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We soon drive to meet Graves and his Shadows in order to see what we had to do next. A part of my stomach felt flipped upside down, but I couldn't explain it. We disarmed the missile, captured El Sin Nombre, are in Hassan's hot trail.. what else is there?

We pull into the lot, seeing Graves load Valeria into the car.

"The hell?" We all get out, as Graves seems to be preparing for something.

"What's this?" Alejandro asks with his arms out.

"This is the immediate future. Step away from the gate," Graves looks all of us up and down, smirking.

"The fuck you mean the immediate future?!" I exclaim.

"What?" Soap asks.

"You heard me." Graves tilts his head up.

"You're crazy, this is my base." Alejandro spits.

"It's not a base, this is a sizable convert facility and I admire it," Graves responds.

I look over to Ghost who seems to be looking at me. He knew as well as I did.

"So I'm taking it." Graves finishes as he brandishes his gun. "You boys have been relieved. Thank you for your service."

"No, no, no, I don't take orders from you." Alejandro grits.

"Didn't Valeria say that? Now that makes me wonder what else I don't know about your affiliation with a drug lord." Graves smirks.

"Don't, Alejandro. He's trying to get under your skin," I whisper.

"What the fuck did you just say to me, pendejo?" Alejandro takes a few steps forward. I felt locked in my place. Alejandro was right in Grave's face now.

Soap walks up behind Alejandro, pulling him back. "You're out of line, Graves."

"Don't do that.. don't.. do that." Graves points a finger as he looks to me. "No one needs to get hurt here."

"Are you threatening us?" Ghost asks angrily. I look back to him, swallowing.

"Everyone but Ruby here. She's coming with me." Graves smirks.

"Hell she is!" Ghost angrily states as he takes a few steps forward.

"No way," Soap shakes his head. "You're not going to corrupt her."

"Soldiers, I don't make threats.. I make guarantees. And I guarantee you if you hand over Ruby we will be squared out; so let's not do this." Graves eyes land on everyone as he tries to be authoritative.

I feel a lump form in my throat as Graves looks to me.

"I'm calling Shepherd," Soap says as he turns around.

"General Shepherd sends his regards," Graves says with a smirk. My eyes widen as I look to my team, their expressions doing the same. "And why the hell are we talking like this is some negotiation? It's not. I've got my orders. And now you have yours." His voice starts to get angrier.

"And who the fuck do you think you are, cabrón?" Alejandro spits. "My men are inside!"

"Alejandro!" I whisper.

"I'm afraid not," Graves leans forward. "Your men have been.. detained."

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I knew it was going to happen, but not so sudden. I notice Alejandro lunge forward, grabbing Graves.

"¡Cabrón!" Alejandro exclaims.

"Fuck!" I yell as I look to Ghost and Soap. "Stop!" I yell. A guard then pins Alejandro against the truck.

"Graves, what the fuck?!" Soap yells. This was the angriest I've seen him yet.

Suddenly, I hear bullets start to fire. Soap pulls a guard in front of him, creating a man made shield.

Ghost elbows the guard behind him, and within seconds the peace ended.

"Get her!" Graves tells to his guards, and within seconds they start to approach me at full speed.

"Fuck!" I run to the truck to grab my gun, but I'm immediately pulled down from behind. Two guards turn me over, as I start to kick and squirm as much as possible.

"Let her go!" Soap yells.

"Stay the fuck still!" The guard pins me down, and I don't listen. I attempt to get my leg over one of them, turning over and choke holding the other.

"Kill her!" A guard yells. My eyes widen as I look to Graves who orders for his men to kill me.

A throwing knife flies in my direction, going into the jugular of a solider who was running straight for me.

I take cover behind a bush as I ransack them dead guard for a gun. I grab a hold of a pistol, aiming it and shooting down two guards who were restraining Alejandro.

I look over, suddenly seeing Soap yell in pain and fall to the ground.

"Soap!" I yell as I run over to him. I aim my gun once more, trying to find a clear aim through the rain. I look down to Soap, who squints in pain. "Fucking run! Crawl! Go!" I shoot more into the crowd of soldiers, seeing Soap slowly disappear from my eyesight.

"Go, Johnny! Get out of here!" Ghost yells. "Soap, go!"

I run behind the truck again, and try to shoot the guards behind the other truck.

"Get him, now!" Graves commands.

"No!" I run up to Graves, shooting without hesitation. He runs to cover behind a wall, shooting back.

"I'll give you one more chance, Ruby Laswell!" Graves commands. "Come with me and end this all, or have you and all your little friends die!"

I lower my gun, looking to Alejandro and Ghost. I had to. There was no way I'd fight back if it meant getting people killed. People I cared about.

"Don't you dare do it, Red." Ghost warns.

"I have to," I look to Alejandro and smile.

"No, you don't." Alejandro says.

"I can actually save someone this time, I failed last time." I look to Graves who comes out from behind the wall, approaching me with a smile.

"That wasn't your fault, Red." Ghost says short.

"It was," I look down, the flashbacks in my head repeating.

"She's right, you know!" Graves exclaims with a laugh. "If you would have just caught Dawson in time be wouldn't be dead."

I try not to lash out, my fists creating the bleeding crescents once again. A finger forces my chin up, and I now am face to face with Graves. "I'm not doing this for you, asshole." I spit.

His expression hardens, his eyes reading only anger.

"Then get the fuck out of my sight," I suddenly feel a sharp pain enter the side of my abdomen. I look down, seeing Grave's right hand pressed into my body. My hand lowers to the burning, bringing it up and seeing the dark red spilling out of me.

"You..." my words tremble out of my mouth.

"No!" I hear Ghost yell. "Alejandro, go! Get your men!" More gun shots fire into mid air, and all I see is Graves run the opposite direction.

Everything was in pain, and all I could feel was my body fall onto the concrete as my knees fail to support me fully. I look down, seeing a pool of blood begin to grow. I feel tears fall from my eyes, the pain reverberating throughout my body.

I attempt to crawl towards a dead guard to get a gun, but my body doesn't allow me much movement. I felt frozen. I stretch my arm, attempting to inch the handgun in sight towards me. I finally grab it, taking a hold of it and aiming it up. My hands shake, unable to maintain a stable focus. My body gives out, dropping the gun. The world seemed to be spinning.

Without warning, I feel a pair of arms suddenly pick me up and lob me over like a rag doll. All I could see was in and out.

Black, reality. Black, reality.

Chalice of Revenge (Ghost X Ruby Laswell)Where stories live. Discover now