Elias POV (continued)

It was deathly still.

My eyes were the only things moving from the accompanying faces in the room. Daniel was the first to take jolt into action, he dived into Avril's stomach kicking him down. Avril's gun went off causing me to jump and restart my stagnant nerves.

The gasoline.

The gasoline.

I glanced at Daniel who wrestled Avril's gun away and immediately began swinging his fist as hard as he could. Avril reached for his fallen weapon with one hand and shoved his fingers into Daniel's face causing him to scream in agony.

There was no time for me to help him now.

I turned from the fight and hastily retrieved the gasoline container. Rushing footsteps could be heard traveling up the stairs but that would not stop me. I began the poring of gasoline by the aerosol canisters and continued the trail out of the room. frantically I ran to my own room sloshing the liquid as I went and repeated the same steps.

The footsteps of quizzical associates had made it to the third level of the house and were thumping around in Daniel's room. I could barely make out the muffled sentences from my room as I peeked out of my door.

"What the hell is this Avril?"

"Shit, do you smell that?"

"Gasoline?"

"All over the damn floor!"

"Fuck, find Elias, NOW!"

That last gunshot was all I needed to hear as I was already halfway down the stairs as Avril screamed my name. Shouts came from my room as I fled into the second-floor hallway looking for the room above Dante's office.

Ambrosia had told me specifically but in the intensity of that moment my mind had crossed on itself and I began anxiously bursting into rooms.

My belligerent search rewarded me finally with the room I was looking for. I hadn't forgotten to douse the floor and the target corner with gasoline that connected to the trail upstairs. I wasted no time leaving and locating Ambrosia's room to where I finished off the gasoline and tossed the container aside.

I rubbed my sweat-dampened brow with the back of my forearm and patted my pockets. I dug into my jackets and ripped it off my shaking it crazily.

The matches fell from the back pocket of my jacket and I snatched them up quickly plucking a stick to start. One flame on the match wasn't enough. I began to strike another, then another, and another.

Suddenly, the already ajar door swung open revealing a hunched figure.

"Daniel?!" I said in disbelief as the young man quickly reached into his jacket and retrieved a fire starter. I was surprised he had been able to escape Avril. He had a backpack on and his left arm was bleeding profusely from an undisclosed wound which accounted to him being shot.

"Here," Daniel grunted.

He tossed it to me and I held the flame over the gas while Daniel broke a window with the gun he had pulled from his bag. The air aided the ignition of the flame of the trail of gas and as soon as we saw the eager flame spread we ran out of the room.

We sprinted down the hall Daniel shoved another gun into my hands and I nodded taking in the full realization of the opposition we would face. At the end of the hall by the stairwell, men came rushing up and we took them out one by one.

As the bodies fell we stepped over their twitching frames and made a mad dash to the back porch shooting down whatever dared to come into contact. The flames had already burned their way through Ambrosia's room and I could smell the poignant aroma of burning wood.

Suddenly, as we made it to the back of the residence and loud crack and groaning of woods came from overhead. I raised my head to see the ceiling beams plummeting towards me. I ducked then fell to the ground as speaks and flames began to eat up the hall. A younger man that had come out of a nearby room to catch us. He caught my arm and dragged me from under the burning timber before kicking my stomach. Daniel fired his gun twice and put him down before breaking open a window for us to climb out of.

Yelling ensued from upstairs and men hurried downstairs to warn the other who were helping pack the new supplies with the ground level and basement of the house. Daniel and I made our way outside and to the shed, as the attention pivoted away from us and onto the fire.

The cold air scraped against my throat and my ears picked up on every sound. The winter birds calling solemnly into the late evening. The crunch of our footsteps in the bitter snow. The exploding and cracking of the house behind us and the powerful cries of men being burned.

Going against all rightful judgment my legs slowed themselves and eventually halted. Daniel who came up from behind me, wheezing, looked at me in confusion.

"Elias let's go, we need to hurry to Ambrosia!"

I tasted blood. I hated the taste but the smell was so irresistible, the metallic need grew strong in my chest. The stench of death came to me almost like the aroma of burning wood.

A musky natural scent that was more than nostalgic.

My grip on my guns tightened and face Daniel pushing the face of my gun in his direction.

"What's in the backpack?"

Daniel's jaw clenched as I did this and his hand clutching his injured arm slid down instinctively to his gun.

"The money-"

"Why would smuggle money?"

Daniel scoffed, "Does this matter right now, Elias?!"

"You were just using us to get away, using us as your smuggling ride?"

Daniel shook his head and snatched out his gun.

"No, this money could help us when we escape this shithole, that's why I brought it, okay!"

"Us?" I questioned biting the inside of my cheek as I watched him grow weaker in front of me. Daniel's hard stare seared into me attempting to garner and sort of sympathy.

Daniel had pushed too far, he had wedged himself to deep in not only Ambrosia's psyche my own as well.

I didn't need him anymore.

We didn't need him anymore.

My finger caressed the trigger.

The hairs on my arms rose with the following of goosebumps. Watching Daniel's lifeless body fall was something I hadn't realize I longed to do. I crouched over him a removed the backpack before swinging it over my shoulder.

The backpack was quite heavy and I took it upon myself to mutter 'thank you' to Daniel's corpse as I felt the fat stack of cash within my hand.

Diverging from the path of the shed and towards the lake, I could see Ambrosia huddled by the raft. Noticing me running she untied the raft and stepped onto it. Finally, at the edge of the water, I stepped into the frigid water and climbed onto the raft.

Ambrosia embraced me before taking up one of the paddles to push us off the marsh of the lake.

End of Elias' POV

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