“Okay, the grate is secured again. Up ahead about fifty feet is a T. You need to turn left.”
“Uh-huh,” I muttered, laying my head down.
“Come on, you can do this.” Gadget encouraged me, and I desperately wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t. I hurt too much to move.
“Just leave me here. I can die on my own terms.”
“Can’t do that. I said Ghost will kill me.”
“No, he won’t.”
I felt Gadget nudge me, and I moaned. “Did you just touch my butt?”
“Yep, and if ya even think about telling Ghost, I will leave you here. That man is mean on a good day. So, get moving. The quicker we get out of these vents, the quicker I can have you resting in a not so comfortable bed with questionable sheets.”
“That sounds so appealing,” I deadpanned.
“Doesn’t it,” Gadget chirped, nudging me again. Doing as he said, I slowly crawled my way through the ventilation system until I came to the T he mentioned. Turning left, I kept going until I saw the night sky.
“Climb on out. It’s safe. No one ever looks on the roof.”
Once outside, I sighed as the night air hit my face. Rolling onto my back, I stared up at the starry sky and felt like crying. If I had to die, I wanted it to be right now, where I was free looking up at the heavens.
“Come on, lazy bones,” Gadget said, securing the grate back to the shaft. “Don’t stop on me now.”
“Just a few minutes.”
“Can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Cause it’s time to jump,” Gadget said, smiling down at me. This man was trying to kill me before my Uncle could! Sitting up, I peaked over the edge of the roof and instantly shook my head. “Nope. Not doing it. Go without me. I’ll be fine right here.”
“Awe come on,” Gadget sighed. “It’s only a few feet.”
“Like five!”
“More like three and a half. It won’t kill ya, I promise. All you need to do is make sure you bend your knees when you hit the ground. It’s that easy.”
“Says the man eager to jump to his demise. How did you get up here anyway?” I asked, looking around.
“That tree over there,” he said, pointing to the large oak near the back of the church.
“Why can’t we use that to climb down?”
“Jumping is faster.”
“So is death.”
“You ain’t gonna die. Like I said…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ghost will kill you if anything happens to me.”
“Exactly.” Gadget smiled. Reaching for my hand, he pulled me to my feet and said. “Don’t forget to bend those knees.”
“Huh?” I said, right before Gadget jumped, taking me with him straight into the bowels of hell.
Seven