Episode 11
1227 Words
As Marco drove his black Mercedes through the gates, my breath caught.
I was back.
Back to the place that had haunted my dreams for weeks.
I pushed away the suffocating feeling threatening to swallow me whole.
There were more guards now. A lot more. And the weapons they carried looked just as intimidating as I remembered.
Every man we passed lowered his head respectfully as Marco drove by.
Marco hadn’t said a word since we got into the car. His hands stayed tight on the steering wheel. I could only imagine what was going through his mind.
We finally stopped in front of a small, old building at the edge of the compound.
Marco tossed a mask onto my lap.
“Wear it.”
I looked at him.
“I don’t know how many traitors are hiding here. I’m not putting you at risk.” Before I could respond, he got out.
I quickly put on the mask and followed.
Two men standing at the entrance moved to stop me.
“Let her pass,” Marco said.
They immediately stepped aside.
The moment we entered, the smell of oil and smoke hit me.
I coughed and waved a hand in front of my face.
When my eyes adjusted, I froze.
Cole was tied to a wooden chair.
His face was bruised and swollen. His clothes were stained, and he looked nothing like the confident man I had seen earlier that morning.
For a second, I almost didn’t recognize him.
My stomach twisted.
Marco stood beside him.
“What is the first rule of the Rave?” he asked quietly.
Cole lowered his head.
“I asked a question.”
“Loyalty,” Cole managed to say. “Never betray the Rave.”
Marco laughed.
“Good. So you did know.”
He dragged a chair forward and sat across from him.
“Why are you working for the Blackwoods?”
Cole didn’t answer.
Marco leaned forward. “Why did you get your brothers killed?”
My chest tightened.
Cole’s eyes were filled with tears, “I didn’t know they would die.”
“It was only supposed to be information,” Cole continued. “I needed money.”
“Money?” Marco shot to his feet.
“Six men died because of your information.” His voice echoed through the room.
“They trusted you.”
Tears blurred my vision.
All I could think about was Landon.
How betrayed he must have felt and how painful it must have been to realize someone he trusted had sold him out.
“My mother was sick,” Cole cried.
“I needed help.”
Marco shook his head. “No.”
His voice became calm again.
“That’s an excuse.”
He pointed at himself, “You could have come to me.”
Cole looked away.
“All you had to do was ask.”
Silence filled the room.
Then Marco spoke again, “But you chose the easy path.”
His eyes turned cold.
“And every shortcut has a price.”
I couldn’t listen anymore.
I had so many questions for him, but I wasn’t stable enough to form words.
I shut my eyes, tears falling uncontrollably as I heard him take his last breath.
My knee finally lost its last strength, bringing me to the floor. My body vibrated, my stomach twisted.
It felt like loosing Landon all over again.
“Hang his body outside. Let everyone be reminded that Betrayal is only punishable by death. Loyalty! Is the f*****g first rule.” Marco roared as two men dragged Cole’s body outside. I couldn’t even look.
When I finally looked up, Marco was standing in front of me.
His anger was gone and he gently helped me to my feet.
“It’s okay.”
I didn’t answer because nothing felt okay.
I left shortly afterward.
I went home first, but kept turning and turning without finding sleep.
I grabbed my bag by midnight, and headed to a popular bar nearby.
I’m not an alcoholic, but I just resolve to it when life feels like s**t. Just like tonight.
One drink became two. Then two became four.
Before I knew it, my vision was starting to blur.
The music pounded through the room while people laughed, danced, and flirted around me.
I needed the bathroom and tried asking for directions, but nobody seemed interested.
Eventually, I spotted a hallway. A large door stood at the end.
“Bathroom,” I mumbled confidently.
I stumbled into the door and found myself in a different room.
There was a couch, a fat man with ugly tattoos smoked a fat cigarette.
I would’ve apologized and turned back, but there was a lady kneeling at his front in tears, her dress partly torn.
The scene angered me.
“Who the f**k are you?” He blew another round of smoke into the air.
“Let the lady go.” The volume of my voice even surprised me. Or was it the influence of alcohol?
He frowned, “You can get out, or be my guest.”
He grabbed the girl by the neck and she struggled for air.
“I said let her go.” Without thinking, I rushed towards him and sent a strong punch to his eye.
“f**k!” He winced in pain and I quickly grabbed the girl.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” I grabbed the woman.
For one second, I thought we would escape.
Then the man shouted, “Hey! Come out you fools!”
Two men dressed in suit sprawled out of a door i didn’t notice before.
Before I could react, the woman pulled away from me and ran.
“Wait!”
She disappeared through the door.
Traitor.
One of the men grabbed me and threw me backward like a piece of cloth. Pain shot through my arm as I slammed into the wall.
“You stupid b***h!” The tattooed man walked towards me.
He grabbed my hair and I immediately regretted every decision that had brought me here.
I should have minded my business.
I should have stayed home.
I should have gone to sleep.
“Let me go, you fat ugly animal!” I tried to get away from his grip.
Apparently, I was still making bad decisions.
His eyes narrowed and he sent a hard slap across my face. I fell and spat out blood.
If my arm wasn’t injured, I would’ve fought back.
At least that’s what I told myself.
He grabbed me again.
“By the time I’m done with you, you’ll wish you hadn’t woken up today.” He grinned, staring at my boobs, then he gripped my neck.
“You’re actually better than that girl. You’re more… endowed.” He licked his lips.
He lowered his hand towards my shoulder and was about yanking off my dress when we heard a loud BANG!
Everyone turned as the door crashed to the floor.
A figure stepped inside. Tall. Broad shoulders. Cold blue eyes.
I blinked through my blurry vision.
Ryan.
My heart stopped.
What was he doing here?
He looked furious, like a storm had walked into the room.
His gaze swept across everyone before landing on me.
The room suddenly felt very quiet.
Then he spoke, “Who’s dying first?”
- Writer
