Page 101 of Ravage

A massive blast rocketed through the warehouse, shaking the ground beneath me, and flames burst through the windows, shattering the glass. I could feel the heat rolling off the warehouse as the fire took hold, burning everything in sight.

I could smell the burning, but I couldn’t hear the crackle of the flames or the screams from inside. My ears were ringing too loud for that. I was watching the smoke curl into the night sky when I felt a set of hands slide under my arms and lift me from the ground. I tried to help, but my knees buckled.

Damn. That wasn’t good.

My vision was a bit blurred, but I could still make out Reaper’s face as he stood in front of me and said, “You with me?”

“Yeah. Right here.”

“You look like shit.”

“Well aware… Feel like it too.”

“Gonna need you to hang in there. We gotta get you to the truck.”

I gave the fiery warehouse one last look as they carried me away. Focusing on the far-right edge, I saw a bright light illuminating the brick wall. It didn’t look right. The light grew brighter as it closed in, casting shadows through the smoke and trees. It was just a few yards away when I was hit with the smell of burnt hair and flesh.

I squinted as I saw the fireball with flailing arms, barreling toward us. I managed to mutter, “Luck…”

“Yeah?”

Lucky turned, his eyes quickly reflecting the bright orange mass charging towards us. It wasn’t until then that I heard the man’s pain-filled screaming, but it was quickly cut off by Lucky firing a shot into his chest. He collapsed in front of us, now gasping for air and clawing his charred, black hands into the dirt.

Lucky cocked the trigger again, aiming for the head. The man tilted his ember-covered face up at Lucky and reached out toward him for help. He shot again. His body fell limp, and it wouldn’t be long before he was nothing more than ash and embers.

I’m not sure what came after that. There was shouting and a few random shots, but it sounded like I was underwater. I inhaled a deep breath and was relieved I could still take in air. Figured it was a good sign that my lungs still worked. Bleeding out or not, I was still alive. That was something. I rolled my head to the side, and a feeling of satisfaction washed over me when I saw that the warehouse was engulfed in flames and barely standing.

We’d done it.

Even with our fuckup, the plan had worked.

“Ravage.” Lucky gave me a shake. “You with me?”

“Trying.”

It came out more like a groan than an answer, but it was enough. I barely remember them getting me into the back of the SUV. Reaper opened the back door and propped me against the back. The next thing I knew, my vest was being pulled off me, and I heard Knox gasp, “Fuck.”

He’d gone from looking pissed at me to absolutely terrified. I don’t know which got to me more. He helped me into the back as he shouted, “Get me something to stop the bleeding!”

There was some movement and more shouting, and then I felt even more pressure against my chest. Damn. This was it. The asshole was trying to kill me. He was hovering over me, pressing some damn T-shirt against my wound and looking scared as hell, when he shouted, “Move!”

The truck lurched forward, and seconds later, we were speeding back toward the clubhouse. Knox stayed at my side, trying his damnedest to keep me from completely bleeding out, and I was doing all I could to keep from dying in the back of that damn truck.

I closed my eyes as I asked, “We got ‘em?”

“We sure fucking did.”

“And the Vipers?”

“Everything went as planned.”

I don’t know how much time passed. It could’ve been just a few seconds or hours. It felt like time was slipping by. It pissed me off that a bullet to the damn shoulder could be my end, but we don’t get a say in how our time comes to an end, especially in a world like ours. If this was truly it for me, I had things that needed to be said.

“I’m crazy about her, brother… I have been for a long time.”

He didn’t respond.

He just glared at me as he held that shirt to my chest. He wasn’t going anywhere, so I kept at it. “I didn’t want to… I tried like hell not to, but…”