Chapter 30 I'm well aware I'm bursting capillaries and cutting off the circulation of the fumbling doctor. She's still attempting to dislodge my grip unsuccessfully while speaking to Avery. It's pissing me off. What gives her the audacity to even breathe in Avery's presence? I already ended the life of that other miserable, pathetic man who dared lay hands on Aves. Regardless of the situation, I'll happily welcome her death too. Grey is watching the exchange with growing, silent anger. It's practically filling the air, putting the patients on edge. A few of them hunch together, the last patient being reunited with the group, moving away from the two of us, and for once, I don't think it's because of me. The way they are watching the doctor with trepidation and fear, it's clear she's made her mark on them as well. But I control myself, allowing Avery to take charge of the situation. Damon seems to be in the same mindset, folding his arms as he digests their conversation. That doctor on the ground is clearly dead. From here, I can see blood dripping from his ear canal, and his calvaria is misshaped from hitting the wall. Oh, well-play stupid games, win stupid prizes. If I'm being honest, the only reason besides Avery that I haven't hurled this idiot into her colleague is because she's a woman. Not that she doesn't deserve it, because she does. I recognize her name from Avery's recall about her time down here. This was one of her main doctors who was assigned to her, responsible for all the vile torture methods our girl endured. Avery is staring at her with a blank expression, but it's clear from the way her shoulders are tense that this is an unforgettable interaction for her. She's reliving the memories she's pushed down, forced to come face to face with her tormenter. We knew this was a possibility with bringing her with us, but she was adamant we weren't leaving her behind. 'Avery,' Damon says. 'We need to start moving. What do you want to do?' Glancing in his direction, she finally has some emotion break through-confusion. 'We need to get the patients out of here,' she answers monotonously. He nods, stepping around the group to place himself in the middle of us. Temporarily blocking Avery's view of the doctor, he puts his hands on her waist. 'What do you want to do with her?' 'I-I don't know,' she mutters with uncertainty. Damon nods to my surprise, uncharacteristically patient with her. 'Grey, take the others and head back upstairs with the patients. I'll be right behind you. Theo, can you handle this with Avery?' 'Of course,' I answer without hesitation. Grey moves in front of Avery when Damon steps aside, whispering something to her before lifting his mask to kiss her forehead. The doctor starts flailing harder as the patients head toward the doors with Grey and the other men, leaving just the four of us behind. 'Please!' she begs louder. 'I was just doing my job.' Damon strolls casually over to us, snapping up the doctor's jaw in his hand to still her. 'You had a choice. You have no one to blame for the fact you chose wrong. This is called the consequences of your actions,' he growls low, shoving her head back as he releases her. 'Avery, I'll be outside waiting. You have five minutes. After that, Theo and I will decide for you because you're not spending a second more down here.' Softening her gaze, she nods at Damon. 'Alright.' He heads in the direction of the group, disappearing in the dark corridor. When it's just us, Avery slowly turns to look at the doctor, who's starting pathetically crying and slipping in place. 'I'm sorry,' she splutters. 'Avery, I'm so very sorry.' 'Are you?' Avery asks in disbelief. 'Or are you just frightened and saying whatever it is you think I want to hear?' The doctor shakes her head. 'I was wrong. I just wanted to make a difference in the medical field. We wanted to save people-' 'Bullshit,' Avery cuts her off. 'You knew how much you were hurting me but you still ignored it, quoting it was for the greater good. You have no right trying to play God, Melanie. We're not your play toys-we're goddamn human beings. Did you do the same experiments on them?' To both our astonishment, she answers quickly and shamefully, 'Yes.' Avery looks away with disgust, deep in thought. For a moment, I see the hurt appear behind her eyes, but it's extinguished a second later. She gazes over at me, lowering her voice. 'Let her go, Theo.' 'What?' I snap. 'You can't be serious.' 'I am. Because I genuinely believe she's learned her lesson. Dr. West was too far gone and corrupt, but Melanie... I think she'll think twice as hard now about her chosen career path.' The doctor wails, and in a moment of frustration, I release her, launching her frame toward the floor. She trips and stumbles, landing in a heap at Avery's feet. 'T-thank you,' she stutters, climbing to her feet as fast as her heels will allow her. Avery straightens up, anger appearing on her face. I start to wonder if she's changed her mind, but then I realize she's allowing the doctor to see her pain, the direct effect of her actions. 'Remember I showed you mercy, Dr. Cromwell. Remember that I, someone you deemed unworthy of being treated like a human, showed you compassion when you didn't do the same for me. That's the difference between us. I'm a good person. You are not. But it's my hope that you'll use your degree for good and change lives like you claim you want to do.' 'Y-yes,' Dr. Cromwell murmurs between sobs. 'Yes.' That's all she's able to muster, taking off down the corridor to a door and disappearing from sight. 'You should have let me kill her,' I say gruffly. 'I would have done it quick and painlessly if you asked.' Avery smiles sadly, silently pulling me into a hug as she wraps her arms around my frame. 'We're not like them,' she mutters into my chest. 'We're better than them.' 'I'm not,' I answer. 'I have no qualms torturing them with their own devices.' She shakes her head amused, stilling when she starts groping the hardness pressing into her. 'Is that something in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?' Laughing, I reach into the hoodie pocket, lifting out the blowtorch. 'Both.' Avery stares at the blowtorch for a moment. 'What are the chances of the entire building burning down if we set the lab on fire?' 'Judging by the sprinklers along the ceiling, probably minimal if we do it properly.' 'Good thing I'm well versed in fire,' she murmurs, grabbing the blowtorch from my hand, turning on her heel and heading down the corridor. Amused, I lift the cell phone from my other pocket to my ear. 'Did you hear that, Damon?' A sigh filters through the receiver. 'Loud and clear unfortunately. Make it quick-we need to get her back upstairs. Connor has just given word that some guards are on their way. I'll distract them.' Following Avery, she heads into the room with the electroshock equipment-the same room I killed the other doctor in. Poetic, if you ask me. She starts going through the cupboards, searching through chemicals until she pulls a bottle down. 'I don't know what this is but it has a flammable symbol on it. That's a good sign, I think.' Dousing the chair and machine in liquid, I stand back as she fumbles with the blowtorch, pressing buttons until she finds the right combination and the flame shoots out. Doing one last check at the roof to confirm there's a sprinkler above, she lights the liquid on fire, quickly stepping back. It engulfs in flames rapidly, the room lighting up as heat starts to warm up our skin. Avery laughs under her breath, the sound music to my ears as she gives me a smile over her shoulder. 'We should grab the files on the way out-just anything to prove what was happening here.' I nod. 'Come on, pyro. The last thing I need is to be hauling your unconscious body out of here from smoke inhalation.' As we exit the room, Avery pouring a trail of liquid along the floor, I spot something out of my peripheral vision. Spinning around, I lift an eyebrow at the person standing in the walkway, watching us with interest. 'What the fuck are you doing here?' I snap, making Avery turn. 'Rian...' she gasps, squeezing the chemical bottle. Crossing his arms, I narrow my eyes as Rian Thatcher stares at us unbothered. 'Always causing trouble, aren't you?' I knew this motherfucker was up to no good. Pivoting closer to Avery, I step in front of her, painfully aware of the building flames behind us. I'm going to kill this asshole because judging by his stance and seemingly different persona, he's not a patient escaping-he's down here willingly to confront us. 'What the hell are you doing here?' Avery asks, moving closer to me to get a better look at him. 'Get the fuck out of here, Rian.' He smiles knowingly at her. 'I plan on doing so, but you won't be leaving. Though, I was hoping to just find you, Avery. But two for the price of one? I'm not complaining.' 'You won't touch a single hair on her head,' I warn. 'You've made a grave mistake following us.' Thatcher laughs. 'Did you even realize I was following until now? You've lost your touch. I was warned all about the great Theo but to be honest, you've been quite the letdown. Did you think I didn't notice you following me the other night?' Avery glances over at me with confusion. 'What is he talking about?' 'Never mind,' I tell her. 'He's just a dead man walking.' 'Cute,' Thatcher replies. 'But the only one who will be laid to rest is you pair. After all, that's what I've been paid to do.' I fucking knew it. We suspected he wasn't an actual patient and this confirms it. Avery tenses next to me, angrily blurting out, 'Alexander.' 'Smart girl,' he replies. 'I was just meant to keep a close watch on you all, but then you had to go and get married. Well, now that the Will is sorted, there's nothing stopping me from executing our plan.' 'How the hell do you know about that?' Avery snaps. 'Who are you?' 'That's not important,' he replies coolly. 'All you need to know is that Alexander sends his condolences and goodbyes. Don't worry. I won't rip your head off like I did with the other one. I hope you enjoyed the little gift I left you.' 'You did that to Teddy?' Avery gasps. 'What the fuck is wrong with you?' Thatcher shrugs. 'She knew too much. Started putting her nose where it didn't belong. Just like you.' I'm rather aware of the heat creeping up behind us, sweat starting to form on my skin. Grabbing Avery's arm, I pull her closer to me as I step away from the flames behind us, noticing that the sprinklers haven't turned on yet. 'I hope your affairs are in order because I'm about to send you to meet the Devil,' I shoot back, charging toward him. Thatcher whips out a knife from his pocket, but it doesn't deter me. I continue at him, kicking him square in the gut. He stumbles backwards, expression turning angry before he lunges at me, swinging aggressively. I can hear Avery shouting behind me as the two of us start grappling, my fingers wrapped painfully around his wrist as I try to get him to drop the knife. Finally, it clatters to the floor as he releases it, his other fist connecting with my jaw. I have to hand it to him, he's much stronger than I gave him credit for. But I still manage to throw him into the wall. He's back on me a second later, hurling blows into my ribcage while I pull him into a chokehold. 'Theo!' Avery calls out, and I gaze at her out of the corner of my eye. She's looking at the flames with wide eyes, the heat and smoke getting closer and starting to pool along the ceiling. We have to get out of here-now. Ignoring the blows to my side, I lock hands, strangling the other man. He hits harder in an attempt to free himself, but a second later, he lets out a pained cry, arms dropping to clutch his side. Avery is suddenly in my line of vision, holding up a bloodied knife as she surveys Thatcher's side. Shoving him into the wall, I follow her direction, spotting blood oozing out of his side as he clutches it and stumbles. 'Aves, let's go,' I growl, reaching for her. 'Not yet,' she says back, stunning me as irritation builds. I need to get her the fuck out of here. But the irritation quickly vanishes, replaced with surprise as she picks up the discarded chemical bottle, spraying Thatcher with it. He splutters and coughs. 'What the fuck are you doing?!' 'Sending my own condolences,' Avery replies without hesitation, suddenly kicking him in the upper thigh just below the hole in his side. Thatcher lets out a pained yell, hitting the ground with a thud. My eyebrows shoot up as I realize what's about to happen, hastily gripping Avery's arm and pulling her toward the exit. She stops again, and as I'm about to snap at her, I watch as she grabs an armful of files from the desk, just as Thatcher's screams start filling the room. Avery and I pause as the fire engulfed man runs violently into walls as he tries to put it out to no avail. When he starts staggering in our direction, I grab her forearm and pull her toward the door, water hitting our heads as the sprinklers finally trigger. But it's too late for the man, his screams still echoing behind us as we rush toward the stairwell, just as Damon reappears at the doorway. 'What the fuck happened?' he snaps, lifting his mask, eyes darting between the pair of us. 'Your father happened,' Avery replies fiercely. 'Now let's see them rebuild after we've burned their fucking lab down.' Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!