Page 92 of Beast: Part Two

Summer

Last time I was in Doc’s makeshift hospital, I was the one behind those swinging doors. I had no idea what it looked like in the waiting room, but if it felt like this, I’m glad I wasn’t there.

Hawk called Brooklyn and told her to get here. All he said was Priest was shot. He didn’t tell us how bad it was or anything. We left the kids with Ms. Reese while Brooklyn, Malia, Ari and I came right over.

We’ve been sitting in this waiting room for hours hoping to hear something soon. Seth is pacing the floor like a raging bull. Fem hasn’t stopped crying since we got here. Malia and Brooklyn were by her side the entire time. Hawk is sitting with his arms across his chest, and his head leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed. Zel is beside him with his head down, his leg hasn’t stopped jumping yet. Many and Ari are beside each other. For once neither of them has anything to say.

Maksim is standing across from me, his back is against the wall. His gaze keeps sweeping the room as if he’s waiting to see who is going to fall apart first. However, the one I am most concerned about is the one that is silently sitting on the floor beside me. His back is against the wall, one knee is bent and the other is out in front of him. He has not spoken a word. When Iwalked into the room, he didn’t even look up. He seems unaware of his surroundings and Gabriel is never unaware.

It isn’t his lack of response that is bothering me, it’s the vacant look in his eyes. It’s like staring at those glass doll eyes. I’ve seen the vacant look those few times when that dark voice in his head took over, but this isn’t that. I’ve never seen him so out of it. He’s scaring me.

“Fuck this,” Seth shouts, picking up one of the chairs and hurling it across the room at the wall.

I jump at the sudden sound.

“Seth, please calm down,” Malia pleads.

Seth grabs his hair and tugs it so hard I think he’s about to pull it out by the roots.

“Brother, calm down,” Many says in a voice I don’t think I’ve ever heard him use before. It’s hollow.

“This is stupid. We’re sitting here twiddling our thumbs when we should be out there looking for Corbyn.”

“We’re not just sitting here,” Zel says lifting his head. “We’re here because Priest is in there.” He points to the swinging doors that have yet to move.

“And why is that? Huh? Why is he in there? Because Corbyn put him there,” Seth continues to rant. “We should have taken him down from the start instead of all those dumb-ass side missions.”

“We were doing what Priest wanted. What we should have been doing,” Maksim says, putting his two cents in.

Seth turns and glares at him. “Why the fuck are you still here?”

Maksim pushes away from the wall. He stops when Malia leaps up. She grabs Seth’s face between her hands.

“Baby, you’re upset. Rightfully so, but you can’t take it out on everybody.”

He yanks away from her touch. “This is bullshit. Bullshit,” he shouts so loud I once again startle. I look beside me at Gabriel and he still has no reaction.

“Yo, where is Lucien?” Zel says. “We need him out here because I can’t deal with your dumb shit.”

“Fuck you, Zel? Where were you when they were putting a bullet in Priest?”

Zel shoots to his feet. “Doing what he told me to do. Where were you, Seth? Since you have all the got damn answers.”

“Guys please,” Malia pleads.

Hawk and Many both hop to their feet. Hawk is standing between Zel and Seth while Many tries to hold Zel back.

“We’re not doing this,” Hawk says, looking between the two. “We’re brothers. We don’t argue like this.”

“Fuck him,” Seth yells. “He’s not my fucking brother, none of you are.”

I gasp at his outburst. I’ve never heard them argue like this. Even in those two and half months when they would get into petty arguments it was never like this.

“You’re just angry. Don’t say that,” Many says still using that hollow voice. “You don’t mean it.”

Seth tugs at his hair. His eyes are so red that it looks as if he took a hit off a good blunt.

“I’ve got to get out of here.” Seth tries to walk around Many and Hawk, but they block him in.

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