44. The Sinner
Chapter forty-four
The Sinner
Dinah
W e make it up to the top floor, following behind Abe, Sammy, and the two rebel guards. I can feel Zeke at my back, a silent, menacing shadow filled with aggression. I didn’t miss the accusatory look he gave Sammy at my minor injury. I wanted to argue with him that it happened because I was fucking reckless, and not paying attention to my surroundings, and too busy searching for Noah. However, I held my tongue; this is not the place to get into all of that. I need Sammy focused and not lost in his head. I see him drifting farther and farther away from me. I’m not even sure he realizes that he’s spacing out, and it scares me. I witnessed the anger on his face at Zeke’s tone, and implied accusation, and I hope it will help to keep him grounded, and here in the present with us.
This is such a clusterfuck, and we are lucky we are not already dead. If I could bring that fucker Asa back to life, only to beat his ass and murder him again, I would. I have no idea how many of the rebel forces that came with us are still left alive, but based on the uneasy looks of the two with us at the moment, it can’t be many. The only thing driving me forward, and preventing me from calling a retreat so we can regroup, is the possibility of finally getting my hands on Noah Rothesay, and the devastation I know I’ll feel if he manages to escape me once again. It’s a deep, embedded longing within me. I want to see him on his knees, begging for his life, and full of cataclysmic fear. I clench the handle of my gun tightly in my fingers, allowing its weight, and cool metal surface, to keep me present and grounded, and not lost to the bloody-thirsty monster who lives within me. The one who is not yet satisfied with all the blood, and death, I have caused here today.
Abe and Sammy halt, once we reach the top floor unchallenged, and eerie silence greets us. Dread is a viper sliding within the pits of my belly, and my self-doubt whispers to me that I am dragging all of them into a trap once again with me. You’ll be their deaths , the ghostly thought slithers through the recesses of my mind, and I have to pause to rub at my tightening chest. Fuck, not now, I can’t afford to have a fucking panic attack. I’m so close. Three more lives to take, and I can finally rest, and allow the remainder of the false Brotherhood maggots to be left up to the hands of the equally vicious bitch, fate. She and I are best friends at this point.
Sammy motions silently for us to each be on guard, pointing at his eyes with his two fingers and gesturing around the room with his hand. He nods with his head for me, Zeke, and one of the rebels, to go to the right, while he, Abe, and the other rebel, slowly move within the large, open-planned top floor. There’s so much unobstructed space here that it’s frightening to think where Noah could be hiding, and just waiting to crawl out of, to murder us if given the chance. While there aren’t segregated smaller rooms like the floor we just left, this part is sectioned off with free-standing partitions placed randomly around the ample space, and made out of rigid, tall, dark material, affixed to the ground by rusted metal legs. The once-white walls are dirty with grime and rust stains, and the threadbare umber carpet does little to disguise the sound of our steps in our combat boots. There are fewer shadows here, due to the bright morning light streaming through the dirty, stained glass ceiling above us, bringing me equal terror, and somehow seeming to portray even more malice than the other levels. The scent up here has less of the chemical stench from below, but is infused with dust, stale air, and mold, as if it’s been unused for an extended period of time. There’s debris everywhere, indicating that this space has been abandoned, or at least to make us believe it has been. I wouldn’t put anything past Noah. The crunching of glass under heavy feet thunders loudly through the silent space, and has me scanning the room, only to notice one of the rebels halting, and giving Zeke and me an apologetic look. The utter silence of the space is deafening, making the whooshing of my blood sound even louder in my ears. Where the fuck are they? What are they waiting for to attack us?
“I don’t like this shit one fucking bit,” Zeke whispers in my ear, coming up behind me and causing a small gasp to exit my lips, as the fucker scares the shit out of me. “Something’s not right here,” I whisper back just as a shot rings out, and hits the rebel with Sammy and Abe. He falls to the dirty carpet and clutches at his chest, a blooming red stain instantly present, and a loud moan echoing around us. Fuck! All hell seems to break loose at the same time, and has all of us diving, and ducking behind any available furniture we can make it to. I find myself lunging towards a grouping of metal filing cabinets, with Zeke just a few feet away behind a large wooden sorting desk. The last rebel, whose fucking name I should have bothered to get, is pinned down behind another set of filing cabinets, taking most of the fire, and Abe and Sammy both have hit the ground, and are using a large, black metal desk for cover. One look at the injured rebel assures me that he’s already dead, and that brings with it so much sadness. It’s another life lost to the corrupt Brotherhood, which is determined to hold on to power by any means. The bullets keep coming, in a hail of gunfire, as we hold our positions. Abe shakes his head, arguing silently with me to remain where I am. I can almost see his reasoning inside that large, stubborn head of his. He’s hoping that they are stupid enough to exhaust their ammo supply, while we remain safe for the moment. It’s a good plan, and for now, I won’t resist it. A few minutes go by, time speeding past us as we fight for our lives, and antsy adrenaline spikes through my veins, with the desire to kill anyone who means us harm.
A canister billowing smoke comes from Zeke’s direction, towards where the attackers are, and when I turn to stare at him, he winks at me. Three, two, one. Boom! The canister goes off, with a loud explosion that causes some of the glass ceilings to explode, and rain down a bunch of shattered glass from above. We hear screams from the furthest part of the room, and one of the hidden attackers runs towards us, but Abe shoots him immediately down with a well-placed bullet to his head. “Fourteen, Atasi,” the mischievous idiot calls.
“GLORY TO THE brOTHERHOOD!” A loud yell sounds, before two men dressed in Brotherhood livery race forward, shooting recklessly. One of the shots hits the sizable wooden table Zeke is hiding behind, splintering it, and my heart gets stuck in my throat. Fuck, that is too close! I take aim and fire until my gun runs out of bullets, and I’m forced to reload. Abe, Sammy, Zeke, and the rebel, are all doing the same. The rebel manages to fire off a shot at one of the shooters, and he falls to the carpet, clutching at his side. “We have to push forward,” I yell, and begin to move around the filing cabinets, making my way to a large partition. “Fuck, Snow! Stay with me!” Zeke growls from behind me, but I ignore him. If we just stay here, we are sitting ducks. We have no idea how many of them there are, and they are going to keep coming at us. I can see Sammy and Abe also making attempts to advance, from my peripheral vision.
“Death to the rebel whore!” A deep male voice roars in my direction, before bullets land and pierce the partition I’m hiding behind. Well, fuck, I almost got my head taken off. Zeke quickly gains ground, and throws himself next to me with a grunt. “When... this is... all fucking... done. My palm has a standing... appointment with your... ass, Snow,” he pants with fury, making me giggle, even though we are in a perilous situation. “You’ll have to catch me first, husband.” I blow him a kiss, before darting around the partition and firing. I manage to shoot another one down, and that just makes me smile. “Abe, I’ve caught up!”
“Jesus fucking Christ, would the two of you knock this shit off! You’re going to get yourselves killed playing this game!” Zeke roars, and darts in my direction. “You’re just jealous ’cause we’re beating you, Zeke! Don’t pout, baby, it’s not a great look on you!” Abe taunts Zeke. Oh my god, priceless. I think Zeke is really offended.
“Focus, Nightstar!” Sammy yells, as he darts up from his hiding spot and throws another canister. Those sure are coming in fucking handy right now. As the smoke thickens the air between us and Noah’s lackeys, I make a run for the next partition. We are so close now; I can feel it deep in my soul. The rebel and Zeke both join me, as I try to catch my breath. “What’s your name?” I question, and receive a bewildered look back from the rebel. “Dartmouth,” he replies. I want to immediately ask what kind of a name ‘Dartmouth’ is, but again, it’s not the place or time to have an in-depth chit-chat. “Thank you for putting your life on the line for us, Dartmouth.” He tips his head, and then refocuses his attention on the assholes shooting at us.
Zeke gives me an incredulous look, before grabbing my face and kissing me hard on the mouth. “You are insane, reckless, stubborn as fuck, but I love you, Dinah Rothesay.” Well fuck, if that doesn’t get my heart racing, look at how romantic my unhinged husband is. “I love you too, Zeke. Now shut up and help me kill some more Brotherhood scum.”
“What the fuck, are we doing declarations of love right now?” Abe questions as he manages to slip behind the partition next to us, with Sammy closely behind him. “In that case, I love you more, Atasi. Every part of you, but especially that sweet pussy of yours!” Jesus fucking hell. I feel my face and neck turning bright red, and flushing with heat. Leave it up to my reckless berserker to say something scandalous. I turn and stare at Sammy, with expectation across my features, and he groans. “You know I love you, Nightstar. I loved you first, and I will be the last to love you, forever and always. Your heart is mine .“ Oh my, a girl could get used to this. However, another wide shot, that takes a chunk of the fabric at my shoulder and grazes my skin, reminds me that I don’t have time for romance right now. Maybe when all of this is over, I’ll make all three of them repeat their words.
“There’s a closed door to the left. Do you think that’s where Noah is hiding?” Sammy inquires, and I focus on where he’s pointing. It would make sense that the fucker is hiding nice and safe, while the other dumbasses here lose their lives; he has always been an opportunist, and a coward. “Cover me!” I don’t wait for the others, allowing them to keep the Brotherhood men occupied, while I go after Noah. “DINAH, FUCKING WAIT!” Sammy shouts, but I don’t even hesitate to keep going. I reach the door, sliding my body along the wall, forcing it open, and plastering myself against the opposite wall, awaiting gunfire. Nothing happens, however, and when I dare to take a glance, I realize that it’s stairs that must lead up to the roof.
With a glance back at my men, I see Zeke is pilfering weapons from the dead, while the others have the Brotherhood distracted. I reload my gun, ensure I have lots of ammo, and turn away from them, steeling my spine for what happens next. Noah Rothesay is up there somewhere waiting for me. It’s now, or never. One of us has to die, and I just pray that it isn’t me.