Love Lost and Found

Chapter 35/37

Viggo held his left hand up and put the index finger of his right hand to his lips, thus commanding the others to stop and be quiet. “What?” Goodie whispered a few moments later, his tongue darting out to wet his lips once more. “I heard something.” Viggo whispered back, “that way.” he turned right and walked through a black doorway with a particularly vicious-looking gargoyle over it, leaving the others no option but to follow him. He was closely followed by Frase, the vicar, Torsten and John were in the middle of the loosely knit group, followed by Goodie, who was the last in line.
On and on they walked; there was only one way for them now, since al tunnels that led away from theirs were either carved in or shut off by brick walls. Goodie, Viggo and the bodyguards had their guns drawn, Torsten and John protecting Viggo’s and Frase’s back while Goodie secured the way after them. Ominously the infernally decorated walls crept by while they stumbled on over stones, debris and the carcases of rats, all of them wishing that it would be over soon.

He pressed himself against the cold brick-stone wall. Trying to breathe as evenly and quietly as possible. This little corner was perfect to shield him from their view for the time he had to remain hidden but he had to keep quiet, lest they notice him too early. He could only hope that the sound of five pair of feet staggering over the uneven stony ground would be enough to effectively cover up the sounds he made. All his precautions would be in vain if they noticed him too early and he could not allow them to find Orlando and the boy, much less bring them into safety. They were trespassing onto his ground; trying to cross his plans. And he would make them pay for it. But the worst of it was that they were trying to keep him from fulfilling his destiny. It was his fate to kill the evil one, he had been chosen and he would not permit them to keep him from doing that.
Hot burning anger cursed through his veins as their footsteps approached. He hated them. Hated them with a vigour that almost frightened him. Almost. He held his breath, forcing himself to remain motionless as Mortensen and the vicar stumbled past him. He had not expected the vicar to join Mortensen’s side but that did not matter anymore. His plan was perfect. No need for changes any more. He knew the bodyguards were with them, and Goodie probably, too. His stomach curled in anticipation as he listened for more footsteps. Where were the others?

It all happened so fast that none of them really knew how it happened. One second they were marching through the tunnels in a line, cautious not to lose sight of each other and secure the area they had passed through and the next second MacLachlan was there, holding Goodie, keeping his partner at gun’s point. “Put down your gun!” all of them seemed to scream at once, their voices mingling into an indefinable roar before they fell silent soon after. The silence in the dimly lit tunnel was deafening.
“Put! Down! Your! Guns!” MacLachlan screamed again, pressing his Smith&Wesson against Goodie’s temple. Viggo hesitated, his gaze wandering between MacLachlan’s hate-twisted face and Goodie’s shaking lips, which were mouthing “no” over and over again with no sound coming from them. “He will die if you don’t put down your guns!” MacLachlan insisted loudly, dragging Goodie backwards. “Bret is already dead and you won’t save Orlando either! Now lay off!” “I cannot…” Viggo whispered.
“You would die before you’d manage to pull the trigger!” MacLachlan glared menacingly at Viggo. “I won’t hesitate to kill him! Put your weapons down!”
“I cannot…” Viggo whispered again, shaking his head, “you will kill Orlando if I do that…”
“I will kill him anyway.” MacLachlan grinned. “I will kill all of them…”
“No!”
a shot tore the air apart, six pairs of eyes widening in horror as the slowly realized what had happened.
The gun slid from Viggo’s numb fingers, hitting the floor with a thud like thunder as the actor pressed his hands to his stomach, staring unbelievingly at MacLachlan while he slowly sank to the floor. “No…” he choked, his eyes impossibly wide.
“Mortensen!” Goodie yelled at exactly the same time, freeing himself from MacLachlan’s arms around his chest and rushing towards Viggo while Frase made the sign of the cross. “Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum, benedicta tu in mulieribus…” he mumbled.
Goodie and John had reached Viggo and lifted the actor back onto his feet, while Torsten had jumped at MacLachlan.
They had worried so much about Viggo that they had totally forgotten about the police man for a moment. But that moment had been enough. They stared in shock at MacLachlan’s fallen body, at the gaping black-tinged hole in his head and the pooling read gathering around him.
“I killed him…” Viggo said flatly, swaying on his feet, still pressing his hands to his aching stomach. Hesitantly he looked down. There was no red blood spilling over his fingers.
“He missed…” the Dane whispered, “He missed me… I am not even hurt… but why?”
a gurgling sound behind them made them turn. Shocked they stared at the tall brown-haired woman in the doorway, whose eyes were glazing over. “Shit!” Torsten exclaimed, rushing to her side. He managed to reach her just a second before her lifeless body dropped to the ground. “She’s dead…” the bodyguard whispered, “But who is she! And why did MacLachlan kill her?”
“I think I know her…” Viggo said, stepping closer as though in a trance. “She’s… she was a nurse from the hospital Orlando and I were in after… after MacLachlan…”
Frase stepped forward, closing the eyes of the dead while he continued to mutter prayers in Latin.
Suddenly thunder roared through the tunnels and the walls shudder around them. “What’s that?” Goodie yelled, struggling to raise his voice over the booming noise around them.
“The tunnels!” Frase screamed, “They’re caving in! We have to get out of here!”
“But Orlando…” Viggo insisted just as loudly.
“No time!” Goodie yelled as the earth continued to shake and the first stones from the walls and the roof rained down on them.
“Run!”

Tbc…