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“What now?” I ask, hoping like hell Ranger and his men get here soon. I can’t fucking do this. I can’t stab this girl.
“You raise the knife and offer the gods your sacrifice. You will do so for each one of them,” he nods toward the other girls. I take a long look at them before looking back at the one on the table when my father nudges me. I step forward and raise the goddamn knife in my hands. I feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest. I can’t do it. I’m not going to do it. My father steps closer to me, nudging me a little more. I look over at him, and he nods his head. Then I look back at the girl, keeping my father in my line of sight.
I raise the knife higher and hold it directly over her chest. Then, I move quickly and slam the knife into my father’s chest. Everything else happens so quickly. I hear men screaming and people rushing toward us. There are sounds of things exploding, but my focus is on Sage. I run down the line, grabbing another knife as I go. When I reach her, I rip the cover off her face and cut the binds from her wrists.
“Sage?” She looks at me, but she isn’t there. They drugged them. They fucking drugged them, and that’s why they aren’t doing anything. I glance around to see men in army gear grabbing girls. I slip my arm around Sage and force her to move with me. She stumbles a little, but I keep us moving toward where Ranger said to meet him. I move as quickly as possible when I see him. Ranger steps out of a Jeep parked along the concrete fence.
“They drugged them,” I yell at him.
“Figured as much,” he says as he pulls the back door open and ushers us in. I don’t want to go, I’m torn. I know this is what we planned on doing, but I want to go back and end those motherfuckers.
“I need to make sure he’s dead,” I tell him. Ranger shakes his head as I get Sage settled in the car.
“We don’t have time.”
“Ranger, I need to do this.” He sees the look in my eyes when he nods his head. I lean in and press my lips to the side of Sage’s head before turning and running back. I see Ranger’s men taking care of the others. A few glance over at me and then turn back to what they’re doing. I rush over to where I left my father on the ground. I see him moving around, and as I approach, he looks up at me.
“Help me, Ares.”
“Help you? No. I want to watch you die,” I tell him. He shakes his head like I’m wrong.
“You can’t do this.”
“It’s already done. You should have never touched her. You should have let me have her, Father, and then maybe this shit would have gone on. I … I don’t fucking know. Maybe I would have said no, maybe I would have said yes.” I reach for the knife in his chest and pull it free. I know I don’t have much time left. I know Ranger’s men have this place wired to blow. I swallow hard as I raise the knife and watch the look in my father’s eyes. He’s afraid. Something I’ve never seen in him before.
I keep looking into his eyes when I slam the knife into his chest. I pull it free and do it again. Over and over. I keep slamming the damn thing into him as if that’s going to make a difference. I don’t stop either, not until I feel hands on my shoulders. I whip around and fall to my ass to see Ranger standing there.
“Come on, Ares.” His tone is low and full of comfort. It's not something I’ve heard before. I don’t know what that means. Is he helping me?
“Why?”
“Ares, come on. He’s dead.”
“I need to make sure,” I tell him with a growl.
“Look at him!” I turn my head and look over at my father. His body lies there motionless, his chest torn to pieces. I did that. I killed him. Ranger comes closer and helps me off the ground. I stand and look down one last time.
“Sage needs you,” he says. Sage. My little lamb. She does need me. I need her. In all this fucked up darkness, I need her. I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t know how to change it. I’m in too deep, and there’s no way out of this.
“Just take her,” I tell him.
“Not without you.”
“Don’t you get it, Ranger? I’m too far gone! I’m too fucked up!” I roar at him, shoving him away from me.
“No, you’re not. You can beat this, Ares. You and her. You can get through this, and she’s going to need you to do that!”
“She doesn’t need me. She just thinks she does. I’m stuck, Ranger. It doesn’t matter if you blow this place to hell. I’m still stuck here!”
“It doesn’t have to be that way, Ares. Come on. Just come with me,” he pleads. I shake my head. I can’t do it. There’s no fucking way. I’m too far gone to be good for her. I’ll only hurt her more. I’ll tear her apart, and it's all because of the bastard at my feet.
“Take care of her, Ranger.” With that, I shove away from him and take off running. I hear him calling out to me, yelling for me. I ignore his pleas and keep going. His men are all headed for the exits, the spots in the fence they’ve blown up. Houses begin to blow and crumble. I hear the explosions one by one. And one by one, they all fall down.
I keep running until I get to the front gate, and then I run out. I don’t know where the fuck I’m going or what I’m going to do. I just … run.
29
Ichecked into a shit hotel after everything happened. I’m still here six weeks later. My heart sits heavily in my chest. Some days, it doesn’t even feel like it’s beating.
