CHAPTER 56
Avery and Gwen waited by the door. Nearly an hour had passed since The Seven had found them guilty. They had made their plan; feeble though it was, it was their only chance.
'What's he waiting for?' Gwen whispered. 'Where did he go?'
Avery didn't know. She had expected him to come for them right away. Perhaps he was preparing, setting the rest of his plan in motion, putting the final pieces in place. She shook her head, indicating she didn't know.
'Do you really think this will work?'
Avery heard the note of panic in her friend's voice. The edge of hysteria. Seven against two. What hope did they have?
'What do we have to lose by fighting?' Avery countered softly, more, she realized, to convince herself than Gwen. 'They're going to kill us anyway.'
From the other side of the door came the sound of footsteps. Avery looked at Gwen. The other woman's face had gone white. Avery nodded and moved to the far right side of the door. She took her place directly in front of it, though far enough back not to get hit when it swung open.
They heard him at the door, unlocking the padlock. Avery tensed, readying herself. The door eased open. She held her breath, waiting for the right moment. Praying it would come.
It did. Avery lunged at him, using her body as a battering ram, aiming for his middle. As she had prayed she would, she caught him by surprise, nailing him square in the chest.
Matt stumbled. The gun flew from his hand. She heard it clatter to the floor.
'Run, Gwen!' she screamed. 'Run!'
Her friend did, her feet pounding against flooring as she tried to race for the stairs. Avery expected to hear the others coming to Matt's aid, expected him to call for them; neither occurred. She wondered if they had left the building, had left the dirty work to him.
Avery regained her balance and threw herself at him again, this time knocking him down. He landed with a grunt of pain.
'Bitch!' he screamed, slamming his fist into her face. Her head snapped to the side, the explosion of pain unimaginable. She couldn't catch her breath, realized she was sobbing.
He straddled her, put his hands to her throat and squeezed. She fought as best she could, twisting, turning. Flailing her legs. Her lungs burned. Pinpricks of light danced in front of her eyes.
Let Gwen make it, she prayed. Please, God, let her make it.
From below came the sound of something crashing to the floor. Matt eased his grip, straightening. Twisting as if to listen.
'What's going on?' Matt shouted. 'Blue? Hawk? Have you got her?'
Silence answered. He released her, jumped to his feet, listening. Air rushed into her lungs. Avery sucked it greedily in, gasping, coughing.
'Hawk!' he screamed. 'Talk to me.'
Avery rolled onto her side, caught sight of his gun. A half-dozen feet to her right, just behind where he stood. Tears stung her eyes. Cuffed, what could she do?
A whimper slipped past her lips. Matt turned. Looked down. He saw the weapon, saw her gaze upon it.
He looked at her and smiled. 'Is that what you're wanting?' He bent and retrieved it. 'It's just not fair, is it?'
She dragged herself to her feet, took a step, stumbled and went down. Still, she didn't give up. She inched herself along the floor like a worm. Unwilling to say die.
He laughed as he followed, taunting her. 'Gutsy little Avery,' he mocked. 'I admire you. I do. Such a shame it didn't work out between us, with my brains and your determination we would have made awesome babies.'
He stepped over her, then in front, blocking her path. She lifted her head, met his gaze defiantly.
His teeth gleamed bright white against the dark shadow of his face. He lifted the gun. 'End of the road, sweetheart.'
CHAPTER 57
Avery came to and found herself bound to a chair. Her head throbbed. Something liquid rolled down her cheek, then splashed onto her collarbone. Blood, she realized as what had happened came rushing back-Matt, the butt of his gun.
She was still alive. Why?
Her eyelids flickered up. Her vision swam. She made out a table, figures grouped around it, sitting in silence.
Seven figures. Matt and his generals.
One of them turned and stood. Matt. He picked up the lantern at his feet. A camping lantern, turned down low.
He lifted the lantern, brought it close to her face. She squinted against the feeble light, right eye burning. Bloody. He smiled. 'You've looked better, Avery.'
A retort sprang to her lips, it came out a garbled croak.
His smile widened. 'In case you're wondering, Gwen didn't make it.'
A moan escaped her, one of grief and denial. Of hopelessness.
He turned toward the table. 'Gentlemen,' he said, holding the lantern high, 'I have good news. Ms. Chauvin has returned to the world of the living. For how long is up to her.'
The soft glow from the lantern fell across the men sitting closest to her. Avery blinked, vision going in and out of focus. It couldn 't be. She traveled her gaze, straining to make out the figures at the far side of the table.
Cadavers. In various stages of decomposition.
A scream rose to her throat. She looked at Matt, waiting for the punch line.
It didn't come.
'Avery, I think you know Karl Wright.' He indicated a badly decomposed body directly across from her. 'General Hawk to us.'
Karl Wright. Matt's oldest friend. The man Cherry loved. The man she had planned to marry.
But he'd moved to California. He'd up and left Cypress Springs without a word to anyone but Matt.
Anyone but Matt.
A sound of horror slipped past her lips. Matt had killed his best friend.
Avery shifted her gaze to the cadaver to the right of Karl. Less decayed than all but one of the others, the corpse appeared to be that of a young man. A Tulane University sweatshirt, logo partially obliterated by blood, hung on the decomposing form.
'Tom Lancaster,' Matt offered, seeing the direction of her gaze.
They found his car, abandoned. His body was never recovered.
Avery moved her gaze again, this time to the other nearly intact corpse.
Luke McDougal missing, his car found empty.
That first day, she remembered, down at the CSPD, the missing persons flyers on the bulletin board. There'd been several.
Too many for such a small community.
Avery's teeth began to chatter. She fought falling apart. Matt inducted members to The Seven through murder.
She found her voice, though it trembled. 'Tell me how it went down, Matt? Did you just happen upon Luke McDougal, broken down by the side of the road and offer him a ride? Is that when you decided to recruit him?'
Matt smiled. 'Not on sight, of course, but soon after. One of the generals had recently defected, I needed a
