Between Worlds (The Wall Series #1)

Chapter 20

Torture.

The houses in the vicinity of Base were used for torture.

When I realised this, I finally did it. I called out the one person I was dying to call out for the past seven days.

"Dad!"

I stood at the doorway of the kitchen, unable to believe. My heart rumbled like a thunderstorm. I found him. That's my dad. I found him.

Both men turned their heads to see me. I looked at my father in his pitiful state, and I could've sworn I was feeling more pain from his wounds than he was himself.

His eyes widened, and in utter disbelief he yelled, "Amy?"

The soldier instantly raised his gun, disgust raging in his eyes as he aimed it at me.

"Where did you come from?" he seethed.

I turned to look at my father, my loving father, and regardless of my life at stake I took a step towards the drawing room.

But someone, someone grabbed my arm from the left and pulled me. I crashed into a body. The person clutched my shoulder and turned me around to face him.

"Amy! That's your—" Alec began.

We heard thudding footsteps coming towards us. Alec was quick. He grabbed a rifle from Anna, pulled me behind him and flicked off the safety. Just as the soldier entered the kitchen Alec raised his gun. The tip rested centimeters away from the man's chest.

"Drop your gun," Alec commanded.

The man, who I now hated more than anything, paused for a second. And then, he said,

"Traitor like your father, huh?"

I didn't know what he was talking about, but I sure knew how Alec would respond to that. I knew what Alec was going to do. I knew he was fuming.

Alec threw his rifle away and leapt forward, jumping onto the soldier, and the man dropped his gun in the struggle. They both crashed against the counter behind them, Alec trying to choke him to death.

"Wait!" A voice yelled from the drawing room. My father.

It didn't look like Alec heard.

But why was he asking him to stop?

I'd be doing the same thing Alec was doing if I were him—but now that I thought about it...and when I thought of our future plans...

"Alec, stop!" I screamed. The soldier gagged and choked, his eyes rolling. If we were to get into Base for any reason later, we might need that soldier. I wrapped my arms around Alec, trying to pull him away, but he was as rigid as stone.

"You and your colonel are bloody psychopaths," Alec spat at the man.

I was losing time. If I didn't stop him the soldier would die right there. I struggled, wheezing and grunting, trying to pull him away, but it was useless. A fly trying to stop a rhino.

Someone behind me pulled me away and I lost my grasp on Alec, falling to the ground in the momentum.

It was Hale.

"Alec! Get a hold of yourself! If you kill him there wouldn't be any difference between you and the colonel!"

Alec waited for a moment before letting go, shoving the man to the ground next to me.

The man gasped for air, clutching his neck, coughing and spitting on the floor. Hale grabbed Alec by his shoulders. "Be rational, brother. We can't. You know we can't."