Chapter 245
I watched as Aaron and Cadence followed along behind Gibbon out the front door and wondered if anyone else was still standing. I wanted to go check on Brandon but couldn’t get my feet moving right away.
“Cass!” I heard him call my name with my ears, jarring me back to reality. There was lots of chatter on the IAC, injured people explaining to the Healers what needed fixed, others still speculating as to whether or not I had been on the verge of flipping. It was nice to know I had been so convincing. I pulled my eyes away from the hole where the front door had been and rushed out of the room to check on Brandon while still keeping track of Gibbon’s movement from Cadence’s IAC.
“Are you okay?” I asked him, kneeling down next to him.
“I’ve been better,” he replied, smiling up at me. “That might have been the second stupidest thing you’ve ever done.” I knew he meant coming to Philly the first time was number one, and I could tell by his expression he wasn’t sure if he should be proud of me or angry.
“I know,” I said, helping him sit up. He winced when I touched his right arm.
“I think it’s broken.”
I looked around and saw all three Healers busy with other people. Jamie looked just about spent, but Meagan and Shane were up here now, so he must’ve done something for each of them. I turned back to Brandon and brushed his hair back. “What can I do?”
He pushed himself up using his left hand and the wall for support. Once his hand was free, he ran his hand along my cheek, and I leaned closer to him. “Stop being so stupid,” he replied, and I smiled at him.
“Can’t promise anything.” I leaned down and kissed him, not really caring if anyone else was looking, and then decided he would probably want to be there when the three members of the team that could still run caught up with Gibbon. It was just a matter of time now. I helped Brandon to his feet, and we started heading toward the prison exit, the rest of the team stumbling along like a group of zombies behind us.
As soon as Gibbon came into Elliott’s view, I switched my visuals and took in a deep breath as I watched Elliott climb over the railing on the watchtower, knowing what he was about to do before it happened. It looked like he was hundreds of feet in the air to me, and I held my breath as he flung himself into the open air. I heard Brandon grimace, as well, as Elliott freefell.
He timed it perfectly, though, and slammed into Gibbon, who was flattened to the ground. Most of the flames began to extinguish as he hit the grass, the Guardian still on top of him. Elliott jumped up a lot quicker than I expected, putting out a small hotspot on his jacket with his hand, and then he proceeded to kick Gibbon in the side of the head, hard. I supposed they’d learned by now their guns were of little use against the monster.
Despite Elliott’s assault, Gibbon managed to scramble to his feet. Elliott kicked him again, and he fell into a patch of overgrown bushes. The Guardian took his smoking jacket off, giving Gibbon enough time to pop up again. The Vampire’s flesh was black and smoldering, ash and smoke billowing out with every movement. Elliott came at him again, kicking him hard in the gut, and Gibbon shot backward into the greenhouse. Once again, glass shattered, but Gibbon was not down for the count yet, and he came at Elliott. The Guardian delivered a roundhouse that sent the Vampire through the greenhouse wall, shards of glass spraying into the night sky.
I watched as Elliott took a step closer to inspect the monster. Gibbon was still moving, but he wasn’t getting up this time.
I heard footsteps behind Elliott, and he turned to see Aaron approaching. The two of them reached down and hauled the Vampire out of the debris. I took a deep breath as an overwhelming feeling of defeat radiated out of Gibbon, filling my mind with sadness. I shook my head, trying to free myself from his thoughts. It would all be over shortly.
“Are you all right, Cass?” Brandon asked as we rounded a corner, bringing the situation into our own lines of sight.
“I’m okay,” I said, realizing there was a tear meandering down my cheek, but I didn’t want to let go of Brandon to wipe it away.
Cadence had just arrived. Now that I could actually see her, I could tell she was in a lot of pain. Elliott and Aaron held Gibbon still and Cadence nodded, knowing what she needed to do. I understood it as well, but it was much harder for me to watch than I had anticipated.
My sister launched herself at the monster who had once been the Jogging Path Killer. She stepped up on his own thigh and positioned herself so that her hands were on either side of his massive skull. Gibbon instinctively tried to throw her off, and she had to reposition her knees around his chest. Without a word, the three of them ratcheted the monster’s broken body in opposite directions until Steven Gibbon’s head came free. A low moan reverberated through the night sky, and Brandon and I reached them just in time to see the Vampire’s body turn into a pile of ash.
Aaron caught Cadence before she fell, and he slowly lowered her to the ground, away from the ash and the piles of broken glass.
Cadence turned and looked at us, and through her IAC, I surveyed the group of battered, bloodied, and bruised bodies who stood in silence and disbelief, staring back at her. Meagan and Shane had come to a stop to Brandon’s right. Mickey and Ashley were also leaning on each other nearby, and behind them, I could see Jamie slumped between Cale and Christian. Scarlet was holding up Hannah, and Morgan was on her other side. Aurora was behind them, standing on her own, but she was bruised as well. We were all alive. We were all safe, and I was the only one without a physical scratch on me.
As Gibbon’s ashes began to blow in the wind, his memories started to fade from the forefront of my mind. I inhaled deeply, breathing in the night air as voices from the Philly team moving in to help could be heard in the distance. The freedom that Gibbon had been searching for seemed within my grasp, and I began to smile, feeling refreshed and renewed, as if a burden had been lifted.
I caught my sister’s eyes and she smiled back at me. I was sure she wasn’t happy with my choices, but we’d have to talk about that later. She slumped backward, and once again, Aaron caught her before Cadence’s head hit the ground.
