Page 44 of Sever
But Ryder is on his feet, his arms coming around me and pulling me close. My hands run over him, looking for a wound, my breath coming fast. When I find nothing, my eyes go to a third body on the floor.
Timmy.
He’s clutching his leg, his bloodcurdling screams reverberating off the walls, dark red liquid seeping from between his fingers, pooling on the floor beneath him.
Storm and Cutter walk into the room and kick the gun out of Timmy’s hand.
My legs collapse beneath me and my whole body goes cold. Ryder follows me to the floor, breaking my fall and holding me close as I cling to him, shivering. Finally feeling safe, the adrenaline fades and all I want to do is curl up in a ball and cry.
Everything around me starts to get hazy. The voices around me are distorted; garbled.
I try to focus on Ryder but black clouds the edges of my vision.
Then everything goes black.
***
The room around me comes back into view and the first thing I notice is that I’m not at home anymore. Just as my heart begins to race, I spot a flag on the wall. I recognize it.
I’m in one of the club rooms.
“Hey.” Lucy sits up straighter in the chair. With dark circles under her eyes and her hair thrown up in a topknot, she looks like hell.
“What happened?” My voice is croaky, my throat dry. I look around for Ryder but other than the two of us, the room is empty.
“I don’t know the whole story, but the guys brought you in about an hour ago. Doc looked you over and said that you were fine and you just fainted. I’ll go grab Tracker.” She rushes from the room. I look around for a glass of water and find an ice-cold bottle next to the bed. It takes me a few seconds to unscrew the lid but eventually I’m able to take a few small sips.
I wait a couple minutes but when no one comes, I swing my legs over the bed and stand up. I sway slightly, clutching the bedside table for support. I know I should get back in bed but I have too many questions that need answering.
What happened?
Is Timmy okay?
Did he get arrested?
Do the cops need my statement?
I run my hand along the wall as I make my way down the hallway toward the main room. And then I hear it.
Screaming.
Not a regular scream. This one is raw and intense and full of agony.
Following the sounds, I make my way down an unfamiliar hallway. The part I never had a reason to go in because I was working in the office.
Opening the door, I’m hit with a strong metallic smell, and something else that burns my nostrils, the mixture of the two so bad enough that I almost choke and I have to breathe through my mouth to stop myself vomiting. I step into the room and gasp, my hand flying to my mouth.
Hanging in the middle of the room is Timmy, his entire body covered in blood, his shoulders angled in a way that even without any medical training I know they must be dislocated.
With my hand over my mouth, I take in the room around me. Everyone has stopped what they’re doing and all eyes are on me.
The first person I recognize is Cutter. His white T-shirt is spattered with blood and in his fist is a knife; a knife that clatters to the floor as he moves toward me. I quickly look for Ryder and see him behind Timmy, something clutched in his hand. He moves to his left and suddenly the smell in the room makes sense.
A blowtorch.
I bend over, completely emptying my stomach of its contents.
Cutter scoops me up, carrying me out of the room and bringing me back where I came from.
