Chapter 19

"Gloria, wake up, Gloria." Someone was slapping me on my healthy cheek, trying to bring me to my senses. I had no strength left, so my eyes refused to focus. Something cold was pressed against my forehead and cheeks. "Open your eyes, come on. We don't have much time."

I blinked and saw Eugene in front of me. Alex and I were untied. That man who had been standing guard over our torture chamber was lying on the staircase with Eugene's bat stuck in his skull. Damn, that must have hurt.

"What are you doing?" He untied my hands and gave me a bottle of water, bringing it to my mouth. I couldn't hold it up because I was so weak. "Just so you know, if I had the strength, I would have hit you. Where's Alex?"

"I'm here." Alex was sitting on the floor with one knee tucked under him and his head leaning against the wall. He was soaking wet, as if someone had poured water on him. But he was definitely better than before. His arm was bandaged, as were all his other wounds. I noticed that there was a drain in my cheek too.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. What's going on here?»

«We don't have much time. It's already 9 p.m. She'll be here in a couple of hours.»

«Who?» I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I wasn't dead.

«That crazy bitch, damn it, Gloria, get a grip. Even I'm thinking clearer now.» Alex was sarcastic. At that moment, Eugene gave me a couple of spoonfuls of mashed vegetables and meat, something like baby food.

"Why is this piece of shit being so nice?" Despite his help, I would never be able to forgive him.

"Ask him."

Eugene just kept feeding me, ignoring my choice of words. Probably not very polite of me, considering that I had just received my first food in four days, as well as water and medical attention.

"We're going to take you somewhere where no one will find you." He looked at me. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything. I really didn't want you to be found."

"Don't make me laugh."

"Gloria, listen to him." Alex interrupted me. It was the only thing that made me shut up.

"I wasn't going to turn you in. Yes, I'm not proud of how I make my living. But there are reasons for that." I snorted. Nothing, ever, could justify what he did. Never. He's a fucking monster. But I kept quiet. "I'm not making excuses. But I care about you. From the moment I saw you at the hotel. From the moment you got in my car in the woods."

"So, are you trying to confess your love for me, seriously?" He remained silent. "I will never believe you. You are a bastard, just like my husband. The only reason you didn't touch me is because of your psychopathic obsession. But you torment other girls for your own gain. So you know what? "I saw how he looked at the floor and his jaw was shaking with emotion. "You can leave me here, or you can take me wherever you want. But if that crazy bitch kills you, I won't feel sorry for such a pathetic creature as you."

He looked up and I realized I had hurt him. Maybe he really was in love with me, but... The screams of that girl from the hotel still keep me awake at night. I could never love someone like him. And here he was, a huge man with muscles bigger than my head and twice my height, wiping a tear from his cheek and blowing his nose. Yes, silently. But I saw it.

"I'm going to interrupt you, but I think we're running out of time."

"Yes, you're right." Eugene stood up from his crouch and started putting new pants and a sweatshirt on me.

"Where are we going?" Alex continued.

"To the cemetery. To the Rotten Crown crypt."

He was right. So many meters underground. An abandoned cemetery. We could hide there for a while.

"Alex, are you okay?" I didn't feel like talking to Eugene anymore.

"I'm better. Much better. So, what's the plan?"

"I drove the truck to the house. Samantha thinks I brought some equipment for an upcoming job. You guys get in the back, and I'll get you out of here." He was completely broken.

"Great. Let's go." Alex tried to get up, but with broken ribs and a bunch of bruises, he couldn't do it on his own. Our "savior" came over and politely helped him to his feet.

"Here." Eugene handed me my old pack of cigarettes, long forgotten in his car. The lighter we bought at the gas station on the way to his family's house.

All these memories warmed me from the inside at first, but after a few flashes, I remembered the video from the hotel, the cries for help. And then myself in the cage, burned with cigarettes and raped in every possible place. And then... Lucian. I silently took the cigarettes and put one between my lips. As I lit it, I realized that it was hard to inhale because of the hole in my cheek.

"That's a pretty interesting way to smoke, don't you think? Who else has smoke coming out of their cheek?" Alex laughed at me a little as he came closer.

"You look much better to me." I came closer, my eyes filled with tears.

I'm glad he's alive. I'm glad he didn't have to go through even more horror. My arms wrapped around his waist and I hugged him gently, careful not to touch his broken bones.

"Better, sweetheart, better." He put his arms around me and kissed me on the top of my head.

"Ew, my hair is like a poop." He laughed, and Eugene joined in. I pretended not to notice and took another drag on my menthol cigarette.

"Let's go."

Climbing up those steep stairs was quite a challenge. But we did it. I helped myself by holding onto the wall, while Alex held onto Eugene's arm. The stairs weren't very long; in fact, it was just the basement of a multi-story building. Ordinary people lived here, and we were in the same neighborhood. It was literally a 10-minute walk from our barn.

"Can we stop by the barn?"

I called out to Eugene. I needed to do this. I had to go there.

"Yes... do we have a couple of minutes?" It was even more important to Alex than it was to me.

"Are you sure? I have a couple of jumpsuits in the truck. No one should recognize or see you."

Alex and I exchanged glances. Yes. We had to be sure. I still want to believe that Lucian is alive. I want to believe it. Just like Alex wants to believe that Ray is alive. We nodded silently, knowing that there was no need to explain why we had to go.

Leaving the house, Alex and I quickly closed our eyes against the bright sunlight. Sitting in a dark room for so long, you get used to not seeing such dazzling heat. It hurt. And at the same time, it was wonderful. Another breath of freedom that I would cherish even more than before.

The truck was already waiting for us, without any identifying marks or logos. Just a truck. When the back opened, I saw a pile of junk, including furniture from Eugene's family home. My eyes were particularly drawn to a bookcase. There was only one book on the shelf: Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." I walked over to it and stroked the spine as Eugene closed the truck bed with us inside.

"Is it an important book?" Alex noticed my upset expression.

"You have no idea…"

We drove for literally 15 minutes. We drove slowly, but with every bump, every pebble that hit the truck's wheels, I heard Alex's sharp hissing. He was holding on as best he could, but I think he need to have used some morphine.

And then we stopped. The back of the truck opened and Eugene threw two yellow suits with gas masks at us. In them, we could easily pass for employees of a clearing company who had come to clean up the fire site.

Putting them on as quickly as possible, we carefully climbed out of the truck and turned toward the barn. Damn. She wasn't lying.

I saw destruction, black walls, a collapsed section of the ceiling and roof, gates and wooden doors burned through. Everything was burned. I exhaled sharply and looked at Alex. He stared silently, unblinking, his eyes completely wet with a trembling tear that he didn't want to let fall. I took his hand and stroked it with my thumb in that gums gloves. He turned his head toward me and I nodded in response. I'm here. Everything will be okay.

Eugene lit a cigarette, leaned back against the car, and shouted that we only had a couple of minutes. He lit another cigarette. We just walked inside. The awful smell of burning flesh and wood immediately hit our noses. Even mask didn't help us. The lump in my throat made it hard to breathe. Everything was reduced to ashes. The red motorcycles were blackened by the force of the fire, and lifeless human figures lay around them. It was as if someone had brought a pile of coal and molded it into a large number of figures.

With each step, our eyes filled with tears, and we both felt a stream of salty liquid running down our cheeks. But there was little time. We had come for answers. While Alex went around the bodies looking for Ray, I started counting the number of bikes. I knew that when the attack happened, there were nine. Nine without Lucian's bike. His motorcycle was near the barn either, but not now. I realized that this could be my hope. That he was still alive.

"One, two, four, six... Nine. Nine..." I whispered to myself, exhaling and hoping he was alive. Damn it, if he's alive, I'll tell him everything I think. How much I hate him for making me worry, and how much I love him.

I saw the same burned silhouette that was in the photographs Samantha showed to us. Sean... Damn, I'm sorry, one-eyed. I'll remember you, I promise. I approached what was left of him and took the slightly melted plate that had once been in his skull. It will remain in the crypt.

I headed to what used to be his office. No bodies. Just emptiness. Surprisingly, the small wine barrel was almost intact. It was the same as the one in the crypt, only miniature. I moved closer, took mask off and tilted my head toward the tap, unscrewing it. And yes, a little wine fell into my mouth. It tasted just as good as before.

"No... NO." I heard Alex's heart-rending cries. Running out of Boogeyman's office, I saw him kneeling over the remains of one of the guys. "Gloria... It's him..."

I had never seen a man cry so hard.

"He's dead, Gloria, he's dead... They, they killed him, FUCK." I moved closer and hugged Alex around the neck, the poster with him. I started to choke. "He's dead... He's gone... Fuck... Why? FUCKING WHY…?"

I remembered Ray as the kindest and most naive person I had ever known. Childlike innocence, pure love for the world, humor, a radiant smile. I began to stroke Alex's head, realizing that nothing could calm him down now. Eugene entered the barn.

"Guys, I'm sorry, but we have to go."

"Do you have a box?" Alex asked our savior through his tears. He left silently and returned two minutes later with a small chest. I recognized it. Red wood, gold trim, and a broken lock. Eugene's grandmother had kept her jewelry in it.

Alex opened the chest and began to dig out what was left of Ray with his hands. With each touch, the human silhouette disappeared, and he turned into a shapeless pile of ashes. He put as many remains inside as he could. Finally, he made a small hole, trying to dig something out. A green ring, carved entirely from stone.

"I have one just like it. Nephrite," he explained, clutching the ring in his fist and continuing to cry.

"Guys. Time." I gave him an angry look. You're a heartless bitch after all.

I helped Alex up and we returned to the truck. Both of our yellow suits were slightly gray from the ash floating around. The remains of our friends were literally imprinted on us.

"Goodbye friends… Rest In Peace."

"Did you find anything about Lucian?" "I shook my head. "Maybe that son of a bitch is immortal after all.

Now our task was to get to the cemetery in the hope that we would make it before 11 and they wouldn't notice us. It was 10:30, and I was sure that creature in heels knew exactly where to look.