CHAPTER 81: TWINSTER: THE TRAGEDY OF THEM

Looking at that, Silas couldn’t hold his anger, especially Adrian who was ready to fight the bigger man.

He grabbed Adrian’s arm before he could charge in recklessly. "Wait. We need a plan first."

"But he wanted to hurt Lucien!"

"Shhhh!"

His eyes scanned the room through the crack in the door. Andrea had his back to them, focused entirely on Lucien.

There was a small window behind the table, and near the corner sat several old fuel containers, probably left from when this building was still in use.

"Adrian, see those containers?" Silas whispered. "We create a distraction. Make him think there’s a fire starting. While he panics, we grab Lucien."

Adrian’s face was still flushed with rage, but he nodded. They had trained for situations like this, sort of. Gio always said that panic was a weapon if you knew how to use it.

Silas pulled out his gun with trembling hands. Eight bullets. They had to count.

He fired once at the fuel container. The shot was loud even with their small weapon, and the container split open, liquid spilling across the floor.

The acrid smell of gasoline filled the air immediately.

Andrea spun around, his grip on Lucien loosening just enough. "What the—"

Adrian didn’t hesitate, he knew that liquid could make a big fire and even explode. He grabbed a lighter from his pocket—stolen from Rocco weeks ago and has been saving it as a badge of victory as the man always makes him annoyed—and threw it toward the spreading fuel.

The flame caught instantly. Fire bloomed across the floor in a bright, hungry line that separated Andrea from the door.

"LUCIEN! RUN!" Silas shouted.

Lucien jolted as their eyes met and didn’t need to be told twice. He shoved Andrea hard and stumbled off the table, racing toward the twins.

His clothes were torn, his face streaked with tears, but he was moving.

Andrea roared in fury and fired his suppressed weapon. The bullet grazed Lucien’s arm, and the boy cried out, but Silas caught him before he could fall.

"We need to go! Now!" Adrian screamed as the fire spread faster than any of them expected.

The old building’s dry wood caught like kindling, and thick black smoke began to curl toward the ceiling.

They ran as fast as their small feet could bring them even with Silas’ wound open and blood seeped leaving a trail of blood.

Down the hallway, toward the stairs, Lucien between them as they each held one of his arms.

"Fuck! You fuckers stop! I’m going to kill you all!"

Behind them, Andrea’s shouts mixed with the roar of flames. Somewhere below, they could hear Cesare’s voice, commanding and sharp.

But before he could hear the loud voice.

BOOM.

The explosion tore through the second floor.

The shockwave threw all three boys forward. Silas felt his shoulder scream in agony as he hit the wall.

Adrian crashed into the railing, and Lucien tumbled down several steps before catching himself.

"Adrian! Silas!"

Lucien’s voice was hoarse from smoke.

Silas forced himself up. His vision swam. The soaked blood poured heavily from his chest, warm and sticky.

Beside him, Adrian groaned, clutching his side where fresh blood darkened his shirt. The ceiling above them groaned. Burning debris began to rain down.

"Lucien..." Silas gasped. "Keep going. Get downstairs. Find your father."

"No! I’m not leaving you!"

Lucien tried to climb back up, but another explosion—smaller this time—sent more flames shooting up the stairwell, creating a wall of fire between them.

"GO!" Adrian screamed, his voice breaking.

"Silas and I will find another way! Just go!"

Through the smoke and flames, they could see Lucien’s face, torn between terror and guilt. His purple eyes were wide, tears streaming down his soot-covered cheeks.

"I’ll come back for you! I promise!"

Lucien choked out before strong hands grabbed him from below and pulled him away.

"No! Let me go! They’re still up there!"

His screams echoed even as he was dragged toward safety.

Silas couldn’t see who it was that dragged Lucien as their eyes started to blur. He tried to stand, but his legs wouldn’t hold him.

The bullet wound, the explosion, the smoke; it was too much. Beside him, Adrian was barely conscious, his breathing shallow and labored.

"Silas..." Adrian whispered. "I can’t... move..."

"I know." Silas reached for his brother’s hand and held it tight. "But we need to, Adrian. We can do it, we need to reach Lucien."

The fire crept closer, eating through the walls with a slow hungry roar. Smoke filled their lungs until every breath felt like swallowing knives.

Through the shattered window they caught a glimpse of car headlights pulling away. Lucero’s men were evacuating. They were taking Lucien to safety.

Silas felt his chest seize in panic. "We need to go. Now."

He grabbed Adrian and pulled him forward, forcing his legs to keep moving even though each breath burned.

His mind clung to a single thought. They had to reach Lucien. They had to stay together. He refused to be left behind in this place, not again, not in darkness and fire.

He had finally found something bright in his life, and he refused to lose it.

Adrian kept following beside him despite the heavy coughing that wracked his body. The heat grew harsher as they neared the exit.

They could almost feel the cool air waiting beyond the door.

"Silas... I can’t, ugh, I can’t continue anymore."

But just as they reached it, Adrian’s knees buckled. He collapsed to the floor, dragging Silas down with him.

"No, no, get up... please..."

Silas whispered, tears sliding down his cheeks before he even realized he was crying.

He almost never cried, because he knew it would make Adrian cry too, and he always wanted to be the strong one for him.

He had always been the older brother, the protector. Meeting Lucien had been the first time he felt like someone else could share that burden.

Now Adrian lay unmoving beside him while the last car pulled away, leaving them in the burning building.

"Wait for us, we are right behind you."

He started to crawl, trying his best to drag Adrian with him.

"Don’t leave us... we’re still here..."

Silas tried to call out, but his voice came out thin and broken. The smoke had stolen most of his strength.

His vision began to blur. The fire’s orange glow smeared into the memory of sunshine and laughter.

He saw the three of them running across the flower field, and heard their giggles echoing in his head.

It comforted him, the thought that his last moments might be filled with something warm instead of the cold shadows of the Red District.

His eyes fluttered shut.

"Lucien..." he whispered, but before everything turned to dark he could hear a man’s voice calling him.

"Poor boys, do you want to be saved?" he said, "But there will be a price for that."

Silas didn’t even wait for him to continue talking as he nodded. He wanted to be saved, he wanted to meet Lucien again!

"Good choice. We will save you now, so be useful to us."

He could feel someone carrying him and his consciousness finally fading into deep darkness.