Frozen Hearts
Twenty-Nine - Lucas
The day has been going smoothly so far but the feeling of impending doom wouldn’t vacate itself from my chest. The staff we did manage to rescue had still shown up, the cake is beautiful, the venue is beautiful, and I couldn’t ask for anything to be going better. I had chosen Lynx and Salvador as a combo set of best men and my groomsmen consisted of five trusted members of the gang. There were other members of the gang attending as both guests and guards down in the aisles just in case something does go wrong. Gabriel’s side had fewer members since not many had come to terms with his exposing his father as a cheat and taking over. His mother and his sisters were the most prevalent from his side of the aisle. His mother was looking at me with hatred in her eyes and a fake smile on her lips, everyone knew by now that Gabriel had turned against his father and that I was the one who put the old man in the hospital after him trying to kill Gabriel.
I straighten up when the slightly altered and more masculine bridal music begins to play. Gabriel walks in proud with one of his sisters walking him to me. He’d come to terms with the fact that most of his family felt betrayed and his gang needed time to cope with all the new information. However, I still felt that we made the wrong choice. He’s losing everything because of me, and I couldn’t justify that in my heart. I felt horrible at the idea that Gabriel was going to lose his mother after this wedding was over. I also didn’t understand how, despite knowing everything that happened, his mother still chose her husband over him. His father broke every code that we had in place for both gangs and attempted to assassinate his son during the battle.
I extend my hand to take Gabriel from his sister and assist him in walking up to where the priest was. Now that he was here with me, I suspected they would attack any moment now. We couldn’t find every base in time, so I know they were still planning a serious attack since we also haven’t seen the generals leave the country nor have we seen them on the streets. Gabriel trusted me but at this time I didn’t trust myself. Gabriel and I had opted to skip the vows because they’re the longest part of the wedding and to reduce risk we decided to make it as short as we could. For this reason, there also wasn’t going to be a reception, everyone would eat as soon as our kiss is done. That’s why we switched the pews in this venue for actual tables and chairs.
The priest was ending, and we kiss when instructed but that was when I saw them. The three black Tahoe’s pull up outside the venue and the triad generals step out with the machine guns in their hands. I nudge Salvador but he and Lynx had already noticed. The entire groomsmen had noticed. I pull a handgun from my back pocket and hand it to Gabriel then remove a second for myself. We didn’t have to speak to know what was going on, but we did have to warn all non-gang members to hit the deck. The priest had already fled as soon as we removed our guns, but the others were still clueless.
“Hit the deck!” A member of my groomsmen yelled.
Gabriel’s family immediately drops to the floor and hides underneath the tables. The staff we hired jumps under the buffet tables and covers their ears. We’d trained them on what to do in case of an attack because even with all our effort I was still one-hundred percent sure there would indeed be an attack on the wedding.
The room was silent and tense. All the gang members had taken up their position and built barriers with chairs. We could hear the steps approaching the door and as soon as it was kicked open the gunfire started. I ran towards Gabriel’s family when a triad was trying to pull them out, I shot them between the eyes and look down at his mother. In my face, I know she can see the threat that next time I wouldn’t stop them if she abandons her son.
I look back at Gabriel and my eyes widen. A triad member releases a deadman switch he’d been hiding in his hand; I was too late to run back to him as the explosion originates in the wall behind him. Gabriel is buried from his abdomen down and was coughing up blood as he starts passing out. I kneel to his side as tears pour down my face, I couldn’t hide it anymore as I hold his hand and sob into his hand. I feel the bullet enter my shoulder, but I don’t move. I hold onto his hand and look into his eyes as he passes out while I was sobbing and crying. I knew the attack had to end fast to save him.
“Everyone down!” I yell as I throw the grenade at the feet of the generals. It was a grenade I had rigged to detonate almost immediately upon impact, they didn’t even have the time to move out of the way before the grenade sent a rain of blood and guts all over the triad nearby. As the lower triad members realize their generals had been killed, they started to surrender, but I didn’t let them. I walk through and shoot them each in the head. As soon as the gun empties, I start breaking their necks or stabbing their hearts with their own knives.
Salvador had to calm me down as the paramedics ran in to tend to Gabriel. I wanted to kill them all, I wanted the Triad to die, but I didn’t have the strength. Mentally. I was dead inside and I couldn’t keep doing this. I drop to my knees and realize that I was done, I alone have potentially killed Gabriel and injured many of my members for nothing. I wasn’t cut out for this anymore and I needed it to stop. I stand up and follow the paramedics into the ambulance. I would go, make sure he was stable, but then I had to go home and mentally calm myself or I’d do something I’d regret.
I straighten up when the slightly altered and more masculine bridal music begins to play. Gabriel walks in proud with one of his sisters walking him to me. He’d come to terms with the fact that most of his family felt betrayed and his gang needed time to cope with all the new information. However, I still felt that we made the wrong choice. He’s losing everything because of me, and I couldn’t justify that in my heart. I felt horrible at the idea that Gabriel was going to lose his mother after this wedding was over. I also didn’t understand how, despite knowing everything that happened, his mother still chose her husband over him. His father broke every code that we had in place for both gangs and attempted to assassinate his son during the battle.
I extend my hand to take Gabriel from his sister and assist him in walking up to where the priest was. Now that he was here with me, I suspected they would attack any moment now. We couldn’t find every base in time, so I know they were still planning a serious attack since we also haven’t seen the generals leave the country nor have we seen them on the streets. Gabriel trusted me but at this time I didn’t trust myself. Gabriel and I had opted to skip the vows because they’re the longest part of the wedding and to reduce risk we decided to make it as short as we could. For this reason, there also wasn’t going to be a reception, everyone would eat as soon as our kiss is done. That’s why we switched the pews in this venue for actual tables and chairs.
The priest was ending, and we kiss when instructed but that was when I saw them. The three black Tahoe’s pull up outside the venue and the triad generals step out with the machine guns in their hands. I nudge Salvador but he and Lynx had already noticed. The entire groomsmen had noticed. I pull a handgun from my back pocket and hand it to Gabriel then remove a second for myself. We didn’t have to speak to know what was going on, but we did have to warn all non-gang members to hit the deck. The priest had already fled as soon as we removed our guns, but the others were still clueless.
“Hit the deck!” A member of my groomsmen yelled.
Gabriel’s family immediately drops to the floor and hides underneath the tables. The staff we hired jumps under the buffet tables and covers their ears. We’d trained them on what to do in case of an attack because even with all our effort I was still one-hundred percent sure there would indeed be an attack on the wedding.
The room was silent and tense. All the gang members had taken up their position and built barriers with chairs. We could hear the steps approaching the door and as soon as it was kicked open the gunfire started. I ran towards Gabriel’s family when a triad was trying to pull them out, I shot them between the eyes and look down at his mother. In my face, I know she can see the threat that next time I wouldn’t stop them if she abandons her son.
I look back at Gabriel and my eyes widen. A triad member releases a deadman switch he’d been hiding in his hand; I was too late to run back to him as the explosion originates in the wall behind him. Gabriel is buried from his abdomen down and was coughing up blood as he starts passing out. I kneel to his side as tears pour down my face, I couldn’t hide it anymore as I hold his hand and sob into his hand. I feel the bullet enter my shoulder, but I don’t move. I hold onto his hand and look into his eyes as he passes out while I was sobbing and crying. I knew the attack had to end fast to save him.
“Everyone down!” I yell as I throw the grenade at the feet of the generals. It was a grenade I had rigged to detonate almost immediately upon impact, they didn’t even have the time to move out of the way before the grenade sent a rain of blood and guts all over the triad nearby. As the lower triad members realize their generals had been killed, they started to surrender, but I didn’t let them. I walk through and shoot them each in the head. As soon as the gun empties, I start breaking their necks or stabbing their hearts with their own knives.
Salvador had to calm me down as the paramedics ran in to tend to Gabriel. I wanted to kill them all, I wanted the Triad to die, but I didn’t have the strength. Mentally. I was dead inside and I couldn’t keep doing this. I drop to my knees and realize that I was done, I alone have potentially killed Gabriel and injured many of my members for nothing. I wasn’t cut out for this anymore and I needed it to stop. I stand up and follow the paramedics into the ambulance. I would go, make sure he was stable, but then I had to go home and mentally calm myself or I’d do something I’d regret.