The Ambush
1141 Words
Gabriel's POV
"No. Don't check on me. Seriously, get lost."
Bradley laughed. It wasn't a nice sound. It was the laugh of someone who was just trying to mock me. He looked at me, shrugged, and stuffed his hands in his pockets again.
"Okay, Gabe. Whatever. You waiting for someone?"
"Yeah," I said, my voice barely working. "My brother."
Bradley snorted. It sounded like he had just heard the funniest joke of the century. "Wow. You are actually calling him your brother now? I thought you hated the prick. Well, newsflash, your brother isn't coming back anytime soon. You should probably just find your way home."
He turned on his heel and walked off, leaving me standing on the swing.
I sat there for a second, just blinking. Not coming back? I felt like an i***t. Of course. Why did I think Derek gave a s**t about me? Why did I think he had actually go get water? He was probably laughing his ass off with his friends, having a drink, leaving me out here to freeze while he forgot I even existed.
I didn't wait. I pulled my phone out, my fingers fumbling so bad I almost dropped it, and pulled up the cab app. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to be Derek's problem, and I definitely didn't want to be the guy waiting on the balcony like a stray dog.
I walked back inside, ready to just leave. But the door opened and the sound hit me wrong.
Silence.
The music was dead. There were no crowds. The VIP section was empty, glasses left on tables, cushions knocked over. It was 10:00 PM. Did they close? No, that didn't make sense. It felt... wrong.
Like the air had been sucked out of the room.
I saw one of Derek’s friends, a girl in a silver dress. I ran over to her.
"Hey, where’s Derek? Where did everyone go?"
She didn't even look at me. She just hissed and walked out on me.
My stomach did a backflip. Nausea, cold and sharp. I had to find a bathroom. I felt like I was gonna be sick. As I was walking down the hallway toward the back, I heard voices coming from behind a closed door. Two guys, talking low.
"Well, Derek deserves it," one said. He sounded bored. "He fought Connor, fought half the guys here. He is such a prick. Honestly, I support it."
My blood went cold. Fought Connor?
I didn't think. I just moved. I honestly had a feeling something bad might had happened to Derek. I didn't go to the bathroom anymore. I started checking every door, every room. My heart was thumping in my ears, loud as a drum. I checked the storage room. Nothing. The office. Nothing.
Then I heard it.
A thud. A wet, meaty sound. Then a scream short, choked off.
Derek.
I sprinted toward the end of the hall. Bradley was there. He wasn't alone. He had three other guys with him, standing guard at a double door like they were bouncers.
I didn't stop. "What have you done to Derek?!" I shouted, my voice cracking.
Bradley looked at me, his eyes cold. "Go home, Gabe. Out of everyone here, you should be the one happy Derek is getting punished. He deserves whatever he is getting now."
I didn't listen. I lunged at them, trying to push through. I was pathetic. I was just one guy, and they were four. I shoved Bradley, but he didn't even budge. One of the other guys grabbed me, and I started screaming.
"Derek! Derek!"
I tried to call my mom, call the police, call anyone, but a hand swiped my phone. It hit the floor and the screen shattered.
"Get in there if you want to see him so bad," the guy growled.
He shoved me. Hard. I hit the door, it swung open, and I fell face first onto the carpet.
The smell hit me first. Sweat. Iron. Blood.
I scrambled up, my knees shaking.
Derek was in the center of the room. He wasn't the guy who held me against the wall earlier. He was a mess. His face was purple, swollen, blood dripping from his nose and split lip onto his white shirt. He was on his knees, his hands tied to his back, breathing in ragged, wet gasps.
"Oh my god," I choked out. "Derek..."
I scrambled toward him, ignoring the guys standing around in a circle. My hands hovered over him, not knowing where to touch. He looked like he was about to collapse.
I looked up. Connor was standing there, wiping his knuckles on his jeans.
"You bastard!" I lunged at Connor. It was stupid. I had no fight in me, no technique, just pure, blind hate. I swung my fist, trying to hit his face.
It didn't happen.
In a split second, someone behind me grabbed my arms and yanked them back. Another guy kicked the back of my knees, and I slammed down onto the floor.
Crack.
The sound came from my own back, a sharp, white hot bolt of pain that shot up my spine. I wheezed, the air rushing out of my lungs, my vision swimming.
"Gabriel..."
Derek’s voice was a whisper, barely audible. He looked up, his eyes half-swollen shut. "Leave... Gabe, you have to leave here... they could kill you."
"Shut the f**k up," Connor spat, looking down at us.
I fought to get my hands under me. I was shaking, tears stinging my eyes, not from crying but from the sheer, burning adrenaline.
"Let my brother go!" I screamed, spitting blood onto the carpet. "If you hate him because he fought you... then it’s my fault! He was just trying to protect me! Deal with me instead!"
Connor stopped. He tilted his head, looking at me like I was a weird bug he had found under a rock. He started to laugh. It was a low, slow chuckle that turned into a scoff.
"What is going on right now?" Connor looked around at his friends. "You two? You are trying to defend each other?"
He stepped closer, looming over me, his shoe inches from my face. "I thought you hated yourselves. I thought you were at each other's throats. When did this brotherly love start, huh?"
He kicked me in the side, not full force, but hard enough to send another wave of agony through my ribs. I curled around Derek, shielding him as best I could.
"It doesn't matter," I gasped, pain making my vision black at the edges. "Once Derek's dad hears about it, he will get you jailed for life."
Connor just shook his head, looking disgusted. "Man. This is pathetic. You both would be dead before then anyway, so don't worry about me."
- Writer
