Chapter 10

"Well, well, look who it is!" George Maddox's mocking voice rang out through the cafeteria, causing Edwards to look up from where he lay on the floor. The convict's cold, dangerous eyes sent a shiver down his spine and he flinched as two inmates pulled him back up into a standing position, twisting his arms painfully behind his back when he fought against them.

Maddox stood stiffly from his chair and hobbled forward a few steps till he was only inches from the young man's face. "You've been a busy man, Officer Edwards. A real pain in the ass." His voice turned angry and the sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed off the walls as he backhanded the guard across the face.

Edwards flinched but didn't make a sound. Very calmly, he licked the blood out of the corner of his mouth and fixed Maddox with an intense glare. It was going to take a lot more than that to get a reaction out of him.

Maddox noticed the fire of resilience in the young man's eyes and shook his head with a laugh. "That's it, son, put on your brave face. We'll see how long that lasts." He brought his fist down hard once more, snapping Edwards' head back with the force of the blow. Limping back to his seat, Maddox drug the chair in front of his captive and eased himself into it with a groan. "Now, I'm going to give you one chance to tell me where those Saint fuckers are hiding before I take matters into my own hands, and believe me, you wont like what I have in mind."

On the outside Edwards was the picture of calm, careful to keep his facial expression neutral, but on the inside, his senses were screaming at him as his racing heart pumped a large dose of adrenaline through his system. He fought the urge to glance over into the darkness of the kitchen to see if he could spot Connor or Murphy, forcing himself to keep his glare focused on the dangerous man in front of him.

Maddox stared expectantly back at the young guard as he waited for an answer to his question. When it became obvious that the boy was going to refuse him the information, he gave an annoyed sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sick and tired of you hero types and your ridiculous desire to self-sacrifice for the sake of someone you don't even know. Honestly, it's exhausting just watching you, you're making things way harder than they have to be."

Edwards remained silent, staring stonily ahead, and Maddox pushed himself back up out of his chair, growling in frustration. "Fine, have it your way." Digging into his pocket, he produced a crudely fashioned shank that was made from some unidentifiable scrap of metal that had been filed down to a point on one end. Maddox ran his finger experimentally over the tip of the spike before turning back to Edwards. "One of the many downfalls of a hero is their predictability. As they demonstrated to me earlier, the Saints would never let an innocent person die on their behalf. The same way you are willing to sacrifice yourself to protect them. Some people may call it brave or honorable, but I call it foolish. When everyone knows your weaknesses it makes it all too easy to have them used against you. You, Officer Edwards, are one of their many weaknesses, and now that I have you, I can get them."

Maddox made a gesture with his hand and the two men holding the young man from behind switched their grips, restraining him with a choke hold so Maddox could have access to one of his hands. Edwards fought against the new position and attempted to kick out at Maddox as the convict reached for his wrist, earning him another backhanded slap across the face. Before he could recover, the men behind him had secured their hold and Maddox had his arm twisted painfully out to the side, rotating his wrist so that his palm was facing upwards.

Taking the metal spike, Maddox placed the makeshift weapon tip down in the center of the guard's hand before turning and offering up a malicious grin. "Now, it's time for you to call the heroes here to save you." Without further warning, Maddox lowered the spike and began to very slowly work it through the center of the young man's palm.

Edwards squeezed his eyes tightly shut against the intense pain and made a groaning sound deep in his throat but he refused to let out the scream that his body desperately wanted to release. He bit his lip till he tasted the iron bite of his own blood, but he refused to cry out.

"Don't hold it back, son, let them know you need help!" Maddox continued to push the spike slowly through the boy's hand until it started to come through on the other side. "I'm not going to stop until you do it so just let it out! Scream!"

/ / /

"Jesus fuckin' Christ!"

Murphy heard his brother's whispered curses and settled a hand down on his shoulder.

Connor shrugged the hand away roughly and turned worried, slightly angry eyes onto his twin. "I knew this was a bad fucking idea! I never should have let the little bastard do this, I told him this was too fucking dangerous, and now look at him."

His brother's rantings were merely a whisper but Murphy could still hear the anger in his voice. He knew Connor was only mad at himself, blaming himself, yet again, for his inability to keep people safe. Reaching a hand up, he cuffed his brother lightly on the back of the head. "Would you fucking cut it out? This isn't your fucking fault; none of this is your fucking fault, Connor. It was his idea and we all agreed to the plan. We can still make this work, we have plenty of ammo to take them all and-"

"And can you fucking guarantee that the kid won't get caught in the crossfire or be taken hostage once we start shooting?" Connor interrupted his brother forcefully, fear turning his tone harsh. He couldn't lose anyone else tonight.

Murphy frowned, he hadn't really thought much beyond putting a bullet in the head of each and every one of these bastards. "So we sit tight a little longer and see what happens. Maybe a new opportunity will present itself, and if not then we are right here to intervene if things go south."

Connor opened his mouth to respond when a loud smacking sound caused them both to jump to attention. Edwards' head had been snapped to one side and it was obvious from the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth that the young man had been hit. Maddox made a taunting remark before bringing his heavy fist down for another blow.

"Fuck this!" Connor whispered angrily, raising his weapon back up, preparing to act.

Murphy's hand shot out and quickly grasped the barrel of his brother's gun. "Just wait, Connor." He glanced back into the cafeteria and noticed that Maddox was returning to his seat. "He's alright for now, let's just give it a minute and see what happens. We still have the advantage here and I don't think we should give that up just yet."

Connor glanced over at him looking like he was preparing to argue but after a moment of hesitation he simply nodded and relaxed his finger on the trigger. Murphy smiled slightly to himself despite the seriousness of the situation. He wasn't used to being the voice of reason, it was usually Connor who had to talk him down from doing something foolish and impulsive.

Satisfied that his twin was standing down for the moment, Murphy removed his hand from the barrel of the rifle and returned his focus to the scene unfolding out in the cafeteria. He listened as Maddox drilled their young friend about their whereabouts and was surprised when the questions were met with silence from Edwards. Murphy was grateful to Edwards for demonstrating such loyalty toward them but he knew it wouldn't go unpunished by Maddox.

Murphy could see Maddox growing more impatient the longer Edwards remained silent. When it became obvious that the he wasn't going to receive an answer to his question, Maddox gained his feet and removed the metal shank from his pocket, causing both Connor and Murphy to tense.

Maddox launched into a speech on the many faults of a hero and the more he talked the more obvious his intentions became. Murphy watched in anger as Edwards struggled within his captors' grip, earning him another blow to the face. Maddox forced one of the young man's arms out to the side at a harsh angle and Connor and Murphy exchanged glances, this situation was taking a bad turn.

Connor bumped Murphy's elbow to get his attention. "We need to act now, Murph!"

Murphy narrowed his eyes but otherwise ignored his brother's comment. It wasn't until Maddox brought his metal spike down and began to plunge it through Edwards' exposed hand that he turned and nodded to his twin. "You're right, fuck this, let's do it!"

"Fucking right," Connor muttered in satisfaction as they both raised their guns. "Do you trust your aim enough to bring down the two guys holding him without clippin' the kid?"

"Aye," Murphy nodded confidently as he adjusted his sights.

"Good, I got Maddox. It looks like six of the others are armed, so they need to be our next priority."

"Got it. And, Conn?"

Connor glanced at his brother out of the corner of his eye. "Aye?"

"Don't kill him yet."

Connor understood the request and nodded once in affirmation before adjusting his aim to a less lethal region of Maddox's body. "Here we go."

Those three words were the only warning Murphy had before his twin fired off the first shot. He watched as Connor's bullet lodged itself into the right side of Maddox's chest, dropping the convict to the ground before squeezing off a few of his own.

Edwards' eyes went wide in surprise as the unexpected sound of gunfire filled the air. The arms that had been bruisingly tight around his neck and chest disappeared as the men restraining him crashed to the ground, each with a hole in their head. The other inmates who had been standing by quickly caught up to their surprise and began firing blindly into the kitchen.

Edwards watched as two more men dropped to the floor before shaking himself from his shock and ducking low to the ground. He clutched his injured hand, careful of the metal still protruding from his palm, as he belly-crawled underneath the closest table for cover. Rolling onto his back, he closed his eyes and attempted to steady his breathing. It appeared that Connor and Murphy's side of the plan had worked out and he couldn't have been more relieved at that fact. He desperately wanted to jump up and help them finish this off but his hand was on fire and he was currently unarmed. He was quietly cursing his helplessness when he felt the cool metal of a gun pressing painfully into his forehead. His eyes shot open and, for a second time that night, he found himself face to face with George Maddox. The convict looked absolutely furious as he fumbled to slow the flow of blood that was pouring from the new hole in his chest

"Make one move and I will blow your fucking head off!" he snarled, giving the gun a rough shake for emphasis.

Back in the kitchen Connor swore loudly, ducking back behind the safety of the buffet counter as a bullet whizzed past his head. Murphy fired off another shot, killing the man who had almost taken off his brother's head, before crouching down and arching his eyebrow at him. "Three fucking bullets and you still missed him? You're losing your touch."

Connor gave his twin's shoulder a light shove. "Fuck off, my aim is fine. I think the sights are off on this rifle."

Murphy smirked. "Aye, of course, the rifle."

Connor purposefully ignored his brother's teasing as he raised himself back up and fired off a single shot, neatly felling one of the gun-wielding inmates in the cafeteria. "Ha! How's that for losing my touch?"

Murphy shook his head with a grin and with some effort, he pulled himself back up next to his twin. "How many do we have left?"

"Six." Connor pulled the trigger again and smiled darkly. "Five." The next time he squeezed the trigger he was met with an empty clicking sound and his heart dropped. "Fuck, I'm out." They both ducked back down behind the counter and took a seat on the floor. "How many rounds you got left, Murph?"

Murphy did some quick calculating in his head. "Nine, if I counted right."

"Alright then, you better make 'em fucking count."

Murphy wiped at the sweat that was pouring down his face and tried to ignore the stabbing pain he felt in his chest every time he moved. His hands were trembling and his breathing was getting worse but he pushed it all aside, they were almost done with this. Nodding quickly at Connor, he forced himself back up and peered over the top of the counter, quickly taking stock of the situation. The five remaining inmates had turned one of the tables onto its side and were using it for cover. The men who had been unarmed when the firefight began were now carrying the weapons of their fellow inmates who had already fallen. There had been six armed inmates at the beginning and Murphy scanned the cafeteria quickly before spotting the extra rifle laying on the ground about ten feet away from his position.

One of the braver convicts poked his head above the table and attempted to fire on the brothers' position but Murphy was too quick for him and the man fell backwards, sporting a new hole in the center of his forehead. "Christ, I'm fucking good at this!" He shot a cocky smile at his brother who responded with an exaggerated eye roll.
"Always so modest." Connor tried to look annoyed but couldn't help the smile that played at the edges of his lips. "Alright Annie Oakley, stay focused." Raising back up he looked cautiously over the top of the buffet. "Do you see the kid anywhere?"

"Annie Oakley?" Murphy scoffed, "More like John Wayne, and no, I can't see him. I'm hoping he took his chance and got the fuck out of here."

The barrel of a rifle came up over the top of the table and both brothers ducked back down as a spray of bullets came flying in their direction. "We need to end this. We don't have the ammo to sit here and exchange bullets all night." A clicking sound told Connor that the man firing on them had exhausted his clip as well. "Apparently neither do they and I would rather be the first to make a move than be on the defensive side."

Murphy nodded in agreement before rising up and firing two more shots, just enough to keep the inmates pinned down. "There is a rifle about ten feet out on the other side of the counter. I will cover you if you make a run for it. I'm afraid you'll be a bit quicker on your feet than I am at the moment," Murphy admitted begrudgingly.

Connor nodded and rested a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder. He knew that Murphy willingly admitting to his inadequacy spoke volumes of the shape his twin was in. "If you keep them hunkered down, I can come around to the side and have a clear shot."

Murphy shot his brother a look. "How in the hell do you expect to get off four clean shots before one of them takes you out?" He felt compelled to point out the obviously dangerous flaw in the plan.

"Well, it's a good thing my brother is John Wayne then, isn't it?" Connor grinned, playing off of Murphy's previously boastful confidence.

Murphy wasn't entirely satisfied with his twin's plan but he was too exhausted to argue. He was ready to finish this off. "Alright then, on three; one," Connor moved into a crouched position, preparing to run, "two," Murphy brought his gun up to his chest, moving his index finger so it was resting lightly on the trigger, "three!"

On three Murphy popped up and raised his weapon in one fluid motion. As soon as the first shot was fired, Connor bolted from the safety of his hiding spot and leaped over the counter, making a dash for the abandoned rifle. Murphy squeezed off three rounds in the time it took for his brother to scoop the weapon up off the floor and cover the distance across the cafeteria to the inmates' table shield. Dropping down to his knees, Connor used his momentum to slide across the floor and around the upturned table. Pulling the trigger on his rifle, he brought down one of the unsuspecting convicts and in the shock, the three remaining inmates foolishly jumped to their feet, putting themselves at the mercy of Murphy's bullets

Quicker than thought, Murphy dropped two of the inmates just as the third charged at Connor, bringing them both crashing to the ground, a tangle of thrashing limbs. Murphy turned his aim onto the man who tackled his brother but he couldn't get a clear shot without risking hitting his twin.

"Damn it!" Banging his fists against the counter in frustration he bolted from his protective cover, and as quickly as his injured body would allow, he rushed over to where Connor and the other inmate were rolling on the ground, each fighting for the dominate position.

Murphy reached them just as Connor became pinned on the bottom. The man on top was reeling back, preparing to throw a punch, and Murphy grabbed him from behind, forcefully hauling him away from his brother. He clenched his jaw as the struggle sent searing waves of pain through his core but he refused to let go, hoping to give Connor enough time to get his feet back under him. Desperate to get loose, the inmate brought his elbow back in a vicious blow, digging the sharp bone into Murphy's injured ribs.

Murphy heard the sound of someone crying out and realized with a strange detachment that the sound was coming from him. He was barely aware of the fact that he was now lying on the ground and he hardly registered the sound of gunfire as Connor ended the life of the last inmate. The only thing he could feel was the pain in his ribs. They felt like they were being crushed under the weight of an eighteen-wheeler and his head felt strangely light as he struggled to draw air into his oxygen-starved lungs. Spots appeared in his vision and his body was beginning to panic at not being able to breathe, his desperate gasps only making the situation worse.

"Easy, Murphy. Take it easy, slow breaths. I've got ya, you just got to calm down and breathe."

Murphy could feel someone's hands on his face and he instantly recognized Connor's presence. The words were comforting and helped break through the panic, allowing him to focus on bringing air into his burning lungs.

Connor was relieved when Murphy's body began to slowly respond to his calm words. It had scared the shit out of him when he saw his brother collapse on the ground, and he had used the opportunity that Murphy had given him to gain his feet and gather the weapon. As soon as he had a clear shot, he had disposed of the remaining threat before rushing to his brother's side. His twin's eyes were wide with fear and the choking sounds that were escaping his throat made it obvious that he was struggling to breathe. Discarding his own fear, Connor placed a hand on either side of Murphy's pale, clammy face and tried to talk him through the fear, praying that it would be enough.

After several minutes, Murphy's breathing began to come a little easier as his heart rate slowed, although, the wheezing in his chest had become worse and his lips remained an alarming shade of blue. "There you go, just keep taking slow breaths. You're going to be fine, Murph."

"He might as well go ahead and stop breathing now," Connor jumped at the sound of the now hauntingly familiar voice and spun around to see Maddox staggering toward them, one arm wrapped around Edwards' chest and the barrel of a gun resting shakily against the kid's temple, "it's only a matter of time at this point."

Connor had been so wrapped up in his fear for Murphy that he had forgotten about their unfinished business. He was silently kicking himself now for his reckless inattention. Very slowly, he moved to grab for the rifle he had dropped at Murphy's side but stopped when Maddox shook his head at him.

"I wouldn't do that unless you want to add this kid to the list of people you failed tonight. You better just go ahead and slide that on over to me." He nodded his head indicating the rifle.

Connor hesitated for a moment, taking in the man in front of him. Maddox was looking horribly pale and his movements were unbalanced and shaky from blood loss. he had two bullets lodged in him and yet he was still on his feet. Probably running on his pure hatred of the Saints, alone. For a brief second, Connor considered taking up the firearm and fighting back but he could tell by the crazed look in Maddox's eyes that the man wouldn't hesitate to pull that trigger and Connor couldn't risk their young friend's life like that. With a sigh of resignation he set his foot on the weapon and kicked it across the floor before kneeling protectively in front of Murphy.

Once the rifle was a safe distance away, Maddox flashed them a feral grin. "Now this feels a bit like déjà vu, don't you think? Here I am with another one of your friends, your… innocents, and there you are, helpless and at the mercy of my generosity. You know, I'm tempted to finish off our little game from earlier. We may be down a couple of players but I bet we can still make this interesting."

As he listened to Maddox speak, Connor was certain he had never hated anyone as much as this man in front of him. A small flutter of movement caught his eye and he glanced down at Edwards. The kid looked scared but he appeared to be focused on something. As soon as the young guard had Connor's attention, he motioned downward with his eyes to where he was fidgeting with something in his hand. Connor Cringed inwardly when he realized that Edwards still had the metal spike sticking though his palm but it only took him a moment to realize what the kid was trying to do.

Very slowly, Edwards was attempting to work the shank back out of his hand without alerting Maddox to his intentions. The pain was intense and it took every ounce of strength for him not to squirm under the effort. Connor could see the sweat beading on his forehead and was half afraid that Edwards was going to pass out, but apparently the kid was made of some pretty sturdy stuff.

Not wanting to draw unwanted attention, Connor returned his gaze back up to Maddox who was still rambling on angrily. He was only half paying attention to the raving man and he looked down frequently, checking Edwards' progress. Taking a deep breath, Edwards slid the spike the rest of the way out of his hand and glanced quickly at Connor who gave a barely perceptible nod. He was ready.

In one quick motion, Edwards jabbed the shank backwards, sinking it into Maddox's gut with as much force as he could muster. Maddox let out a pained gasp and loosened his grip just enough for Edwards to slide downward. The weapon that had been resting at his temple discharged and the bullet cut harmlessly through the air where the young man's head had been only seconds before.

Connor wasted no time in responding. Leaping from his spot on the ground, he was on top of Maddox before the convict even knew what hit him. Throwing all of his weight into the tackle, he brought the man crashing to the ground. Edwards reacted quickly, snatching the gun from the inmate's hand before he could fire off any more shots.

Connor felt every emotion from over the course of the night come crashing back down on him now. As he straddled Maddox's hips he felt the guilt, the pain, the fear and the rage all come pouring out of him as he beat his fists into the face of the man responsible, over and over again. If Edwards' hand on his shoulder hadn't snapped him out of it, Connor probably would have beaten Maddox to death with his bare hands. Instead, the young man offered up the gun that he had taken as an alternative.

Connor looked up, chest heaving from both emotion and exertion, and nodded, accepting the gun as he stood to his feet. Maddox's head lolled weakly to the side and he made no effort to move. Even if he weren't about to be ended by Connor, he still wouldn't live to see tomorrow. With a rough growl, Connor grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him up to his knees only to have him fall forward, unable to support himself.

Moving to stand behind the defeated, slumped over form, Connor raised his gun to the back of the inmate's head.

"Connor." Murphy's weak voice stopped him and he watched as his brother pushed himself unsteadily to his feet, collecting the discarded rifle before making his way over.

They needed to do this together.

Murphy stood to his brother's right and brought the rifle up next to Connor's weapon. The brothers shared a long look before simultaneously beginning a quiet prayer.

"And Shepherds we shall be, for thee my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command."

Edwards looked on in awe as the brothers recited the strange prayer. He had a feeling he was watching something sacred and he held his breath, afraid of somehow interrupting the moment.

"We shall flow a river forth to Thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomine Patris, et Fili, et Spiritus Sancti."

The gunfire that followed the prayer brought on an unexpected feeling of relief and as Connor looked down at Maddox's lifeless body he felt as if he could collapse in exhaustion. Turning to Murphy, he expected to find the same emotions playing out on his brother's face but instead he was met with a blank, pain filled expression that slowly melted away as Murphy fell to the ground, unconscious.

Chapter revised 10/20/17