Page 47 of Encircled in Darkness
I caressed his cheek, his soft beard tickling my fingertips as I explained. “I need to know why they did this to us. Natalia and I... we didn’t deserve any of this. No one does.”
He exhaled softly and opened the door. Climbing out, he carried me across the parking lot, and I shifted in his arms. He sat me on my feet and linked his hand with mine before we entered the dark and musty building.
There was abandoned machinery covered in dust that he guided me through, my red dress flowing behind me. I followed a step behind him as we climbed the stairs and entered the second floor. Muffled screams were coming from the rear of the area and I stopped. James tugged against me and turned; his eyes filled with concern.
How did I explain that I wanted to be there but didn’t want to be there? A war was being waged in my mind and I wasn’t upset, just numb. He must have sensed my dilemma because he changed course and guided me around a few crates that were used for an artificial wall. There was a door behind where Victor and his cronies were being strung up by their wrists and James ushered me inside.
Pulling a chair into the room, he closed the door and squatted in front of me. His hands clenched and his breathing was growing rapid as I watched his monster, the anger and rage that he buried inside, boil to the surface. He handed me his phone and a pair of bluetooth earbuds from his pocket.
“Put these in and stay here, sweetheart. I’m going to take care of this and then I’m getting you out of here. Can I send Skid in to check you out?”
Remembering Skid’s remarks that he had trained to be a medic, I nodded, knowing it would make James feel better. He placed the earphones in my ears and pulled up the playlist we created one afternoon. We filled it with music that spoke to both of us and I smiled at him. He kissed my hands and kept his gaze locked on mine as he stood.
I watched him retreat, his toned body filled with tension. Skid walked in and closed the door but never tried to remove the earbuds. Shining a light in my eyes, he checked my head and gave me a thumbs up before leaving me alone. I turned the volume up, not wanting to hear what was happening outside and hoping to drown out the memories of what I witnessed them doing to my sister.
Natalia’s screams for help kept repeating in my head and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop them. My sweet sisters’ pleas for help went unanswered and to know we were set up somehow, made the uncontrollable need to hurt them build. I vibrated with rage and wanted to make Victor pay. Quietly, I stood from the chair and walked to the closed door. Muting the music, I listen as fists hit skin and groans echoed into the room.
Slowly, I cracked the door and saw the four men hanging from their wrists with their shirts and shoes off. The three friends were all bleeding from the injuries they sustained during my rescue, but Victor appeared relatively unharmed. James and Devlin were standing in front of them and from my position I could see their hunger for blood.
James stepped up in front of Victor and ripped the duct tape from his mouth, eliciting a groan from him. With a quick punch to the stomach, I watched Victor double over in pain while laughing.
He brought his head up and taunted. “Do you think a few hits are going to scare me? I know you can’t kill us, so why go through all this? They’re just a couple of whores. It’s not like anyone was going to miss them. You get it.” He turned to Devlin.
The DeathHounds standing near the wall chuckled and shook their head as Victor tried to reason with James’s brother. I could see the monster inside him, and the look in his eyes frightened me.
The dark-haired man that James loved and respected so much cracked a smile on his face and stepped in front of Victor. “I don’t think you and I have been properly introduced. My name is Callahan. Perhaps you’ve heard of me.”
“Oh, shit!” one of the men croaked and I could see urine running down his leg and pooling on the floor.
I gasped at the realization that Devlin was the same man that used to run the Flats with an iron fist. Rumors of his cruel bloodshed reached far and wide. James turned to me and saw I was watching what was unfolding. He nodded and turned his attention back to the four men who finally realized they were in severe danger.
“You will tell me why you targeted two innocent sisters and maybe I’ll let you live.” Devlin taunted them.
“They deserved everything they got. She said she could handle it and then the fucking whore cried and begged us to stop. I’m just sorry I didn’t get a chance to kill that bitch myself. I heard she died this morning. Amazing she hung on so long. She really was a terrible fuck.” Victor goaded and I closed my eyes, feeling the anger push up.
Opening the door fully, I gained the attention of James, Devlin, and the DeathHounds. I held my head up and walked into the open space, my bare feet padding across the concrete. The long flowing red dress swished around my legs as I stepped next to James. Turning to me, he saw the fire burning inside and whispered. “Let the darkness in, Amaya. I promise I’ll show you the way back to the light.”
Leaning up, I kissed him softly on the lips and glanced at the other men who were watching the exchange. I placed my palm flat out to him, and he set his large hunting knife into my hand with a smile. The heavy knife rested well in my hand and I slowly stepped in front of Victor. James was at my back, his hands resting on my shoulders, giving me strength. I peeked and saw Devlin leaning against a pillar, his amused gaze watching me intently.
The other three men hung like slabs of meat, their eyes taking in the entire conversation, fear clear on their faces. I looked at the man next to Victor and remembered he was the man who kept belittling my sister as she was being gang raped, calling her names and other things I didn’t want to remember.
I pointed the knife and stepped in front of him. The red dress followed me like a pool of blood, and I grasped the knife harder. His shit brown eyes grew wide as I ran the tip of the blade up his naked flank. Letting my eyes run up his pudgy body, I noticed the wedding ring on his finger.
“Are you married?” I asked, the blade nicking his stomach as I tilted my head to the side.
“Y-y-yes.” He stammered as tears flowed down his face.
“Does your wife know you’re a rapist?” I yelled and he cast his eyes down to the floor. “Does she know you destroyed my sister and left her for dead? Does she know that she sleeps next to an animal every night?”
He shook his head violently and murmured. “I’m sorry.”
Exhaling through my nose, I felt my rational mind disconnect from right and wrong. Smiling, I calmly explained. “I’ll make sure she knows.”
I ran the razor-sharp knife against his skin, opening it as blood flowed. He screamed and tried to wiggle away from me. A DeathHounds stepped behind him and held him still, his gaze locked on mine with respect as I carved the words rapist across his chest. The wound bled and he passed out halfway through, his body hanging from his wrists as the other two men cried behind their gags.
Victor watched and he licked his lips, running his eyes up and down me, and it revolted me. He had relied on his ability to control me after he attacked Natalia. My sweet sister departed the earth today and I was finally free from him.
Looking up at Victor, I saw him sneer and the anger rose to a level I didn’t know existed within me. “Tell me what my sister and I ever did to you.”
