How To Hide A Body

How To Navigate the Catacombs

My knees gave in and my ears were ringing. The gunshot continued to echo all around us, making it feel like we were in the centre of a warzone. Luis' cries of pain and Alex's guttural screams did not do anything to help. I heard Alex beg me to turn on the light, but my fingers were trembling so much they kept on slipping over the button. After a few tries, light flooded into the Catacombs. My vision was blurry, but when my eyes finally adjusted to the light, I wished I had been blind.

Luis clutched his chest, heaving heavily, his hands were stained crimson. Alex collapsed to the floor and crawled to his side immediately. Alex brought Luis into his arms and told him to breathe through his own shaking exhales whispering unfulfillable promises.

I turned to Bart, who looked as lost as I felt. He stroked his hand through his hair, something he did when he felt useless. I whipped my head and turned to Jean who was staring at the situation before him with superiority. His feet were apart and his finger itched to press the trigger again. He exuded this God-complex: he decided who would live and who would die. But, I would not let that happen.

When he caught me looking at him, he shot me a curious glance, "Oh please, you couldn't have felt anything for this," he struggled to find the word as he loosely pointed the gun at Luis's body, "pathetic wannabe?" I didn't answer. My mind kept drifting back to Luis. Then Jean started to laugh, "He was right."

"Who? Right about what?" I spat.

"I didn't believe him. Your emotions are taking over. They're controlling you. You no longer listen to your head, you listen to your newfound heart." He pouted as if he were sympathetic.

"Why?" I yelled. I was still crouching on the floor as I held the flashlight tightly in my hands. I felt my knees were damp with blood.

"What?" Jean asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Why not just kill me? Why is he forcing me to play in his little game?!"

"Really? You haven't figured it out yet?" he asked. He chuckled when I gave up no response, "Because he needs you."

Before I could process this, Alex let out a heart-shattering sob. My gaze instantly softened as I turned to face Luis's lifeless corpse. Alex clutched his head in his hands, leaving stains of his brother's blood on his cheeks.

The worst thing to happen to someone is someone else's death. Not even one's own death is as devastating. All existence is pain, but having someone else share in the experience makes it easier. Seeing that someone leave you to continue on your own... I instantly forgave Bart. I couldn't imagine holding his dying body in my arms and then being forced to keep on living.

I slowly stood up, and dropped the flashlight to the floor. I looked at the gun Luis had dropped which lay a few feet away from Bart. Bart followed my gaze and immediately understood. Unfortunately, so did Jean.

He pointed his gun at Bart. "I don't think so," Jean warned. Bart stopped in his tracks, which only made Jean think more highly of himself. I had to stop him.

I yanked a femur bone from the cavern walls with both hands. I channelled my anger and hatred and loss and sadness and pain into the swinging the bone like a baseball bat. It collided with Valentin's skull with an ear-shattering CLANG. Jean immediately crumpled to the floor on impact, unconscious.

Bart lurched for the gun, released the safety and pointed it at Jean's curled up body. "Should I kill him?" Bart asked.

"No." Alex ordered from the darker depths of the Catacombs. He carefully placed his brother's corpse on the floor. He used his fingers to carefully close Luis' eyes. Before standing, he wiped a tear from Luis' cheek. He walked over to Bart, "You're not going to kill him." He took the gun from Bart, who offered it up easily. "I am."

Alex then sat down on the floor, crossing his legs as if about to go into meditation. "I am going to wait for him to wake up. Then, I will make him suffer. You two, go!" The murderous gleam in his eyed flashed in the darkness despite how calm he looked. His scar looked even more menacing.

I grabbed Bart by the arm and pulled him away, "You heard the man." Bart refused to budge. He stared forlornly at Alex. "He's got this, Bart. He's one of the bravest men I know." I whispered.

Bart nodded. He loosened up. "How are we going to get out of here?" Bart asked. I walked over to Jean and rifled through his pockets until I found the phone he had used to correct himself. It was clearly a burner phone and only had two apps installed. One was an internet browser and the other was a map of the Catacombs. Along with an extensive floorplan, the map had a small red X which moved with me. It was labelled: 'You are here!'.

"This will guide us out of here," I held up the phone to show Bart.

"How will Alex get out, then?" Bart asked.

"Don't worry about me." Alex ordered. Bart was about to protest, but Alex shot him a warning look, which silenced him. I took Valentin's gun from his hand and stood up.

"We should get going," I suggested. Bart looked reluctant to leave Alex with Luis' corpse alone in the tunnel, but he nodded. We turned to Alex and muttered words of thanks and wished him good luck. We then turned to leave.

We had only taken a few steps when Alex called, "Solange!" I tensed up. It felt weird to hear him say my real name. "When you are out of the Catacombs, set off the bomb," he asked. I had forgotten about the detonator which Bart still had in his pocket.

"Why?" A tear flowed down my cheek.

"Destroy this corridor. The prison won't be able to find us," He explained. It pained me to hear him say 'us'. He must have seen this, so, he said, firmly, "Promise me."

"I promise," I gave him a smile, which was incredulously difficult. Alex's posture softened, for the first time. I think he even smiled. Alex then switched on his stolen flashlight and resumed his warrior position.

I turned and followed the path off of Jean's burner phone out of the Catacombs. I didn't look back. A little while down, I heard two gunshots, but we didn't stop.

I felt like I would never see the Kray brothers again.