Page 23 of Lay Me Down
Some of their eyes are missing, and I can faintly see that Jeremy’s tongue was cut out. There are cuts on the bottoms of their feet, and gashes all over their bodies. Burn marks and bruises riddle their discolored skin, and even though what’s left of their faces is contorted, I can see the fear they felt in their last moments. I know I shouldn’t look at or study every detail, but I can’t help it. They were my responsibility. My men. And I failed them again.
This was a set up. There was never a meeting or even a chance to get to Hugo tonight, and now three of my men are dead—a senseless death that I should’ve seen coming. The moment things got too deep, I should’ve fucking pulled them—gotten over my selfish need for revenge and kept them safe.
“D?” Alex calls, and I tear myself away to look in his direction, but he’s gesturing to the floor in the middle, where the light shines differently on the concrete. I step forward, determined to know what it is. The men have obviously been dead for at least a week, and weren’t killed here, so I doubt that it’s blood, but the rest of the floor is clean. So, this has to be something that was left intentionally.
Some of the men in my group step behind me, obviously ready to cover if necessary, but I have a feeling I won’t be needing it. This was all a decoy, a demonstration of power that I was stupid enough to fall for.
As I get close enough, and the floor comes into view, my blood instantly boils with the taunt spray-painted on to the floor.
‘I fucking killed them,’ it reads.
“Fuck!” My voice bounces off the walls, and I throw my hands out and grab the closest thing to me—a rusted, old chairthat actually holds some weight, but not enough to stop the emotional charge ripping through me. I throw it across the room as I roar, barely able to contain my despair and rage as I search for some type of outlet. The only thing I can think is that I deserve this—this pain, this agony, and the guilt that’s attached to it—as I look back up.
Staring straight up towards their bodies, I crumble into the remorse and grief for my men, who were clearly tortured and suffered for their treachery. While Darren and Jeremy are on full display, their missing limbs a clear sign of the brutality they suffered, Bradley is the only one still clothed, and that grabs my attention. I examine that for a moment, wondering why he would’ve left one clothed and not the others. He was the more trusted by Dust out of the moles, but I would think that would be cause for more humiliation, not less.
His rope looks different than the other two’s as well. Thicker, and intertwined, almost as if there’s two of them. I follow the trail from the joists above and run along the material until I see that only he is anchored by a nearby crate, while the other two are strung up from the metal bars above them.
When I look back to make sense of it, that’s when I see the blinking red dot, just under the jacket Bradley is wearing. My body runs cold, and now I understand the setup. The chaos that, from the erratic blinking, is about to unfold.
“EVERYBODY OUT!”
“D?” I flinch as Zeke’s voice pulls me out my daze. “Are you good?” he asks, and I have to shut my eyes for a moment. This is the first time I’ve put on one of these tactical suits since that night, and it’s hitting me harder than I expected. A ringing in my ears whispers faintly so I can barely hear it. Pieces of that night still try to creep their way in, but I shake my head to fend them off. I take a deep breath next as I gather my bearings and tighten the band to my chest plate.
“Yeah. I’m fine. What’s up?” My words come out short and clipped, and I don’t bother looking up at him. I know exactly what he’s here to say, and he still isn’t going to like my answer.
“Listen, I know things have been crazy lately, and I know I’m partially to blame for it. I made a mistake, and I understand keeping me out of the loop, but—”
“Zeke, you’re not going out tonight,” I interrupt, probably a little more harshly than I should, but I can’t control the bad feeling slithering its way through my body. All I can think of are the bodies of my men hanging from the ceiling, and how my wife found Zeke just a week ago. It’s not the same, but I just can’t trust that he’ll be okay if he comes out with us. “I’m sorry, but I won’t put you at risk.”
“Come on, D. I’m always with you on these things. I’m just supposed to sit back and let these mother fuckers run beside you instead?”
“Yes. You are.” I finally look over at him. His cheeks are flushed red, and while I see the fire in his eyes, I still see the bruises on his neck. I’ve never been on one of these missions without him—not something this big. It feels wrong, like I’m missing a limb, but I have to adjust for his sake.
“I can’t protect you or anyone else if I’m sitting here on my ass! What if something happens to one of you?!”
“What if something happens toyou?!” I ask a little louder, trying to get him to understand.
“Nothing is going to happen to me, D! We stick together! That’s how this works! What happens if he gets away?!” That makes me snap.We stick together? Where the fuck was that a week ago?
“He’s not going to get away!” I yell back. “I won’t let that happen, but you know what else I have to watch? You! I can’t trust that you won’t step out in front of a bullet, or God forbid if you get hurt unintentionally because you’re not thinkingstraight! I want you out there with me, Zeke! There’s only a few of you that I trust completely, but I won’t risk your life either! You are one of my best friends, God damnit! My fucking family! So, this is done! You’re benched! Go watch in the conference room with Ashia and Carter!”
He clenches his jaw and as his hand swings back, I think he’ll actually launch it at me. I don’t want to fight him, but maybe I should let him get a few hits in to get some aggression out. As I stand straighter, trying to brace myself for the punch, he swiftly turns and smacks the locker next to me instead. His stomps echo through the locker room as he leaves, and I can’t help but slam my locker shut in frustration.
I hate this. All of this. The weight of my past decisions falls from the sky and lands right on my back. The men we’ve lost, the friends, the family—it all races to the surface of my mind, and the toll is brutal. I know he’s hurting, and I know he wants to get back at Popov and the rest of them like I do, but I just can’t let him. His name can’t be added to the list of those we memorialize. We can’t lose anyone else.
We’ve already buried so many of our men—our friends. What do I have to show for it? Yes, Hugo is dead, but it’s not enough. The other pieces of this fucked up puzzle continue to walk the streets and wreak havoc in the spaces they invade. They’ll keep taking lives until they’re stopped, and I want to be the one that delivers their deaths. I won’t stop until they’re no longer a threat.
Popov is the key to the rest of them. He’s a part of this mess, and while he may not be a crucial component, he knows how to find the others: Saconne and DeLuca, two vile beings who thrive off the destruction of others. The ghosts. The ones that somehow vanished into thin air and continue to evade me. They’re the last obstacle before I make it to the finish line.
Senator John Avery.
The mastermind behind it all. He’s the playmaker that started what is perhaps the most in-depth corruption the world has seen in centuries. He’s a man who orchestrated the deaths and downfalls of the people he serves just to get on top. His pharmaceutical company makes millions and is one of the largest faces of evolutionary medicine, only to also be one of the most fraudulent. He used it to mass produce a poison disguised as a drug, and then released it onto the citizens, killing hundreds.
Worst of all, he used my wife as a guinea pig. They poisoned our home to test its effectiveness. They took her to try and force me to do their bidding. It’s clear that nothing is beneath them, and the world won’t be protected until they’re dead. My family won’t be safe. It’s my duty as a husband and a father to provide the safest environment possible, and that’s exactly what I’ll do. If this world isn’t secure enough for my family, then it’s not sound for anyone.
This has to end, and it starts tonight.
“Damien, do you have a minute?” Satori breaks my concentration, and I shake the manic tingling away. On any other mission, I might let my inner demons run wild, but I can’t do that tonight. I need to choose carefully when to unleash it, and now is not the time.
