Page 39 of Chaos & Carnage
He hisses between his teeth as I pull the belt as tight as I physically can before puncturing a new hole in the leather and securing it in place. “Right, let’s try this again,” I say to Bones, once I’ve ensured the belt is secure.
The two of us have another attempt at lifting the beam. This time, I keep one eye on the ground at my feet as we lift it an inch or two, relieved to note that no new blood rushes to coat my boots. My arms burn as we struggle to lift the beam higher, and Bones looks like he’s about to shit himself with the strain before I call it quits, and we lower it back down.
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I wrack my brain for what to do. “We need more manpower,” I say aloud to no one in particular. The two of us aren’t strong enough to lift the beam high enough to pull the rebar from his leg. If it weren’t for that, the inch or two we can get would be enough for Marcus to slide out, only who knows how far the steel rod goes into his thigh.
I look around us, desperately hoping to spot Cain, Dante, or Enzo, but I’ve no such luck. Anyone who was able is long gone by now, leaving only the three of us and a sea of rubble with trapped or dead men.Where the hell are they?!
Pursing my lips, I glance back down at Marcus before flicking my gaze to Bones, who is watching me closely, waiting for my orders. “We need help,” I say, having made my decision. “Stay with Marcus. I’m going to go find Cain, or Dante or Enzo, or anyone really. They’ve gotta be around here somewhere.”
“Wouldn’t they already be here, unless something has happened to them?” Bones questions, but I can’t think about that right now, because every time I do, I picture Sawyer in Marcus’ position, or worse, and… I just can’t.
“I’m gonna go find them,” is all I say before bending down to squeeze Marcus’ shoulder. “Hang in there, yeah? I’ll be back in a bit, and then we’ll have you outta here in no time.”
“Sure thing.” Marcus gives me a wane smile before resting his head back on a piece of concrete behind him, appearing much more tired than he did only ten minutes ago.
Not wasting any more time, I hurry off with no real idea of where I’m going or how I plan to find anyone. With the place mostly deconstructed, it’s challenging to work out the original building plans, and even if I did know them off the top of my head, I have no idea where anyone is—where they were before everything started coming down on top of us.
With a gun held firmly in my grip—because there’s no doubt that at least one idiot saw this whole fiasco as an opportunity to loot the place and whoever was left behind inside—I head for the nearest exit, toward a hallway that’s missing its ceiling even though most of the walls are still standing.
I’m not searching for long before I hear voices somewhere up ahead, and I slow my pace, carefully placing my feet to avoid making a sound and giving myself away. There’s nowhere to hide, so I stick close to the wall as the voices get louder, their owners moving closer until I can make out actual words.
“Watch it! You nearly crashed me into a wall.”
“Do you want my help or not?”
There’s an angry snarl in response, and despite the situation, I chuckle under my breath. Relief washes over me at hearing the two of them, even if they are bickering like school children.
“For a gang leader, you sure do whine a lot,” Enzo remarks as the two of them come into view. Cain’s arm is slung over Enzo’s shoulder, and as they walk, I can see that he’s struggling to put weight on his left leg. Despite that, and the layer of white dust mixed with blood, making him look like some sort of zombie, the two appear relatively unharmed. In fact, Enzo doesn’t appear injured at all. I can only hope that means Sawyer is the same, although, where is she? And Dante, for that matter?
“Fuck off, asshole,” Cain snarls in response, looking absolutely furious that he has to rely on Enzo’s help.
I decide to make my presence known before he can do something that ends up with Enzo shrugging off his arm and Cain falling on his ass.
“I could hear the two of you bitching at one another from the other side of the building.” I step away from the wall as both of their heads snap in my direction, and Cain’s eyes run over me, checking that I’m okay.
“Broken?” I ask, indicating his foot with my head.
“Nah, think it’s just sprained.”
Of course he’d say that regardless, to avoid a hospital visit. Still, I simply nod and shift my attention to Enzo. “Sawyer?”
“She’s fine. Dante took her away as soon as the building started collapsing.”
As much as I’m dying to set eyes on her and confirm for myself that she’s unharmed, I’m glad she’s out of danger. “Good.”
I tilt my head back the way I came, but before I can explain about Marcus, Enzo snarks, “Dante and I are also alive and unharmed. Thanks for asking. Your concern is greatly appreciated.”
I roll my eyes before pinning him with a flat stare. “Why are you here again?”
“Trying to save your sorry asses. Trust me, I’d rather be curled up with Sawyer right now, but instead, I’m here because she was on the verge of a breakdown thinking the two of you were trapped inside when the whole building caved in.”
I grimace. “Well, you can help me with Marcus, then. He’s trapped under a steel beam and Bones and me can’t get him out on our own.”
“You should consider putting some time in at the gym. Then you could lift it all on your own,” Enzo jests with a playful smile.
“Fuck off. Not everyone wants to look like they’re jacked-up on roids like you two idiots.”
They both laugh as they follow me back the way I came, and the joking falls away as I explain Marcus’ situation. “Enzo, if you help me and Bones lift the beam, then Cain, you drag Marcus out once the rebar is out of his leg.”