Set Fire to The Rain -- Completed

Chapter 29

“Set Fire to the Rain”

2012 Copyright All Rights Reserved


Chapter 29
    

    Everything grew quiet.  The silence in the sterile hall ways was profound after the chaos that had ensued only moments before.  Amari stood there, taking in the motionless bodies that littered the form and couldn’t find a drop of regret in her heart for a one of them.  

    In her eyes, they deserved it.  The relentless hell that those solders put her and all of the other Lyrics through, day after day warranted justice and sweet justice had been served, as evidenced by the hall that was now painted crimson red.  

    Letting out a deep breath of satisfaction, she forced herself to turn away from the death and the gore.  “Alright guys,” she whispered as she rounded the corner, “Time to move out.”

    As soon as her eyes landed on the group, her heart skipped a beat.  She closed her eyes for a long second, opened them back up and prayed that she was just seeing things.  She had to be.  Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes back up, she knew she was not seeing things.  

    Placing her hand on the wall, she struggled to steady herself.  “Where… is Hope?”  She finally managed to speak when she found her words.  All she could picture was one of them cursed solders getting their hands on her baby girl and that…. that was more than enough to make her go crazy mad.

    Bethany turned around and it was hard to miss the surprising gasp that she gave.  “She was right here a second a go.”  With a determined stride, she started down the hall in the opposite direction.  “Hope?  Hope?!” she cried out, getting louder and more anxious with ever new step that she took.  Hope had been right behind her when they stopped.  Where could she have gone?

    “What do you mean she was right here a second a go?”  Amari was looking at Max whose gaze was travailing back and forth between the retreating Bethany and the shell shocked Amari.

    He didn’t know how to answer that question because when the shooting started, he covered his ears and closed his eyes, willing it all to just go away.  He didn't hear nothing and he didn't see nothing.

    “Max?”

    “I don’t know?!” He yelled out, throwing in hands up in the air.  He was ashamed because he was the guy here and he should have been the one watching out for the girls.  He couldn’t even bring himself to look up look up at Amari, the one woman that has been the closest thing to a mother to him over the years.  Because of him, her daughter was now missing.

    He felt a hand settle on his shoulder and immediately pulled away from the surprisingly gentle touch.  “I don’t know,” he reiterated, sounding very much like a scared little boy at that moment.

    “It’s not your fault Max,” Amari said quietly.  She was rearing on the inside but she couldn’t afford for Max to break down now.  She needed him to both find her daughter and then get them all the hell out of here.

     Keeping her eyes on Bethany, she touched his shoulder again.  “Let’s go Max, we have to find her, okay?”

    He lifted his head and stared straight ahead, refusing to look at her.  She caught the way that he stiffened his spine and heard his slow exhale of breath.  “Right,” he started, sheer determination lacing his tone, “We find her and then we get the hell out of here.”

    Bethany turned the corner and was now out of her sight line.  She knew that they needed to move before she lost her too.  Holding up the gun, she cocked it and held it at the ready, the clicking sound resonating in the cold silence of the hallway.