Chapter 172 ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWO

Chapter 172 ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWO
Blue’s POV

I stayed tucked back in the shadows, adjusting the grip of the knife in my right hand—my uninjured side.

The first man jumped down through the opening, landing heavily on the stone floor. The moment I confirmed he wasn't one of our guys, I moved in on him. He was still blinking, his eyes frantically trying to adjust to the pitch-black tunnel, making him really useless against me. I hit him with a swift combination of hard punches to the jaw, knocking him out cold before he could even call for help.

These morons really needed to stop putting themselves in harm's way just because Derek told them to.

Laughably enough, the guys up top kept sending their men down one by one. If they had actually come down in a wave, I might have found it a real challenge. Instead, I swiftly and quietly neutralized each man the second his feet touched the floor.

After dropping six of them, the stream of men stopped. A voice called down into the dark hole, sounding exasperated. "Hey! Have they been contained down there?!"

Scarlett burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter behind me, which she quickly masked by clapping both her palms tightly over her mouth.

The guy up top was fast getting frustrated. From the shifting of footsteps above, it sounded like he was getting ready to climb down himself. I was fairly certain he was the last one left of his group.

He dropped down, stepped forward into the tunnel, and within two strides, I was on his ass.

I dragged him into the corner, shoving him hard against the stone. After he was fully subdued, he looked around at his crew—some completely knocked out, others nursing nasty bruises on the floor—and raised a brow at me in utter disbelief.

I leaned in, keeping my blade ready. "Tell me, how is the fire situation up there?"

The guy sneered, but answered anyway. "A quarter of the whole thing has burned down already."

"Where is Derek?" I demanded.

"He's out," the guy said rudely. "He got a ride out of here a while ago. Mr. Linden is going crazy not knowing where you are."

"Derek didn't tell him?"

"Derek doesn't even know we found this hatch," the guy scoffed. "He just sent us to keep searching the place for you while he left Bellamy. Honestly, he looked too rough when he left to be bothered with us anyway. He's convinced the fire will take care of you."

I adjusted my grip on his collar. "What about the library? Has the fire reached it?"

The guy nodded casually.

Before he could react, I slammed him hard back against the wall.

"What the hell?!" the guy yelled, wincing. "I answered all your questions!"

I hit him in the face once, dropping him to his knees, and then walked off to a quiet side of the stone wall, resting my forehead against the cold surface to catch my breath.

After a moment, I walked over to where Scarlett was crouching and watching the whole thing. "I still have to go out there," I said quietly.

Scarlett nodded resolutely, though worry flickered in her eyes. "Are you just going to leave me down here with them?"

I reached into my pocket, pulled out something that looked suspiciously like a smooth black stone, and pressed it into her hand. I turned to face the pile of beaten bodies on the floor.

"I'll be back," I said loudly, letting my voice echo down the tunnel. "But if any of you try anything in my absence, she will press a button on that device, and the ground under you will crumble. Don't test me."

Scarlett stared at the plain stone in her hand. She probably doesn't even believe that something like that could be triggered in a solid underground tunnel, but she smartly kept her mouth shut. I gave her a loaded look, and she nodded, instantly picking up on the play.

I turned and walked toward the entrance hole, but before I could even reach the opening, a crash echoed above. A massive wooden beam, charred and weakened, snapped and collapsed through a ceiling frame, taking a mountain of stone and rubble down with it. The debris hit the ground with a deafening thud, completely sealing off the hole.

Muffled cackles and raging shouts echoed weakly from beyond the blockage. I could immediately smell thick, bitter smoke seeping through the cracks. The fire had gotten dangerously close.

I stepped forward and tried to push the beam away, but it didn't budge an inch. I stepped back, acutely aware that my stitches had just compromised from the strain. I looked at the guys I had just beaten up who were still conscious. "Clear that rubble. Now."

They grumbled, but they all rushed over to push against the blockage. No matter how hard they heaved, the stone and burnt timber remained firmly trapped.

I crashed out silently in my head, a cold wave of frustration washing over me at the bleakness of the situation. I couldn't get back to Tanner.

Then, the faint, wailing sound of sirens echoed through the stone walls from far away. The police were arriving at Bellamy to evacuate whatever surviving students were left. We could not afford to be discovered by them.

Scarlett walked over to me. She slowly lifted her hand to my hair, scratching it gently to comfort me. "It's not your fault, Blue. Don't beat yourself up too much."

I blinked, forcing myself to push back the stinging emotion in my eyes, telling myself I would not cry. I just pulled Scarlett close, burying my face in her shoulder and hugging her tightly.

The last guy I had dealt with looked back at us cautiously. "Look... this is sweet and all, but can you just lead us on the way out? You clearly know a route down here."

I pulled away from Scarlett, took the fake smooth stone back from her, and acted like I was carefully pressing a button on its side before setting it down on a rock a good distance away from them.

"If any of you move from your spot, it will be triggered," I lied coldly, "and you know exactly what will happen."

I took Scarlett’s hand, turning my back on them and walking deeper into the tunnels, leaving behind the panicked protests of the men.

"Are we really just going to leave them there?" Scarlett asked softly as we hurried down the path, holding one of the torchlights from the guys.

"Yes," I said plainly. "They are not safe to be around. What if they decide to attack us again? I pulled my stitches and I'm not in a good shape to protect you if they already learnt how much you're worth."

Scarlett nodded, understanding my reasoning.

There was another reason I wasn't letting those guys follow us out into the world, though. I could easily vouch for my own guys because of how strictly I had trained them to be principled. I couldn't say the same for the rest of the troubled students at Bellamy. I didn't want to put society at high risk by releasing unvetted criminals onto the streets. I knew I was essentially playing God and being totally unfair, but it was what it was.

I followed the small, subtle symbols marked on the stone wall that Stan must have left for us. After ten minutes of continuous walking, the damp air shifted, and I began to hear the soft rustle of leaves and a gentle breeze blowing through the shaft.

I instinctively looked at Scarlett, my chest tightening with anticipation.

This was real. We were actually about to become free men free from Bellamy, and free from our controlling parents.

Scarlett looked back at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.