Empty Bodies (Book 5): Damnation (33 page)

Many spectators’ faces turned blank, as if they were realizing how shameful they’d become.

Gabriel turned to face the bandstand and look at Ambrose.

“I refuse to become some sort of animal for the benefit of a monster.”

Ambrose’s face soured. His eyes narrowed, and his lips looked thin.

Gabriel walked back over to Chase.

“I will not kill this man. If you want him dead, you will have to come down and do so yourself. And you can take me with him.”

Drawing in a deep breath, Gabriel closed his eyes and waited for the sound of guns blasting around him. Waited for the lead to enter his body. The sound and the pain never came.

Then someone spoke.

“Let him go.” It was the voice of a woman, somewhere off in the crowd.

Someone else, a man, shouted, “Forgive us!”

As one, everyone started a simple chant, started by someone among the vast array of people.

“Let-Them-Live! Let-Them-Live! Let-Them-Live!”

With this, Gabriel opened his eyes. He looked around the crowd, examining the faces. Most in the crowd were looking toward Ambrose. They knew that he was in charge, and that only he could decide whether Gabriel and Chase would live or die. Gabriel awaited Ambrose’s signal.

Ambrose looked down at Gabriel, holding his thousand yard stare as he lifted the two-way radio to his lips.

The guards along the fence lowered their weapons. The gate at the corner of the field swung open, and the armored truck returned to the field. Gabriel backed up, stopping next to Chase.

“What’s happening?” Chase asked.

Gabriel didn’t respond.

The truck stopped five yards away from Gabriel and Chase. The back door opened, and four guards came running around the front of the vehicle. Two of them stopped at Chase.

“What are you doing?” Chase asked.

The two men knelt down, and Chase yelled out. They picked him up, showing little concern for his broken leg. One of the guards even grabbed him by his legs. He screamed.

The other two guards grabbed Gabriel and led him away from the truck. They headed back toward the field-house. And the entire way, Gabriel listened as the crowd clapped and cheered.

The crowd continued to cheer as the guards led Gabriel back to the field-house. He looked back and watched as people in the stands began throwing things onto the field. Guards around the perimeter of the fence shouted into the grandstands, urging the people to calm down. One of Ambrose’s men fired a shot into the air, and the crowd screamed.

Another guard shoved Gabriel through the doors of the field-house and he managed to stay on his feet.

He turned around to face the field, and watched as a guard pointed his rifle into the stands. The doors to the field-house shut just before the gun went off.

Though it was muffled, Gabriel could hear the panic in the crowd outside. More gunshots followed.

A guard shoved Gabriel into the middle of the room.

“You hear what you’ve done, asshole?” the guard said to Gabriel.

Gabriel spit in his face.

The guard reared back his fist and punched Gabriel in the cheek.

Gabriel lunged at him, but the other guard grabbed Gabriel and threw him against a locker. With Gabriel pinned, the guard who Gabriel had spit on walked over and punched Gabriel in the gut. He then spit in Gabriel’s face.

“How’s that taste, bitch?”

He punched Gabriel in the cheek again, landing the punch in the same spot. Gabriel felt the skin split on his cheek and the blood trickling down to his chin. He looked down and watched the first drop hit the ground.

The guard was about to hit him again when the interior door on the other side of the room opened.

Leaning against the locker, just trying to stay on his feet, Gabriel looked to the door.

Ambrose entered the room, bringing with him Lance and Derek.

The two guards moved away from Gabriel and faced Ambrose. When the man let Gabriel go, he nearly fell to the ground. He managed to stay on his feet, though, using the wall of lockers behind him to stay upright.

The guards stood at attention to Ambrose, and he sneered at them, a fire in his eyes.

“What the fuck is this?” Ambrose asked the guards.

“He tried to escape,” the guard who’d been spit on said.

Gabriel laughed. “So now you’re gonna lie to him?”

“Shut the fuck up!” the other guard shouted. He turned around and punched Gabriel in the stomach, again.

Gabriel doubled over, clutching his stomach. He coughed and watched as more blood trickled from his face to the ground. The two shots to the stomach made it difficult for him to breathe. He’d closed his eyes, searching for the strength to stand, when a noise deafened him, and he felt something warm splash onto him. He opened his eyes and watched as the guard who’d just struck him fell onto the ground near him. The top of the man’s head was gone, and blood pooled around it.

When Gabriel stood up, he saw Ambrose aiming a revolver at the other guards. Smoke rose from the barrel.

“You gonna be next?” Ambrose asked the guard.

The man trembled. “N-no, sir.”

Ambrose lowered his weapon, and signaled toward the door.

“Get the fuck out of here,” Ambrose said. “Go outside and help get that crowd in line.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

The guard wiped his face and hurried out of the room. He didn’t look back at Gabriel.

Shaking his head, Ambrose re-holstered his gun and shifted his attention to Gabriel. He leaned in and examined the cut on his cheek. It continued to bleed. Gabriel could feel it streaming down his cheek.

“He opened you up pretty good,” Ambrose said.

“Yeah, your guys don’t mess around.”

Ambrose smiled. “No, they don’t.”

He turned around and nodded at Lance and Derek.

Gabriel’s eyes went wide as the two men approached him. Derek punched him in the ribs, and he fell down this time.

“Get him the fuck up,” Lance said.

Gabriel found himself being lifted to his feet, his arms pinned behind his back. He coughed, opening his eyes to see Lance standing in front of him. A crooked smile stretched across his face.

He turned his Eagles hat backwards.

“I’ve been looking forward to this.”

Lance reared back and came forward. He didn’t have much time to appreciate how hard Lance had hit him because another fist struck him across the cheek just seconds later. Gabriel felt his body go limp, and he wanted to fall down, but Derek wouldn’t allow it. He held him up, leaving Gabriel there like a punching bag. Lance continued his assault.

Eventually, Derek’s arms tired out and he let go of Gabriel, letting his dead weight just fall to the ground.

Half conscious, Gabriel lay on his stomach watching the blood pool around him. Time stood still and his vision was blurry. He could hear the boots moving towards him, but the sound was fuzzy. When his body was lifted up again, he felt as if he was floating.

When he stood this time, he could barely open his eyes. He could hardly see, but he could make out Ambrose standing in front of him.

“I thought we had a deal,” Ambrose said. “I don’t like when people break my deals.”

Gabriel spit blood onto the floor below him. He managed the words, “It’s not like you’re going to live up to your end of the bargain.”

Ambrose smiled and laughed. “Yeah, well, that’s your mistake for not trusting me. Now, you’ve gotta pay for that mistake.”

Gabriel wrapped his tongue around the inside of his mouth, checking for all of his teeth. His tongue was numb, but he could still taste the blood. None of his teeth seemed to be missing.

He wondered if these were his last moments. In a lot of ways, he hoped they would be. He was tired of dragging through this world filled with nothing but death and hatred. If being alive meant spending another minute at this school with these maniacs, then he would welcome death.

“Do what you’ve gotta do,” he said.

Ambrose reached to his waist and Gabriel closed his eyes. Waited for the cold steel to press against his forehead. Waited for an ending.

Instead, he heard static, and Ambrose spoke. “You there?”

Gabriel opened his eyes. Ambrose held a walkie to his mouth.

“I’m here, sir.”

“Bring me the girl. The dark-haired one.”

Jessica
.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Lying on her side with her back facing the door, Jessica couldn’t sleep. She’d tried, but her mind kept racing about where they had taken Claire. She also wondered if anyone would ever come and take her out to watch Gabriel’s fight. She hadn’t been told she was going, but had just figured the people would want her there to see her friend die. Jessica wanted to believe that Gabriel would come back. Had made herself believe it. But deep down, she wasn’t sure. She had seen what had happened to Thomas: how he’d been torn apart by the Empties. Even though Gabriel still had his legs, Jessica knew that Ambrose wouldn’t make it easy for him.

She shot up and looked toward the door when she heard what she thought to be gunshots.

Jessica ran to the door and looked through the small window. A small group of guards ran down the hallway, passing by her room.

“Hey!” she shouted, banging on the door.

The guards ignored her.

“What’s happening?” she mumbled.

When no one passed by again, she sat back down on her bed.

Over the next few minutes, she only heard the gunshots once more. She trembled. All she could do was think of Gabriel and hope that he was all right.

Jessica wasn’t paying attention when the door handle clicked. The door opened and one of Ambrose’s guards entered the room, stopping only a few steps in. A second guard stood behind him, remaining in the hallway and holding the door open.

“Get up,” he said.

“Where are you taking me? To see Gabriel?”

The guard took three more steps toward Jessica. “Ask another question without doing what I say,” he said, threatening her. “Go on.”

Jessica glared at him, but she stood.

The second guard came forward and handed his counterpart a set of handcuffs.

“Up against the wall, back to me,” the guard said. “You know the drill.”

Jessica stood against the wall and waited for the guard to restrain her. He approached, but he stopped when more gunshots rang out. These were continuous. They were louder, and sounded closer.

“What the hell?” the guard in the hall said.

The radio on the nearby guard’s waist came alive.

“Attention, we need all forces to the front of the building, now! We’re being attacked!”

Jessica looked back over her shoulder and saw the guards looking at each other.

“Do we still bring Ambrose the girl?” the guard in the hall asked.

The other guard shook his head. “I’m not sure.” He brought the radio to his lips. “What of the girl? Over.”

More gunshots fired off outside, and no one replied over the radio.

“Fuck this,” the guard said. “We can come back for her.”

He hurried out of the room and the other guard let go of the door. They ran down the hall.

Jessica’s eyes went wide as the door closed slowly.

She ran for it, diving across the floor.

Jessica caught the door just before it closed all the way.

She stood up, looking back and forth down the hallway. It was clear; she was free.

With gunshots continuing outside, she went to look for Claire.

***

When Gabriel’s eyes fluttered open, he was on the floor with his back against a wall. He couldn’t recall passing out, and his vision was still fuzzy when he looked up.

All three men in the room had their backs turned to Gabriel. Ambrose shouted commands into his walkie talkie while Lance and Derek stood nearby, awaiting their boss’s word. The gunshots continued outside.

Lance looked back, and Gabriel had enough sense to close his eyes again.