Redemption, A Broken Souls Chronicle - Part 2

The sound of crushing metal echoed through Hal's mind.

He backed his truck away from her smashed vehicle and sped down the highway, ignoring the damage to his vehicle.. His work was done here, and he was certain the crash killed Lili. Elation washed over him as he picked up speed, knowing she’d never mess up his plans again.

There was no morality left in Hal's tortured soul as he thought, I'll miss the sex but not the bitch! "I'm glad she's dead!" he said, flipping on the police radio.

He reveled in his glory, never thinking he was the one who needed help. His narcissistic brain blamed Lili for his problems. It was only a matter of time before his antics on the dark web weaved their way into reality. The depths of his depravity drove him deeper into the pits of hell. When he felt his power slipping, he turned on her as a way to get back at his shadow backers. He'd make them pay the price if his world crashed down around him.

How easy it was for him to forget that they loved each other, once upon a time? The butterflies he used to feel in her arms were replaced with a bitter hatred. Their relationship reminded him of the man he used to be, when he had a soul. In order to free himself of any remnants of guilt, he desperately needed to hear that Lili James Maloney had taken her last breath.

He waited on the side of the back road for the call to come in. While listening, he picked up the knife he’d grabbed before leaving the house. He played with it, twirling the blade's tip on his finger. He pricked his skin and drew blood, which agitated him, knowing it should have been her blood that he watched spill from her listless body.

When the emergency crews were dispatched, he held his breath, hoping to hear she’d taken her last breath. "What the bloody hell is going on? Why aren't they saying she's dead?" The dispatcher’s words cut in and out through the static as Hal listened with frustration. He banged on the steering wheel, anger growing exponentially. "WTF! Life-threatening! Critical! Why the hell is she alive?"

Oh, no! He needed to change that. Spinning his truck around, he raced back to the scene. His heart pounded in his ears as the adrenaline flowed through his veins. He was single-focused as he came upon the accident again, thinking, Hell! This was no accident. This was a targeted strike to defeat my enemy! I’m gonna finish her off.

The ambulance was within his sight, and he watched in horror as Finn sat in the back of the ambulance with her, his hand on her shoulder. He had no freaking right to do that. Lili belonged to Hal until the moment he stole her last breath.

The driver closed the back doors and climbed into the front, turning the emergency lights on. Something snapped inside Hal. The evil that fermented under the surface took control and overrode any semblance of logic.

"Once Lili dies, she'll be a sad and unfortunate mistake from my past."

Hal laughed as he pulled out his gun and barreled through the lame police barricade. Once through, he leaned out the driver's side and shot several rounds at the ambulance. He could hear yelling and shouting as he created beautiful chaos.

The bullets hit the window, and the glass exploded into the ambulance as he rammed his truck into it. He was disoriented but shook off the dizziness and fired several more bullets as the driver lurched into gear and attempted to drive away.

Hal sliced through the airbag and accelerated to take off again, following them to ensure he finished what he started.

He wanted her dead! Oh! How he wanted this bitch to die. Finn, too! How dare she try to escape from his clutches and into that lowlife's arms? Who the hell did Finn think he was, daring to think he had the right to hold and care for her? Instead of being comforted by another man, she should be dead! Full stop!

Lost in the chase, Hal blocked out the police cars behind him. The sirens were background noise to his death parade. When his truck jerked forward, he couldn’t believe those two useless idiots rammed into his bumper.

They had already jumped out of their car and waved their guns, trying to grab his attention. If they thought they would stop him, they were woefully wrong.

As if they had a chance!

He stepped out of his vehicle, turned to Jude, and sneered, "You idiot! How did you ever earn a badge? Who taught you how to shoot a gun?"

Jude held his gun steady as he continued to point it at Hal, saying, "Lower your weapon! You've already done enough damage today."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. Just watch how this bullet will slice through you."

He reveled in Jude's frightened expression. "That's right, Jude. Your days are numbered."

"Drop it! You're under arrest," Billy said as he pointed his gun at Hal.

"For what? You've got nothing on me!" he screamed, pulling back the trigger.

"Come on! Put the gun down. You don't want to do this. Jude's not going to hurt you."

Hal glared at him and laughed as he aimed the gun at the center of Jude's chest. "Put it down, or he's a gonner."

Without breaking his concentration, Hal fired. Jude's body jerked backward, and he stumbled to his knees before collapsing in the middle of the road. He watched as a red ring formed around the hole in Jude’s chest. Proud of his perfect shot, he gloated at his precision.

Turning his attention to Billy, he swung the gun around, intending to shoot the bastard in the head. Before he fired a second bullet, the shot rang out, echoing in the valley. The smell of sulfur permeated the air.

Stunned, Hal glared at the hole in his chest. For a brief second, he felt relief. His shadow life, pretending, was all over. He was free.

Turning to Billy, he mumbled something unintelligible before he stumbled to the ground. As he collapsed, he hit his head on a rock, taking his last breath.

***

After calling for backup, Billy stood over Hal's dead body and spat in his face. It went against protocol, but his emotions were raging. Stepping over Hal, he raced to Jude and picked him up. Kneeling beside him, he held his partner in his arms until help arrived.

"I'm sorry, man. It's time to take Jude to the hospital. You have to let him go." Sam said.

Billy refused to move. He needed time to process the death of his partner and friend. He continued to hold Jude while the other officers processed the crime scene and loaded Hal’s body into the ambulance. He thought, instead of taking him to the morgue, they should dump him in hell, where he belongs.

“Billy, it’s time. We need to take Jude.”

"No! I won't let go. Who will keep him safe?"

"You're in shock. We need to take Jude now. You can come with us."

He released Jude and continued to sit on the pavement in the middle of the chaos as the detectives from Madison processed the scene. Since he shot his weapon, he wouldn’t be able to investigate this case.

Once Jude’s body was placed in the back of the ambulance, Sam asked, “Would you like to ride with him?”

Without saying a word, Billy walked with Sam and sat in the back as grief washed over him. "No! You can't cover his face. Not Jude! Noooooooo!"

As his voice rang out, he heard someone say, “Billy, please let us do our job.”

The EMTs convinced Billy to let them cover Jude, but he sat with his eyes toward the ground and didn’t say anything until they arrived at the hospital. He was in denial about Jude's death. It hit him hard, and he wasn't prepared to see Finn on a gurney as the doctors removed the embedded glass from his back.

Something happened to him as he registered the fear in Finn's eyes. It was as if his soul snapped back together, and he was made whole. He needed to be strong for Finn when it came time to break the news to him. For the life of him, he wasn’t sure how to handle it, as he sat in the waiting room, watching time slowly pass by.

Once the doctors and nurses left Finn’s bedside, Billy entered the room, avoiding eye contact. Unable to speak, he shook his head and let out a soft cry. It took him a moment to compose himself, and he said, "I'm so sorry. Finn, I..."

When he didn’t respond, Billy looked him in the eyes and fidgeted with his hat. He searched for words that didn’t come, as Finn’s face paled.

"It's... Well, it's that…" He pounded on his leg and looked Finn in the eyes. "It was Hal who shot up the ambulance. When you turned the corner, we rammed his truck and jumped out of the vehicle. Our guns were drawn and pointed at the bastard, ready to shoot him." He turned away and took several deep breaths. "We tried to reason with him, but he kept his gun pointed at Jude's chest. I hesitated for a second, but that was all he needed. He shot Jude, and he, well, Jude, he's… Well…"

"What happened? Where is Jude?"

He knew damn well that they were best friends. This pierced Finn in the heart, and there was nothing he could do to ease his pain. “I’m sorry. He’s gone.”

"What the hell! No! Come on. Is this some sort of sick joke?"

Billy placed his hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Finn, he didn't suffer. The bullet struck his heart. It's not much consolation, but it's something, man."

It felt like a lifetime before Finn was able to speak. As the words came to him, Billy saw the steel determination in his eyes. "Tell me that bastard is dead!"

Letting out a crooked smile, he said, "Yeah! I shouldn't be thrilled about it, but it feels like justice was served for Hal's victims."

"Perfect. I think I would have killed him if you hadn’t. I don't know all of the details, but he abused her and tried to run her off the road as she tried to escape. He wanted to destroy her."

Billy shook his head, knowing Finn would have ended up in handcuffs if he'd killed Hal. "I thank my lucky stars that I killed him in the line of duty. Otherwise, if you killed him, I would have gotten myself fired for not arresting you."

"I'm glad the bastard is dead, and I didn't have to pull the trigger."

“Me too.”

They sat in silence for a while, neither of them bringing up the depths of their despair. Billy thought, if I ignore it, maybe he won’t bring it up. I don’t want to talk about watching Jude die.

When he spoke again, he changed the subject. "Have you heard any news about Lili?”

“I haven’t. Next time a doctor comes around, we’ll have to ask.”

He heard Finn mumble to himself before he changed the subject. “Hey! I need clothes from my place. Can you run by and pick up some clothes and toss them in a duffel bag for me? Oh, and my truck?"

"No problem. Your truck is at the station, and I can swing by, grab your keys, and pack some stuff for you. Let me head out now, and I’ll stop by in a few hours.”

“Sounds good.”

Billy left Finn alone in bed, banged up and bruised, body and soul. He wasn’t sure if his past would come back to haunt him as the pressures of the day unraveled. I'd best keep a close eye on him. Don’t need another loose cannon on my watch.

****

Finn sat with his thoughts as he listened to the distant beeps from the monitors watching over people. The entire place smelled like death. Before he could travel too far down the rabbit hole of despair, Dr. Emery walked in with charts and paperwork.

"We can discharge you now if you feel up to it. You have multiple deep cuts on your back and shoulders, so no heavy lifting for several weeks, or you'll re-injure yourself."

Finn shrugged, knowing he wouldn't return to work for a while. "Yeah, I need clean clothes, and Billy will be back with a bag for me. Better yet, how is Lili, and when can I see her?"

Dr. Emery wore a strained look as she pursed her lips.

Finn's heart started to race again. Why wasn't anyone updating him about Lili? Was she dead?

She stared at him and asked, "Mr. Finnegan, what are your intentions with Lili James? That bastard tortured her, and she is fragile. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, ma’am. I have no intention of harming her or abusing her. I want to be by her side when she wakes up.”

Nodding her head, she turned her attention to the clipboard and said, “Let’s get you discharged, and we can talk about her diagnosis. How’s that?”

“Deal.”

“From my understanding, you're a ranch hand, which is grueling work. With your injuries, you'll need to stay home and relax for several weeks. We want those stitches to stay in and dissolve on their own. No heroics.”

Finn gave her a sheepish grin, knowing that if he didn’t have Lili to care for, he would have been back to work tomorrow, regardless of what she said. He played along. “Yes, I have no intention of working. Not for a while.”

Satisfied with his response, she set the paperwork aside and turned the conversation toward Lili. “Now, let’s talk about her prognosis. Before the accident, Hal raped her and physically abused her. Before she made it to her car, she was already facing life-threatening injuries. The accident compounded the damage. She’s on life support and is fighting for her life.”

Finn felt the bile rising, and his stomach churned as he continued to listen to Dr. Emery explain the abuse Lili had endured. He jumped down from the gurney and rushed to the sink, throwing up the remnants of his breakfast until the dry heaves subsided. He rinsed his mouth and spat the water out before turning back to Dr. Emery. "I still don’t understand. Why is she on life support?"

She bristled at his question. "Because he hit her head multiple times, she sustained a concussion and other brain injuries. We put her in a medically induced coma to allow her body to heal before we wake her up."

Unable to shake the dry heaves, he didn't hear everything Dr. Emery said. When he turned around, she said before walking out. "I’ll put you on her approved visitors' log, but if I ever find out you treated her the way Hal did, I won’t hesitate to call the cops on you."

“You won’t have to worry about that. I promise.” Rubbing the back of his head, he could feel his anger swelling inside. He thought, If that bastard wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him myself, even if it meant spending the rest of my life in jail and eternity in hell.

He was past caring, for he believed he was beyond redemption for his sins. No one better go near Lili - ever! Or vengeance would be his.