Heartless || •OG• ✔️

Chapter 57 - Jericho

"What?" Jericho asked, but he knew what Ariel said.

"Jimin's gone, he sacrificed himself for Charlotte and me," Ariel replied, squeezing the Dumbo plush against her chest. They stalled, stammering over every word they desired to say. Shock came first. Then the denial that the best fighter in the Underworld was gone. Anger flashed into his vision, but Jericho pushed it away since there were larger priorities at that time.

They had to move. They were in the middle of a massive hallway that had cameras watching their every movement. More men were on the way. Jericho wouldn't be surprised if every guard the High Council had was on their way to their position, yet Jericho's feet wouldn't budge. The muscles in his bodies argued with him, his cells screaming from both agony and fury. The agony was for Jimin, and the fury was for himself. Fury that he never made things right with Jimin.

Jericho thought he could remain strong. He thought he could keep his jaw set and his shoulders ready to fight, but Ivan broke down. The blind man slapped a hand over his mouth and fell to his knees, spiraling into a fit of sobs that shook his figure. Jericho was next, him turning to the side and throwing up on the carpet from the emotions overwhelming his senses.

Black dots speckled their way around his vision, the injury he suffered nothing in comparison to what his heart was going through. His nose was filled with the scent of sweaty tears, Jericho's hands gripping the carpet he threw up on. Bellows of cries came from Ivan, Ariel doing her best to comfort him, but she was in a similar state.

Kayden was the only functional one of the group. He stayed on guard, but Jericho glanced at him in time to see him wiping his cheeks. Other than cries, no noises were heard. No footsteps, no gunshots, no shouts. Safety was an illusion, and Jericho knew they had to go, but he needed to hold on a little longer.

"Jericho," Ariel said, him moving his head up to stare at her. "I was there when he died. Before he did, he said you're his brother too."

And just like that, Jericho Novak broke.

What was once quiet crying became wails of misery ripped from his lungs. Slithering seas of solitude stormed through his brain, and they poured out of his mouth until he swore he'd pass out from the force of it all. Why would he do that? Why would Jimin forgive Jericho for such a violent crime? For the death of a child, let alone his daughter.

Jericho gripped his hair and pulled several locks out. Kayden knelt by his side and rubbed his back, but Jericho couldn't stop himself. No consolation could come to him. No relief could pry itself inside his body. Warmth seeped away from his skin, soaring into the air and capturing them in a bubble of grief.

"We have to move, I know this is hardly the time for it, but if we stay here, we might die. Jericho, we need to get you and I medical attention as soon as possible," Kayden said, shushing Jericho's cries. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, buddy."

Jericho sat up, Kayden embracing him. All his barriers broke apart at the contact, and what he thought was impossible became real. Kayden grabbed the warmth in the air and put it back in Jericho's body, allowing him a temporary calm.

Kayden was right. They needed to move before it was too late. Jericho was greedy, taking an extra minute to mourn his loss. As if losing Theo and Asa wasn't hard enough, now Jimin? Jericho wasn't sure how much more he could take. Out of all of them, Jimin deserved to live the most. Why was this world so cruel?

"We have to get to Charlotte," Ariel whispered, dropping her voice. "There's cameras, I don't want to say it too loudly, but I know where she is. She's going for the balcony. I can take us there."

Jericho agreed, getting to his feet. Getting up was the single most difficult task Jericho had to do in years. Blisters were on his feet from all the running they were doing. Blood dribbled onto the surface below, Jericho holding his injury. The wrap around it was enough to slow the bleeding, but they had to move and find medical supplies. Fast. Charlotte had their bag, but Ariel had another that she plopped in front of them.

"I don't know if Jimin packed medical supplies, but it's worth a try, right?" she said, the others agreeing and rifling through it.

Kayden watched their backs while Jericho searched, finding a few bandages, but nothing else. No painkillers, no water, no cotton balls or anything similar. Just bandages. Well, it was better than the jacket.

Ariel helped Jericho tie bandages to his hip, her hands quivering. When they were finished, Jericho took one of her hands and gave it a squeeze. It was both to show his thanks, and to remind her she wasn't alone. However, she took herself away from him and shook her head.

"Jericho, I appreciate what you've done to keep me safe, but I can't forgive you for what you did to him. I know Charlotte and even Jimin did, but I can't. If I'm being honest, when we were in that hallway, I thought about shooting you. And part of me regrets not doing it," Ariel said.

"I know, and I would've deserved it. Thanks for being honest, kid. But please tell me you know I care about him, and that I'll always protect you."

She nodded, swinging Jimin's bag on her back before offering Jericho her hand. He took it, standing and brushing himself off. Pain rocketed through his body, all coming from his hip. There was no escaping the recovery and nerve damage. He'd be limping for the foreseeable future.

"Why haven't we been attacked yet?" Ivan asked, sitting with his knees tucked against his chest.

"I shot out the cameras when those guards came," Kayden replied, checking how much ammo was in his pistol. "They're probably circling the castle, trying to box us in. Come on, there's a door up ahead. Should lead to the next hallway."

They agreed, going up to it. Half of them were limping, the other half were dazed and wishing they could be anywhere else. The door itself was wooden, no special designs on it, which was a shocker to Jericho. These High Council fucks loved to show off. Regardless, he went to the golden handle and pulled, but it wouldn't budge.

"Locked. Any plan B?" Jericho asked.

"There's two options," Ivan replied, patting the wall until he found the door. "We either smash the handle off with a pistol, or we pick the lock. I can pick it if you get me a knife." Not wanting to cause more noise than they already have, Jericho motioned to Ariel, who handed her knife over to Ivan. It was still covered in blood from when she stabbed that guard in the genitals.

Ivan made quick work of the lock, opening the door and pushing through. It was another hallway, but this one led to a staircase. Jericho knew Charlotte had been this way. There were bodies all over the floor, blood on the ground that could have been from either her, the bodies, or both.

"Did Charlotte do this?" Kayden asked with a shaky voice.

"Who else could have done this?" Jericho said, his feet soaking in blood. "Come on, get to the stairs and keep going. Ariel, give us directions."

Ariel did, them locating the stairs and going up them. They kept going and going, peeking out windows to find where the balcony was. Guards pounded down on them, them needing to hide and fire away every few steps it felt like. Jericho was panting by the time they made it up a couple flights.

An explosion rattled them, Ivan falling back and only staying upright thanks to Kayden holding onto him. That came from a few more floors above them. Jericho swallowed his tongue in an attempt to bring moisture back to his body, his legs bruised and cut from the day he had. Footsteps stomped on the floor as they went up more stairs, Jericho grunting and getting into a firing position. He used the thick, marble railings for cover, preparing to kill anyone who stepped into their line of sight.

A second passed. It swung in his mind on a string, reminding him that he was minutes away from death at most. His heart palpitated, sending a stream of panic throughout his veins. Cells vibrated inside him, his spine crashing from the weight of the entire situation. Another second passed. Another.

Then, the fight broke out.

~~~
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