“Shut your mouth,” Samuel orders.
“Is my lovely aunt and cousin doing okay?” Wreck asks, smiling. “Do they even remember me? I’ve been thinking about them, you know.” He pauses, licking his lips. “I’m planning to pay them a little visit right after I take your damn head. I reckon they’ll be both really happy to meet their long lost relative. Like me to tell you what I’m going to do?”
“I said shut up!” his uncle repeats. “As the high master of Central Settlement, I sentence you and your friends to death. We’ll have a public execution in the morning. You’re to be burned at the stake for attempting to harm me and my family.” He pauses. “I’m sorry it has to end this way. You never should have returned. Everything that happened back then had nothing to do with you.”
He turns and begins walking toward the door.
“You can’t kill me, Samuel!” Wreck yells, laughing like a lunatic. “I’m already dead! You hear me?! I came back from hell and I’m taking you and your entire family with me when I return!”
His psychotic laughter causes me to shudder. Once Samuel is gone, Wreck plops back down beside Maxine, his expression stone cold.
“You don’t really plan to hurt your aunt and cousin, do you?” she asks.
“It ain’t your concern.”
“Kris,” she frowns. “I’m here to look after you.”
“We won’t discuss this, all right?”
They exchange angry glances. I don’t know what to think.
Half an hour later I hear quiet footsteps echoing in the basement.
“Kora! Maxie!” Tanya calls.
“We’re in here!” I hurl myself toward the metal bars, my heart racing.
She approaches, smiling and carrying a hunting knife along with a set of keys.
CHAPTER 39
“Well, I swear!” Wreck laughs, approaching the little girl and taking the keys. “I told you she would be really helpful during this venture,” he adds, glancing at me.
He starts trying different keys, searching for the one that fits the lock. I kneel in front of the metal bars and take Tanya’s hand. Blood stains her fingers.
“Are you injured?” I ask.
“No,” she answers calmly.
“How did you steal the keys?”
Tanya shrugs. “The guards didn’t notice me. I remembered how brave you were when you tried to save your friend. And it helped me to be strong.”
She must be talking about my failed attempt to rescue Amy. The mere thought of her causes my throat to close.
Wreck unlocks the door and we exit the cage, walking toward the stairs. Terrible memories flood my mind. I recall Gabriel shooting Amy in the face. I envision myself standing beside his motionless body, laughing hysterically while kicking him in the head.
There’s a dead guard sprawled across the floor just outside the basement door. I stare at the puddle of blood, his wounds, then shift my eyes to Tanya.
“I took him by surprise,” she shrugs.
I guess I’m losing the ability to become shocked. It all feels surreal, as if I’m still high on Deathfall. Everything seems like a bad hallucination.
“Let’s go find Samuel,” Wreck whispers.
He heads toward the staircase, but I grab hold of his sleeve, stopping him. “No. We should free the racers first, then return for him.”
I don’t really expect him to listen, but Wreck thinks for a moment and nods.
Outside, I take the lead, walking across the garden. There are no guards around this time. My thoughts race. I realize that we will have to lead a group of two or three dozen racers outside the residence. How can we remain unseen? I don’t believe we can, so we’ll need some sort of distraction.
I stop, turning to face Wreck right behind me. “You have any matches?”
“Sure,” he nods. “I always carry matches.”
We head toward the garage. Using bushes and trees as cover, we approach a large building where I see three guards watching the entrance. We stop for a few moments, observing them. They carry whips, but no rifles. Wreck touches my shoulder and I glance at him. He points at one of the guards and I immediately feel adrenaline filling my veins. I understand what he wants me to do. Tanya passes me her hunting knife. I wrap my fingers around the handle tightly. Wreck moves in closer toward the guards, remaining hidden in the shadows. Maxine gently nudges me in the back and I follow. Our black clothing makes us practically invisible in the night.
Wreck and Maxine simultaneously leap from cover, attacking two of the guards. The third is mine. Feeling detached, I rush toward him. He turns to face me, his expression confused, and I stab him in the stomach. He gasps, opening his mouth wide, and I watch in horror as blood trickles from his mouth down his chin. I pull out the blade and continue stabbing him. There are sounds of struggling nearby, but I don’t bother to look, my eyes glued to my victim’s face. The guard finally collapses to the ground, and I watch just a moment longer. I don’t know how I can kill so easily. Maybe I just don’t fully comprehend what’s happening yet. Once again, I did what I had to. The other two guards are already lying motionless on the ground, either unconscious or dead. I look away, my hands shaking. I’m afraid I may get sick.
Wreck and Maxie remove the bulletproof vests from the bodies. Maxie hands one to me. I pull it on, still feeling dizzy. Wreck opens the garage door, using another of the keys Tanya provided. We walk in, passing by cars and trucks, and find several large containers filled with gasoline. Tanya stands by the entrance, watching the yard, prepared to warn us in case more guards come into view. We open a few containers, pouring the
