The Destructive Adventures of the Lovers-Chapter 16: The Escape of the Adventurers

Gabriel's chains clinked against the stone floor as he shifted, his wrists bloodied, his breath ragged. The dungeon air was damp, thick with the stench of mildew and rust. Shadows flickered like hungry phantoms along the walls, cast by the weak, flickering torch in the corner.

He flexed his fingers, feeling the raw flesh burn, the metal biting into his bones. He had been here too long, felt the cold seep into his skin, heard the distant screams of the others who never made it out.

Not me. I'll make it. frёewebnoѵēl.com

He closed his eyes, picturing Margo. Her tear-streaked face, her trembling hands. The way she had looked at him as they tumbled through the portal, as she whispered his name in fear and defiance.

"No," he whispered to himself, the word barely a breath. "I'm not leaving her."

A creak. The door at the far end of the cell corridor groaned open. Three guards entered, their faces obscured by bone-white masks. Their footfalls echoed, heavy and deliberate.

Gabriel tensed, muscles coiling. He waited, watching as they approached, their black cloaks whispering against the cold stone.

One guard reached for his chains.

Gabriel moved. In one fluid motion, he yanked the chain forward, looping it around the first guard's neck. The man choked, his fingers scrabbling against the iron, eyes bulging behind his mask. Gabriel twisted, feeling the vertebrae crack, the weight go limp. He spun, kicking the second guard in the chest, sending him sprawling into the third.

Blood sprayed across the walls as he smashed the first guard's skull against the stone, then ducked a knife swipe from the second. He grabbed the blade, turned it inward, and drove it into the guard's stomach. Warmth spilled over his hands, the man gasping as his knees buckled.

The third guard hesitated, his weapon trembling. Gabriel grinned—a sharp, bloody smile—and lunged. They crashed to the floor, and Gabriel slammed the man's head into the stone again and again until the mask shattered, revealing empty, hollow eyes that flickered with dying light.

Silence.

Gabriel stumbled back, chest heaving, blood dripping from his knuckles. He looked down at the bodies, their twisted forms, and felt a surge of twisted satisfaction.

"I'm coming, Margo," he whispered.

He ran for the stairs, his bare feet slipping on the slick, bloodied stones.

As he reached the stairwell, another figure emerged from the shadows—tall, muscular, eyes gleaming with a familiar fire.

"Mike."

His brother's lips twisted into a crooked smile, his blade catching the torchlight. "You're not going anywhere."

Gabriel growled, launching himself forward. They clashed, fists meeting flesh, bones crunching. Mike slammed him against the wall, his breath hot against Gabriel's ear. "You think you can just leave? After everything?"

Gabriel drove his knee into Mike's gut, breaking the hold. They tumbled down the stairs, a flurry of snarls and blood. Gabriel felt his brother's teeth sink into his shoulder, felt the burn as flesh tore, but he didn't stop. He grabbed Mike's hair, yanking his head back, smashing his skull against the stone steps.

Mike groaned, blood streaming from his nose, his grip weakening.

"Stay down," Gabriel hissed.

Mike spat blood, his eyes wild. "She'll never be yours."

Gabriel slammed his fist into Mike's jaw. Bone cracked. Teeth clattered against the steps.

Mike's body went limp, sliding down the remaining steps to the cold floor below, his breath ragged, consciousness flickering.

Gabriel staggered to his feet, gripping his side, pain radiating through his ribs. He kicked the heavy iron door shut, the clang echoing through the stone corridors, sealing his brother inside.

Breathing hard, he sprinted down the final hallway, bursting through the wooden doors into the open air. He felt the cold wind slice into his cuts, the moonlight burning against his blood-soaked skin.

Sally's mansion loomed above, its many eyes glowing with a sickly yellow light. But Gabriel didn't look back. He stumbled through the gardens, leaves cutting at his flesh like whispers of warning, branches reaching to pull him back into the dark.

Margo's eyes snapped open. She bolted upright in the massive, vine-covered bed, her breath coming in gasps.

The door creaked. Sally drifted into the room, her feet not touching the ground, her eyes hollow and glowing with a faint, cruel light. The animals in the corners—the serpents, the pale, eyeless birds—turned as one, their heads snapping toward Margo.

"Don't scream," Sally whispered, her voice like a rusted blade.

Margo stumbled back, her foot catching on a root, her heart thundering. The birds spread their wings, hissing. The snakes slithered closer, their tongues flicking out in anticipation.

Margo bolted for the window, her fingers trembling as she grabbed the ledge. She glanced down—two stories, a bone-cracking fall.

Then she saw him.

Mike stood outside, his head tilted up, his bloodied face a twisted mask of desperation. He motioned to her, waving urgently.

"Jump!" he hissed, his voice barely reaching her.

She sucked in a breath, then slammed her shoulder into the glass. It shattered, the shards slicing into her skin as she tumbled out. She felt the wind rush past her, the cold night air biting into her flesh.

Strong arms caught her.

Gabriel's face appeared, his eyes wild, blood still streaked across his cheek. "I've got you. Come on."

He pulled her toward a metal ladder propped against the side of the house. They scrambled down, Margo's bare feet slipping on the cold metal rungs. The forest loomed ahead, a wall of black shadows and whispering leaves.

"Run," Gabriel whispered, his fingers intertwined with hers. "Don't look back."

They disappeared into the woods, shadows swallowing them whole.

But in the shattered window above, a figure watched, her pale face twisted in rage.

Mara had seen everything. And this time, she wouldn't be left behind.