Angels Without Hearts

Chapter 16

We had twenty minutes left. Maddie and I found an entrance in the back. The place was huge and falling apart. We had to find them before David started killing them. James said I had to practice talking in my head and doing other stuff. I thought very hard with my eyes opened. It seemed to be straining. "James, I'm here. Where are you?"

Maddie turned down a hallway. There were torches lit on the walls. My ears began to ring. "Don't worry about me right now. I'm okay. You need to find Cody and Holly. Free them first. Then I'll tell you where I am."

I took a deep breath. "You always think about others before yourself."

"It's my job. I think about you before myself." His voice was soothing.

My heart began to worry. What if I didn't have enough time to save them all? "I love you, James."

His voice came through strong, reminding me why I was there. "Don't do that. This isn't goodbye."

Maddie hit my arm, causing me to come back to reality. "This place is a maze." She whispered. "Where do we even start?" Looking around, there were too many hallways to go down. We needed a sign. Without warning, someone started screaming at the top of their lungs. It was coming from the right. Maddie and I quickly raced down the hallway. Another turn came up. We stopped and listened. The screaming continued to the left. We turned again and ended up on a railing. Steam was coming from something on the ground. There were three doors to the right side. The screaming stopped. We could hear voices. "Fucking asshole. Wait until I break free. You've put us through enough." It was Cody! My heart was so happy to know that he was alive. Maddie pulled me behind her. We slowly inched to the doors. Another voice chuckled. "You're suffering will end soon. I've given Jessica an hour. If she's not here by then, all three of you will die." The second door swung open. David stepped out; he was human. His shirt was off. He was wearing long black pants with chains hanging off of them. In his hand, was a long iron that had a red tip at the end. He smirked at Cody. "I'll draw who gets to die first. Maybe Holly since she has a big mouth."

Chains rattled. "If you fucking touch her, I swear to God, I'll end you myself!" Cody shouted.

David laughed. "She's gotten some of the fun. Don't worry, she'll receive more. He slammed the door shut and headed out. Maddie grabbed me and went backwards into the wall. We were on the other side. David's heavy footsteps walked by. Maddie flew back to where we were. Searching around, he was gone. I rushed over to the door. To my surprised, it was unlocked. I glanced at Maddie. She shook her head. "I don't think he knows you're here yet. He used to leave this door unlocked when I worked with him. They can't break free on their own. The chains are laced with evil hexes." I quietly opened it. Peeking inside, Cody's head hung low. His hands were strung up, and he was on his knees. His legs were clamped to the floor. His wings were hung up on hooks. Gashes and burns laid across his chest. Blood dripped from his wrists and mouth. I walked over and went to touch his head. Cody bolted up like he was ready to fight. Once he saw me, he froze. "Jessica?" I nodded. "How do I know this isn't a trick?"

Maddie walked into the room. "We don't have time for this. It's really us..."

His eyes widened. "Watch out! Maddie is behind you." He tried to free his hands, but he was only making it worse. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. "Cody, stop! She's on our side now. Leo gave back her wings."

He froze in place then glared at her. "Really? I would have killed her. She's a traitor."

Maddie rolled her eyes. "Holly nearly succeeded."

He smiled. "Remind me to congratulate her later." My fingers went to his chains. There wasn't a keyhole but just a buckle. I unlatched it. His hand dropped. I went to the other side and did the same thing. Maddie freed his legs. We both helped him to his feet. Cody stumbled a bit. After a couple minutes, he stood up on his own. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me. "Thank you." I smiled. We walked out of the cell. Cody stretched out his wings. "We need to find Holly."