TW: So... idk how to explain this but um... gore? Like... detailed gore? Yea, well I tried. Oh and S.A... but in a very dark twisted way?
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𝑿𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒓
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"Four at the front door, four at the back and two at all the other side doors" Kat's voice came from the earpiece we all had in our ears. "About a hundred and fifty inside"
"This should be fun," Wyatt grinned, twirling his brass knuckles in his right hand, his knife in the other.
"Don't get too excited," Griffin warned. I could tell he was calculating our odds in his head, something he did every time we went on a mission.
Jordan smiled, the sight anything but nice. "Come on man. Live a little" The gun in his hand shining under the sunlight.
Kat's voice came through the ear piece again. "Watch your backs. It'd be a shame if I had to come save your asses" I could practically hear the smug grin that was undoubtedly plastered on her face. "Again"
"Don't worry about us babe. We'll be fine" Jordan replied.
Preston scoffed. "You're fucking with me, she actually forgave you? After all that shit you three pulled?"
Jordan and Griffin glared at him while Kat sighed. "I told you not to call me that"
"I didn't listen" A smile appeared on Jordan's face.
"You look weirdly happy for someone whose girlfriend hasn't forgiven him" Zayn said, lazily inspecting the guns in his hands.
Jordan glared at him. "She hasn't forgiven me yet. But I'm working my damn hardest to get there"
"Can we fucking go already?" Wyatt groaned, tossing his head back.
"Wait for the signal-" Griffin started talking but a loud explosion interrupted him.
A smile emerged on Wyatt's face as three more explosions went off, flames erupting from the warehouse we were watching.
"It is the middle of the night. Your brothers could have been more discreet" Jordan told Wyatt who just shrugged.
"Show time" Wyatt grinned, getting a running head start before jumping from the roof of the building we were on.
"Hell yeah. I fucking love it when he lets his demons out" Preston chuckled, jumping off right after Wyatt.
"Thankfully, they only come out during missions," Kat said.
"You guys ready?" Jordan grinned, looking at Griffin and I.
Griffin sighed, reaching up to pull his blonde hair into a ponytail. He opened the first two buttons of the black shirt he had on before his hands moved to the machine gun he had strapped on his back.
Both him and Jordan turned to me, waiting for my instructions. As soon as I nodded, we were off.
Jumping off the roof like Preston and Wyatt, we securely landed on the roof of the building next to us. Heading towards the fire escape, Jordan and Griffin behind me, I climbed down the ladders at the side of the building, finding myself in a dark alley.
The alley that led right to the warehouse. The warehouse our men were currently raiding.
I was at the front, Jordan and Griffin guarding the rear as we maneuvered through the alley, stepping over the corpses of our rivals - the result of Preston and a murderous Wyatt working together.
We stopped when we passed a corpse with its eyes gouged out and shoved into its mouth. Due to its mangled frame, we couldn't identify the gender.
"This has Wyatt written all over it" Griffin sighed.
Jordan locked eyes with me. "Yet I'm more wary of the man who hasn't said anything since this started."
Griffin looked at me as well. Fear. It washed over his face. For only a second but I still saw it. And by the solemn look on Jordan's face, I could tell he saw it too.
But Griffin had never been one for emotions. His face hardened immediately, any evidence of emotion slipping away as he continued down the alley.
"Let's go. We don't want to keep them waiting," He said, without looking back.
I could still feel Jordan's worried gaze on me as we headed after Griffin. I could tell the gears in his head were spinning and he was about to ask me a question.
That question that they had been asking me for four months now.
Since the day of the graduation.
"Are you okay?" His voice came behind me, as soft as it was whenever he talked to Kat.
Luckily for me, we reached the opening of the alley, the warehouse a few feet away from us. He sighed, knowing there was no way I would answer the question now - there was too much at stake to bring personal matters into this.
"Took your fucking time" A crazed Wyatt laughed.
We had only brought a few men along with us for this mission - about 15. And when I didn't spot any of them there, I knew they had all been killed.
I made a mental note to make arrangements for their funerals and compensate their families after this was over.
My attention returned to Wyatt whose entire body was covered in blood, his face as well, his once white hair now mostly red, indicating that he didn't just shoot the corpses scattered at our feet.
For Wyatt, shooting them was too easy. He always made sure to put his victims through as much pain as possible before killing them off.
Wyatt smirked, holding what seemed to be a tongue in his hands. "Wanna make out?"
"And you say Xavier's the one who's fucked in the head," Zayn said, walking towards us from the left side of the warehouse. "That side is clear"
Wyatt laughed again. "How do you think I got this way?"
"If you're scared of him, you clearly haven't seen Xavier in action" Preston chuckled.
"This side's clear," Arlo said, walking from the right. Arlo stopped, staring at the tongue Wyatt had in his hands before looking at me. When his eyes met mine, he shook his head. "Why do I surround myself with psychopaths?"
"Even our own brother," Derrick sighed, appearing after Arlo. "The back's clear"
"You guys love me" Wyatt smiled, wiggling the tongue at him before tossing it to the ground.
"Focus guys" Kat's voice called out. "Those people need your help"
My blood boiled at the mention of the helpless people we were here to rescue. Victims of this cruel world.
"That's if we're not too fucking late" Jordan muttered.
"It's one thing for the reaper to want power, but human trafficking? Unforgivable" Griffin said, arming himself with the machine gun.
"Fuck yeah. It's happening" Wyatt chuckled, arming himself with his brass knuckles.
"I just know I'm going to be sore in the morning," Arlo sighed, arming himself.
Griffin wasted no time blasting the door down by the sheer force of the bullets he was firing. He was stationed at the front of the warehouse, Zayn next to him, protecting him as he covered the rest of us.
We made our way into the warehouse and stopped, realizing that we hadn't taken into account how big it was.
It was a three story building, with stairs on either side, leading to the different floors. It was dark inside, the only sources of light coming from the three bulbs that hung from the ceiling.
Before we could move, waves of men rushed in from the stairs, bullets firing as they aimed for us.
We scattered, taking cover. I steadied myself against one of the beams that supported the building, shooting and firing at the men who seemed to be multiplying by the second.
"Things are getting ugly fast. Babe?" Jordan called, grunting as he shot our enemies.
"The hostages are being held on the second floor, their boss on the third and men on the first." Kat responded. I could hear her fingers against the keyboard of her laptop, no doubt watching through the security cameras. "They're entirely focused on you guys right now, so if one or two of you were to slip out, I don't think they'd notice"
"Boss?" Derrick called into the ear piece.
My eyes met his before taking in the scene in front of me. Derrick and Arlo were crouched behind a block of concrete that had probably gotten there due to the explosions.
Jordan was huddled behind a beam like I was aiming and shooting at our rivals, Preston was pressed against the wall, his head peeking out whenever he wanted to shoot.
And Wyatt...
Wyatt was laughing as he ran around the room, like a child, punching in the faces of our rivals with the assistance of the brass knuckles he had on.
"I'll take Wyatt, the rest of you join us as soon as you can" I said into the earpiece.
I saw Derrick and the others nod as they kept firing.
"We need a distraction," Jordan said.
"Griffin, Zayn. You're up" Arlo ordered.
The loud firing of the machine gun was heard soon after, getting closer and closer by the second.
All heads turned to the entrance as Griffin walked in, the machine gun strapped as he fired like a mad man, taking out everyone in sight.
"Take cover" Zayn yelled.
I placed my gun back into the holsters fixed on my body before I ran towards the stairs, dragging Wyatt off the corpse of a man he was punching.
"Hey" He frowned, letting himself get dragged off. His frown disappeared when he realized it was me, a smile taking its place as we headed up the stairs while the men were distracted. "The boss needs me? Today must be my lucky day"
I turned to him, my face hard with hate. "They involved innocent people, Wyatt. This isn't just a hunt for power anymore, it's personal. The reaper wanted a reaction from us and that's what he'll fucking get."
I spoke into the earpiece next. "We show them no mercy. They want to see the full might of the Russos? They've fucking got it. Their blood will run through the streets by the time we're done. No one survives. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, boss" Their responses reached my ears.
A grin broke out on Wyatt's face when we stopped on the second floor. "It's show time"
A smile appeared on my face as well. But it was nothing close to Wyatt's. No. It was cold, spiteful and sickening. Everything I felt at that moment and more.
Wyatt turned to me. "Ready?"
"Let's kill some bastards," I grinned.
With every step we took, we were sure to be as careful and as quiet as we possibly could. We stalked down the dimly lit hallway, heading to the only door on the right.
The door where the traded hostages were being held.
Wyatt and I shared a look as we reached the door and with a nod from me, he kicked the door, his fists held up high as he entered the room, ready to fight.
"Fuck" He cursed. "Xavier-" He cut himself off causing suspicion to rise through me.
I followed in after him, after making sure we weren't being followed. The gun that had been on my holster was now being held by both my hands.
The smell was what got to me first. It was disgusting. Pungent. Horrendous. The loud clattering of my gun falling to the floor echoed through the room when I raised my eyes.
Bodies.
Heaps and heaps of bodies.
Of children. Not adults.
Children.
Dead. Lifeless. Dismembered. Some missing eyes and limbs, others stripped off their clothes, missing their sex organs.
They were stacked on top of each other, starting a few feet away from where Wyatt stood and ending at the far end of the room.
Limbs tangled together, bodies thrown against one another, injuries upon injuries seen across the corpses of the children.
Blood painted the tiles of the floor, the walls, somehow even the ceilings. Looking around, I noticed that bodies had been hung from the ceilings as well, some nailed to the walls with darts protruding from their bodies.
It was a fucking slaughter house.
From the looks of it, the oldest victims seemed to be around 12 years old and the youngest, just a few months.
Wyatt stood paralyzed next to me, his skin white and clammy. The weapons he once held in his hands, forgotten on the floor in front of him.
Rage filled my entire body. It racked through me so fiercely that I was shaking.
I had always seen myself as evil. But this?
This was... Fuck, I didn't even know what to compare this to.
"Did you find the hostages yet?" Jordan asked through the ear piece.
"Fuck. This..." Wyatt started but had no way of explaining what we were seeing.
"What? What's wrong? Did I give you guys the wrong directions?" Kat questioned.
Wyatt cursed under his breath, running his bloodied hand through his bloodied hair. "No. The directions were spot on. It's got something to do with the hostages though"
Griffin let out a grunt. "What's wrong with them?"
"They're kids... and they're dead" Wyatt deadpanned, his voice hoarse.
Silence. It seemed to drag on forever but in reality, it had only been a few seconds. Kat's gasp followed by a sob broke it.
"I'm sorry, did you say kids?" Derrick asked, his tone unreadable as him and the others walked into the room.
I turned slightly to see their blood stained faces drop, the color and all emotion draining out of it as they stared into the slaughterhouse.
"I knew they were evil... but fuck" Wyatt ran a hand through his hair.
"They targeted kids?" Zayn yelled, his voice laced with anger.
"They knew we were coming, probably hacked the cameras and played the footage on repeat" Griffin pointed out, trying his best to show no emotion but even he couldn't hide how disturbed he was by this. "This was a message"
"What the actual fuck?" Preston's voice was small.
"This is all my fault," Kat sobs filled the earpiece. "I should've known they'd hack the cameras. If I had checked, I could've warned you guys and maybe they'd all be-"
"Babe," Jordan sighed. "You couldn't have known, none of us knew"
"Who the fuck brings innocent children into this" Arlo cursed, punching the wall next to him.
Whether anyone else said anything after that was unknown to me. I wasn't paying attention.
My eyes were fixed on the corpses of the children plastered all around the room, hung like some sort of fucking trophy.
The rage I felt when I first entered the room returned 10 times harder. Only, this time it wasn't rage or anger.
It was sadness.
Guilt.
Nothing else mattered.
Not the fact that I was supposed to be heartless, cold and void of all emotion. Not the fact that my friends were in the room with me.
Or the fact that I could hear more of the reaper's men heading towards us, armed no doubt. Fuck, not even my life mattered.
In that moment, I fell to my knees, next to my gun, my eyes fixed on the bodies as I...
Cried.
I let go of every other emotion and just cried.
For the innocent children whose lives were taken. For the pure, sinless victims of the cruel dark world we lived in. For the kids who were murdered in cold blood.
I felt a hand on my shoulder after I don't know how long and when I raised my head, I was met with Griffin's teary gaze.
Looking around, I noticed that the rest of my friends were watching me as well. The resolve and determination I saw, their eyes silently telling me that they were with me, no matter what decision I made, encouraged me.
I stood to my knees, wiping my face with the back of my hand and felt every emotion slip away. Nothing was left except the burning hatred I had for the reaper.
"I'm so sorry, Xavier. If I had-"
I cut Kat's apologies off, my voice unrecognizable. "They were victims, they weren't supposed to get caught in this. But in no way is this your fault"
"But-"
"I need you to be strong right now, Kat. The commander the reaper placed here is still alive and has men heading towards us right now. We need you to get us out of here"
"I don't think I can. What if I mess up again and you guys end up-" She cut herself off with a sob.
I looked at Jordan who nodded. If anyone was going to get through to her, it was him.
"Babe-" Jordan started.
The rest of us shared a look before arming ourselves as we heard the marching of the reaper's men.
From the sound of things, they were already on the first floor.
"I can't, Jordan. I-"
"Mi sol, listen" Kat's sniffles were heard through the earpiece but she didn't say anything.
(My sun)
Jordan continued. "We need you. Babe, the kids need you. Get us to the third floor and help us catch the maniac that did this. Please. Be the badass I know you are"
There was silence for a few seconds.
"There's another set of stairs next to the room you guys are in. If you can somehow keep the men distracted, you should be able to head up before any of them realize" Kat instructed. There was no sign that she had been crying seconds ago.
Jordan let out a relieved sigh, grabbing his gun from the holster, arming himself like we had already done.
The sound of bullets being fired drew closer, the sound of their feet against the floor louder with every step they took.
Slipping off the weapon I had been carrying on my back, I placed it on the floor, removing it from the cloth I had wrapped it in.
"No fucking way" Wyatt laughed as I gripped the weapon in my hands. "An axe?"
"Thought I'd test her out" I shrugged as I hauled the axe on my shoulder, my left hand wrapped around it.
"I have so many questions," Kat said. I could tell she was shaking her head.
"I'm not even going to ask" Derrick mumbled.
"I can't lie, little man, I'm intrigued to find out what happens" Arlo twirled knives in his hands, staring at the axe I held.
"This is way past Wyatt crazy" Zayn sighed.
"Told you so," Wyatt stuck his tongue out at his older brother.
"Fuck yeah" Preston cheered. "These bastards are going to pay"
"You guys ready?" Kat asked.
Bullets being fired through the walls prevented us from answering her question.
"Looks like we're out of time," Wyatt laughed.
"We could die and you're laughing?" Preston coughed, firing at the men who were right outside the room.
Wyatt scoffed. "Like I'd ever let anything bad happen to you"
"Kat, how long will it take for us to get to those stairs?" Arlo asked.
"About two minutes and another three to get to the third floor and find the commander here. But you have to hurry, he might be trying to escape as we speak"
"Might? You can't see him?" Derrick questioned.
"There aren't any cameras on the third floor"
Jordan groaned. "Fuck knows why"
"I can hold them off for two minutes" I said, all eyes turning to me. "The rest of you head upstairs and patrol the area. The reaper's commanders are always heavily protected."
"I'm coming too" Wyatt protested and shrugged when he got questioning looks. "Like I'd pass up the opportunity to test my bombs"
The others knew better than to ask any more questions which is why when Wyatt and I moved towards the door, no one said a thing.
I stopped, my grip on the axe tightening. "Don't touch the commander, he's mine"
"Wyatt if you'd please" I grinned, swinging the axe off my shoulder, holding it with both hands.
"My pleasure"
He laughed like a mad man as he brought out two bombs from the bag he had been carrying. It was ridden with bullet holes - how the bombs were untouched remained a mystery to me.
Without sparing a glance at us, he threw one of them out the door and down to the ground floor, to avoid any complications here on the second.
It was a relatively small bomb so any destruction would be kept to a minimum. Meaning that when it went off, it'd only destroy the ground floor and maybe some of the first.
It would destroy the second but the blast wave would surely shake things up enough to disarm the men that were firing at us.
The murmurs of the men could be heard through the damaged walls. Wyatt had a smile on his face as he threw the next one.
He turned to face us, dusting his hands as he whistled.
"Uh, Wy?" Preston asked.
His eyes met his and his smile only grew as he checked his watch. "Yeah, we should probably take cover"
The rest of us scrambled to find something to hold on too and not up to a minute later, a loud explosion was heard.
The blast was so strong that it shook the entire building, rubble falling from the ceiling as we struggled to stay on our feet.
Seconds later, the second bomb exploded, equally as strong as the first.
"GO. NOW" I yelled at the others.
They scrambled to their feet, heading out the door despite the ruble everywhere. Wyatt and I locked eyes, a wicked smile on both our faces as we headed out as well.
We saw the reaper's men beginning to stir, most of them starting to try to get to their feet and wasted no time.
Wyatt laughed like a maniac as he ran to the middle of them. He pushed his feet off the wall and used that boost to land a punch to one of them unaware, the sound of his brass knuckles coming in contact with skin bringing a smile on his face.
The men realized what was happening and began to move quicker, scrambling for their weapons.
But I didn't let them reach them.
Closing the distance between me and the rest of them, I used my axe as an extension of my body, chopping a man's head clean off his body.
Wyatt and the rest of the men stopped fighting for a second, all eyes turning to the dismembered head as it rolled to the ground, the headless body slumping on the ground and blood splattering all over my body.
The lights of the warehouse flickered off as I let out a sadistic laugh.
"That was fucking creepy" Wyatt mumbled, a laugh escaping his lips when all the men took a step back.
Wyatt chuckled, heading back towards me when he noticed the crazed look in my eyes. "This is all you, buddy," He patted my shoulder before heading up the stairs behind me.
All of a sudden, the only thing I could see was the bodies of those helpless children hung and strung all over that room.
My body moved on its own as I cut down every person in front of me. Blood sprayed and screams reached my ears but I couldn't stop.
I wouldn't.
I wanted each of them to suffer the same way those children did. Every tear they shed, every time they cried out, begging for them to stop, praying for a savior.
Every single one of them would suffer for what they had done.
I'd make sure of it.
By the time I had gotten a hold of myself, I was standing in a pool of blood, dismembered limbs and bodies scattered all around me.
My axe, face and hands were covered in blood as well, a satisfied smile emerging on my face as I looked around once more.
"Xavier" Griffin called.
"On my way"
I moved towards the stairs when a hand wrapped around my foot. Turning back, I was met with the scarred face of one of the men I was fighting.
He was missing an arm and a leg and his head was split open a bit, blood pouring into his eyes. Yet somehow, he had managed to get a hold of me.
"You'll regret this" He sputtered. "Le faucheur will make you pay"
My head tilted to the side as I shook off his grasp, my foot resting on the top of his head.
"Sure he will, man" I smiled.
His screams were like music to my ears as I pressed my foot into his head, his skull splitting open.
I cursed, rolling my eyes when I noticed my shoes had been stained with blood.
"He just had to hold my leg," I muttered, heading up the stairs.
When I reached the third floor, I was met with Zayn, Derrick and Arlo armed and waiting at the top of the stairs, their guns lowering when they realized it was me.
Moving further down to the only door on the whole floor, I found Preston and Wyatt standing guard outside.
"He's all yours," Preston said.
"I'm getting tired, can we go home?" Wyatt asked.
I shook my head, a frown appearing on my face as soon as I stepped into the room.
The horrid smell similar to that of the room downstairs wafted through the air.
Fuck.
Looking around, I noticed that this room was similar to the one that was downstairs.
Bodies of children hung from different parts of the room. Only difference between the two rooms was that the corpses in this one weren't wearing any clothes.
The anger I felt only increased when my eyes met that of the commander.
He was bound by rope to a chair. He was a relatively older man; a bald head and a beard. Only thing was that his face was covered in blood.
He had no clothes on and cuts all over his body. Next to the chair he was tied to were three corpses of children - two girls and a boy; no clothes on them as well.
Griffin and Jordan stood next to me, on either side, the blades in their hands dripping with blood that I could only assume was his but neither of them said a word.
"You pricks" A thick Russian accent. "Le faucheur will-"
My axe pierced his stomach causing him to let out a stream of curses in Russian.
"I'll only ask once." I stated, not bothering to remove the axe from his side. "What did you do to them?"
"Fuck you" He actually spat, blooding splattering on the floor, inches away from my foot.
"Why do they always say that?" Wyatt huffed through the earpiece.
"Shut up, Wyatt," Derrick groaned.
When the commander didn't respond, I turned to Griffin and Jordan, finally noticing the blood on their faces as well.
"Edmond Bean. 40 years old. Ex husband and estranged father. Former account but got fired for stealing company funds" Jordan started. "Wandered the streets for about 5 years-"
Wyatt sneered, drowning out Jordan's voice. "What kind of last name is Bean?"
"Shut up, Bianchi," Kat said.
"Hey" His three older brothers responded.
I rolled my eyes, turning off my ear piece as I watched the writhing man in front of me. Edmond's face paled as Jordan talked.
"-stole from someone who could end him with the snap of his fingers - Le faucheur. In exchange for his life, he works for Le faucheur and carries out his dirty work" Jordan finished.
Griffin was the next to speak, his voice laced with venom. "He was fucking those three when we came in"
And I thought this couldn't get worse.
I said nothing. A scream left his lips when I sliced through his stomach, drawing the weapon away from his body.
I felt Griffin look at me but my gaze was focused on the man, - no, I couldn't call him that - the demon in front of me.
"We'll head make one final sweep of the warehouse and meet you in the car" Griffin said.
With that, him and Jordan left the room and I could hear the faint footsteps of the others leaving after them.
A smile emerged on Edmond's face, his teeth covered with his blood. "You should've heard the way they were screaming when they were still alive"
I saw red.
My hand moved on its own. Cutting. Slicing. Chopping. I had gotten so carried away at inflicting him pain that I had accidentally cut the ropes that bound him to the chair.
At that point he was missing an arm and both his legs, a deep cut in the middle of his stomach and on his back, but that didn't stop him from trying to get away.
He grunted and cried, tears and snot dripping down his face as he tried to get away from me.
Or so I thought.
From the looks of it, he wasn't heading away from me but rather, heading towards one of the piles of dead bodies.
"You stupid bitch" He howled out in pain but never once stopped dragging himself in that direction.
"Where are you going?" I asked, talking to myself rather than him.
I followed him as he dragged himself towards the pile, my eyes scanning it. I hummed, my foot coming in contact with his good arm, crushing the bones underneath it.
In front of us were about fifty girls, all naked. Cut up. Dismembered. Scars on various parts of their bodies. Some missing sex organs.
All except one.
She was naked as well. Around 4 years old by the looks of it.
She was darker than most of the other girls. There seemed to be only a few girls here that were the same skin tone she was.
And by the looks of things, they were the ones who had endured the worst torture. Most of their corpses chained to the floor.
Blood soiled her brown curly hair and all over her body. She had scars and injuries as well. But apart from that... she was fine.
She looked almost as though she was alive. But her body wasn't moving. There was no sign of breathing.
Despite his bone being crushed under my foot, Edmond still managed to reach out and grab her foot, yanking her towards him.
That was when she screamed.
A deafening sound. The torture she had endured for who knows how long showing in her voice. She kicked and struggled against his grip, and when he didn't let her go, I intervened.
I brought my foot down on his hand, 10 times harder than I had the last time, the sound bringing a satisfied grin to my face.
My gaze returned to the little girl who was still screaming, tears falling down her face as she struggled; it was as though she thought he was still holding her.
"Hey," I started, crouching down to her level.
Her eyes met mine and widened. Her mouth was open but no sound came out. She was so scared she couldn't make a noise - I realized.
That's when I remembered that I not only had I just killed who knows how many men, I was also covered in blood from head to toe and had a fucking axe on my shoulder.
I looked like death at that moment.
Cursing under my breath, I moved to take off the white - now red - hoodie I was wearing when she flinched.
My gaze met hers again and my eyes softened. I raised my hands up in the air, slowly to avoid triggering her.
"I'm not going to hurt you," I said softly. "I want to help"
I brought my hands down gradually, watching her for a reaction. When she didn't move, I took it as a sign to keep going.
Gently lowering my axe to the ground, I kicked it to the side, the metal sliding against the bloodied tiles.
I moved to take off the hoodie again and this time she didn't flinch. I carefully wiped my hands on the stained piece of clothing before taking off the black shirt I had underneath it.
"Can I put this on you? I don't want you getting a cold"
Only when her little head nodded, did I proceed to put the black shirt on her. Saying it was huge on her was an understatement; it looked like the shirt was wearing her, but for now, it'd do.
I slipped the stained hoodie back on before asking her another question. "Can I carry you?" I didn't want to do anything that would upset her.
She looked at me, not uttering a word. Her mouth opened a little. She looked at me again, probably trying to tell if I was real or not.
And when she raised her arms, opening and closing her hands repeatedly, I let out a relieved sigh.
I moved to take her into my arms when out of the corner I saw Edmond's body moving. The bastard just wouldn't die.
The little girl noticed this too and screamed, tears falling down her face. My only instinct right then was to protect the terrified kid.
I scooped her into my arms, balancing her on my right arm, my right hand coming up to the back of her head as I shushed her, rocking her.
Suddenly a wave of emotions crashed down on me. Guilt, anger, sorrow, sympathy.
This little girl in my arms had covered herself with the blood of the children she was probably friends with and played dead, in an attempt to protect herself from this deranged man.
While I was still comforting her, my left hand found my axe and brought it down against the skull of the asshole.
He screamed, a desperate sound that lasted not up to five seconds. She flinched at the sound, moving to turn her head to see but I kept her head in place with my hand.
"You don't have to worry about him anymore," I told her.
She looked up at me; I couldn't tell if she understood what I was saying or not.
But then her small hands bunched up the fabric of the stained hoodie I had on, and I knew that was her way of saying thank you.
I frowned at the fact that she was resting on the blood stained hoodie. I'd ask one of the girls to give her a bath as soon as we got home.
As I opened the door to leave, we were met with a smiling Wyatt who was whistling as he headed to the stairs. He spotted me and stopped.
"Hey man" His eyes moved to the little girl in my arms, making her snuggle deeper into me. "Who's this?"
"A survivor" I said and his eyes widened in realization. "Aren't you supposed to be in the cars with the others?"
He ran a hand through his still bloodied hair. "Fuck, I fucked up" Without explaining, he grabbed my free hand leading me to the stairs in a hurry.
"Wyatt?" I asked as we ran down the stairs to the second floor. I kept my right hand on the back of the girl's head, her safety being my only concern.
Without looking back he answered me. "Thought I'd give the reaper some presents that would blow his mind away" I could tell he was smiling, even
"Bombs?"
"I thought it'd be just you and I. We could outrun them" He laughed as we reached the first floor. "But with the little kid... I'm not so sure"
We descended down the stairs and rushed out the doors, running to the cars.
"Shit. We're out of time" Wyatt cursed, glancing at his watch.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
Wyatt grabbed my hand, pulling me behind one of the buildings on the right of the warehouse. At the same time, the warehouse exploded, a huge fiery glow encompassing the area.
The blast wave followed right after, the force so strong that it demolished the top of the building we were hiding behind.
My arms went up protectively around the little girl in my hands, burying her into my chest as rubble fell against us.
I could see Wyatt screaming as he used his body as a shield, protecting the girl and I. I could also see her crying but I couldn't hear anything. A ringing sound filled my ears instead.
After a few seconds, Wyatt let go of us and his muffled voice passed through my ears sometime after, his voice getting louder by every second.
"Are you okay?" I asked the little girl in my arms.
Despite the tears running down her face, she managed to nod. I sighed relieved, ignoring Wyatt who was blaming himself and headed towards the cars.
I was met with the others, strapped and ready to fight. Griffin's eyes landed on me and then on the girl in my arms before he ran up to help us, the others coming after him.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Derrick asked his little brother, slapping him upside the head.
"I swear one of these days you're going to get yourself killed" Even though his tone was harsh, I could tell Arlo was relieved that Wyatt was okay.
"You guys are overreacting" Wyatt rolled his eyes.
"Fuck, Wy. You have to stop doing shit like this," Preston sighed. "Everyone was worried"
That did the trick. Wyatt apologized as soon as the words left Preston's mouth.
"Are you okay? Hurt?" Griffin questioned, looking at me.
"We thought you got caught in the blast," Jordan explained before looking at the girl. "Is she-"
"A survivor" Kat's voice was light and I could see the tears building in the corner of her eyes.
Unfortunately I didn't have the time to address any of that. My only priority was making sure the girl in my arms was okay.
"Zayn, she needs a check up. Check for anything and everything, illnesses, symptoms, whatever. I want to make sure she's okay" I told him.
He nodded and moved to take her out of my arms when she screamed. Her hands gripped the fabric of my hoodie tightly as she screamed and cried, shaking her head.
Zayn froze, his hands retreating. "I don't think she's going to go with anyone else"
Faint snores coming from below me caught my attention. Lowering my gaze, a smile appeared on my face when I noticed that she was now sleeping.
Her hand was still in a fist, gripping the white hoodie I had on and her mouth was slightly open, her eyes shut tight as she slept.
All the drama and adrenaline must have worn off.
"Let's get home and figure it out from there" I told all of them, heading to the car.
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Screaming caught my attention and had me running from my office and down the stairs.
I could hear Preston's frustrated voice from the living room. "Papa? Who's papa?"
"I'm Papa," Wyatt said hurriedly. "It's okay, kiddo"
"Wyatt, shut up" Derrick groaned.
"What's wrong?" I asked when I reached the bottom.
Multiple pairs of eyes turned to me and a little figure rushed towards me, hugging my legs.
"Papa" She sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her hand.
I lifted her into my arms, bouncing her as I rubbed her back with her free hand. I turned my attention back to the others.
"Why is she crying?" I asked, my voice hard.
"Easy tiger" Xamira chuckled, heading into the living room with a plate of snacks.
Derrick cut in. "She woke up and started freaking out because you weren't here"
I sighed looking down at her. This was the same thing that had happened when we got home.
She had cried and yelled the second one of the girls tried to take her out of my arms so I ended up being the one to give her a bath - not that I was complaining.
The same thing happened when Zayn tried to give her a check up and I ended up having to sit with her as Zayn checked her.
The results Zayn had gotten from all the tests came back negative. No STIs, no sickness, nothing. The only possible explanation I could come up with was that Edmond had been saving her and hadn't actually done anything to her when we got there.
Thankfully.
I asked Xamira to go out to buy clothes, shoes and undergarments that she'd need ahead of time, after I had explained the situation to her.
The girl had also kept calling me papa for some reason but I brushed it off, reminding myself that she hadn't had anyone that cared about her as much as I did for a long long time.
The only problem with that was the fact that 'papa' was the only word she had spoken. Nothing else. So I still had no idea what her name was or if she even had one.
"She needs to eat something," Kat said, motioning to the plate of snacks Xamira had brought out.
I headed to the couch, placing her next to me as I sat down. The huge couch practically swallowed her the second I set her down so I placed her on my lap instead before handing her the plate of snacks.
She didn't move at first, turning to look at me. I nodded my head with a small smile, gesturing to the snacks.
She turned back to the plate and picked up an apple slice. Rather than put it in her mouth like I thought, she raised it to me.
"Papa?" She questioned.
I ignored the several aws that came from around the room and lowered my head, allowing her to feed me the apple slice.
"Thank you, sweetie," I smiled at her.
A smile broke out on her face as she brought another slice to her mouth this time, eating it. And that was how she ate - feeding me first and then herself.
A little while later, she was fast asleep on the couch. I placed a blanket over her, crouching down to place a kiss on her head.
"I cry all the time and you don't kiss my head" Wyatt frowned.
"We'll go put the weapons back in the armory" Preston sighed, grabbing his friend by the collar. "You should really start thinking before you talk, Wy"
"You're really becoming a papa," Xamira smiled.
I ignored her, not knowing what to say. "Where's Kat?"
"At the warehouse, retrieving the information you need," Derrick answered.
I grabbed my keys from the table and headed to the front door.
"And where are you going?" Xamira asked, her hands on her hip.
"To the warehouse. The sooner we get answers, the better" I replied.
"Have you eaten anything since we got back, little man?" Arlo asked. "Or even slept?"
"And, no offense, but you need a haircut" Derrick added, his eyes lingering on my hair that I had hurriedly thrown into a small bun.
I hadn't cut my hair since that day because it was a reminder of how badly I fucked up. But was I about to tell them that? No.
"I'm fine" I replied, heading out of the door, despite their protests.
As I drove off, I couldn't help but reminisce about that night.
That night that everything had changed for the worse.
The night that I had lost the best thing to ever happen to me.
The night I had lost her. My beautiful princess. My heart. My love. My world. My everything.
After that night, I had tried to explain everything to my friends but they wouldn't listen; none of them even wanted to look at me.
The heartache I had gotten from Olive leaving only got worse when my parents visited with Ashely and Aspen and I had to explain to the little girls that Olive needed some time away from everything for a while to think about a few things.
That had been a lie. She didn't need to think about anything. She hated me and hated everyone else because of me.
It wasn't until a month later that they agreed to hear me out. I explained everything and they seemed to understand, however it would take time for us to get back to how we used to be.
But that was sometime early in March. And it was currently early October.
Four months since I had seen her.
Shaking my head, I pushed my thoughts away as I pulled into the warehouse. I got out of the car and walked up to the entrance of the warehouse.
After scanning my eyes, my hand and finger prints, i was let inside the warehouse. I made a beeline for the data collection room, ignoring everyone that tried to talk to me.
If it had been another day, I'd have actually listened to what they had to say. But today, my only goal was to find Kat.
And there she was. Her face stuck on the laptop she held with Jordan and Griffin towering over.
"Was wondering when you'd get here" She mumbled, not looking at me as I walked over.
"Find anything, yet?" I asked.
"Her name's Melanie. She's 4 and from African descent - Jamaican to be exact" Jordan replied.
"I was also able to find who was responsible for her getting sold to Le Faucheur" Kat's voice was low. "Her parents," She was pissed off. "Adopted parents anyways. Her biological parents died in a drive by"
"Guess who was fucking responsible for that too" Jordan chuckled darkly. Anger rose through me as he answered. "The adoptive parents. Apparently her biological parents owed the adoptive parents some money and rather than give them time to pay back, they killed them and stole their child"
"Address?" I asked no one in particular.
"Somewhere in Bordeaux. I already called and had the jet prepped" Griffin answered, halfway across the room.
"You guys should take Melanie with you," Kat urged. "She'll be able to identify them"
Griffin stopped, halfway out the door. "Xavier, go get her and meet me at the hanger"
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"Papa, hungry" Melanie frowned.
"I know, just a few more minutes. Uncle Griff-"
Griffin's grunt in the earpiece I was wearing cut me off. "Go. The lady is refusing to talk so I have to convince her a bit longer"
I ignored the sound of bones crunching and the terrified scream that came after Griffin said the word 'convince'.
"There's a supermarket down the street, get her something there... and get something for yourself too" Griffin said.
"Okay, come on sweetheart" I smiled at her, scooping her into my arms.
The walk to the supermarket wasn't up to 10 minutes. Melanie giggled in my hands as we walked in, her eyes wide with excitement as she looked around.
"What do you want?" I asked her.
"That" She pointed at a cupcake. "No, that" She pointed at a pack of cookies. "Uh... no, that" She pointed at an apple before burying her face in my chest. "I don't know"
I chuckled, patting her head a little. "Don't worry, we can get everything"
She perked up at that, her eyes shining with excitement once again. "Really"
I laughed again as I got a cart. Melanie was still little, so she was bound to play with different thing which sometimes lead to her getting dirty.
Because of that, I carried a backpack out with us, keeping everything that I could possibly need inside - wipes, change of clothes, sanitizer, everything.
I cleaned the cart with the wipes before placing her in the little area in the shopping cart. We made our way round the store in record time, picking out a bunch of different snacks before we headed to the fruit section.
Melanie couldn't make up her mind as she stared between the red and green apple. She picked them both up and accidentally dropped the green one.
I moved to take her out of the cart so we could go get the apple when she flinched.
"I'm sorry, papa" Her hands instinctively came over her head. "Didn't mean it"
"Stellina" My voice was soft, causing her to lower her hands so her eyes met mine. "I'm not mad. Accidents happen"
(Little star)
I reassured her that I wasn't mad and got her giggling again by the time I got her out of the cart.
"Whose apple is this?" A voice called out. A voice that was familiar to me but I couldn't place my fingers on it.
"I'm so sorry. That's mine" I answered as I walked up to them, Melanie's right hand in my left one, her body hiding behind my legs.
Upon reaching the source of the familiar voice, I froze. I couldn't move.
I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me and blinked a couple times just to be sure I wasn't dreaming.
And I wasn't. She was really here. Standing in front of me. Her head fixed on the ground as she refused to look up.
I tried to say something. Anything. To grab her attention, to make her look up at me. But I just couldn't. The words wouldn't come to me.
And from the looks of it, she had realized that it was me in front of her as well. And... and she was beginning to panic.
We stayed there - her gaze on the floor and mine on her - for a few seconds but it felt like hours.
Until finally, finally, her head rose, her gaze meeting mine.
And holy fuck I wasn't ready for what I saw.
She was... fuck. Words couldn't begin to describe how beautiful she was.
She's always been beautiful. But seeing her like this, all of a sudden, had my brain melting.
I forgot everything. Even my own fucking name.
Her beautiful black hair fell freely down her shoulders, stopping at her waist - longer than when I had last seen her.
Her brown eyes - fuck, those eyes. I don't know if it was just my imagination or if I was seeing things but I swear they fucking glistened as I stared at her. Swirling with uncertainty, surprise and several other emotions I couldn't make out.
She was still as breathtaking as I remembered. Her face, as perfect as it had always been. My eyes moved to her ears and I felt my heart skip a beat.
She had about four piercings decorating the shell of her ears. Three on each lobe, an industrial on her right ear and a conch on the left.
But what made my heart squeeze... what fucking made me melt... was the fact that she was wearing a pair of gold star studs.
Not just any pair. The pair she had gotten to match with me after she gifted me the pair of silver star studs I was currently wearing.
My gaze moved lower. She was wearing a black zip up hoodie, a black tank top inside and a pair of baggy cargos. Something simple yet she looked so fucking beautiful.
Unbelievable. Breathtaking. Ethereal. Unreal.
My mouth moved on its own. "Princ-" I managed to stop before I finished, changing my approach. "-Olive, hi"
Her eyes immediately found mine at the sound of my voice. I could only hope that she could see how much I regretted my actions.
How much I've been tormented by my actions in the past. How much I longed to talk to her, to explain what had happened.
If she did or didn't, I couldn't tell but what happened next shocked me.
"Hi" The words left her lips as a whisper.
I was taken back. Surprised. I couldn't believe that she actually responded. And then the fact that she did resonated deep inside me. And I found myself smiling.
A huge smile. The kind that I'd only ever let her see. The kind that was hers and hers alone.
"Hi," I repeated. My brain still malfunctioned due to how beautiful she was.
She opened her mouth to say something but stopped, staring at one of the fruit stands next to us.
I followed her gaze to Melanie who was hiding from us and my eyes softened. "Did you get the apple back yet?" Her voice was so small I doubt Olive had heard it.
"Not yet but-"
Without letting me finish, she placed the apple in my hands. I could tell she was holding her breath when the pads of our fingers touched as she waited for me to pull away, most likely.
But it never came. And it would never come.
She looked up and was met with me already looking at her with one of the softest looks I've ever had on my face. For her and for her alone.
Feeling slightly embarrassed for getting caught, I cleared my throat, feeling my face heat up as I turned to Melanie to show her the apple.
"It fell on the floor so we're going to have to get another one, alright sweetie?" I told her, my voice impossibly soft.
"Okay, papa" She smiled.
"Papa" A soft voice repeated. A voice that was probably thinking the worst as Melanie and I turned to her.
Realization set in as she stared at Melanie shocked. "She's a survivor from one of our missions" I tried to explain but I doubt she heard me.
A deep voice called her name. She turned around. Melanie and I as well. And I saw a guy running up to her.
He had dark hair and looked Korean. The worry on his face when he saw hers made me feel a certain way. A certain feeling that I shouldn't have been feeling seeing as we were broken up.
"You okay?" He asked. No accent. Just pure worry.
Her breaths evened out when his hand rubbed up and down my back, a movement my eyes refused to tear away from.
"I need to get out of here" She forced out, not daring to look back at me.
"Olive, let's talk. Please. Hear me out. Just let me explain" I pleaded, Melanie holding onto the leg of my pants.
"Please Kai. I need to go" She begged, fisting his shirt in my palms.
The guy, Kai, nodded, noticing the desperate look on her face and with one final look at me, he led her away.
I stood there shocked. Confused. Jealous. Worried. Angry. At myself. At the fucking world. At everyone.
Everyone except her.
"Papa," Melanie called, opening and closing her hands.
I lifted her into my arms with ease and forced a smile when she asked me what was wrong. We continued with our snacks after I got Melanie a new apple.
"She-" Her voice got low and she looked nervous. "That lady... pretty. Super pretty. A princess?" She asked.
This time my smile was real as I walked out of the store with Melanie in my arms, after paying for the items.
"Yes, sweetheart. She is"
"Your princess?"
"She was. Not right now. But I'm going to do everything I possibly can to make sure I get her back"
Melanie giggled at that. "Can she be my mama?"
"I hope so"
"Mama?" Griffin asked as we reached the car.
He had changed out of the black dress shirt he came with and was currently wearing a white top and black sweatpants.
"Olive" I said simply, placing a drowsy Melanie in her car seat. "And I'm pretty sure she has a boyfriend"
Unlike me. I was never able to move on from her. Not that I wanted to.
She meant the world to me; still does. There will never be anyone after her.
Griffin cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair. "You've had quite the day huh"
I could only smile as I entered the passenger seat, Griffin sliding into the driver's seat moments afterwards.
"I'll get the others to fly over and take care of Melanie," He suddenly said as he pulled out of the supermarket.
"Why?"
"You need a day off. I can't remember the last time I've seen you relax, eat or sleep. That's not healthy"
"Griff-"
"Don't even bother arguing with me. I've already made preparations." He paused, a smile playing on his lips. "We're going to a bar, just like old times. It's supposed to be one of the best ones in Bordeaux"
I sighed, leaning my head back on the seat. "At least tell me what it's called"
"Raven"
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DONE. And before I head off to school too, aren't y'all the luckiest.
C.O.D.: You're just the cutest... little... cockroach :)