Kai helped me out of the car to my dismay. I didn't want him touching me...holding me...or helping me. The closer he was to my side only brought forth the stark realization that Roy was gone. That I didn't protect him, that I didn't keep my promise, and that the light in my heart began to cloud with hatred. If I had listened to Roy...if I had stopped our putrid fate from coming to fruition, maybe he would still be alive.
"No, not the house." I grunted.
"What?"
I sighed, feeling my eyes glaze over in a haze, as I took the lead without a word. Kai didn't try to stop me. He silently aided me along the way.
The house was cover for my safehouse. If...no, when we are followed, our enemies will go towards the home first. Little will they know; it'll be the first and last mistake they will ever make. I had wired the place years ago for such an occasion. I can control the lights to make it look as if someone is home, unaware of the outside world. However, the deeper the rats wander, the easier it will be to trap them in the maze. The electric doors will shut, and the C-4 will detonate as we watch the fireworks from the bunker.
My time in the Marines has taught me one thing and one thing only, it's better to prepare than to be caught unaware on the shitter. I grunted, as my body felt as if it was being rocked at sea, as we headed towards the large oak tree a half- mile away. One, two, three...thunk. I exhaled deeply, moving away from Kai to kick away the leaves and pine. Beneath the brush was a metal door.
I expected Kai to say something stupid, but nevertheless, his silence is what ended up bothering me.
I squatted, taking the handle to the door as I grunted it open. Kai rushed by my side to help open it, but I muscled past his aid and started the descent. At this moment, I had wished that I had prepared this place for more than myself. Yet...I was all I had at the time.
My bunker had one bedroom, which I called the master, that shared a bathroom. There was a small computer room where I monitored the CCTV, kept my burner phones, and usually accessed the local news using Tor coupled with my VPN. The living room had a small kitchen, couch, and books with a television. There was a rather large pantry for supplies and food to keep us down here for months on end if need be, and lastly I had an outdoor patio of sorts. Even though we were underground, I made a ventilator for when I wanted to smoke and added in some nice houseplants and an outdoor fireplace. You know, shit you didn't need but kept you human.
I winced, making it down the last step of the ladder as I turned on the lights.
"This...this is where we're going to stay?" Kai asked, hearing his footsteps land in my not-so-quiet solitude.
I didn't answer him. My response would have been no good. Instead I hopped over to the bathroom, hearing Kai rush to come help me. Grunting, I landed into the frame of the bedroom door. How I wish I had more than one bed. The thought of being next to Kai was good enough to kill me.
"You need to take the bullet out, Kai." I huffed, feeling the sweat drip down my face.
I normally cared for my own wounds, but I could barely see. I felt like I was walking through a fog.
"Ok, let me lay you-"
"No, I'll sit. Just get me a whiskey. Everything you need is in under the bathroom sink." I gasped, moving myself to sit on the toilet seat.
Once my body felt the lid under my ass, I leaned my head back against the wall. My chest heaved and my mind raced. It almost felt like today was a nightmare. Nothing was real...everything was just a figment of my imagination.
"Where's the whiskey?"
"Above the stove."
Kai hurried away. I could barely keep my eyes open as my thoughts began to swirl. Kai...Roy...the Manors. The Manors...were kings, Kai...a knight, and Roy...a pawn. To get my way out of hell, I just needed to play my game right. I needed a strategy to make those assholes bleed...
"Here," Kai called, as I reached for the blurred gold that he held out to me, "drink this."
I took the whiskey glass, putting the succulent nectar to my lips. I kept drinking, not even taking a breath as I heard Kai fumble around under the sink and clatter the supplies along the floor.
I dropped the bottle to my side, feeling Kai take it away. I felt his hand on my cheek, that same hand that led me to darkness, and I was too far gone to push him away.
"Stay with me."
I didn't want to. Deep down in my heart, I wished I would just die on this seat like a used mangy dog, but I needed to live. I needed to shove the ten years of hell that I had endured down their throats and burn their tomorrows into an afterthought. That desire alone drove me through the pain. I didn't feel a thing, nothing worse than any of the cards that had been dealt, as Kai removed the bullet, cleaned and patched my wound.
"I...I'll go move the car and monitor the cameras. I want...want to make sure it doesn't...it doesn't look like a setup." I mustered.
"What? No! You need your rest!"
I wanted to move up from the seat, hell I wanted to muster my way past him to keep my mind occupied, but I couldn't move more than an inch. He was right. I was hopeless right now. What I needed was an IV and rest.
"Let me worry about the car," Kai said as he helped me up.
I felt my body lay down on something soft, almost like clouds. My brain didn't register that it was my bed. I could barely keep my eyes open and in those next seconds, my world went dark.
"I'll also make sure to review the footage. We're in this together, Max." I heard Kai say.
"You don't have to do anything else alone."