Page 131 of A Silence So Divine

Molars grinding, I welcome the ache it shoots into my skull. Anything to distract from the urge to puke, cry, or scream skyward.

“Search the place, quickly. Look for any stragglers. In five minutes, I want everyone back here. We’ll have to meet them at the Sanctuary after all.”

There are nervous glances, but as they were trained, the group follows my orders and files out of the room. Stepping back into the hall, I approach the winding staircase. Footfalls echo behind me, and I glance back to see Sylvie hot on my heels.

“Help search downstairs,” I order gruffly.

She clucks her tongue against her teeth. “Someone has to watch your back.”

Realistically, I’m in no position to argue; not while my mind is tearing any coherent thought to shreds. I march ahead, ignoring her presence entirely.

Each room is in the same state as those downstairs, if not worse. The floors are littered with toys: old dolls, teddy bears, trucks and blocks. The thought of children desperately grabbing for a comfort item while being whisked away by the Brothers has my hands curling into fists.

Five minutes are gone in a flash and we’ve not found a single shoe print. What little control we had of this situation has turned to ash, blowing back into our faces. Spinning on my heel, I exit the last of the shared bedrooms and start for the stairs. Sylvie waits at the top, her back turned to me.

“Nothing,” I announce. There’s tension in her shoulders, her hand hovering halfway to the gun on her hip. Halting, I peer past her. There, at the bottom of the steps, stand four men.

Not our men.

And then, my arrival as the catalyst, silence breaks open into an explosion of gunfire. Shouts come from every direction, and my instincts tell me to run to the aid of the others, but we’re blocked off.

A familiar face makes my innards coil painfully. Taking the steps two at a time, AJ closes the distance between us like we’re no more than old friends.

This was a fucking trap.

“There he is!” AJ’s smile is wide as he shouts over the cacophony of violence taking place beneath our feet. “I was worried you wouldn’t show!” He turns his smile to Sylvie, wrapping a lock of her hair around his finger. I know if it weren’t for the three men pointing guns at us, the imprint of his teeth would already be on her kneecap.

“You’ll want to come with me.” It almost sounds like an apology. AJ shakes his head in disappointment. “Curran isn’t thrilled with you, ya know?” Stepping around me, he pushes his gun to my back, the bite of the barrel forcing my feet forward. Marching into my own grave, I scramble for a solution. The heady scent of blood and gunpowder flood my nostrils, and when we reach the foyer, it takes multiple swallows to stop the vomit from splattering onto my shoes.

Four bodies are contorted on the ground, the deep red of their fatal wounds stretching into the woodgrain. Two I recognize, two I don’t. We don’t have fighters to spare, but at least a couple of Curran’s men were taken down, too.

The remaining members of the Resistance stand in a line, arms raised in surrender like pigs for the slaughter. We arepainfully outnumbered, and without the element of surprise, our plan has been destroyed.

With a shove between my shoulders, I fall into line with the rest of them. Sylvie stands at my right, eyes blazing with fury.

“Weapons,” one of the men orders. He’s a burly guy with black, shoulder length hair, displaying his brand proudly on the side of his throat. I wonder if that was his choice or Curran’s.

I feel the desperation in each gaze that falls on me, asking permission to hand over our guns and accept defeat. Fighting back in this moment would only get us killed, and for reasons I don’t want to consider, they’re keeping us alive. We need to use what little time we have.

Thrusting my arm out, I drop my rifle to the ground with a clatter. Emptying my pockets, I hand over my knives, my pistol, and even my busted watch. In a tense silence, the rest follow suit.

All except Sylvie.

The large man steps forward, reaching for her gun. Defiant, she jerks out of his reach. He closes the distance again, gripping the strap, and she seizes the opportunity to spit a wad of saliva onto the center of his chin.

“Sylvie—” I try, but it’s already too late. One muscled arm swings back and then forward, knocking her to the side with a backhanded smack. When she straightens, blood trickles from her eyebrow, and hair hangs in front of her left eye. A devilish smile spreads across her lips, and she drops the gun to the ground.

“You’ll regret that,” she says in a sickly sweet voice. I shoot daggers at her, silently pleading that she at least feign obedience. Is she trying to get herself killed?

The man stays silent, lifting the hem of his t-shirt to wipe the spit from his chin. It’s AJ who laughs, clapping his hands in glee.

“This is even more exciting than I had hoped.” One of his hands land on my shoulder. Hard. “But I guess I have you tothank for that, don’t I? You gullible thing, you.” He shoots me a wink before beginning to pace in front of us, the click of well polished boots grating on my already flayed nerves.

“You’re probably wondering what all of this is about, huh?”

“I have a few guesses,” I reply smoothly. Unwilling to show any sign of worry, I keep my expression bored and my posture relaxed. I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing the effect this has on me.

AJ carries on as if I hadn’t spoke at all.