Page 107 of Lay Me Down
Unholy!
Her eyes widen as if she sees what I thought. The monster she’s unleashed has now turned on her.
Unworthy!
The room feels hot, and her skin color only deepens as I continue to clench tighter.
Dishonorable!
Murderer!
FAILURE!
With a fierce twitch, I snap her neck. The cracks rings out across the room, and her head falls limply to the side. Breaths flee from my lungs as I hold her there to show as an offering. Her body is ripped from my grasp as nothing but black whooshes in front of my vision. Men pour into the room, but I still feel nothing.
My monster lashes out in an uncontrollable storm, and it’s as if I’m watching from afar. He delivers hit, after hit, after hit—mowing down anyone who dares to cross his path. I can feel the crushing bone beneath my knuckles and my muscles strain, but I am no longer at the reins. The room spins, and my mind returns to my sight. Darkness strobes at the edges of my vision, and the bodies continue to come forward. I fight and lash out until one single movement brings me to a halt.
Saconne runs out of the room.
Like a fucking coward, he scurries away, and I roar in defiance.
Just as I go to move after him, Quattro jumps into my frame. He throws out his fist, and I meet it halfway. Our knuckles meet in the air, and I use all of my momentum to take him to the wall. My body explodes in pain as I ram him into the stones, but it’s quickly pushed out. He manages to shove me away and pulls his pistol free. There’s no warning anymore. I’m not afraid to die. The voices still demand Saconne’s head, but they also call to an end. They call for my wife.
Before I can lunge again, a gunshot explodes to my right. My gaze snaps over to it, and I see Cinque aiming his pistol in my direction. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see Quatro drop to his knees to my left and then fall to the floor motionless.
My chest heaves, struggling to breathe. Cinque looks at me, and his stare is no longer blank. It’s full of remorse. Fear. Anger. I barely make out Victoria’s form cowering in the corner and the bodies on the floor. I’m now standing in a graveyard. My monster lies just beneath the surface, waiting for a command,and the voices hush to a whisper—knowing my reluctance to finish this.
End him…
Unworthy…
Unholy…
I kneel down and grab Quattro’s pistol before aiming it at Cinque. He holds his position for a moment, like he’s not sure what to do, but then he drops his gun. It clatters to the floor in something that’s not defeat. I watch his entire stance relax, almost as if his own voices have silenced themselves. He’s free. The years of pain have come to a close for him, but I don’t feel the same relief as he does.
For him, it’s stopped. He knows this is the end of the line for him, and he welcomes it. A part of me wants to believe that there could be something better for him, but that’s exactly why he has a number. There isnothingelse for him. The person he was before his time here is long gone and buried. There is no true escape for him other than death. I almost feel sorry for him.
He closes his eyes and allows his head to fall backward. Then, he holds his arms straight out from his sides. His hands turn so his palms are facing the ceiling, as if he’s accepting his fate—like he’s grateful. He’s praying to a God that has long forgotten him. This world has not shown him an ounce of divinity. Yet, he continues to search for it. He’s looking for even a trace of salvation, when we both know he won’t find any in the afterlife. A glimpse of a tear graces his face, and without any further hesitation, I pull the trigger. He falls back flatly, stiff as a board, and once he hits the ground harshly, there’s no movement from him again.
The silence seeps in. It’s not as cold anymore. My monster’s heat still radiates around me, but it’s starting to cool off.
Damien…
I hear her now…
Did I do enough? Will she accept my offering? Am I worthy of a word in her presence? I stare at the pistol in my hand, knowing what needs to be done. I’ll never be able to feel her touch as long as we’re on different planes of existence. I can give her one last gift—one last sacrifice to ensure our eternity together.
“Damien…” Victoria shakily calls. She trembles as she crawls along the floor towards me. “Damien, please. Don’t do this. Your wife wouldn’t want you to do this. Please…”
I stare at her with a clenched jaw. She doesn’t know what Ashia would want. Our life together is what she wanted. She craved the safe spaces I provided for her. She needed the strength that I only conjured for her. Even in death, my wife would want me beside her. Right now, she’s alone… She doesn’t like to be alone…
“My wife needs me…” I pick up my heavy hand and hold the gun to my head.
“NO!”
“DAMIEN?!” A different voice yells.
Pain radiates from my limb, and the rest of my strength vanishes. My arm falls to my side as I collapse into the void.
