No Justice for the Damned (Tales from the Tarot)

16. Chapter 16

Chapter sixteen

W hoosh.

My feet go out from under me and I can’t tell whether I’m falling or floating but all at once I’m surrounded by darkness.

And then I’m not. In only a matter of mere seconds, I’m standing outside an abandoned warehouse, all alone in an empty, trash-ridden parking lot. The building itself seems moments from falling in on itself, all broken windows and crumbling bricks.

Am I still in New Mason? I don’t know. I’ve never seen this place before. My hands shake as I pull out my phone and check Father’s text messages for the address.

The street sign says Avalon Rd. And the warehouse building in front of me reads 112. So this is the place.

I begin to approach and then stall. There in front of the building, sits Delilah. I know she’s mine. There’s no mistaking her. I run my fingers over her tank, across her shining, pristine paint. My girl. Here for a quick escape should we need one. The Owner? I can only assume he somehow sent Delilah to me. A wave of thankfulness washes over me before I turn back to the building that houses my fate.

I steel myself as I draw nearer. I have to be ready for this. For whatever happens. If I can’t convince Hollow to let Abe go, then I might have to kill him. Or die in the attempt. I’m not a fool. I know Hollow is stronger than me. I know his powers will limit my ability to do anything to harm him. Same as with Father. But, I have to try. I won’t allow either of them to hurt Abe.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement on the roof. Had I not been on high alert, I might have missed it. But a small flickering of light glimmers, a shadow of what might be a human moving about and I know. It’s Hollow. I know where I have to go.

The doors of the warehouse are open and crumbling, leading to a wide-open space that’s covered in grime and dust. There might be dried blood or vomit in the corner—I’m not sure which. Either way, I try not to look. Likely this place has become a safe haven for the homeless or any vagrants passing through. Signs of life exist, but not a good life. A life of misery, of despair.

I know what this building used to be. I know what lies in the basement. The rows and rows of cells. I don’t need to see it to know.

There’s a doorway in the corner that leads to a dilapidated stairwell, the railing busted and the steps disintegrating and crumbling away. Hands shaking, eyes and mind on high alert, I mount the stairs anyway, holding tight to the railing, following the levels upon levels to the roof.

When I get there, the door is ajar. Like he’s left it open on purpose. Waiting. Waiting for Father? I hesitate only a moment before shoving the door open and stepping onto the roof. The air is cool and calm, pure October air. The roof itself is an expanse of cement, flat and empty, with several stacks littered around. No places to hide. And he’s not trying to.

“Kill. You’re not supposed to be here.”

Hollow stands before me. He looks different. There’s no sign of his signature smirk, no playfulness in those golden eyes. Instead, his pupils are huge and dark, dilated so they overrun the irises. He looks so serious, so strange. And as I look at him I realize…this is the true Hollow. The one behind the playful, carefree mask. The one he worked so hard to hide from me.

Did I ever really know him at all?

At his feet lies Abe. He’s asleep, or unconscious. I can see his chest rising and falling. He looks unharmed, and for that, Hollow can consider himself lucky. If I’d thought for a moment he’d hurt Abe, I might have killed him on the spot.

“You tricked me. You lied to me.”

He doesn’t deny it. And I want to slap him. To grab hold of his collar and shake him until he shatters. But he just stares at me. Blank faced. Dead eyed. Completely empty.

“Yes,” he replies.

I hate him in that moment. So much. I hate him like I hate Father. Two men I trusted. Two men who used me. Betrayed me. I don’t know if it’s possible to convey all the hurt I feel, all the anger and resentment, through the look in my eyes, but I channel it at him. All of it.

“Was any of it real?”

He takes a quick, almost imperceptible breath in at that. Were I not so attuned to his movements, I might have missed it. “Yes,” he whispers. “It was all real.”

Does he see how badly he’s hurt me? How much my heart aches, even behind the walls I’m forcing between us? In an effort to take focus from myself I glance toward Abe. “If anything happens to him…”

“You can’t stay here.”

“I’m involved now because of you.”

“Kill—” he growls my name but I remain undeterred. I glare at him, arms crossed in front of my chest.

“I’ll leave but only if I take Abe with me.”

“He needs to stay, I’m afraid.”

“Then I stay too.”

Hollow’s jaw clenches, his eyebrow ticking. “Kill. You don’t understand.”

“Actually, I do. You think that by lying to me, hurting me in the worst way possible, and giving away what’s left of your damned soul in process, you can defeat Father by, what, becoming him? Even if that works, it’s insane.”

He goes cold, staring at me with wide eyes. “How did you—”

“Your friend, O.”

He nods as if it all makes sense now. “Of course.”

But I’m not done. Not even close. I persist, drawing closer to him. “I want to know the rest of the plan, Hollow. What comes next. If you defeat Father? Become like him. Worse. What’s the plan then?”

“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is what side you stand on now that I’ve betrayed you?”

I’m so angry with him. More than angry. Furious. I hate him. I might love him. I’m so confused. “I stand on my brother’s side. The only person who hasn’t betrayed my trust. Anyone who tries to hurt him will go through me. I’ll kill them.”

“I have no interest in hurting Abraham.”

“Just in using him as bait. What happens if Father wins? Did you think about that?”

He grimaces, baring his teeth. “He won’t.”

“You think you’re stronger than him?”

“I know I am.”

“Desire doesn’t equate strength. You can’t beat him just because you want to.”

“You think I don’t know that?” he snarls, shoving himself into my space. I see anger there, boiling and white hot. “I know exactly what it will take to defeat him. I’ve been preparing for it every day for the past twenty years.”

He’s resigned himself to it. I feel my eyes widen. “Then answer my question. What comes afterward?”

Hollow shakes his head and his smirk peeks through, sardonic and almost resentful. “I’ll become the monster I’ve always been meant to become. And then, I’ll end it.”

I blink. “End it?”

“I’ll break the ring. Break the ring. Unleash the souls. Be consumed by those I’ve consumed. I’ll end my life before I lose myself entirely. I won’t live like he does.”

Those words hit me square in the stomach. “What…Hollow, what the hell are you talking about?”

“The way I always intended it.” His smile has gone sad, small. He looks at me with big golden eyes filled with remorse. I’ve never seen them look that way.

“So what? You’re going to kill yourself? Is that it?” I’m growing desperate as the realization settles over me. Of course he never intended to live like Father, the man who hurt him, sold him. The man he hates more than anything. Of course, this was always what he planned. I should have known.

“The souls will do the hard part for me. All I have to do is break it. And then I’ll close my eyes and accept my fate.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way!” My breathing is unsteady as I stare at him, and I realize in that moment…I don’t want him to die, not any more than I’d want to see him become like Father. No matter what he did, what he intends to do. I can’t…I can’t lose him.

“It does.” He’s resolute. Unmoving. Eyes studying my face.

“I can help you.” I’m not sure how or if he’d even accept the help. It’s embarrassing, unnerving, making myself so vulnerable for him. I’m cringing internally even as I press forward, closing the space between us. I reach out, placing a tentative hand on his cheek.

He blinks, breathing fast, watching me as though stunned. As though so unused to someone offering to help, to seeing behind the mask and still desiring to pursue him. His mouth falls open as though he wants to speak, to say something, anything, but is unable to find the words.

Gingerly, I move my hand from his cheek to his quivering lower lip. I caress it with my thumb, breath catching as he slips his hand over mine. “Kill,” he whispers, looking at me in disbelief.

“Let me help—” My words are cut off completely as a searing cold pain shoots through my chest. I choke, spitting up blood, my eyes rolling back so all I see is black. I feel myself falling into Hollow’s arms as he snarls out my name.

And then I’m convulsing as pain washes through me, consuming every single pore and nerve ending. I can’t think, can’t focus on anything but how badly I hurt. I think I’m screaming. I’ve never felt anything like this.

And then it stops. And I’m in Hollow’s arms and I don’t think I’m harmed. Not really. The pain lingers, but it’s not from any inflicted wound, rather from some external magical force. I blink, my eyes bleary, to see Father standing in the rooftop doorway looking down on us. He’s the most haggard I’ve ever seen him. Dark circles line his eyes, his skin is pale, his cheeks sunken. But he’s smiling wickedly, a glimmering, sharp-toothed grin that stretches across his face. He looks demonic. Possessed. This isn’t Father. Or at least, not the Father I thought I knew. That man never existed.

Hollow’s face is a mask of rage I’ve never before seen him wear. His normally mischievously handsome face is contorted into sharp lines and pulled taut in a grimace that reveals his bared teeth. He holds me tight and close, like a precious thing. I can feel his warmth, the way his body trembles.

It takes me a moment to register that Father is not alone. Several of his armed bodyguards stand behind him, in the stairwell and flocking forward to surround us on all sides. If I wasn’t so woozy and disoriented, I might enjoy the fact that Eli isn’t among them. But as it stands, my head is reeling and I’m struggling to regain my composure. If Hollow were to pull away now, I think I’d fall to the floor.

Father speaks first. “So we meet again.” He’s looking directly at Hollow, his eyes shimmering with madness. “I must say you’ve filled out considerably from the scrawny little thing you were.”

“Were those the words you used to sell me?” Hollow retorts. “Not a very good sales pitch.”

Father smirks. “No, indeed. I had to sweeten the pot to get anyone to consider you. Ugly, dirty street urchin that you were back then. Prickly and distasteful. So very desperate to be a good boy.”

I can feel Hollow’s rage building in the tension of his body, the way his arms shake. I want to touch him, to speak to him, to coax him down. He can’t lose himself. Can’t allow Father to gain control of this situation. He already has us surrounded.

“You were supposed to come alone,” Hollow growls.

“And you were supposed to have died twenty years ago. Yet here we both are.” Father shrugs, looking around at his gathered men. Men who’d live and die for him. Perhaps they desire the protection and money that comes from his power, perhaps they only do it because he’s compelled them to. Either way, they’ll fight and kill for him without a second thought.

I won’t let them. I won’t let them harm the people I love. Not Abe. And not Hollow. I struggle against the pounding in my head, pushing myself up with trembling arms. My vision is still blurry and my body unsteady but I can fight. I have to fight. To protect them.

“Kill,” Hollow says softly, but Father interrupts him with a laugh.

“Here we all are. I must say I’m not surprised. Disappointed but not surprised. By my traitorous cunt of a son.”

Hollow snarls and bares his teeth like a threatened wolf and if I could I’d laugh at him for being so serious, so affronted at Father’s assault on my honor. And truth be told, I’ve never heard Father use such vile, profane words, speak with such a lack of decorum. He seems unhinged. Dangerous in a way I’ve never seen before.

And his attention is now fully on me. “I knew you’d betray me. Go to your lover like the pathetic whore you are. You’ve always craved love so much, that desperation seeped out of you, infecting everything and everyone around you. That was why I kept you. You longed so badly to be in service to someone. I knew I could mold you. Make you mine so easily. And now look how this wretch has done the same. You disgust me.”

And even though I hate the man that stands before me, those words still dig into me like a knife and turn, spilling out my guts and my breath.

“Big talk for a dead man,” Hollow growls, the hint of a sneer returning to his lips.

Father closes the gap between us, motioning for his men to stand down. He’s unafraid, radiating a power that seems to shake the very foundation of the rundown building.

“You think you can end me? End it all?” He’s smiling but it looks almost dead . Empty. Devoid of emotion and life. “You think you’re more powerful than me?”

“Powerful enough,” Hollow says, his voice low. He’s still attempting to hold me steady and as my head clears, I glance around the expanse, making sense of Father’s next move, the way his men are scattered, watching. Eyes roving Abe’s still unconscious form.

“No,” Father shakes his head. “You’re nothing more than the lonely, pitiful boy I found that day. The one who trailed behind me like a lost puppy.”

“I was a child then.”

“And are you not still a child now? Young, weak, unguided. Untested. You’ve never had to face the true horrors of this world.”

Hollow laughs at that, the sound a chaotic rumble in his throat. “You’ve provided me with horror enough for three lifetimes. That’s all you do, provide horror to those around you. It ends now.”

It all seems to happen in that moment, as I shoot to my feet and Father lunges toward Hollow. At the same time, Father’s men dart forward, guns aimed directly at us. Hollow leaps to his feet, thrusting himself between Father and me as I position myself between Father’s men and Abe. I dig in my boot to withdraw my knife. And then I lunge.

“Don’t kill him!” Father’s voice rings out. “Take him alive!”

Three men are on me, one grabbing my hair while the others attempt to get around me to retrieve Abe. I won’t let that happen. My knife goes into the jugular of the man who grasps my hair. He spits blood all over my front as I kick his chest and knock him back, choking.

I then whirl on the man closest to Abe, only to find him holding out his gun, pointing it at me. He won’t kill me on Father’s orders. But he could still maim me, shoot me through the arm or leg to wound and stall me. Make me easier to subdue.

At that moment, both of our attentions are diverted to where Father and Hollow struggle against each other. Father is surprisingly strong, so much stronger than he should be. His hands hold Hollow aloft by the collar, like a ragdoll, while Hollow fights against them. Then, Hollow grips Father’s arms hard and I see his next decision as he makes it. Father flinches back as a bolt of electric current shoots from Hollow’s fingertips. Father shakes and convulses and I can imagine that feeling. I’ve felt it before. But in that moment, Hollow was almost gentle with me. He’s not gentle with Father now.

Father drops his hold on Hollow’s throat, falling back against the concrete floor of the roof behind him. His eyes roll back into his head.

“What the fuck!” Father’s man growls. He aims his gun at Hollow.

I dive in front of him, knocking his arm down so the gun blasts through the roof. Whirling around, I shove my knife into his neck and then his stomach before heaving him to the ground and snatching his gun for myself. As I sheath my knife back in my belt for safe keeping, I dive at the last man, shooting him once, twice, before putting two more bullets in the heads of each of his associates.

But when I turn back to Father, my heart skips a beat.

He’s transformed, looming over Hollow, his form completely changed, darkened, elongated. He’s become a dark, black phantom, eyes glowing red gems inside his skull-like head. He seems no longer human.

I saw a projection of this before in the Church, something close but nowhere near as terrifying. Nowhere near as monstrous. All the warmth seems to have vanished out of the air, the wind itself seeming to have died completely. It’s become dark, as though the sun itself has been snuffed out with his mere presence. I aim my gun at him but realize too late I’m shaking, my hand unsteady.

A deep, fiendish laugh burbles from the gaping hole of Father’s mouth. Father reaches out and clutches at Hollow with curved, claw-like hands. And for the first time since I’ve known him, I see something like fear cross Hollow’s face.

“You underestimate me. And now I’ll show you what true horror feels like.” His voice is so low, so deep, reverberating through the chilled air. And with a sudden burst of inhuman strength, he grasps hold of Hollow and throws him against one of the roof stacks. Hollow’s back hits hard and the solid metal groans with the force of it, a crack in its structure revealed as he slides down, choking, gasping for breath.

Father turns toward me then, his huge, hulking presence like a thing from a nightmare. I’m suddenly terrified, more afraid than I’ve ever been. I take a step back, realizing I’m trembling head to foot, even with the gun in my hands. I point it at him, my finger toying with the trigger.

“Kill,” Hollow gasps. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him struggling to right himself, to crawl toward me.

I shoot. Once. Twice. The bullets disappear into the black mass that is Father. Yet he continues stalking toward me, completely undeterred. “All you’ve ever done is disappoint me,” Father’s voice swirls toward me, venomous, filled with hatred and derision. “I’ve kept you alive only to die at the opportune time. To serve me when the moment was right. This is that moment.”

“What—” my words are stolen as Father surges toward me and shoves me back and back and back, off the roof and plummeting to the ground three stories below.

I’m going to die. I’m going to die. My eyes slip closed as I accept it, embrace it even.

But before my body makes impact, before I can meet my inevitable demise, strong arms surround me, wrap around me, shelter me, protect me.

And then we hit.