Chapter 21: No Mercy No More
The trail they followed was no more than a scar in the mountain pass and although the grounds were tough to direct through they did so swiftly with sure-footed steps. Time now being of the essence they fought their way along silently, Hank in the lead although it had been years since he'd stepped foot on the trail. He prayed his memory would not fail them, as getting lost in the backwoods of the mountain was a clear possibility and could mean life and death for Cody. The ominous aura of apprehension grew as the minutes ticked by, climaxing as they broke through the foliage and spotted the scene they had been waiting for.
The small one room wooden structure was just as Hank remembered it, if not a little worse for wear. The building had begun to tilt years ago, but surprisingly the angle seemed no worse now. The planking was as weather beaten as ever, showing distinct signs of rotting in the steps and on the stoop. A creeping vine had slowly begun engulfing the sides and roofing, the windowpanes were shattered and the boards that had at one time been placed to protect them were vandalized and barely supported on the nails. Amongst all this disaster, however, they spotted more important factors, such as the door that stood fully open, the black sports car that was parked haphazardly out front and, most frighteningly, the mixtured trail of blood that ran along an indented track in the mud that led through the threshold.
"Stay quiet," Sam warned them, retrieving his semi-automatic and cocking the trigger.
Hank watched as Joe nervously ran a soaked sleeve down his face and felt the same sense of fear reflected in him self. It may have been a distant and unlikely possibility but now they knew for sure that Cody had not run off by himself. Having faced and murdered half a dozen people didn't prepare him for the uncertainty he now felt, walking into a building to face a new and deadly danger. Still he fought against the tension coursing along his veins and followed Sam and Joe to the steps, waiting as each one before him took their turn to walk up slowly to keep from making any noise.
Sam pressed his back to the side of the wall by the door, feeling his boots crushing on shattered dusting of glass. His heartbeat thrummed erratically in his ears and his finger flexed softly on the trigger, ready to fire, as he tried to control his breathing and listen in on the scene before them. He couldn't stop his eyes from traveling the length of the three stairs straight to the threshold, along the line of blood tainted mud and rainwater. In the short time it took them to reach the door, the rain had almost washed away the entire trail and so he knew it must have been as fresh as the tire tracks. Again his fingers tensed around the cool steel and with some effort he forced his eyes back up, catching the desperate looks of Joe and Hank across from him. He knew they would not make a move without him and so, holding his breath, he leaned ever so slightly towards the door. He could just make out the shadowed figures of three men on the far side of the room and tried to lean closer to find Cody.
In the heavy silence around them he could have sworn he hear the cocking of another gun and felt a cold chill break out along his skin, raising the flesh on his arms in a field of goose bumps. Sliding his foot forward he tried once more to see in the darkened corners to find Cody. One of the men, Soren he assumed, was indeed holding out a gun. Following the line of fire the spotted his charge restrained to a pillar off to the side of the alter. Instinct kicked in upon seeing the sight and without any hesitation he threw the door open further with his shoulder and aimed his own weapon at Soren, no longer keeping to silence.
"Don't move," he shouted across the small expanse, gaining the attention of all three men.
While Soren's gun may still have been aimed at Cody's head Sam was at least grateful his attention had been taken off the teen. In the wake of the surprise Sam managed to gain a few precious steps closer before Soren's henchmen pulled their own firearms on the three of them.
"Take another step and he's dead," Soren called, regaining himself and pressing the lip of the gun forcefully against Cody's head.
"Shoot and you'll be as good as dead yourself," Sam snarled venomously.
Soren smiled sinisterly but raised his weapon off the boy, walking with self-assured confidence to the wooden pedestal. Sam followed him with his gaze, making sure to keep the other two in sight as well as he took a tentative step closer to the teen to try and get between him and Soren.
Hank swallowed hard as he watched the dangerous dance between the two. Even if Soren relented Cody, they were outnumbered as far as weaponry went and he hadn't missed the fact that the two cronies had blocked off the doorway, the only available exit in the pathetically small space. Still at the moment it was Cody's safety that mattered most. He was no more than a heap of blood and grime and Hank feared that he was within an inch from death and wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. Both his shoulder and jaw seemed to droop ominously as though broken, shards of bone punctured through his jeans on the leg that lay stretched before him, unmoving unlike the other that he had curled up close to his chest. Both eyes were severely bruised from cheekbone to hairline under the streams of blood with one eyelid hanging jaggedly torn.
He couldn't wait any longer and so he tentatively stepped behind Sam and edged carefully towards the pillar. Soren's eyes darkened at his movements and snatching up the tarnished cross from the dais he launched it with dangerous force towards Hank, startling all three men as it crashed against the wall behind him. Hank froze, his gut clenching painfully as Cody let out a frail whimper and began shivering in fear. With a guttural growl Joe shoved him back, protecting him as he again edged to Cody's side.
"Just let him go," Joe demanded to the cynical laughter of the God of War.
Hank dropped to his knees, quickly pulling at the coarse knot to free Cody, supporting him against his chest as he went about freeing his arms next. The damage to his arm was extensive and at such a close proximity he could hear the watered gurgles in his breathing as blood flowed down into his lungs. There was so much blood…his skin was deathly pale where it wasn't bruised and felt so cold to the touch.
"It won't make any difference. You'll all be dead shortly," came Soren's reply as he fired a well-aimed shot at the pillar above Cody, eliciting another painful cry from the boy who clutched desperately to Hank with his good arm as Hank sheltered him from the debris.
"Bastard," Sam spat charging forward only to be stopped as another shot rang out.
He sunk to his knees with a grunt, a pain fiercer then anything he'd experienced to date coursing through his bicep. He clutched his hand to the wound, a sickening copper taste filling his mouth as the actual form oozed past his fingers and dropped in perfect circular splatters to the floor, melding together in a shapeless puddle. He tried tightening his fingers around the gun, but the flexing pressure on the wound made him wince again and relax his hold, although he didn't drop the steel.
"Sam!"
Joe tried to rush to him only to be blinded with a pain himself as the redhead slammed the butt of his gun across the back of his head. He had barely recovered to his knees when a boot heel met his chest, knocking the wind from him and making it all the easier for the man to grab him in a choke hold. His partner rounded on Hank and Cody, pointing his gun threateningly should he decide to help his friends, but Hank stayed were he was cradling Cody comfortingly and protecting him, ready to shield him with his body if need be.
Soren slowly rounded on Sam, circling him like a vulture ready to dive in for the kill. Coming back round in front of him he grasped onto a fist full of hair, forcing his head back at a painful angle and directing his gun on him once more. Surprisingly staring down the gun-barrel was a lot less frightening then it should have been. The two men faced off silently; sureness and menace a mirrored image. Then letting loose another crazed laugh Soren began softly trailing the peace along Sam's cheekbone and down his chin.
"What's the little whore to you? Could he have given you what's rightfully mine," Soren demanded tilting Sam's head up further as he pressed the barrel along his neck.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sam spat out through gritted teeth.
Another maniac laugh. "I would have let him live, but he was just so fucking uncooperative," The God of War explained with a threatening undercurrent as he let loose another shot close enough to Sam that he could feel the heat of the bullet wiz past him. "The little bitch, he was only ever good for a tight fuck."
"Shut up!" Sam yelled, the force of which echoed through the room long after the words had died away.
Anger blazing through his veins, he tightened his finger on the trigger, ready to grit through the pain to shoot down the motherfucker before him, however, seeing the light of challenge Soren quickly retorted with a forceful blow to the side of his head. He had scarcely hit the floor when Soren pinned him there with a heel to his wounded arm, grinding it into the ground without remorse.
Joe fought harder to free himself from the lock of the Irishman, thrashing as he was pressed face down onto the floor snapping and growling. His unrelenting pulsing finally won out and he managed to over turn the other. Grabbing a fist full of flaming hair he attempted to pound the guy's face into the floor. The bastard outweighed him with all muscle and keeping his position proved difficult. A plan became a desperate need once the guard on Hank and Cody turned on him as well to subdue the outburst.
"Joe," Hank called out to him the instant the other man's back was turned. "Throw the gun over there!"
Following his line of sight, Joe spotted a small oiling can against the wall, a drop of gasoline hanging off the lip with a small puddle already formed beneath it. Without thinking the idea through he kicked his leg out towards the gun, just out of reach of the other's hand and watched as it skidded along the floor.
The object blurred as it dashed past Sam's right arm and as though using some insane form of telepathy to understand the plan of the other two he thrashed madly to dislodge Soren from his abused wound. The man stumbled back in confusion and before he could more than regain his footing Sam fired off a shot towards the canister. The air exploded around them and erupted upon hitting the target followed soon after by consecutive blasts as the gun fueled the flames.
Through the thick, scalding smoke he tried to feel his way along the ground to the others. There was barely a creak of a notice before one of the supporting beams collapsed not a meter from him. The embers that flew in the air singed clothes and skin alike. He didn't care what happened to Soren or his men, all that mattered now was finding Cody and the others and making sure they were alive. The fog before him was too thick to see through, however, and after tedious minutes of a crawling pace he began to worry that he had been turned around in the fire. He stopped, choking hard for air and debating turning back in the other direction when out of the confusion a hand reached out and grabbed his.
Cody had managed to blindly grab onto him before exhaustion took over and he collapsed against his chest. Sam clutched him tighter, dragging the injured teen closer and resting his head against the crown of matted hair. Reassuring himself that the teen was alive.
"I knew you'd come," he thought he heard Cody murmur through choking moans and gurgling breaths.
As another section of the room caved in beside them Sam pulled him tighter trying to protect him from the engulfing heat, feeling the flames lick at his forearms and back as he frantically searched for the other two. Hank sidled up to his side next, followed by Joe. Before they had a chance to begin the tedious crawl to the exit Cody already began to squirm in his arms, desperate it seemed to reach the pews. Thinking that he meant for them to get out, Sam helped support him as they inched along the ground, only for the teen to turn into complete dead weight as he tried to turn in Sam's grasp once more.
Sam hissed in frustration and tried to pull him along again, but Cody kicked out his good leg towards the first bench. He hit the side panel and not receiving whatever reaction he had been expecting gathered his strength once more and kicked out harder. To Sam's amazement the wood swung inward, giving way to a hollow passage beneath the seat. Turning to Hank, the other seemed to understand from the look and reached into the space, extracting a tattered and stained parcel. Sam cast his gaze back down at the teen in his arms as Cody's body went heavy and limp.
Quickly Hank slipped the object into his coat pocket and silently the three began inching their way close to the ground once more, now half dragging – half carrying Cody to the exit. Once they reached the door Joe swept Cody's unconscious form into his arms and carried him bridle style away from the ruin of the church.
A good distance from the wreckage of the flames, back on the small path at the edge of the woods, he placed the boy back down, unsure of what to do. Hank had forced Sam to sit so he could cinch the wound with the hem of his top, which he used a pocket knife to tear off. Following his lead, Joe thought to ebb the flow of blood on Cody, but he didn't know where to begin; Cody's wrist, his arm, his leg…should he touch the broken bones or would that make things worse?
"Hank it won't stop," he called desperately, at a complete loss.
Cody hadn't looked nearly this bad when he'd found him the first time. The only thing bleeding, or at least the only thing Cody had let him see, at that time had been his wrist. Even at that, when he'd found the boy the blood had already started to clot and the wounds had simply needed to be washed and bandaged, except for Cody's wrists which had needed a few stitches. Joe had, had to drag him to a clinic for those. This form of damage he couldn't handle.
"Apply pressure to stop the blood flow," Hank called back, viciously yanking the cloth tighter around Sam's arm.
The latter let go with a scream before pulling back and with gritted teeth rasped, "Bastard!"
Hank ignored him and tied the ends together securely before moving to Joe's side. With proficiency that Joe knew he would never feel Hank quickly checked the teen's pulse before instructing Joe to get the jeep as quickly as he could.