Rose Bk. 02 (The Novel)

"Come home, Master!" Rose begged between sobs.

"Please?!" Tina added.

"I can't lose you," Joan moaned in anguish.

I couldn't do much more than cuddle them on the floor. I held them close, rubbed their horns and told them repeatedly how much I loved them. Whatever sick ploy it was that brought them here, I knew this was being recorded. But it didn't matter. There was no secret I hadn't shared. I simply loved them and I would die protecting that.

"My lovely cows," I tried, now things were quieter. "Who brought you here?"

"Lori got a call from Carlos to bring us," Rose offered with a whimper and a trembling lip.

She did not give me the opportunity to respond before she was kissing me. It was wet from her constant tears, but I kissed back just as hard. When Rose pulled away, Joan was quicker than Tina, but she received the same treatment. I kissed her hard and long until she finally pulled away. That let a frantic Tina to throw herself into my arms. I held her close as she kissed me. Her cheeks were wet from her tears and I felt both tremendous relief and regret. Relief that I was with my cows again, and regret knowing they were going to have to leave once again.

Despite their beauty and clear willingness, I had to restrain myself from more physical forms of affection. They did not give me any form of instruction what I could or could not do here. But I wasn't about to assume I wasn't being recorded. And despite it being harmless in the grand scheme of things, I wasn't about to give the government any more pictures of my genitals than they already had. And it was right as the worry lines in Rose's face were barely noticeable that someone pounded on the door.

"Master..." They mooed softly.

I nodded as the door opened and an officer stood in the doorway. "Is that it?"

The man nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"No," Rose whimpered.

"Master, come with us," Tina tried.

Joan seemed like she was sizing up the guard. I decided it was best and least cruel to take charge of the situation.

"Ladies, it's time for you to leave." Three heartbroken stares turned in my direction, and I held my own stern expression. "Don't ruin it now. You've been such good cows for me."

"Master," Rose whimpered softly as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I know," I smiled, even as my heart broke. "But while we're here, we need to follow the rules."

"But-"

"Tina," I warned.

Her lip quivered, and she buried her face in her hands as Joan and Rose moved in to comfort her. My heart broke as the officer stepped into the room and I looked at each of them.

"I love you, all of you. Remember that."

With a chorus of "I love you too," I watched them leave through the door they had entered.

Carlos's smile comforted me as he waited on the other side. My cows seemed to trust him when he gestured for them to follow and I sat back in the chair and waited for me to be taken back to my cell.

It wasn't long before the door opened behind me and a pair of footsteps signalled her arrival. Sasha looked slightly nervous as she rounded the table and sat across from me.

"Does my lawyer know you're here?"

Sasha smiled thinly. "Does it matter?"

"Probably not."

"I guess you were pretty surprised by your visitors here today."

I grinned and nodded my head. "You're supposed to start with the carrot, not the other way round."

Sasha nodded, "So-"

"There's no way in fucking hell I'm giving you anything, and the sick fucks you represent are going to listen to me tear them to shreds at the court hearing when those cows die."

"Mr. Wessex, please see reason-"

"I am not getting involved with the slave trade, Sasha. Those cows have masters. You want to cause a slow, agonal death, by all means, keep doing what you're doing. It's nice to know someone in this country is willing to torture innocent victims for profit. I want no part in it."

Sasha nodded. "And there's nothing else I can say to change your mind?"

"Sure there is. Give me proof they have returned those cows to their masters and they are living happily, and when I'm released, I won't hunt the board members down like I have the rest of the slaving bastards I've killed."

"Mr. Wessex, did you just make a threat?"

"Put it on record." I nodded at the camera in the corner of the room. "If those cows die, and you let me out. I'll hunt everyone responsible."

Sasha tapped her fingers on the table for a moment before meeting my eyes. "Am I free to go?"

"By all means," I smiled. "I made my point. I know you're just the messenger, even if you're a bitch."

Sasha nodded and quickly left the room. I was joined a moment later by an officer, who glared at me until I offered my hands. I was cuffed, dragged to my feet and taken back into the hall. As they led me behind the officer, I wondered how long I was going to last in here. I knew the risks. Striking out and hurting people would get me locked up even longer. But to do nothing meant putting a target on my back. The system was being used against me and I did not know what to do about it. I was broken free of my thoughts as a klaxon sounded.

"Shit," The guard swore.

He looked around for a moment before opening a door to a random cell and shoved me inside. Slamming the door shut, I listened to the sounds of his footsteps as he ran off. There was just one problem: the door wasn't locked. I thought for a few moments and stepped over to the door. I did not know if it was intentional or not. But I pressed my cuffed hands into the metal and swung the door open. When I leaned out into the hall, the alarm was still blaring. I could see a flashing red light at the end of the hall.

"Lockdown maybe?" I whispered to myself.

I frowned and thought about what I should do. If it WERE a lockdown, I'd probably piss someone off by walking around. On the other hand-

BANG!

I flinched back from the sound as the floor shook. The explosion echoed up and down the hall, leaving me deaf for a few moments. But as it came back, I could hear screaming and the pops of indoor gunfire. I glanced around, thinking for a moment. But there was only one conclusion. Whoever it was out there was trying to kill me. Why else would they be attacking a prison?

"Fuck," I sighed.

Hands still cuffed before me, I headed in the direction of the gunfire. I could hear someone yelling orders and I wondered whose side they were on. Stepping around the corner, I spotted a caged wall. On the other side was the general population mess hall. It was where the low level inmates were brought to eat and socialise during the day. And right now, it was the primary source of gunfire.

Dozens of men were on one side. They were dressed in swat gear but lacked any insignia. Just all black suits and automatic rifles. By comparison, the prison guards, those who had weapons, were mostly in stab vests or plain shirts. Most of those armed held low calibre handguns like my HK and the occasional shotgun. But they were firing bean bags rather than lethal rounds.

I jogged over to the gate, where a guard lay against the bars. He was bleeding from a chest wound, and I could see red froth forming on his lips. His eyes were locked on the gunfire and he only turned to face me as I yanked on the bars to test if the door was locked. His eyes swung around to me and he frowned for a moment. I met his expression, and he stared right back. I knew that expression. It was one I was intimately familiar with. When a man knew he was dying, he either panicked, or he accepted it. He coughed up a lump of coagulated blood before reaching for his side. From his belt came a ring of keys that he lightly tossed towards me.

I shot him a grin and leaned through the bars. I hooked the keys with my fingers and pulled them back. After flicking through the keys, I found one that would let me out of my cuffs. Then I grabbed the key with the same coloured sticker as a splotch on the wall. Thankfully, the locks on these things were on both sides of the door and I quickly got it open. Stepping through, I paused before locking the door behind me again. I didn't want anyone sneaking around and my chances were slim enough to escape already if I was the target.

Turning back to the guard, I frowned at the position he was sitting in. Before he was upright, but he'd slumped in the time it took for me to get in. Resting on the floor beside him were his sidearm and his wallet. In his hand was a small photograph. I bent over the man and checked for a pulse before gently plucking the photo from his hand. It showed a young woman, about his age, holding a small girl. Both smiled widely and my heart sank knowing the grief they were in for. I thought about it for a moment and tucked the photo into the man's pocket, then picked up his gun.

I crept to the end of the hall and looked out over the chaos. There were six shooters in black. They were all on the ground floor, spread out and taking cover behind the support pillars for the upper floor. The guards were holding them off with quick shots from the ground and the walkways above. Though there was enough blood to tell me it wasn't going well for them. I crouched low and turned into the room. I only hoped that the guards didn't shoot me.

Using a table as cover, I moved around the outside of the room until I made it to the next pillar. I hoped it was at enough of an angle the guards wouldn't be able to shoot me. Standing with my back to it, I quickly checked the weapon in my hand. It was loaded, but there were only twelve rounds remaining, including the one in the chamber. With the safety off, I checked around the corner as a shooter raised his rifle.

My round caught him in the side of the head. His helmet absorbed the shot, but he still crumpled to the floor. Another shooter turned in my direction and I fired, hitting him in the chest. He staggered back, before peppering the wall behind me with lead. I ducked back behind the wall as the direction of gunfire around me changed sporadically. Leaning out, I spotted one guard pointing his weapon at me, so I pulled back in. I wasn't willing to die to some high and mighty asshole, for the same reason I would not die to the wannabe swat team.

Turning on the spot, I ran for the next pillar. I wanted a greater angle against the guards with greater flanking potential against the shooters. I heard voices shouting orders and my name came up, so I knew someone had recognised me. The surrounding wall exploded with shots and I felt a white line of pain across my bicep as a round tore a shallow groove across my skin. Spinning around behind the pillar, I waited as rounds tore holes in it for several moments. As the gunfire died down, I snuck a peek and saw the man I'd shot being dragged towards the hallway they'd entered. Leaning out a little further, I lined up my shot and hit the one who was standing. I knocked him back, allowing me to fire twice more into his chest. I did not know if he was dead, but at this point, falling down was better than standing up. But with eight rounds to go and four more active shooters, I wasn't out of the woods yet.

Rushing over to the man on the ground, I grinned as nobody shot at me. Sliding to a stop, I could see the man's cross eyed glare. The shot hadn't killed him, but it concussed him to hell and back. Dropping the handgun, I took his rifle and unclipped it from his shoulder strap. I didn't actually recognise the make of the rifle, making me think it was foreign, but it had all the parts I recognised.

Pulling the magazine, I checked the shots remaining and grinned, seeing it was mostly full. Resetting the magazine, I cocked it and stood. The man I'd hit multiple times in the chest was still down, so I ignored him and went for the last four. One spotted me as I stood and raised his rifle. One guard above fired, taking a chip out of the wall at head height, making him flinch. That was all the distraction I needed to fire a burst into his chest. He went down screaming and I waved at the guards in thanks.

Stepping over the concussed shooter, I ignored the one with the chest wounds and moved across the hall. With the guards above giving me cover, the three remaining shooters could not move. Which was perfect for me as I rounded on them.

"GIVE UP!" I shouted, holding the rifle up. "GIVE UP AND YOU LIVE!"

One of them swung around the pillar and I opened fire. My rounds tore through his chest. A second shooter darted out while I was hitting the first, and the guards peppered him with shots before I could react. As the two shooters went down in a hail of lead, it left me standing in the open with a single shooter remaining. I was tense and ready for anything when I spotted movement. The rifle he was carrying was tossed aside, and I spotted a pair of hands.

"I surrender!" the man called out.

"CUFFS!" I yelled.

The clank of a set of cuffs to my right had me nod in thanks. With the rifle up, I walked sideways, crouched, and scooped them up.

"Step out where I can see you!"

"You won't shoot me?"

"Don't give me a reason to, and you won't get hurt. You have my word."

I kept the rifle up as the man stepped out. He was nervous, but seemed relieved when he wasn't filled with holes. He kept his hands up as he steadily approached.

"Turn around, hands on your head," I ordered.

He complied and did as I said. And then I spotted movement. Turning on the spot, two more shooters were coming down the hall where the injured were trying to escape. The man who had surrendered sprinted off as shots rang out. I went after as he dived for his weapon. He barely got it into his hands when I slammed into him. He tumbled back as I brought my rifle up. His hands came up, but I didn't give him the benefit of the doubt this time, firing at close range into his visor. Unlike the handgun, these rounds didn't stop. Patting down his side, I grabbed two of his spare magazines and slipped them into my pocket. I had a few shots left in this one and I was going to make them count.

Rushing around the room, the two men were taking cover in the hallway. With one on each side, they covered opposite corners of the mess hall. It also gave me a clear shot as I approached, firing the remaining rounds into the man's chest. He went down in a bloody heap as I reloaded. As I arrived at the hall itself, I could see the man was very dead. And from the sounds of things, his partner had run for it. So I turned into the hall and followed. There were casualties everywhere in here. Lunch must have been starting when this all started. Dead prisoners were everywhere. They had killed some execution style with shots to the head. Others had just been cut down as they ran. The barred door on this side was wide open.

I checked a map on the wall and saw that if I followed this around, I would reach the parking lot. And that's when the true nature of this hit me. Sprinting, I rushed around the corner and ducked as the shooter opened fire. Rolling across the floor, I took cover on the other side of the corridor. The man was in an excellent defensive position to take me down if I approached, and I wasn't sure what I was going to do. The moment I stepped out, he was already in position.

"Kye!" I glanced up, back towards the mess hall. A guard was running towards me. I recognised him as the one who had spoken to me in the showers.

I waved for him to stop, and he slowed before gesturing down the hall. I nodded and held up one finger. The guard nodded after a moment and I grinned. Gesturing at both of us, I pointed my thumb down the hall and raised my rifle. The guard nodded, and I grinned back. Holding up three fingers, the guard got into position. I dropped one finger and he tensed. I dropped the second, and he raised his gun and when I dropped the third, the guard stepped around the corner.

He seemed surprised when I didn't immediately come out with him. But not as surprised as the shooter, who suddenly had to turn in the opposite direction to face an additional threat. In the space of time he readjusted, I stepped out and filled the hall with lead. The shots were deafening in this confined space, but that didn't stop the bullets. The shooter went down with a scream and I started moving.

"KYE!"

I skidded to a halt and turned to face the guard. I expected him to be aiming at me, but instead I saw an odd expression on his face.

"I have all the footage of everything except that first beating. I'm going to make it public."

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Connor."

I nodded, "Thank you Connor."

Turning, I started running. I followed the signs and took two more corners until I spotted a pair of blown out doors. These were the source of the original explosion. The team had breached and cleared the entire hallway, only to meet me in the mess. Stepping out, I looked around at the mess. There was a body in the middle of the lot and as I approached, I recognised Sasha. She had a hole in the middle of her forehead and a shocked expression. I wouldn't have enjoyed killing her to make a point, but I didn't like the idea of executing her, either. She was just the messenger in the end. But if she was here...

I jogged down to the end of the parking lot before turning and jogging back. Most of the vehicles were sedans, but near the entrance was a pricey looking black one. And the doors were open. Breaking into a sprint, I slid to a halt as Carlos looked up at me. He held his bleeding stomach with a pained grimace.

"No," I growled.

Carlos shook his head, "Sorry Kye."

Chapter Thirteen

Oh, how I would give ANYTHING for my ghillie suit right now. Instead, with mud-stained clothing, I'd had to make do. The vehicles the shooters had arrived in were the armoured type. And with locked doors, there was no way I could break into them. To compound the issue, I could hear sirens approaching. So, with Carlos shooting me a grin, he gave me a professional recommendation to surrender. Then closed his eyes and started counting.

Which led to my current situation, stumbling through the trees in mud stained prison greens. I'd paused at a creek and literally rolled myself in mud to hide the colour. Then I'd grabbed clumps of grass from the banks and stuffed my shirt, letting the foliage stick out of the sleeves and neck. It wasn't perfect, but it would be effective in a pinch. Speaking of, I hunkered down as a helicopter approached.

It was probably all over the news right now. Everything from the attack to my escape. That had brought in the helicopter, which if they spotted me, would bring in dogs. And I needed to do everything in my power to get away. Rose, Tina, and Joan were out there somewhere. Back with the men who created them. Doing god knows what. There was no way in hell I was going to stop until I found them.

Looking up as the helicopter passed overhead, I frowned. It wasn't the police helicopter that had passed over earlier. This one was a Huey. Blue, with a yellow streak on the side.

"Jones?" I wandered out loud, though nobody was around to hear it.

Shaking my head, I looked around. I was in a dense part of the forest. There was no actual way for me to create a signal. I didn't have a mirror handy, no handheld light source. I shook my head and kept moving. The blue Huey flew around the area. They trained him to think the same way I was. Between the choices of running straight back to town, or circle around into the bush, the bush was the better option. At least for the meantime. Out here I could find a secluded farmhouse, a change of clothes, maybe a vehicle. But the moment I walked into a shop wearing prison greens, the cops would be minutes behind.

As I pushed through the trees, I noticed he seemed to double around an area. He did big sweeps of the forest like he was searching. But there was a spot, maybe a kilometre from my right, where he paused or made a sharper turn. While the pattern was random, that spot was consistently a return point. I thought about it for a few moments before turning and heading in that direction.