Post by Gabriel Baal on Dec 8, 2018 19:30:53 GMT -5
Young man came from hunting faint, tired and weary
What does ail my Lord, my dearie?
What does ail my Lord, my dearie?
Sunday, 16th December, 2018
The Pit
The Pit
"Wake up." Came a voice through the dark. "Come on. Wake up."
Was he awake? Had his eyes ever opened? Hadn’t it always been this way? Darkness. Emptiness. Loss.
"Sit up. Now." Came the voice – it was familiar. It was… He shook his head. He’d been delirious for days – choking thirst, coupled with the screams that kept him awake. He’d been here before, but then… It had been different. He’d been able to fight because he knew he was fighting for something, but this time… This time was…
He fought not to think about it. About her, about where she was… About how she was feeling.
"Do as you’re fucking told." Came the voice.
"C.. Cal… eb?" Gabriel said as he felt through the darkness. He used the stones in the walls to sit up straight. His voice gave out half way, and his lips felt cracked and sore. He took a deep breath and then spoke again "Caleb…"
And then it all came flooding back…
Monday, 19th December, 2018
The United Centre, Chicago, Illinois
The United Centre, Chicago, Illinois
"Eden!" Gabriel shouted as her knees gave way… He was a moment too late, and as she fell the back of her head connected with the concrete. Her eyes rolled backwards and the blood began to pour from her nose. "Eden! No, no, no, no… Come on love. Stay with me! Help! WE NEED HELP!"
Gabriel held her in his arms as she started to convulse violently. And then Caleb was there.
"Caleb… She… She’s…" He said, but he couldn’t find the words.
"Fucking hell. Eden… Eden, come on love, open your eyes. You’re okay, come on…" He said as he held her hand. An eerie silence hung over them and then… It was as if the entire world descended. The EMT’s and Doctors were there. JK too. Gabriel and Caleb were pushed backwards out of the way.
Gabriel began to pace on the spot, this way and that… Caleb stood back looking mutinous. And then Gabriel saw him – Jet.
"YOU!" Gabriel spat. "Fucking happy now?! Was it worth it? This fight?"
"This is on you, Gabe." Jet said. His eyes were red and wet, but his voice didn’t quaver. Gabriel didn’t see the emotion. He just saw the refusal to accept any responsibility.
"Fuck you!" Gabriel said. "The things you did out there… You knew what you were doing. It was premeditated."
"You could have stopped it… You know you could. You didn’t. You let her do this. This is your fault… Hers too… But mostly yours. She’s hot-headed. You know better… This is on you, Baal." Said Jet. The emotion cut through and if Gabriel hadn’t known his own anger, he’d never have recognised the roar that he emitted. He lunged towards Jet, who backed off slightly.
And then… Lucy was there… In between the two of them.
"Hey! HEY! Back it off! Back… up!" She said, pushing Gabriel back. "This is not the time or the place."
"Get out of my fucking way." He said trying to push back past.
"No! NO!" Lucy said, pushing him back. "Gabriel. Eden needs you by her side, not fighting with Jet. He’s right… She made this choice. It’s not on him."
"You can’t be ser…" Gabriel started, but she pushed him back.
"It’s not on him, and it’s not on you. And when she wakes up, she’ll tell you the same… damn… thing." Lucy said, punctuating each word with a push backwards.
"She needs you." Jet said quietly. Gabriel swallowed hard and closed his eyes.
"This isn’t over." Gabriel said, his finger pointing into Jet’s face.
"Yes… It is." Jet replied, before turning his back and walking away.
Gabriel looked down at Lucy. She smiled up at him – he couldn’t smile back, but he wanted to tell her… Needed her to know he was grateful that she stepped in. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder, before turning back to the rabble behind him.
The floor was drenched in blood, but Eden was nowhere to be seen – Gabriel’s eyes opened in panic as he looked up the corridor just in time to see the doctors disappear. He began to run, but as he did he stepped in the blood and slipped. He fell hard, and his head connected with the concrete where Eden’s had just minutes before.
He climbed to his feet, Eden’s blood old and new over his hands and arms.
"Gabriel! Are you…" Lucy started, but he was up and running. It was a slow run, the world felt… Foggy. Like everything was in slow motion…
"Eden!" He called… But his words seemed sluggish. Slow. "Edddn…"
He followed along the corridor and could see the bright lights of an ambulance. The doors were already shut. The Doctors and JK were stood around looking almost mournful.
"Out… Of the… Way." Gabriel said.
"Woah, mate…You alright? You seem a little…" JK said, but Gabriel pushed him aside. The ambulance began to pull away, and Gabriel broke into a faster run. He chased and chased as the ambulance reached the rampway out of the belly of the arena. As it reached halfway, it stopped.
Gabriel reached up, and pulled on the handles and the doors opened.
"Caleb! Thank… God… Let me in." Gabriel said.
"Gab…rel… S’that… Gabrel…" He heard Eden say from the bed inside the ambulance.
"No, love… You’re dreaming." Caleb said. And when he looked down at Gabriel outside of the ambulance, he had tears in his eyes. "Gabriel… I’m sorry…"
"What… Just… Just let me in." Gabriel said quietly.
"Can’t… " Caleb replied mournfully. "Orders."
Gabriel didn’t see the boot coming. He only knew what had happened when he felt the impact against his face – he fell backwards and slid several feet down the ramp. As his eyes blinked, he saw Caleb again. Hovering over him.
"Courtesy of the Order of the Inferno." Caleb had said, cold and emotionless. And he pressed something against Gabriel’s chest. Gabriel turned over and began to crawl. He could hear voices now – behind him, people were following. But onward he crawled, even after the rear doors closed. Even after the ambulance began to drive away.
And then the sky was falling.
Tuesday, 4th December, 2018
Bryant Park, New York City, New York
Bryant Park, New York City, New York
"You and Eden do nothing simple, lad." Said Rogan. Gabriel let out a smile – it was ironic how the man who never wanted to be found had a habit of showing up when Gabriel wanted to talk. Like he was always there.
"Would it be us if we did?" Gabriel said, a half smile on his face. The New York winter was bitter. Yet here they sat, overlooking the Bryant Park ice skating rink, each with a hot cup of mulled wine.
"You make a point – but still. You had to know that eventually there would be repercussions for what you were pulling. You and her, tricking Jordan into letting you be at ringside. Getting involved in matches…" Rogan said quietly. "You’re a good conman, Gabriel – but they were gonna catch on eventually."
"It wasn’t a con." Gabriel said quietly. "Eden… She’s not in a good place. The concussions have had a lasting effect – truth be told, this match is the last thing in the world either of us need. I’ve not been interfering in her matches to get her wins – I’ve been doing it to protect her." Gabriel said quietly.
"How bad is she?" Rogan asked quietly.
"Horizons is her end." He said quietly. "She has to retire."
"Gabe… You have to do something. You have time, have them pull her match with Jet." Rogan said, having grown something of a softspot for Eden in recent months. "This is madness."
"You think I don’t know that?" Gabriel said, his eyes betraying the calm look on his face. "I know what she’s risking. I know what Jet Somers is. I know what he’s capable of. But if I stop this match – if I end this on my terms and not hers…"
"You’re afraid she’ll do it anyway?" Rogan said quietly.
"Without any inclination to allow me to be around." Gabriel said slowly. "If she doesn’t end this her own way, she’ll spiral. She’ll show up in some fucking death-match promotion and get dropped on her fucking head. She’ll die trying to find the end she wants – this… Right here. Right now? This is the only ending she’ll accept."
He lifts the cup to his lips and takes sip. The wine had been sweetened with brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Rogan surveyed him, before taking a drink of his own. He seemed set that the conversation needed a new direction.
"I see the build up between Lucy and you has been something short of the bloodbath I’d expected." Rogan said quietly. "What’s the story?"
"Lucy and I are on the best terms we’ve been since Battleground last year." Gabriel said quietly. He chewed an addition to his answer. "I apologised."
"Wait… What? You, the great conscienceless Gabriel Baal? Apologising for what he’s done?" Rogan mocked,
"Fuck you." Gabriel said with a grin. "Apologised to you, didn’t I?"
"That you did, lad." Said Rogan, watching him carefully. "That you did. Seems like you’re trying up a fair few loose ends. Worried about the end of your career?"
"How could I not be? She’s beaten me twice this year already." Gabriel said quietly.
"And your reconciliation has nothing to do with the fact that Lucy is something like a kind soul that will feel every single slap of the mat if she pins you and ends your career?" Rogan said, smiling.
"My attempts to make amends with Miss. Wylde are genuine. She’s been forced into something she never wanted to do. That being said…" Gabriel smiled over the top of his cup. "I would be remiss if I didn’t make Miss Wylde feel the blade drop through my neck."
"You’re banking on her mercy?" Rogan asked.
"Perhaps." Gabriel replied taking a sip.
"But you’re aware she won’t show any?" Rogan added.
"For sure." Gabriel said, draining his cup and climbing to his feet.
"Then why do it?" Rogan asked, as he looked up at Baal fastening his coat and pulling his flat cap down over his eyes.
"Because I’ve spent the last three years in this company making enemies. And if I must bow out? I’d like to have someone there that will miss me." Gabriel said smiling and extending his hand. Rogan reached up and shook it.
"Good bye my friend" Gabriel said slowly.
"Not good bye, pal." Said Rogan with a smile. "Just.. Gus an ath-àm."
Oh, brother dear, let my bed be made
For I feel the gripe of the woody nightshade
For I feel the gripe of the woody nightshade
Sunday, 16th December, 2018
The Pit
The Pit
"Where is she?" Gabriel asked, his voice shaking.
"She’s fine – She was in our hospital for a few days. The symptoms have subsided. They’ve stopped the bleeding and patched her up. She’s in a cell now, like this one." Caleb said quietly. ""
"No… NO! She can’t be… Caleb… The darkness… The cell…" Gabriel said panic in his voice.
"I know." Said Caleb. "I fucking know."
"Why?" Gabriel asked. "I just… I don’t understand."
"It’s complicated." Said Caleb.
"You think I’m fucking going anywhere?" Gabriel snapped. He wanted to stand, he wanted to grip Caleb by the throat and squeeze until his eyes popped. But he felt the chains bound to his wrists and he felt another pang of fear for Eden… River Oaks… Steel City… Necron…
"I was approached… The day I accepted the contract with your organisation. By Hugh." Caleb said quietly. "You’d just locked Uriel away. Hugh was made the new Father… He’d been working as the Seventh effectively for some time. He used the Order to find out about the Orphanage… He tracked us all. But it was me he wanted to find… And then he’d learnt that I’d worked my way into your Organisation… And he knew I was angry. That I wanted revenge… And… he fueled that."
Gabriel’s teeth were on the edge of shattering they were clenched so hard. He made no sound nor movement – he had feeling that Caleb could see in the darkness.
"He twisted and burned and manipulated. He gave me power… And worth. He convinced me that people like you… And Eden… And Jenny were the enemy. And before I knew what was happening… I was in so deep I didn’t have a way out."
Gabriel bit back the spiteful retort about how terribly difficult that must have been. He needed Caleb’s guilt. He needed the regret. It was his only real hope.
"And then I fell in love… I never meant to, but that’s what happened. With the most beautifully infuriating creature. I fell… In love. So I wanted out. I wanted to stop everything and tell you… And then he threatened Jenny… And Solomon… And Olivia. And he was always going to get to you. The best I could hope for was that he’d let her go… Let her live her life." Caleb said.
"So do it…" Gabriel said, latching on to the one thing he knew he could fight for "She’s what’s important, Caleb. Eden is what’s important… Convince the rest of the Order. They can overrule him. They can fight him… It’s why there is a council. Convince them that I am the enemy, and that Eden Morgan is a victim. They can do what they want with me… Just make them let her go. You can keep her safe… You can be there for her…"
"That won’t work… I can’t…" Caleb said.
"Coward!" Shouted Gabriel. "You bleat about how much you love her, yet you won’t put your own life at risk to save her."
"It’s not like that…" Caleb said with a hint of fear in his voice.
"Then what is it? You fucking pussy." Gabriel snapped.
"She’ll never forgive me… No-one will ever for give me! Not after everything I’ve done…" Caleb said ruefully. "Not… After everything I’ve done."
And it had taken Gabriel some time to remember what Caleb meant.
Monday, 10th December, 2018
The United Center, Chicago, Illinois
The United Center, Chicago, Illinois
"Gabe! GABE!" Came the shouts from outside the door. Gabriel pulled a T-shirt over his head and pulled on his jeans over his wrestling gear. He’d kicked off his boots and swapped out for trainers. He grabbed the leather jacket Eden had picked out just that morning… Had it really been this morning.
"GABE!" Came the voice again, before the door crashed open. Solomon strode inside, Jenny just behind him. "Where’s Eden? Is she Okay?"
"No." Said Gabriel, trying to remain calm. Cold. He tossed his boots in his bag. "Can you take my things? I don’t know if I’ll be back."
Jenny stepped forward and reached up to cup his face.
"Gabriel… What is it? Why aren’t you with her?" She asked, her eyes wide with fear.
"Jenny, please… Just… Let me go. You of all people don’t want to hear this…" He said, reaching up and pulling her hand away from his face.
"What’s that supposed to mean?" She asked, tensing immediately.
"Gabe… No lies mate. Come on…" Said Solomon. Gabriel closed his eyes.
"She collapsed… Backstage. Hit her head… The doctors… I was arguing with Jet… And Lucy… And…." He wasn’t being coherent. He could hear it himself – he wanted to tell them more but the details swam. He thought about Eden, the last few months… The concussions she’d had. How well she’d hidden it. "Then she was gone… Taken. The Order."
Solomon swelled with anger. Jenny began to shake
"How do you know it was them?" Solomon asked. Gabriel reached down and pulled the card out of his pocket. It was the same symbol that had been left with Eden’s father, with Nate… With Quentin.
"Uriel? The Mechanic? The Curator?" Solomon asked. Gabriel began to shake – he wanted to tell them but he didn’t want to break Jenny’s heart.
"Solomon please…" He said. And then Jenny hand her hands on his neck, pulling his face downwards so he couldn’t break eye contact.
"Gabriel. Say it." She said. And he knew she knew the answer… He could see it in her pained, and tear-filled eyes.
"Caleb." He said quietly. "It was Caleb."
The tears began to slide down her face as she let him go. She backed up until Solomon had his hand on her shoulder.
"We’ll fly back, drop Jenny at home and then we’ll…" But Gabriel cut hm off with a look. "You’re not going alone."
"I won’t put anyone else at risk. They want me… And they want Eden. Anyone else will just be collateral damage." Gabriel said as he rolled his thumb over his fingers. "It has to be me. And me alone."
Gabriel stepped forward and embraced Solomon.
"Thank you." He said. His friends willingness to walk through fire for him, evident all over again. Gabriel turned to Jenny whose eyes were wide. The tears looked to burn her cheeks.
"What? What is it?" Gabriel asked.
"Eden’s father… Your friend… Quentin…" She said. And Gabriel’s heart dropped through to his stomach.
"It was Caleb…" He said. And the room swam.
Wednesday 5th December, 2018
Demonsacre, New York
Demonsacre, New York
Gabriel had visited Jason Ingalls often since he’d arrived at Demonsacre. He knew Eden had as well – she, like him, had felt a need to try and redeem herself in the eyes of the man who they’d both wronged so much. But he’d been much improved in recent months – he had real memories of Quin back in his head. And whilst his tongue could not be saved, Gabriel had managed to find a way to get him to communicate.
"You’re a fucking dick head." Came the robotic voice from the tablet Gabriel had used in the weeks after Necron’s attack.
"Alright that’s’ enough of that." Gabriel said wrenching the tablet from Jase’s hands. He was only awake for a couple of hours a day – he was still fragile, and while his physical wounds had healed, what he’d gone through at Necron’s hands had damaged him more than anyone could have expected.
Gabriel mused at just how strong Eden had been to fight through the fear and still face the fallen demon.
"Why are you like this?" Gabriel said, as Jase lay still his shoulders moving to betray a slight shrug. He was tired and managing twenty to thirty minutes of conversation a day.
"You should rest now, Jason. I’ll come back and see you. Once we’re back from Chicago." He said quietly. "But until then, the lovely Nurse Baxter will be here to see to your every beck and call."
She smiled and turned her back, and Gabriel leaned down.
"Well… Not every. I have your special visitor booked in for Tuesday morning." He said, before slapping Jase on the shoulder. As he turned to move away, Jase reached out and gripped his arm.
"Oo…shy…" Jase garbled. "Ushy…"
Gabriel took a second to realise what Jase had been saying. “Lucy”. He’d not imagined that Jase would have picked up on the conversations, or that perhaps Eden had talked to him about what was coming at Horizons. He pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Yes, Jase… Lucy." Gabriel said. And he saw Jase break into a smile. "Oh, it amuses you that it could be her who ends my career?"
The nod confirmed the fact that Jase hadn’t completely forgiven him for the loss of his career and then his tongue.
"Quite. I can imagine there are more than you who will be glad to see her put the final nail in my coffin." Gabriel said quietly. "Truth be told, there are few for whom I would extend the honour naturally. Eden of course – Ichabod should he still be capable. Rogan at a push… But the powers that be in UGWC have the measure of it. Given the last twelve months, it just feels… Right that it would be Lucy who would be the one to try and end me."
Gabriel scratched his jaw with outstretched fingers.
"Lucy and I are on the mend – that won’t change even if she does end my career. I did some terrible things to her and the people closest to her. I hurt you, I hurt Rogan, I hurt Maggie… I almost had her killed. Yet still, she finds it within her to forgive." Gabriel said musing, looking towards the door. "I seem to surround myself with incredible women with a huge capacity for forgiveness. I did so much to Lucy and Eden… Yet I was at my best when I had each of them stood by my side. They’ll never get on – never like one another. But I know they have one another’s respect. And a shared bond."
Gabriel let out a deep sigh.
"Look at me, Jase – the kind of man so socially inept that I assume the best way to make a new friend is to accost her in an institution and torture her mind. I do a thing so terrible to a person that my way of apologising is to try and take their Championship away. Christ…" He said, letting outa burst of mirthful laughter. "I’m the kind of sociopath that could only be dreamed up by an equally awkward and sociopathic mind. Could you imagine such a thing?"
Jase’s lips curled into a smile. And there were tears in the corners of his eyes.
"Thing is, Jase. I have no desire to war with Lucy. In the same way I had no desire to war with Eden. So… I suppose… If I have to make the choice between ending her and letting my career be over? Between you and I? I’m not sure I have the stomach to do what has to be done." Gabriel said quietly. "I don’t want to be that man anymore. I’ve been him for three years and lost almost everything so many times. Maybe… Just… Maybe, I can be the man who does the right thing for once."
Gabriel climbed to his feet, but Jase didn’t let go. He looked back up at Gabriel one more time as the tears fell down his face.
"Ank… Oo." He said. And Gabriel turned away, without another word – his own tears filling his eyes.
Men need a man would die as soon
Out of the light of a mage's moon
But it's not by bone, but yet by blade
Can break the magic that the devil made
Out of the light of a mage's moon
But it's not by bone, but yet by blade
Can break the magic that the devil made
Sunday, 16th December, 2018
The Pit
The Pit
"He was… Your cousin." Gabriel said quietly. "And you had him killed."
"I did a lot of bad things. Made a lot of stupid decisions." Caleb answered. "I could easily claim it was on the basis of threats and orders. But none of that matters – it’s the same end. They’re dead because of what I made people do."
"The night… In Blackveil. When you got shot…" Ganriel said, his mouth getting dryer by the second. "You set it up – you killed men in that place and you took a bullet to prove a point. She was never in any danger was she? WAS SHE?"
Caleb was clearly taken back but Gabriel’s burst of anger. But it was gone as quickly as it had arrived – he couldn’t sustain it – he didn’t have the energy to rant and rave. He was tired and scared.
"No. She was safe…" Caleb said quietly.
"I almost left a woman to die to come and save the two of you. And there was nothing to save you from." Gabriel said pressing the back of his head against the stone wall. "One of the biggest regrets of my life. And it was all your fault."
"No, no… No! You don’t get to pin that on me, lad." Said Caleb. Gabriel felt him churning. "You did that. You sent that girl off to her father. You sent her off to god knows where to have god knows what done to her."
"I was going to save her. I was leaving. Right then and there… To go and save her." Gabriel said sternly. "And you stopped that. I may have been the reason she was there, but you were the reason she was almost killed."
"Same old Gabriel…" Caleb said. "Blaming everyone else for everything."
"Maybe. Maybe I deserved everything you did to me. But Eden felt every one of those deaths." Gabriel said, thinking back.
"I know… I was there." Caleb said quietly. "I was there for her. I’ve been there for her since the beginning."
Gabriel scoffed.
"You held her in one arm, while trying to actively destroy her life with the other. You used it. You used it to push your way closer into her life." Gabriel said, holding his breath. "Into her bed."
"Don’t you dare. Don’t you fucking dare…" Caleb said. "I love her!"
"And still you brought her here. If you loved her, you should have gotten her away. Hidden her. Fucking told me!" Gabriel snapped. "I’d have walked into this building with a stick of dynamite and destroyed the entire place to keep her safe. You brought her here… You brought her here and risked everything."
"She’s not in danger." Caleb said. "The Father…"
"Hugh…" Said Gabriel as if talking about something foul. Something filthy.
"Yes. Him. He has no intention of hurting her. He has…" Caleb started, but Gabriel cut him off.
"I’m aware of his plans – he spelt them out for me last time I was here." Gabriel said quietly. "You… Have to do something. Get her out… Away. Give her up, let her go… Just… Save her."
"The best thing for her is for me to keep her here. Close. I can protect her. I can keep her safe." Caleb said.
"Locked away isn’t safe, Caleb! Locked away is terror. Fear. Her worst fucking nightmare. She’s a ticking timebomb. She won’t stay locked away forever." Gabriel said quietly. "Tell him… Hugh… Tell him I’ll do anything. Anything."
"I have." Caleb said quietly. "But he doesn’t care. The Order want you… He wants her."
"They can do something! Tell them I’ll give them everything, that I’ll work for them. Tell them that if they stop Hugh, I’ll take up any role in the Order they like. I’ll make everything I know about them available…" Said Gabriel.
"It won’t work!" Caleb replied, with a hint of panic in his voice. "You’re too dangerous. You’re too… They want you dead."
"Then tell them…" Gabriel said quietly. "Tell them if you and her will walk away, I won’t put up a fight."
There was a silence that hung between the two of them, as thick as the darkness. And then Caleb slammed his hand against the door three times. A moment later, intense light burned Gabriel’s tired and dark-muted eyes. And when he finally looked up, it was into Caleb’s face, shining with tears.
Tuesday, 11th December, 2018
New York City, New York
New York City, New York
The flight from Chicago to New York had been no more than two hours in length, but it had felt like a lifetime. He’d paced the floor of the plane, and the staff on board had quickly learned to leave him be. He’d reached for a glass several times, but knew he had to be at his best to even consider getting her out of this.
Her… He said it again in his mind. Her. Because he just knew there would be no way to get both of them out. Eden would lose everything tonight – the two last men in her life that she thought she could rely on. Both of them had let her down, failed her. And both were going to leave her to try and make sense of it all on her own.
He tried to hold back the tears, but he couldn’t.
As the plane came into land, he stood up and walked to the front of the plane. Through his tears, he thanked the staff and the pilots for their assistance in getting him home. It was a testament to their professionalism that they didn’t make reference to his upset.
He ran down the steps and skipped the bottom few before sliding into the open door of the car that was parked on the runway. It was three… maybe four in the morning. He had no idea at this point. He moved this way and that as the car sped through the New York streets. It was always busy, but at this time of night them moved quickly enough.
They pulled up outside the building Gabriel knew to be the entrance to the Chambers of the Order of the Inferno. From the outside, it looked so run of the mill – yet the scene that greeted visitors upon entry was a thing of beauty. He stepped inside the entrance and past security – they had been warned to let him pass.
He knew his way well – he’d made the journey time after time. He pushed open the door to the Chamber and was awash with memory – the day he’d walked in here with a head in a duffle bag and tossed it on the table. Little had they known that the head was a fake – the head of a cadaver from one of the corpses in the Angelfield lock up. Michael had, since the day he’d confronted Gabriel, been locked safely away in Angelfields and then Demonsacre. The former Ninth Circle had been kept in a drug induced coma for the last two and a half years.
He remembered walking the halls with Uriel, now safely hidden somewhere in South America. He remembered Lilith watching him from the shadows as she did her work for Uriel and The Curator. He was awash with so much until a sobering thought broke through it all.
Eden.
"Where the fuck is she?!" He shouted at the room at large – the dull him dimmed to a silence when they turned to face the former Father of the Inferno as he stepped toward the table.
The fifth and six circles climbed to their feet, but Gabriel swung his cane with malice and each were rendered unconscious. The Mechanic, lept from his seat as the Seventh and moved towards the rear of the room behind the seat of The Father. Within seconds, men were on him and his Cane was taken from his hand.
"Good evening, Gabriel." Said Hugh as he stepped from his seat and slowly walked towards where Gabriel was held. He reached out his hand for the Cane, and smiled as he turned it over in his hands. He slowly began to screw the head, before pulling away the top and turning the cane upside down. The vials began to fall one by one to the ground and broke audibly. He tossed the empty serpent head to one of the security.
"Have it melted down – it will make a lovely collar for Eden’s pretty little neck." Hugh said with a smile. Gabriel sneered up into the face of his captor. Hugh turned the shaft of the Cane over again, before bringing it down across his knee breaking it in half. He tossed the pieces up onto the large oak table. "How can I help you Doctor?"
"Where… Is… She?" Gabriel asked again.
"She’s safe." Hugh said with a smile. "Currently receiving medical attention from some of the finest doctors in the world. They’re patching up the damage that she received while you stood back and watched. It was a good thing Caleb here brought her to us – now we can keep her safe. The way that you should have."
Gabriel felt the flow of pain and anger surge through his body – not at Hugh, but at himself. Because he was right – he should have kept her safe. Gabriel looked up to the seat of the ninth and his eyes met with Caleb. He should have been the first… Then the Curator… Then the Mechanic… And then Hugh. That was how it should have gone.
"Let her go." Gabriel said quietly. "Let her go and I’ll do whatever you want me to do."
"You seem to believe the two are mutually exclusive, old friend." Hugh said with a smile. "They’re not. You see, while Ms. Morgan is locked away, I have you on a leash. You won’t put a toe out of line for fear of harm befalling the woman I once called my fiancé."
Gabriel ground his teeth. He wanted to scream, but he wouldn’t give this diminutive shadow of a man the pleasure.
"You see – I know just how much Ms. Morgan can take – I’ve done my very best to bring her to her breaking point. But I never managed it – I came pretty close once." He said with a knowing smile. "So… While she’s useful, she’s safe. While you’re useful, she’s safe. When both of those things stop being a reality? Then she’s not so safe anymore."
"What do you want from me?" Gabriel asked, not even sure he wanted the answer.
"It’s quite simple, Doctor. Go back out into the world and exist. Cause us no problems, and bring us the kind of information we’ve not been able to gain access to since the day you walked away from our Organisation." Hugh said. Gabriel rolled his eyes.
"You think I’m going to walk out of here without her?" He asked, his eyes fixed on Hugh’s. "Then you’re not just insane. You’re a moron."
Hugh’s jaw twitched slightly and Gabriel took some pleasure in knowing he’d caused some level of anger to burst through Hugh’s chest. And then he saw Hugh pull something out of his pocket and pull it over his knuckles. He pulled Gabriel close, and whispered in his ear.
"I’ve waited for this… For a long, long time." He said, as he drove the knuckles into Gabriel’s stomach, taking the wind out of him. Two more blows followed, and as Gabriel sucked in air over his teeth, he felt the stinging blow of the brass knuckles connect with his cheek. His head exploded, and the lights popped in front of his eyes. He didn’t feel the blows that followed. He just felt the world slow down to a stop. And he didn’t feel anything again, until he woke up chained to a wall, his head bursting with pain.
Thursday, 6th December, 2018
New York City, New York
New York City, New York
"You know, if you have to retire, you could always come to Chill and just wear a mask." Came the voice from behind him. Gabriel stopped looking through papers and slowly began to turn on the spot.
"The door is fucking locked. How did you even…" He said quietly, before shaking his head and the smiling Ichabod. "You know what? Nevermind."
"Always better not to ask questions. The answers might be too shocking to comprehend." Ichy said quietly.
"Or too disappointing." Said Gabriel with roll of his eyes.
"You’d know all about disappointment." Said Ichabod with a wry smile. "You’ve been feeling it ever since Horizons last year."
"What’s your point? That I’ve had a bad year? Got it – you’re not the first to point that out and you won’t be the last." Gabriel said with a hint of defiance.
"I’m not here to further bruise your delicate ego, Gabriel. I’m here to talk to you about Horizons." Ichabod said.
"What about it?" Gabriel said, clearly disinclined to listen to his former mentor.
"This time last year, you walked into a match with every intention of ending my career. And now you walk into this one with every intention of saving your own. Facts are facts, doc… Lucy Wylde has had your number this year. And there’s every chance you’re going to lose." Said Ichabod. He delighted when Gabriel turned and advanced on him, his hand pressed against Ichy’s throat pushing him back against the door.
"You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t know the threat she poses to my career? I’ve played out every scenario. You know how I am. I’ve considered every angle, and in every way I consider it do you know what the end is?" Gabriel rants.
"Oblivion…" Said Ichabod with a smile.
Gabriel released him slowly, and turned his back to the world.
"I knew, last year, that Horizons would be my last – I had suitably motivated you for such an end. Rogan complicated matters, but you dispatched that distraction without so much as a consideration. When you and I fought, it was the match it was supposed to be… And the end as it was supposed to happen." Ichabod said. "The question is – do you think this end is as inevitable as mine was? Or deep down do you believe you can actually beat Lucy?"
"I know I can." Gabriel said quietly.
"Do you want to?" Ichabod asked slowly.
"That… I can’t quite bring myself to answer." Gabriel said slowly, surveying his own hands as if they were brand new to him.
"You don’t know if you can do what needs to be done." Ichabod said quietly.
"I know I can. I just don’t know if I should…" Gabriel said. Ichabod seemed to understand this. He took a bite of his sandwich. "How are you still eating that?"
"Who said it’s the same one?" Ichabod replied. And Gabriel couldn’t help but let out a burst of laughter.
"It’s her last one, isn’t it?" Ichabod said, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "After everything Samantha and I gave the two of you? This could be the last time for both of you."
"Could be." Gabriel said quietly.
"Well… If it’s to be the last, then do the thing properly." Ichabod said. "Don’t leave anything on the table."
"We’ll see." Gabriel said almost introvertly. "We’ll see."
"Gabriel." Ichabod said. And he turned around to see an unfamiliar look on his old mentors face. "Somers may look like a boy scout fucked a soccer mom, but the truth is? He’s a dangerous fucking choad. He’s willing to go further and do more to people he purports to love than anyone I’ve ever known. He’ll end her. Even if that means she spends the rest of her days eating from a tube."
Gabriel’s skin ran cold.
"I know." He said, ruing his decision to agree to Eden’s demands.
"But she won’t forgive you if you play the martyr." Ichabod said. "You want to protect her? End this thing early. Ooley only sanctioned the match, not the aftermath."
Gabriel looked Ichabod in the eye, and knew he was right.
"Ich… Look… About last year…" Gabriel started but Ichabod held up a hand.
"Don’t you fucking dare." He said. Gabriel smiled and nodded in acceptance as Ichabod pulled open the door. Gabriel turned his back on his old mentor and began sifting through papers.
"But… Thanks." Ichabod said. And he’d gone, before Gabriel had even thought about turning to face the door.
And it's not my fire, but was forged in flame
Can drown the sorrows of a huntsman's pain
Can drown the sorrows of a huntsman's pain
Sunday, 16th December, 2018
The Pit
The Pit
Gabriel realised that Caleb hadn’t seen him since that night five days ago. His blood had been cleaned from his face, and his wounds had been treated, but even now he could feel his black eye swollen almost shut. He’d felt pain every time he’d opened his eyes, and he’d wondered if whether his cheekbone had broken. He didn’t care – not really. He couldn’t remember anything after the original punch had connected.
"What’s this?" Caleb asked. Gabriel blinked, still trying to get used to the light. He looked over at Caleb who held a small vial in his hand. Gabriel’s heart skipped, and he reached down. He knew before the chains stopped him that he couldn’t reach, and so he pressed down the heel of his shoe into the ground. "I found it, when you came in – I know what a sneaky fuck you can be. Figured you’d have something. So… What… Is it?"
"I had assumed my days would draw to a close in a cell like this." Gabriel said, leaning back, his eyes focused on the tiny bottle had been his one final hope of escape. "I had considered that I’d be able to convince the Order to take me and let all of you go. That perhaps, you’d be able to get far enough away from this fucking place that they wouldn’t find you. That when that time came? I could slip that vial out of my heel, and use the syringe to inject myself. It’s a terrible poison – one which would render the victim dead within a minute. The side effects can be quite gruesome to behold, but it is effective… And fast."
"Suicide… That was your way out?" Caleb asked. "You’re a fucking coward, mate."
"Perhaps." Gabriel said quietly. "But it was preferable to the alternative."
"There still is an alternative." Caleb said quietly. "Do as Hugh wants – go out into the World and do their work. I’ll stay here. With Eden… I can keep her safe."
"No… You can’t." Gabriel said quietly. He was so tired… So very tired. "You think she’s going to love you? After everything that you’ve done?"
"She doesn’t have to love me." Caleb said hollowly. "She just has to know I’m the reason she’s safe and that you’re alive."
"So you’ll keep her here, locked away like a pet, forever having to… What? Service your needs?" Gabriel said.
"Stop it." Caleb said quietly.
"You’re no better than them – the ones Hugh has lined up." Gabriel added.
"Stop… It." Caleb replied dangerously.
"You can’t get what you want, so you take it – you’re a fucking predator, cousin." Gabriel said. This time, Caleb didn’t reply, he merely walked towards Gabriel and wrapped his fingers around his throat. He pushed him back, so his head hit the wall. His eyes rolled for a second.
"This is on you. All of it. You could have gotten her away. Hidden her. Kept her safe, but you brought this on her." Caleb said. "So don’t for one… Single… Second come at me for trying to keep her safe when you couldn’t. I will find a way to get her out of here… I will find a way to make this be over. I’ll do what you couldn’t. Whatever it fucking takes… Cousin."
He let Gabriel go and he sunk back to the ground – he coughed a little, his head swimming from the impact.
"Except.." Gabriel said, his voice a touch croaky. "You know… What she’s like… With Chains… And Cells… And her nightmares."
"YOU THINK…" Caleb let out as a roar, before pulling back. "You think… I don’t know that? You think I’d not stayed awake outside her cell, night after night listening to her?"
"Caleb… You have to find a way…" Gabriel implored. "I’ll do anything. I’ll give you anything… Just… Get her out of here. Please…"
Caleb opened his mouth to speak, but as he did there were three loud bangs on the door.
"It’s time, sir." Came the shout from outside.
"Just… Do what you need to do, Gabe." Caleb said as he reached for the handle.
"Fuck you, you piece of shit." Gabriel spat as the door opened and the guards entered. They advanced on Gabriel and unhooked his chains. They brought them around his front and fastened them across his stomach.
"Alright, let’s go." Said the guard in front. They started to lead Gabriel out.
"Wait." Said Caleb as they reached the door, and he balled his hand into a fist and slugged Gabriel in the stomach. He doubled over in pain, coughing again.
"Do what you have to do, cousin." Said Caleb as he turned and led the way.
And Gabriel slowly stood back up straight, the vial and the syringe held tightly in his hands.
Tuesday, 11th December, 2018
The Infirmary
The Infirmary
Caleb stood over his cousin in the infirmary, beaten and bruised. It had been a few hours since the beating that had knocked him out cold. The room was empty, save for a nurse at the far end of the room doing paperwork.
"How the fuck did we get here?" He asked quietly. "I never wanted this… Any of it."
He sat down in the large arm chair at the end of the bed and placed his hand over his eyes. He was tired. He’d been awake for almost twenty four hours, and in the midst of kidnap he was genuinely terrified of Eden’s health. She’d fallen hard. Hit her head hard. And despite the medical staff being on hand at the airport, a flight was a ridiculous risk to take with a head injury like this.
He’d been at her side, her hand in his the whole way. She’d opened her eyes a couple of times and smiled to see him. “Cleb” she’d managed. He’d smiled at her before she was given another sedative and slipped back into sleep. Once they’d arrived he’d brought her to the medical facility for checks.
"All I wanted was a family… Love." He said quietly. "You had everything I ever wanted and I was jealous. And stupid."
Caleb let out a chuckle.
"You were a little cunt in that orphanage." He said quietly. "Stitched me right up. But that’s not why I did this – truth be told? I got in over my head, cous. The Order. Hugh. Eden. It was just… One bad decision after another. Bad debt after bad debt. Every gamble… Every risk meant to pay back for the last one. I’m in deep… Too deep. Fuck…"
He ran his hands over his head, messing up his hair, before shaking it loose.
"The only person I knew could help me was the only man from whom I could ask no help. Fucking ironic. Maybe if I had they’d be alive… Maybe we’d be free of this fucking Order… Maybe Eden and I…" He let out a stifled yell of frustration. "Maybe not. I don’t fucking know… But… I want you to know that I appreciate the fact that you let me in. That you brought me into your family before you even knew we were blood…"
Cal’s voice cracked.
"I’m sorry…" He said as he stood up. He pressed his hand against Gabriel’s shoulder, before turning and pulling back the curtain. "To both of you."
And he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Eden’s forehead as she lay recovering, just feet away.
Sunday, 9th December, 2018
New York City, New York
New York City, New York
One more day.
That’s all that kept pouring through his head. One more day. It was like a ticking clock that counted down the hours until he faced what could possibly be his last ever match. But still, etched at the back of his mind, was Jet – the man who had lifted him by his throat from the rafters. The man who had dropped Eden on her head. Pushing her ever closer to her inevitable end.
He wanted to take that from her – take away her choice.
He didn’t know she’d already chosen – one more match and that would be it. She’d go out her own way no matter what happened.
"You should tell him." Gabriel said again as Eden leaned into him, her legs curled up on the couch next to her as she watched yet another tragic Christmas film about a homeless child that’s adopted by Santa Claus.
"Hmmm?" She asked, not really listening.
"Jet. You should tell him this is it for you." Gabriel aid quietly. She was listening now. She reached up and pushed her hand out of the sleeve of his heavy hoodie and pressed pause.
"And tell him I’m vulnerable? Weak? Yeah. No." She said sitting up and turning to face him. She pulled her knees up to her chest like a child trying to protect herself.
"He wants to end your career, Eden." Gabriel said quietly. "If he knew it was ending either way, maybe you could avoid any more…"
"What? Damage?" Eden said, her eyes wide and filled with humour.
"Alright, I take your point… But still." Gabriel said quietly.
"Look, if you’re worried about having one eye on me and it costing you against Lucy? I get it – I’ve worried about the same thing. But think of it like this – there’s no point watching me. You can’t do anything anyway…" She said with a somewhat cutesy smile.
"I could wait for the bell to ring and superkick the taste out of his mouth."Gabriel said. "End it for everyone quickly…"
"Don’t you fucking think about it Gabriel Baal. I swear to god…" Eden said, her eyes wide and full of fire.
"Alright, alright." Gabriel said with a smile.
"Besides – Ichabod is right. I’ll get in there, slap out what little sense Jet has left and then we can make sure you beat Lucy." She said smiling again. "Then we can relax, have an amazing family Christmas and next year I’ll be there, at ringside week in week out."
She reached out and took his hand.
"We’re going to rule UGWC like King and Queen, next year." She said smiling.
"Like Bonnie and Clyde." Gabriel said quietly.
"Besides – it’s just Lucy Wylde." She said, only half joking. Gabriel smiled.
"Surely it bothers you as much as it bothers her." He said scratching his jaw. "The comparisons between the two of you."
"It’s kind of natural…" She replied.
"Because you both have vaginas?" Gabriel said quickly. "Where’s the comparisons to the other greats in this industry? Hastings. Wallace. Roberts. You’re both equally matching up to all of those – yet it’s always the two of you that are compared."
"I guess – I always assume it’s because we break down the predefined gender stereotypes and fight against the kind of men who have always wanted to dominate us." Eden replied philosophically. "But I suppose when you think about it, there really is no comparison."
"Correct." Gabriel said quietly. "For example – I’ve beaten you. Twice. I’ve never beaten her."
"Ouch. Jesus Christ." Eden said, with a scandalised look.
"You know what I’m saying – there are people you’ve beaten that she could never. You’ve done things she couldn’t have even imagined. She’s done things you couldn’t have imagined. I mean… Did you walk in here wanting to be the next Jezebel Saint?"
"No…" Eden said slowly.
"Right. No more than I walked in here wanting to be the next Killian King." He said slowly.
"You wanted to be THE Eden Morgan. Lucy is the first and only Lucy Wylde, and that’s all she should ever care about being. You’re both wonderful, amazing, talented women in your own right – there was never any reason to compare the two of you." He said, before catching Eden’s raised eyebrows.
"Obviously I like you much better." He said quickly.
"Mmhmm…" She said, but her eyebrows dropped to a normal level and she seemed appeased. "Maybe once I’ve retired, people will see her in her own light."
"Perhaps. Or maybe Sarah Lacklan will be coined the “next” Lucy Wylde." Gabriel replied before exchanging a look with Eden. And then they both began to laugh.
"One more time?" She said quietly as she moved slowly towards him.
"Ugh. Fine… If we must." He said as Eden smiled out of one side of her mouth. And then she pressed a button on the remote, and Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas” began to beat throughout the apartment. As Eden began to dance in her own, incredibly special way, Gabriel smiled at all that had changed in the last twelve months. At what had grown. The family he’d managed to pull together from nothing. He finally had everything he’d ever wanted.
He was home.
This young man he died fair soon
By the light of a hunter'e moon
'Twas not by bone, nor yet by blade
Of the berries of the woody nightshade
By the light of a hunter'e moon
'Twas not by bone, nor yet by blade
Of the berries of the woody nightshade
Sunday, 16th December, 2018
The Chamber of the Order of the Inferno
The Chamber of the Order of the Inferno
The Chamber had been cleared – that in itself had made his blood run cold. The huge oak table had been broken down and moved aside and the heavy wooden benches had been pilled at the sides of the room. The usual darkened edges of the room were lit up with candles – it looked more like a cult than the Order’s chamber.
"Doctor! Welcome back!" Called Hugh as the circle parted to admit Gabriel inside. "You’re just in time."
Gabriel’s heart sank as he watched the circle part on the far side of the circle – her hands clamped, her ankles tied with chains, a smock covering what he had to assume was a naked form. They met eyes, and for the first time, he felt a smile cross his lips. She returned it as they came closer and closer to one another.
"Eden." Gabriel said as they worked on his chains. As they fell to the ground, hers did likewise. He managed to pocket the syringe and pulled her into a firm embrace. "Are you okay?"
"I am now." She said as she held on to him for dear life "Not gonna lie. I’ve stayed at better hotels."
"And worse." He said. She pulled back and smiled at him for a second. "That one in Steel City did not get a positive review on trip advisor."
She seemed to appreciate him trying to make her smile given their situation. Hugh cleared his throat.
"As touching as this little moment is, we don’t have all night." He said.
"What do you want, Hugh?" Gabriel asks. "There must be something you want that can end all of this."
"I’ve told you my terms." Hugh said with a smile. ”Whether you stay or go, Eden is to remain here."
Gabriel let out a blood-curdling yell.
"He accepts." Eden said quietly.
"Eden! No!" Gabriel said quickly. "I accept nothing."
"Gabriel… You need to go. Get out of here… I’ve seen that look in his eyes and he’s not letting me go anywhere." She said, holding back tears.
"You can’t… You wouldn’t be saying this… Not if you knew…" Gabirel said his voice waning with emotion. "What he… Has planned for you."
"Torture… Violence. I can handle him – I did for a couple of years, right Hugh?" She said. Gabriel couldn’t help but admire the Ice Queen as it slid into place. But she didn’t understand… She couldn’t understand…
"I will give you anything it is in my power to give if you let her go." Gabriel said, never taking his eyes off Eden.
"You have nothing I want, Dr. Baal." Said Hugh. "But Eden… She can make me a fortune."
"The fuck are you talking about, Hugh?" Eden said, her defiance biting through her fear. "I’ll do nothing for you."
"Do you know how many men and women in this world would pay for a night with Eden Morgan?" Hugh said. Eden looked from Gabriel, to Hugh and back to Gabriel again.
"Wait… You think I’m going to play high-class hooker for you?" She said as she burst into laughter. "Right, yeah, sure – let me get my thigh-highs on."
"Eden… He’s not messing around." Said Gabriel.
"Neither am I. Tell me, will you provide handcuffs or should I bring my own?" She said, with a hint of annoyance.
"Eden. See sense. Your days will slide into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. Eventually, you’ll learn that you only see the light of day when visiting my guests. And when they’re done, you’ll be taken back to your cell where you’ll be chained up and wait for your next appointment. Eventually, you’ll never want these appointments to stop. You’ll learn to crave them… Need them. After long? They’ll be the only joy you have left in your miserable life." Hugh said as he stepped forward. And Gabriel suddenly realised that Eden wasn’t defiant now, her eye’s were wide with horror – because she knew her fear of being locked away. Knew deep down that she’d do anything to avoid it. She wouldn’t want to… But he would be right.
"Stop." Said Gabriel as Hugh reached out a hand and slipped his fingers against her cheek. Gabriel’s heart skipped as she didn’t move – she was frozen. Over fear. Over the idea that perhaps she could convince him otherwise. As he traced his hand down her neck and his fingers reached her collarbone, it was then Gabriel realised that she was already there – paralysed with fear that her defiance would lead to her being taken away.
"I will give you everything I know. I will sign over every one of my business. I will stay here, locked away in the darkness for ever… Please, Hugh… Let her go." Gabriel said as Hugh slipped his fingers up and down her naked arms. And then, his fingertips reached the large openings that were meant for her arms. And as his fingers slipped inside, Gabriel moved.
"Fucking stop." He said, as his fingers latched around Hugh’s throat.
"Gabriel! No!" Eden said quickly. But Hugh had pulled his hand away from her.
"Listen to the bitch, Baal – or I’ll make you watch as break every bone in her body." Hugh said. Gabriel slowly pulls his hand away, but steps between Hugh and Eden. "Good boy. Doing as you’re told… Like a good little lapdog."
Gabriel’s hands tensed.
"Maybe we should keep you around. You can change the sheets in her bed chambers. Mop the floors. Make sure everything is set up just how my clients like it…" Hugh said quietly. Gabriel’s entire body followed his hands as he felt coiled to strike. And then he felt Eden press her forehead into his back.
"Gabriel… Please…" She said. "Let him go. Let him go and I’ll do whatever you want…"
"No can do, sweetheart." Hugh said. "The Order would revolt. They want him neutered."
"I’ll convince them… All of them."She said, in typical Edan Morgan fashion. "And you…"
"Like I could be so easily won over," Hugh said, but his eyes were lingering on her now as she pushed past Gabriel. He felt her squeeze his arm.
"Oh come on, Hugh… You know I know what you like… And you have all the power now. Not like I could say no to anything, is it?" She said, not letting go of Gabriel’s arm.
Hugh seemed at a loss for words. And then he swallowed hard. She’d convinced him… She’d worked her magic.
"Fine… Fine." Hugh said. Gabriel looked across to Caleb, who was watching the scene with a clenched jaw.
"Good. Now… Let me say my good byes."She said, before turning to face Gabriel again.
"Listen to me… I need you to go." She said. She pushed him back some, her voice low enough not to carry. "I need you to go and get them out. All of them…"
She looked around at Caleb, and her mouth curled into a sneer.
"Him too. Jenny… She needs… I don’t know… Just… Get them all away from here and safe."
"Eden I won’t leave you in a cell." He said quietly.
"You won’t have to… Trust me Gabriel, if you’ve ever trusted me… Please listen." She said, her fearful eyes filling with tears. "I’ve made hard choices before. And rarely have they been good ones. But I can make them. I can stop this, so I'll do what I have to do. But you won't leave me in a cell."
"Eden… I can’t…" He said quietly.
"You can, and you will." She said, her voice cracking some. Gabriel pulled her close to him, in to a tight embrace.
"I’ll get you out…" He said quickly.
"You know there’s no way I’m getting out of here," She said. And somewhere deep down, he knew it was true. There was nothing left – no plans, no clever tricks… The Order had them over a barrel. " But I promise you, Gabriel, I won't live my life in a cell."
She pulled away from him to make eye contact.
" I'll do what I have to do, I've done it before. You just need to get free first" She said. And realisation washed over him – he knew what she meant, what she intended. And the thought chilled him to the very core. She was never going to fulfil her promises to Hugh. She just wanted him to be free.
"Man up, Doctor." She said with a smile that broke through her tear soaked eyes. "Make good choices. Don't stay locked away. Meet people, make friends. The conventional way, you know what I mean.
Her little chuckle stabbed at him through his chest. The memories of how they’d met. All those wasted months…
" Promise me you'll see the Maldives, yeah? Even though you think it's silly. And that you'll let Jenny help you with your closet because I shudder to think what it'll look like after.. " He felt the anguish that she could see on her face. "I suppose I was always bound to leave you broken…"
Her sadness ate at him. But he couldn’t wait… if he did, he may lose the courage. And she needed him to be brave. She needed him to be strong. He pulled her close to him again. And he heard a tiny gasp leave her lips, as his thumb pressed down on the plunger. The syringe emptied into her neck.
"Eden… I…" He said, but she cut him off.
"Shhhh…" She said, not wanting to give those who watched them any more than what they already had. "I know… Me too."
And then she smiled at him, one last time… Before her eyes closed, and she slipped to the ground.
"What… What the fuck did you do?!" Hugh shouted as Gabriel slumped with Eden to the ground. Caleb was by her side in a moment, his fingers pressed into her neck.
"No! No, no, no, no, no! What the fuck have you done?!" He yelled. "She’s dead! She’s fucking dead."
Gabriel felt himself wrenched away from her as the guards dragged him to his feet. He felt a surge of fury pump through him as Hugh stepped over Eden’s body.
"I hope it was fucking worth it. Gentlemen contact the police and tell them that a murder was committed here today. And we have the perpetrator." Hugh said. "Get him out of my fucking sight."
Gabriel felt himself being dragged towards the exit of the room. He wanted to scream… He wanted to shout. But he watched as Caleb cradled Eden’s body as the men around him started to disperse. There was no honour or care for her. No respect for the woman who had died in that room. Only Caleb – a single mourner in a room full of men who wanted to be anywhere else. And as he was dragged towards the cell in which he would spend the time until he was arrested, Gabriel felt at peace, that he’d finally right by Eden – given her the way out that she’d wanted. She knew no fear, she knew no chains. She would no longer have nightmares as she was locked away. He’d done the right thing… He’d done what she’d wanted… He’d done what had to be done…
Or had he?
And then the lights went out…
Oh Father dear lie and be safe
From the path that the devil made
From the path that the devil made
2013, '18, '23 
2013 