Sinners 01 - Branded (40 page)

It’s my stepfather.

Dark memories resurface as I stand, grabbing the gun and slowly pointing it at him.
His expression, smirking and arrogant, hasn’t changed. Even as he stares death in
the face, he smiles. He raises his hands in front of him.

“Now, this—just became very interesting.”

I glare at him, tightly clenching the gun. A battle wages in my mind—kill him or let
someone else take care of him. Every muscle in my body wants to be the one to punish
him. Thoughts of the revolution flee as I focus on the pain he inflicted upon me and
my family.

“You’re sick.” My hands and voice quiver with rage as I stare down the monster. “I
get it. I get all of it. The Hole is just your life-sized closet that
you
think
you can control.” In the moment of decision, I teeter on uncertainty for a second
too long.

He turns, hopping over a desk and toppling some equipment. He almost makes it out
but slams into Cole in the doorway. Both of them recoil into heaps on the floor.

“Get him!” I scream.

Cole, unfazed, punches him several times. My stepfather returns the favor, and I run,
tripping to where they wrestle.

Holding the gun, I aim for my stepfather, but they roll back and forth, trading positions
of dominance. I don’t want to hurt Cole, but as they exchange punches, a flicker of
light catches my eye. My stepfather pulls a knife out of his boot, giving me no other
option.

I pull the stiff trigger, hitting him in the shoulder, and his blade clatters across
the floor. Cole grabs it, stands, and kicks him in the stomach.

“Again! Now! Lexi, shoot him, damn it!” he shouts.

Still holding my gun, I shake my head.

“Shoot him!” Cole yells at the top of his lungs.

The commander backs himself into the wall, looking defeated and holding his gushing
shoulder.

I’ve waited years to see him like this. He took everything away from me. He’s taken
so much away from so many others.
But I won’t sink to his level.

I glare into his eyes. “You’ll get what you deserve. I’ve had enough of your filth
on me and I don’t want your blood on my hands,” I say. “My father was twice the man
you’ll ever be, but one day justice will be served and the lethal liquid will run
through your veins. The best part? You won’t see my father because you’re going to
hell.”

His breaths are raspy, his hands stained crimson.

I see fear in his eyes for the first time. And it satisfies me.

Just then, Bruno and his team bound into the room. Their faces are clouded with dust,
smelling like sweat and lead. Half of them attend to Sutton and Keegan, promptly evacuating
Sutton, and the rest surround my stepfather, the commander.

“Lexi, get out of here. We’ll take it from here,” Bruno says.

But I stayed glued in place as Cole lowers my gun for me. “That bastard. He’s mine.”
He pries the gun from my fingers and holds it steady, aiming it directly at my stepfather’s
head. “I’ve waited a long time for this moment and now it’s finally here. Now tell
me. What’s it feel like knowing you’re about to die?”

My stepfather arches his eyebrow, giving Cole a look of disgust and scorn. “I’m not
sure we’ve ever met, but it seems as if you’ve forgotten your duty.”

“Oh I know my duty all right.” Cole’s eyes flash with dark fury. “My duty is to protect
those who can’t protect themselves. Something you know nothing about.” Cole moves
closer to him. “See, your form of torture—it’s all about control and trying to break
people of their sanity. All the while, you’re the one who’s insane. I know what you
did to her, and I’m going to make sure you can never hurt Lexi again. Ever. I made
a promise to her—I promised I would kill the sick bastard who did those things to
her. And it just so happens… it’s you.”

My stepfather’s face blanches with the loss of blood. He cackles at Cole as he leans
against the wall and holds his shoulder where the red liquid flows from his wound
down to his forearm and
drip, drip, drips
onto the floor.

“Go ahead. Shoot me. Just make sure you watch your back. My men will avenge me. And
that’s a promise.” His breaths sound ragged between words and yet he still manages
to scoff at Cole.
At me.

“Don’t,” I say, putting my hand on Cole’s tensed arm. “He’s not worth it. He can’t
hurt me anymore.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” my stepfather says with his wicked smile. “I’ll always
be in your nightmares.”

With those words, Cole fires the gun.

My stepfather’s body jerks with the dull thud of the bullet entering his forehead.
Blood and brain spatter the wall behind him, immediately making me feel nauseous.
His heavy body crumples to the floor, lifeless at our feet. Everyone stares in shock,
unable to tear their eyes away from the once great commander who now lies in a pitiful
lump, bleeding out like an animal.

Cole hands the gun to Bruno and holds out his wrists for him. “Want to arrest me?”

“Dude.” Bruno shakes his head, looking amused. “You should’ve shot him in the balls
first.”

The others break from their trance and tiptoe around the body. The blood pools around
his head in a puddle. Even in his death, they’re afraid to touch him. Afraid he’ll
pop up and execute them on the spot for their insurrection.

Cole’s eyes meet mine and I crumble inside. When we embrace, I feel his body shaking.

“How’d you know it was him?” I ask in a quieter voice.

“Babe, all it took was one look at your face and I knew. I saw the pain in your eyes.
I felt the hatred.” His hand cups my chin and he kisses my forehead. “I couldn’t bear
the thought of him ever hurting you again. Ever.”

“Thank you!”

He squeezes me tightly, almost crushing my ribcage with his strength. I stand with
my arms limp, so overwhelmed that nothing comes out—just relishing the comfort of
his arms. My legs ache from the bruises and cuts. My hands shake.

I can’t cry, but I can’t rejoice either. I’ve lost so much. Too much.

The man who haunted my every dream lies dead on a filthy floor. I’ll never see his
face again but in my dreams. Never have to fear the sound of his voice or the way
his eyes could throw daggers into my heart. I can breathe again without fear of him
shutting me in a closet or terrorizing everyone I love. But the high price paid for
his death reminds me of Keegan.

“Tell me Keegan’s alive.”

Cole puts his hands on his head, averting his eyes, and says, “I don’t know.”

I push against him and run to where I last saw Keegan. Bruno’s men surround him. His
blood washes over their fingers as they put pressure on his wound. His ashen face
is drawn tight and his lips are almost white, yet his eyes are aware and full of uncertainty.
He gasps for air as I kneel next to him.

“Oh my God, Keegan.” I clasp his hand and lean over his face, meeting his blue eyes.
“Just hang in there. Help will be here soon.”

“Stay with me,” he manages to choke out before blood fills his mouth. He begins coughing
uncontrollably and gasps for breath.

“Why aren’t you doing anything?” I scream. “Help him!” I grab the closest man’s shirt
and plead. “Please.”

Cole wraps his arm around my shoulder, and with tears in his eyes, he says, “Just
talk to him, Lexi. There’s nothing they can do. Be strong for him.”

I compose myself, even as tears stream over my cheekbones and my body shakes. I put
his head in my lap as his eyes rest on mine. “I’m so sorry.”

He gurgles, shifts uncomfortably, and gathers his strength. “Live for me… I love you.”
His chest falls, and he coughs violently. The crimson blood drips from the corners
of his mouth.

My insides panic, and my heart feels like it’s collapsing in on itself. “I promise.
I love you too, Keegan. I’ll keep fighting for the both of us.”

He takes one last breath before his whole body goes limp and his eyes give a blank
stare. I feel his spirit, once lively and determined, drift away. I begin sobbing.
“Damn it, why him? Why now? I wasn’t ready to lose him.”

The other men step back a moment, giving me some privacy. I feel like a piece of myself
was ripped out of my chest. Another part of me is dead.

“Cole, we gotta go.” A voice interrupts the moment and I glance at Cole’s face. He
gives me a look of regret and stands, holding out his arms for me.

I close Keegan’s eyes and kiss his forehead one last time as my tears drip onto his
pale face. Then I reach up and fall into Cole’s arms.

Bruno and the others heft Keegan’s body up and I watch, feeling numb, as they carry
him out.

Cole rests his chin on my head. “We have to leave. The revolt failed to liberate the
Hole.”

My hopes crash violently to the floor.
We failed.
I’m suddenly exhausted, and my knees give way. Cole catches me under the arms and
lifts me up, carrying me out of the control room. My last view is of my stepfather’s
lifeless form, bleeding out next to the doorway.

Cole breathes hard as he carries me down the steep staircase and back into the hall
where Keegan and I walked only minutes ago. I see bodies stretched out everywhere,
lying in unnatural positions. Heat rushes up my back and straight to my head, making
me woozy. I press my face to his chest and close my eyes. I feel him lifting his legs
as he steps over the bodies, and I hear his boots squeal on the floor, slick from
blood.

“We’re almost out. Just a little farther, okay?” he says.

I can’t bring myself to respond. My head lies against his chest and my hands cling
to him like a life preserver. All strength has been sapped from my body. I’m leaving
without Keegan. But at least I didn’t let my stepfather get the best of me.
At least I wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger.

“Crap, they’re coming.” Cole runs with me in his arms like he has so many times before.
His jaw clenches and unclenches, but his grip on me never fails. We move farther down
with each staircase and hallway that we take. Cole slams us through the last doorway
into the blinding sun.

The evidence of war is all over—chunks of walls missing, bodies and parts strewn across
our path, damaged valuables, and the mass exodus of people the closer we get to the
gate. Their hurried strides and panicked voices bring me back to myself. I look around.
Everyone runs in one direction.

Out.

The heavy gate of the Hole appears to the right. To my astonishment, it’s blown open.
Crowds run, shove, and trip their way into freedom. But no one rejoices. Families
with children and branded sinners shove their way through into the blast of sunlight
and hot air. The constant exchange of gunfire in the distance reminds me that some
teams are still fighting. Thick black smoke forms a mushroom cloud that hovers somewhere
near the hospital.

Cole fights against the tide of traffic, his head on a swivel like he’s looking for
something. He steps over the high-speed railroad tracks.
No one is going to work today
.

A black SUV halts with a screech in front of us and startles me. The door swings open
and Bruno sits in the driver’s seat, screaming at us.

“Quick! Get in! Get in!”

Cole opens the back door, shoves me inside, and then jumps in the front. Zeus meets
me in the back seat, licking my face with delight and whipping me with his tail. I
hug him close and begin to cry.

“Zeus! Oh my goodness, Zeus! You’re alive!”

Our reunion isn’t sweet for long though as people try to jump onto the vehicle. Their
fists pound on the windows, their faces laced with fear and anger. They beg for a
ride, but Bruno doesn’t stop.

“Sutton—what about Sutton?” I ask.

“He’s in another vehicle,” Bruno says.

“What the hell happened out there?” Cole says.

“I don’t know, man. I’ve never seen so much blood. A lot of people died today. Only
a few of us got out,”

“I know,” Cole says.

“Wilson was slaughtering left and right, and when we got within shooting range, all
of a sudden—he vanished. Just completely disappeared!”

“How could he just disappear?”

“We think he’s at the lab, but we don’t have the time or the manpower to go after
him,” Bruno says as he makes another turn. His hands grip the wheel and his knuckles
bleed from combat.

Cole slams his head back against the headrest. “Damn it, you’re right.”

“I was hoping we’d at least get the safe groups out,” Bruno says.

“What safe groups?” I ask.

“The safe groups were pre-selected sinners that Sutton rounded up. Could you imagine
if the entire Hole got out?”

“No,” Cole says. “Let’s just get the hell out of here.”

Bruno continues. “If we manage to stay alive long enough, our next mission is trying
to figure out a way to free—”

“Bruno!” Cole says. “Let’s just get the hell out of here!”

“Roger that!”

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“Somewhere safe,” Bruno says.

“Like there is such a thing,” Cole says.

I lean my head against the window and exhale. We’re almost safe. We’re out of the
hellhole and Cole’s with me. I feel relieved, but it is bittersweet. My stepfather’s
dead, along with my brother. I have now lost everyone in my family. I only have who
is in this vehicle with me, and Sutton. I look at Cole. I see his face, covered with
dirt, smeared with sweat and blood, and am thankful he can share this with me. This
burden. These memories. The rest of the world might be upside down and inside out,
but Cole’s mine forever.

Cole’s eyes don’t leave my face and I know he’s worried about me, but I’m glad he
won’t ask me to talk about it. He knows in time—I will.

I regret that I can’t go back and grab Alyssa’s book from my bunk. I can’t rewind
time and tell Keegan that I love him even though I disagreed with some of his decisions.
I can’t change the outcome of the operation. I can’t save my father’s last letter
to me, but at least I have his words written on my heart. At least, I know I made
the right decision to fight. Because I still believe in justice for all.