Sacrifice

Chapter Seven

"You destroyed our plan."

"Look at him, Gabriel! I couldn't just leave him! There were too many of them, more than we thought--"

"You know better than to call me that, Sombra. And yes. You should have left him."

"They were torturing him!"

"I've watched countless people tortured to death. Not a single time have I compromised my identity and mission for their sakes." Reaper heaves a heavy, frustrated sigh. "Sombra, I think it's time for you to go."

My eyes snap open. I'm lying on the floor in Talon's base, on a small cot, wrapped up in a sheet. Sombra and Reaper are both standing over me and in the corner of the room I spot Roadhog, leaning against the wall but still very alert.

"Fine," Sombra says. "Fine. I'll go. I don't need you." She turns round but Reaper grabs her arm with a claw-like hand.

"Not with all our intel you won't," he growls. Widow steps up out of nowhere and places a small assassin's pistol at the base of Sombra's skull. Sombra goes quite still.

"The way I see it," Reaper says, "we have three choices. We could let you stay and risk our identities being exposed by association with you--" Widowmaker flicks off the safety-- "or we could let you run free with valuable information--" Widow cocks the gun-- "or, we could kill you." He steps closer, holding both Sombra's arms so tight I can see her skin going white around his fingers. "As head of this organization," he says, so quiet I can barely hear, "there is only one option that appeals to me."

"Oi. Oi mate." I force myself to sit up, though my body screams in protest. Sombra's eyes flick toward me and she mouths, "Jamie, don't." But I ignore her. She's saves my life twice now. I am not letting her die.

"Stay out of this, foolish boy," Widow says. "Or do you want to be killed along with your lover?"

"She ain't my lovah, you cow," I tell her in the most pleasant of voices. "Not yet, anyways. I was just wonderin if there ain't another option you're forgetting." I shoot a glance at Hog. "Like, say, I dunno... the three of us blowing this place sky-high and escaping, never to be seen again?" And I wait for Hog to bring out the big guns.

Reaper laughs. And Widow pulls the trigger.

It's almost funny, the way Sombra's body goes limp in Reaper's grasp. The way she crumples to her knees. The way her head lolls to the side and its weight pulls her down, her body slumping across my legs, the hot blood from her skull coloring the sheet a deep velvety red.

I stare into her eyes. Huge and brown. She doesn't blink. She could win a staring contest. Worldwide staring championship goes to... and the big winner is... Bee, with the big beautiful brown eyes. I reach out and poke her nose with a finger. "Boop," I say, and giggle because she ignores me. She doesn't even move.

I remember everything else in a kind of dream. More gunfire. I wrap the little beaut up in my arms and hold her tight, trying to keep her warm. All her warmth is coming out through the little hole in her neck and desperately, I try to hold it in, my palm pressed hard to the back of her head. I rock back and forth, holding her tight and pressing my lips to her forehead as it goes cold. I don't know why she's not talking to me. I think it must have something to do with the fact that I kissed her. But she said everything was fine.