“Get away from him, you jerk!” Alistair shot out another battle orb that crackled so powerfully my hair stood up.
“C— Charlie!” Thaddeus rasped.
Someone had Thaddeus against the wall. My rage instantly turned to something darker,muchmore sinister. I didn’t even have a word for it. Thaddeus was tangled up in this mess because of me. I wouldn’t let him go out like this.
I grabbed the guy and yanked him off of Thaddeus. My super strength was multiplied by my rage, and the guy landed on the floor next to Deuce. I held my hands up and forced the air around him to contract. I did as I’d done in the Games to Kyle— pulled the air tighter and tighter around him until I felt his windpipe crush. This time, I made no mistakes. I sealed that fucker off tighter than the Warden sealed us into this prison. He struggled and tried wheezing for air, but no sound came out.
“Charlie!” I heard Ava’s cry somewhere in the distance. She mustn't have let Kallie take her far. I couldn’t make sense of her voice, though. Even Ava couldn’t stop me now.
Charlie, the guards are coming, Oberi warned. She broke through enough that I dropped my magic and took a step back. The click of noxite darts filled the hall a moment later.
“Let’s get out of here!” Kyle shouted to his friend, and they scurried away.
“Wait for me…” Deuce groaned, but his voice trailed off.
Okay, not dead. On the edge of consciousness for sure, though. And his buddy? Didn’t even try to breathe. He was gone for certain.
Thaddeus grabbed my arm as I backed away from the two men lying slumped in the middle of the hall. “Charlie, what did youdo?” he hissed.
“What he had to,” Marcus said simply.
“Everyone on the ground!” a guard shouted. They’d been preoccupied with another fight, but they were back now and hungry for blood.
“All right, all right!” Alistair yelled as Pig hissed. “You can get the barrel out of my back now. I’m getting on the ground.”
I lifted my hands in surrender and lowered myself to the floor.
“Speak up,” a guard snarled. “What happened here?”
Fabric rustled as a guard knelt beside Deuce and his buddy. “Dead, sir.”
I should’ve felt guilty. I had, after all, just taken a life.
But these guys had gone after my friends. I didn’t feel a goddamn thing but victory.
“It was the vamp,” I said coldly. “He jumped us while we were heading to class.”
I exposed my neck to show evidence of the blood trickling down my collarbone. “He bit me, then choked the other guy out.”
“Is this true?” a guard asked.
“Y— yes,” Thaddeus stammered.
“Every word,” Marcus lied in an even tone. He didn’t seem fazed by the whole thing, either. I couldn’t say the same about Thaddeus, though. I couldn’t be sure he hadn’t pissed his pants.
“Cuff him,” a guard said. “Take the vamp down to Cellblock 9. The rest of you, get to class!”
Deuce must’ve slipped off into unconsciousness, because there were no arguments, no protests. I heard the sound of metal clink, and then… we just walked out of there.
It was so easy.
“Good thing I can’t see, because my eye will be swollen for a month,” Alistair said. “Not sure about my arm, though. Think it’s broken?”
“Think?” Thaddeus balked. “Alistair, your arm is folded in half! I’m taking you to the infirmary immediately.”
“Come to think of it, it does hurt a bit…” Alistair trailed off. Athudsounded as he slumped to the ground.
“Fuck,” Marcus grumbled.
