“Blue team, you have six rooms on your end. You need to eliminate the staff at the nurses station as well as free the patients and get to the north tunnel exit. Also, not to be the bearer of bad news, but it appears Carlos was a dirty liar in addition to being a vicious killer. There aren’t four guards. I currently count two armed guards at the security station at the end of the right hallway. Two standing in the break room with the other staff member, and three armed men in scrubs all carrying. I wasn’t expecting the staff to be armed.”
Neither was Jericho. Once more, his trepidation seemed to ratchet higher. Fuck. He was dragging his kids into a war zone. How did Thomas do this? “Head on a swivel, boys.”
Jericho pulled the phone given to him by Thomas that morning, hoping the hospital hadn’t somehow realized Carlos was no longer with them. It would suck if his access was revoked. Before he could put the phone to the scanner, Calliope swore in his ear. “Red team, there’s a guard heading straight towards you.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than the door swung open. The guard startled, clearly not expecting to encounter five masked men brandishing guns. Jericho yanked him through the door, while the others filtered inside. The man tried to reach for his gun but Jericho shoved him hard, causing him to stumble backwards. Jericho raised his arm and fired, putting a bullet between his eyes, watching the man fall into a heap on the ground before advancing into the hall.
The boys were already trying to rouse the patients, many of whom were strapped down to their mattresses with thick leather cuffs on their wrists and ankles. It was clear they were drugged and frightened. Still, Lake, Levi, and Seven managed to get them on their feet, doing their best to keep them quiet. The hallways were longer than Jericho had imagined, but he could see blue team—and Atticus—at the end of the hall. Even with a mask on, Jericho would know him anywhere.
Sparks shot through him as Atticus made eye contact. He wished they were on the same team, but he knew he would be too distracted worrying about Atticus’s safety. That was how mistakes were made.
Calliope’s voice broke the spell. “Incoming.”
They all froze as a man in wrinkled blue scrubs crossed directly in front of them in the hallway. His eyes were locked on his phone screen, oblivious of Felix lingering just on the other side of the wall.
For a moment, it appeared he might just walk right by, but then the man looked up from his phone, doing a double take when he saw them.
The man dropped his phone, reaching for the gun in his holster. “Hey—”
He was dead before the word even left his mouth, his forehead exploding outward, knocking him off his feet. Jericho’s gaze darted up to see Adam holding the weapon that fired the shot. He gave a single nod, which Jericho returned.
There was a scream from somebody at the nurses station, and then all hell broke loose. One woman tried to run, another pulled a firearm from somewhere beneath the desk. The confident way she handled the weapon let Jericho know she was no stranger to guns. But she had too many targets. She froze, trying to assess who posed the biggest threat. She settled on August, likely noting he had guns in both hands.
Felix raised his arm and fired, hitting the woman in the neck. She crumpled to the floor, blood pumping onto the linoleum floor. The patients began to scream, forcing Lake to push them all back towards the rooms.
“Security incoming, both hallways,” Calliope said, voice urgent.
Gunfire rang out, the noise deafening in the echoing hallway. The first bullet was nowhere near any of them, but the second missed Atticus by less than a millimeter, causing Jericho’s heart rate to skyrocket.
The twins were missing. They were likely securing the other patients. August gave Jericho a hard stare, then stepped into the fray, raising both guns, unloading in the direction of the guards. One hit its mark, knocking the man off his feet. The other grazed the other guard’s shoulder, but he managed to duck into a room before August could finish the job.
Jericho and Adam both turned to take the east hall where four men charged down the hall, guns drawn. As soon as they were in view, more gunshots rang out, but it was hard to aim while running, so every one of them missed. Jericho took two without breaking a sweat, leaving Adam to take out the other two. One went down easy, the other ducked behind a wall.
Adam didn’t chase the man. He stood stock still, arm outstretched. After a moment, the man peeked around the corner. Adam’s bullet went straight through his eye. How long had these guys been training? It was as if Thomas had put a gun in their hands their first day with him.
Asa and Avi appeared, herding the frightened patients to the nurses station where all four hallways intersected, hesitating until August put a bullet in the final staff member.
“All clear,” Calliope said. “Sweep the offices for stragglers.”
“Where’s Reed’s office?” Jericho asked.
There was silence on the other end of the ear piece, then Calliope said, “Just keep heading down the west hallway.”
“Is he there?”
“I don’t know, sorry. There’s no camera in there.”
Jericho stepped around the corner, gesturing for the others to send the terrified patients across the hall. They kept fighting them, uncertain whether they were also bad guys or maybe even a vivid hallucination.
Once they were on the other side, Lake said, “You’re safe. We’re going to get you out of here.”
They didn’t look like they understood or trusted that he was going to do either of those things, but one look at the bloody body on the floor and they became very compliant. “You’re sure we have all the patients?” Jericho asked Calliope.
“Checking the cameras,” she said. “Yeah. Patient rooms are empty.”
“Get them topside,” Jericho instructed Lake, Levi, and Felix.
They nodded, ushering the patients through the door to the tunnel.
