Page 133 of Beyond The Maples
"You aren'tsupposed to be here. You were supposed to leave. You should have left!" I can't help the tears that blur my vision as I attempt to scold him. I watch in amazement as Tarius comes around the corner with the keys, first unlocking my door, then Deacon's.
"We would never leave without you, Maple. Leomaybe, but not you," Berkley says, giving me a quick hug, and checking for injuries, before pulling me towards the door. "Speaking of Leo, we have to move quickly. Apparently Farra is fond of blowing shit up, and I suspect she's not going to stop until you're back."
"Wait!" I say, remembering our packs. I run to the back of the small hall where I saw them get shoved into a closet. Grabbing both heavy bags, I begin to sprint, Deacon motions for me to give him his bag.
"No, you're hurt. I've got this," I say, but he snags it off my shoulder with a grunt.
"I'm fine. Let's get moving," Deacon bites back.
I follow Tarius, trusting him to lead us back through the maze to where we need to go.
"Is your stuff already at the bays?"
Berkley's reply is cut off by the suffocating wail of a siren.
"Shit. They've turned on the power. We need to move. Quickly!" Berkley yells over the siren. The sound is oppressive as it echoes through the empty hallways.
We pick up speed, sprinting as fast as we can with our overstuffed bags. Deacon seems to push through whatever pain he's in, and I barely register where we are as we follow Tarius through hall after underground hall. None of this looks familiar.
"Are we going a different way!?" I scream at him.
"Yes!" he shouts back. That would explain why these halls feel so foreign.
Someone cuts us off through an adjacent hallway, tackling Tarius and slamming him into the wall.
This time, Deacon doesn't hesitate. I watch as he takes out the first officer with ease, his baton coming down and smashing him in the head.
A lanky arm comes flying at me and I barely move out of the way in time. I don't even register how many people we're fighting; the hallway is suddenly a flurryof fists, and grunts, and metal clashing. I take a punch to the gut that knocks the air from my lungs. I bend low,throwing my shoulder against the officer to drop him to the ground. I look around, and it seems like things are looking up––until a gun goes off.
Standing alone, looking disheveled and beaten up, is Captain-fucking-Kethler.
Everyone stops. The remaining officer who hasn't been incapacitated, stands with a smug look on her face. Dread overcomes me as I realize that all our guns are in our bags, unloaded.
"Enough!" Kethler bellows.
I spit a wad of blood onto the ground in front of me, chest heaving.
We weresoclose. Again.
"You've signed their death sentences, you know," he says, pointing the gun at me. "So much potential in all of you.Wasted."
I wince. He's right. I dragged them all into this, but how does he know that?
Berkley straightens, his face softening for a fraction of a second when I look at him, and then everything is happening in slow motion.
Berkley charges Kethler, and the gun goes off —once. Twice.
The woman beside me lurches forward, but Deacon cuts her off before she gets to me. Tarius springs to his feet behind me, and I run towards Kethler and Berkley, who are a tangle of limbs on the ground.
Kethler's eyes lock with mine as he struggles to keep the gun away from Berk. I pin Kethler's forearm under my boot, stomping as hard as I can, Kethler lets out a howl.
Berkley slumps to the side, holding down the Captain's other arm with a groan.
Anger clouds my vision, and I stomp again, enjoying the crunch and wail that follows as my boot connects with the hand holding the gun. He releases it and screams as I kick it away.
Tarius is beside me now, and I let him take over subduing Kethler, while I try to get Berkley away. His breathing is ragged, and I know, without looking, where those shots landed. Turning him over, I put my hands over the gaping hole in his chest. Dark blood seeps between my fingers, too much of it.
"Berk, you sweet fool, why'd you do that? Huh? I thought you said we weren't supposed to play hero?"
