possibility, whether he stayed or left this place, that he would never see Amber, Cassie, or Elliot again. No, he forced himself to think, Ryder said that in six days they would be at the bridge; they will be at the bridge. They had to be.
The glass cut into his palm, and he felt warm blood flow from his wounds, his fingertips and knuckles dripping crimson but he ignored it, his adrenaline allowing him to not feel the pain of it all. Finally, after tedious work and with heavy breath he felt the bonds release. The feeling was like no other; his weakened arms screamed with relief, his muscles automatically tensing with the soreness he exhibited from their being forced back at an odd angle. He sighed, rolling his head back as he brought his arms around. He took a moment to adjust to this new, yet familiar feeling before he leaned forward and began cutting at the holds keeping his feet together. Everyone in the room remained silent as he did this, the only sound he heard was his own heavy breathing as he sawed away at his binds. Damn near eight days being tied and bound severely affected him and he realized this as the bonds that held his feet fell away and he tried to stand on his own. He was clumsy as he made his way to Shelly, stumbling a little, but it helped that his adrenaline was beginning to rush through his veins.
“This is really happening.” She mumbled breathlessly to him, her breathing coming in heavy pants as Miles sawed at her bonds. The blood from his open wounds dripped onto Shelly’s hands as he released her. She groaned in relief before looking at him in concern. “You’re bleeding.” She stated the obvious, wiping her hands on her jeans as Miles leaned forward and began undoing the confines on her feet.
“
I’m fine.” Her feet were freed and again she shifted and groaned in relief. “Stand up and start working the tension from your muscles. Get ready; when it happens, it will be fast.”
“What are we going to do?” Shelly asked then, rubbing her wrists and standing on unsteady feet. Miles turned and rushed as quietly as he could towards Lacy and Chloe. His mind raced as he tugged and cut at their ties. Brian needed the key, and for that to happen, Justin needed to come in. Miles had to get the jump on him.
“I am going to get Justin in here, get his key, and we are going to run that way.” He paused, pointing in the same direction that Ryder had shown him. Lacy stood and he began working on Chloe’s bonds. “Do what you have to in order to get out of here.”
“Even killing someone?” Chloe asked then on a nervous whisper.
Miles freed her feet and both he and Chloe easily stood. His shoulders tensed. “We told you both what they planned on doing to us and what they have done to us. They won’t hesitate to kill us so we needn’t hesitate to kill them.” This made Chloe and Lacy uneasy and he doubted then that the two had killed much of anyone or anything before. He grimaced and threw his shoulders back, stretching, before turning towards Brian. Brian leveled his gaze at Miles. Miles knew what his friend was asking of him. He was asking him to remember the promise that he had made. Miles nodded and shifted on his haunches. “We are going to get you out of here. It’ll just be a few minutes.” He glanced over his shoulder at the three women moving about and stretching their sore limbs. “We are going to get out of here.”
Brian swallowed. “How are you going to get Justin in here?”
Miles shrugged. “It’ll be easy enough. We will have to move fast; you carry the front, I’ll carry the back.”
“But…”
Miles shushed him by lifting a dismissive hand. “If there is a chance of anyone getting hurt or caught, it’ll be me. No arguments. We will surprise them.” He stated firmly, leaving no room for disagreement. He shifted on his feet before standing and removing his t-shirt. He had a torn, filthy undershirt on beneath it, and he was trying to think of a way to use the only extra weapon that he had. A fucking shirt and a small piece of glass was all that they had. It would have to work…something would have to work.
“How can we know we will get Justin to come in?” Shelly asked, her voice wavering slightly. Miles moved on the balls of his feet and gripped both the shirt and the glass tighter.
Miles looked between them all, watching as they came to a circle beside both him and Brian. “He and Cory are the only ones in the house, so there is a fifty-fifty chance, but considering Ryder is gone, I expect him to take a chance. On the way out of the house, try…” he hesitated, unsure of how to put this without it seeming as if he was a traitor. He cleared his throat. “Try not to kill Cory. Hurt him, knock him out, I don’t care…just…just don’t kill him. He doesn’t deserve it. Also,” he glanced at Shelly and motioned for her to come on the other side of Brian. He nodded at her and they both leaned down, setting the glass and shirt to the side, and they pulled Brian up to his feet and leaned his back against the wall. Shelly immediately wound her arms around his neck, crying and embracing him.
Miles remained silent for a moment as he watched Brian close his eyes and inhale sharply, lowering his cheek to Shelly’s shoulder. Quickly, she pulled back, sobs threatening to come out, and she cupped his face, planting kisses all along his troubled features. He swallowed thickly the emotion that threatened to cascade over him at the scene. He wasn’t sure why she hadn’t immediately run to him; he chalked it up to her uncertainty, or maybe she thought he was in pain, or maybe she was afraid that what was happening wasn’t really happening. Now though, now that she had touched him and he was standing with the help of the wall, she couldn’t hide the relief she felt and she cried for them, for herself, for the others whose lives hung in the throes of uncertainty.
“Shells, I’m alright. It’s okay.” He whispered tenderly to his broken woman, who only returned his gentle fervor with her own touches. Miles glanced at Lacy and Chloe who were watching the scene before them with wide, curious eyes, and he could see the sadness in them. It was obvious then they were realizing the depth of the event that they were about to undergo. Miles cleared his throat of any and all emotion, refusing to wonder how Amber would greet him, refusing to think of the possibility that they may not make it.
“Also,” Miles began once again, leaning down to the floor and grabbing both his t-shirt and the broken piece of glass. “There are about fifteen men outside this place. We will have the element of surprise so when we get out, I want you all to run as fast as you can, alright?” he asked and they all vacantly nodded. Miles glanced at Shelly and Brian, watching as she gently laid her head against his chest and he inhaled deeply, the nervous feeling settling heavier in the pit of his stomach. “Are you all ready to do this?” he asked, his voice rough with underlying emotion. Again, there were vacant nods. He nodded in return, stepping past them and stationing himself on the wall where he had previously been. Slowly, he lowered himself to the position where he had previously been, hands behind his back and feet together in front of him. Slowly, the others followed, Shelly being the last as she kissed Brian gently, until finally, they were all down, aside from Brian, who remained leaning against the wall. His heart pounded against his chest and he sighed. It was time.
“Hey asshole!!” Miles exclaimed as loudly as he could, hoping to get the man’s attention. He gripped the shirt and glass tightly in his hands and Shelly started from his sudden outburst but said nothing. Silence reigned for a minute and Miles could have sworn that he could hear the drumming of their five combined heartbeats. Finally, the long-awaited thundering of heavy footsteps reached their ears and Miles held his breath until the door slammed open. Justin stepped in, a scowl on his face and his eyes scanning the room. Miles smirked. “Amazing.” He said lowly and Justin sneered at him.
“What is?” he asked, a devious glint in his dark eyes. Miles’s own eyes scanned the necklace he kept around his neck and smiled back, showing much more confidence than he felt. His nerves were on edge and he was internally a wreck, but they had to do what they had to do.
“How well you know your name.” he replied sarcastically and for a moment the man stepped forward, hands clenched into fists at his sides as if he were going to hit Miles. He didn’t, however; seeming to think better of it before turning to Brian, who stood on bound feet.
“What are you doing standing?” he asked, turning his back completely to Miles. Miles took this as his chance and quietly began rising to his feet, gripping the shirt and the glass in separate hands so tightly that his fingers began aching. Brian glanced over Justin’s shoulder at Miles who slowly rose to his full height, the stubbornness returning to his eyes and a smirk settling across his face.