Allen was intent on hurting me, and I was desperate, desperate to keep him from escalating and going to the next level. He would take my soul if he accomplished that feat.

My body went numb as I came to grips with the reality that Allen would get his revenge on me, and there was nothing that I could do about it. 

Chapter 31

Alex

Friday night with no one home was boring the piss out of me.

Riley was stuck on duty and Cassie...well, after everything we’d been through, I just needed a minute to sort through my own convoluted head. I didn’t want to be without her, but being with her was killing me just as badly because it was like a tease, knowing that within a few days she’d be gone. I knew that not spending time with her was stupid as fuck, but I couldn’t shake the hurt.

I also couldn’t face it.

I’d promised Riley that I would bring him some food and a few other things to help him get through the night. After I sorted through my bullshit, I showered, then headed back to base, stopping at the mini mart and grabbing him some Red Bull, snacks, magazines, and a couple of sub sandwiches. He probably wouldn’t eat half of this shit, but it would be good to have some choices. Twenty-four hour duties got long and tedious, especially in the wee hours of the night.

When I pulled up to the barracks, I could hear the bass of music coming from one of the rooms. Fucking Riley. Why he was allowing that shit I had no clue, but it was his duty night, so if he wanted it, then I guess the students could have it. When I walked into the duty room, he was sitting there, magazine in hand, fully engulfed in whatever he was reading. I sat the bag down on his desk, sliding it in front of him to catch his attention.

“Hey, man. Fuck, I didn’t even know you were here,” he said, partially startled.

I laughed at him, finally getting a glimpse at his Hot Rods magazine.

“Yeah. You’re in such a fucking trance with that magazine that you can’t even hear the club happening upstairs.”

“Oh, I heard that shit. I just sent my firewatch up there to tell whoever that is to turn it down.”

“Yeah, I was thinking you were being all extra lenient and shit.” He gave me a questioning glance which I laughed at even more. “Anyway, here is enough shit to get you through the night. There’s enough Red Bull to replace the blood in your veins, some snacks, more magazines that you obviously don’t need, and a couple of sandwiches. Enjoy!”

He rummaged through the bag and smiled as he pulled out a Red Bull. He popped open the top, taking a long swig.

“Thanks for this. I hate fucking duty.”

“You and me both, brother.”

Riley started going on and on about needing a break as soon as this class graduated, wanting to take a boating trip to Laughlin, when the frantic voice of the firewatch came blasting through the radio. We were deep in conversation when it started, and Riley picked up the radio, shushing me, holding it up to his ear.

“Sergeant Riley, female being assaulted on third deck, female being assaulted on third deck.”

I was out the door before anything else could be said. I didn’t know for sure if it was Cassie--I wasn’t sure if she was even home, but I knew that she lived on the third deck and I wasn’t about to take any chances. I ran fast, heart pumping furiously, blood moving through my body like a streak of lightening. My gut was telling me that this wasn’t good, but I kept moving as fast as my feet would take me, hoping that I was wrong. The more steps I took, the more steps seemed to magically appear, making it seem as if I would never reach the top.

As I reached second deck, a sickening feeling began to weigh me down as I could hear where the music was coming from. It was coming from the direction of Cassie’s room, and I just continued to pray that it was not her actual room where the assault was taking place. Sweat began to dampen my face as I breathed hard, still propelling myself up the stairs, trying as best I could to get there and hopefully put my mind at ease.

When I reached third deck, I turned the corner and my heart sank as I saw the door to Cassie’s room was left open. The music was definitely coming from there, so I hurried along, praying for the best but expecting the worst. I looked inside and found the firewatch in a scuffle on the ground with a half nude Private Allen. His shorts were pulled down, displaying his hard dick, puzzling the fuck out of me.

Then it hit me.

My heart shattered and crumbled into a million fucking pieces.

I took one look to the right and found Cassie-- huddled up with a towel clad, dripping wet, Ruiz--red faced, her hair an absolute mess, and naked, from the waist down. I lunged for the guys, pulling the firewatch off of Allen and pummeling him in the face and anywhere on the body that I could connect. He was kicking, while shielding his body, but I had lost my mind. It was like an out of body experience as I fell to the ground, repeatedly punching him in the face, connecting several times, square with his nose, feeling the crack of the bridge up against the throbbing pain of the bones in my hand. Rage and adrenaline fueled me as I continued pounding his face in.

I wasn’t exactly sure what had gone down between him and Cassie, but none of the details fucking mattered. She was half naked and crying, and he was getting his ass beat by the firewatch. Nothing else fucking mattered.

I realized that I was situated in a good enough spot to knee him in his fucking dick, so I did, repeating the move over and over as he howled in pain, sounding like a dying dog that needed to be put out of its misery. He scrunched up, yelling out as tears ran down his now blood soaked face. Seeing red sent me to another level, and I just knew that even with what I had already done to him, it still wasn’t enough.

I grabbed his t-shirt, pulling him up to my face as his face contorted with all sorts of pain and yelled, “You thought you’d get away with this shit, you fuckin’ bitch! Fight a real man, asshole! Get up and fucking fight!”

His eyes swirled around in his head and I thrust him back down, then got to my feet and began kicking him relentlessly in the sides and on his back as he twisted and turned from the bashing of my sneakers meeting his body with manic force. My foot came down in forceful stomps, further knocking his head onto the floor. My heart rate sped as my breathing spiked. There wasn’t enough pain in the world that I could inflict to get even with him for whatever he had done to Cassie.

I stood, breathing hard and ready to go another round on him when Riley came up behind me, grabbing me around my middle and pulling me away. I wasn’t ready to let Allen go just yet, but Riley held on tight, backing me away from him.

“Get the fuck off of me, Riley! Fuck you!” I tried pulling my way out of his grip, but he held on tight.

“Alex, calm the fuck down. You’ve done enough.”

I turned and looked at him, then looked down at my aching, bloody hands as my chest violently heaved up and down. I spit on Allen, feeling unsatisfied that the motherfucker was still breathing.

“He’s done. You’re going to fucking kill him. Get over there and take care of your girl. We’ve got this.”

In that moment, it dawned on me that Cassie was still in the room, huddled up in the corner, looking completely dismantled and crying her fucking eyes out. My right mind came back to me, and I turned around and watched her sad, defeated, eyes meet with mine. My heart broke all over again.

I should have been there for her. I should have been with her, and none of this shit would have ever happened. Nothing else mattered anymore, so I rushed over to her, dropping to the ground and taking her in my arms. She lazily dropped her head to my shoulder and began to sob as I held her, holding the back of her head and running my hand down it, trying my best to console her.