Rose Bk. 02 (The Novel)

Jones and I burst into the room as the crowd went crazy. Some sat in their seats pointing, others got up and ran. A few threw themselves on the floor. The woman behind the bar was nowhere to be seen. I picked my shots. Nobody here was innocent, but that didn't mean I was going to take it easy on any of them.

"ON THE GROUND!" I roared over the sound of the music.

A few who were seated turned and saw the gun. Most of those complied, while a few more ran for the exit. Those were mine and Jones's targets. Aiming for legs, we ignored the screams of the first two, and ignored the next two who dropped to the floor hoping they wouldn't get the same treatment.

"You can't do this!" One well-dressed woman snarled, holding her ground. "We have rights!"

"What about her rights?" I pointed to the terrified woman on the stage.

The woman frowned at the implication and opened her mouth. I put the barrel of my HK inside of it and held her gaze for a few moments.

"Sit the fuck down and stay there until I tell you otherwise."

Extracting my weapon, she touched her lips where the suppressor had burned her. Not that I cared a lick. With a sweep of the room, I had only the stage and a door behind the bar to content with. So I picked the stage first. Jones and I moved up towards the crying woman and I examined how she was strapped in place. Thankfully, it was designed to be easy to use. A lever at the rear allowed us to turn her around the right way. Then Jones and I unstrapped her as she cried.

"Please, don't hurt me?" She begged.

"Nobody will hurt you anymore," Jones promised.

"Viewing room, Harper has a gun, we're getting you all out."

She looked over at me and nodded. "Thank you."

With a bit of stiffness, she hobbled in the direction of the exit, skirting the crowd of people on the floor as best she could. Gesturing for Jones to wait, I stepped back into the curtains and was immediately confronted by a nude woman with a nose ring.

"You killed master," she frowned.

I sighed, glancing back at the pulped mess behind me. "You, sit down and stay quiet, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded softly and did as I asked.

After a quick search, there was nothing but equipment. Racks, crosses, whips made from leather, plastic and one with thin steel wires. This was a torture chamber if ever I'd seen one. It was just dressed up nicer than they usually were. Stepping out, I nodded at Jones who kept an eye on things while I went around the bar to the door I'd spotted. This time I kicked it open and heard a scream. The room was for storage and inside was the woman, and what looked like a security guard holding a gun to her head.

"I'm getting out of here!" He snapped. "You get the fuck outta my way or I kill this bitch!"

I frowned and slowly shook my head. "You've never taken a hostage before, have you?"

"So what?"

I shrugged, "If you'd taken her hostage and run for the door, that would have made sense. But you're hiding in a back room. What do you think is going to happen when the cops get here?"

He frowned, "You're gonna lead me out!"

I looked at the woman and smiled softly. "What would you do to get out of here?"

"Anything," she replied as her captor pressed the barrel of his gun into the side of her face to silence her.

And that was all the distraction I needed. Lowering my HK, I fired one shot. It lightly grazed the woman's hip, but the bullet slammed into her captors' kidney. She let out a gasp, as the man let out a cry and went down in a heap. She burst into action as the man fired, yelping as I spotted her hair fly up from the second round that grazed her. But as she moved, it gave me a clear shot, and I emptied the rest of my magazine into him.

The woman made a noise, and I turned my attention to her. She suddenly looked very nervous as I approached, but I held up my hand.

"Let me see?"

She pinched her lips and turned her head, showing me a slight cut on the back of her head. It wasn't deep, but head wounds always bled a lot.

"Am I dying?" she asked in a tone, more curious than worried.

"No," I chuckled. "You'll be fine. Harper has a gun in the viewing room. Go wait there, we're getting you out."

"There's two..."

"Cows, yes, we're getting them out as well."

She nodded, "They're such sweet girls."

"Exactly," I agreed, leading her out.

Jones was waiting with his M4 raised, but lowered it when he saw me come out. "Everything okay?" He asked, seeing the woman behind me.

"Fine," I nodded, then took the woman's hand for a moment. "Are there any other rooms through there?" I gestured at the door the crowd were running towards.

"No," she shook her head. "That's just the exit for the clients."

"I'll check," Jones said, crossing and opening the door. He stuck his head in and pulled back out.

"Great," I nodded. "Let's head back and check downstairs."

"That's where he has the cows," the woman nodded. "It's... It's not nice down there."

"Cages?"

"Punishment," she shuddered.

I didn't press. I just wanted this over. So with her words in mind, I followed Jones back into the hall. We moved quickly until we reached the door to the viewing room and nudged it open.

"Who's there?"

"It's us with the bartender," I called.

"Sam?"

"It's me, Harper!" The bartender pushed inside.

I poked my head in to see most of the women clustering around the ones we'd sent or brought back. The one who'd been drugged was seated in the corner being fanned by two ladies.

"Upstairs is clear, there's still a few customers and... A possible slave girl at the front stage."

"Not one of ours," Harper frowned. "Should we bring her here?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I told her to stay there."

Harper nodded, "If this is everyone that was upstairs, then there'll be two more... Two more in the basement."

"Right," I nodded.

"We should hurry then," Jones added.

"Please, it's... If they're not being punished directly, they'll be in cages. Go downstairs, then take the first right. It'll take you to where they keep them. They're tiny things and they have to cram you inside."

"We'll get them," I promised, before meeting Jones's expression.

He nodded, and we made our way out. Heading back into the foyer, there was no sign that anyone had been up this way. But I thought about the customers and grabbed the kalashnikov just to be safe. Putting away my HK, I made sure the rifle was loaded and ready.

"Loud or?"

"Wish we had flash bangs," I grunted.

Turning about, I took aim at the lock and tapped the trigger three times. Blowing chunks of wood and metal free, I raised my boot and kicked the door in. There was a lit stairwell with concrete walls. With Jones at my rear, we stormed down.

At the bottom was a right-angle bend and as I leaned out the wall beside my head exploded. Pulling back, I cleared the debris from around my eye as Jones opened fire with his M4. The sound was deafening underground, but I was mostly used to it. Joining the fight, I spun into the room where Jones was taking cover in the corridor Harper had described. Up ahead was a corpse, a man crawling and another who seemed to be in the middle of reloading. Raising my own M4 his eyes went wide as he ducked out of sight down the next corridor.

"Girls first," I snapped.

Jones nodded and turned to head further down the corridor. I watched the crawling man collapse before turning and following Jones. The corridor turned right again and opened into a large room. That room was pitch back, but the light switch was illuminated. Jones hit it and we blinked at the sight before us. A drain with a hose, one cage, tall enough to stand in, but not sit, and a series of small metal boxes set against the wall. Most of them were open except for two.

"They're dead," Jones growled. "They're all fucking dead."

"Agreed," I growled.

We moved to the two boxes and saw they were held closed with bolt latches. Pulling those plots, we opened them and saw what they contained. Two women. Ball gagged, arms bound behind their backs. Nude and folded so their knees were pressed to their shoulders with their heads pushed down. The smell was awful as they'd been forced to relieve themselves in the confined spaces. They didn't struggle at all as Jones and I gently pried them out. They whimpered softly as we laid them down as gently as possible.

"Watch the door," I ordered Jones.

Despite his technical seniority, he followed without question. As he went to secure our position, I spent a few moments releasing both women. They sobbed in croaky voices as the gags came free and I did my best to get them laying flat without harming them. Too much time confined and muscles would begin to atrophy. Sudden movements could cause serious problems and that was the last thing these ladies needed.

"I'm going to turn on the water and bring the hose over. It's up to you if you want to get-"

BANGBANGBANG

"-Clean," I finished, checking over my shoulder to where Jones was standing at the end of the corridor. "We're getting you out, you're going to be safe, I promise."

"Thank you," the second woman mumbled.

I did as I said and grabbed the hose, turning it on low so the water would pour out without spraying like I assumed was the norm here. I dropped it on the floor between them.

"We'll come back when it's safe."

Both women nodded and began moving towards the hose. I took that as the cue to head over to Jones as he pulled back. Gunshots echoed through the basement as concrete blew off. The moment it stopped, Jones darted around and fired once, earning a scream of pain from the shooter beyond.

"Lets go!"

Jones led around the corner, with me on his tail. We moved into the main room where the fresh shooter was lying on the ground holding his shoulder. He stared at us with wide eyes as we approached. Then Jones sent his eyes wider as a round blew his head open. The main corridor from here led further back, but it looked like a straight shot. We moved quickly, pausing at the end where a solid-looking door was set up. Crossing to the other side, I used the barrel of the kalashnikov to press against the handle. Immediately, the door exploded. Bullets tore through showering the corridor with splinters and shrapnel. Jones and I held steady, squinting to protect our faces until the shots finally ended.

I gave him a look, and Jones nodded. Slapping the handle down, I pushed the door open with the barrel of the gun. Whoever was inside would aim at me, when Jones stepped around and fired a shot. The shooter turned towards him and I crouched. Spinning into the room I took in the sight of what could only be a torture room. It reminded me of the dungeon I found Joan in, just with no one other than a few men with guns inside. And they were currently very distracted. Rushing into the room I fired a few shots before taking cover by a concrete pillar. There were four men in here. They were dressed as civilians and were armed with the same kalashnikovs that I was carrying.

"If you don't want to die, put them down!" I yelled.

"Fuck you!" One spat.

Jones stepped into the room and shot him in the side, sending him to the ground. He made horrible choking noises as the other three got into better positions.

"Last chance!" Jones called.

"Fuck, Clint!"

"Shut the fuck up Joey!"

"Joey, shoot Clint and I'll let you live!" I called.

"What?"

Jones stepped around the pillar as I raised my rifle. A scared looking younger man was staring at an older man aiming to shoot him. Words were powerful things, and it seemed even Clint knew that. He just didn't realise that what I'd offered Joey was a no-win situation. The poor kid didn't even have the gun tucked against him properly. Beside them both was another man whose face went white at our approaching figures. Clint whirled around, where my shot took him in the chin. Joey literally tossed his gun in the air as the third still standing dived for cover through a doorway.

Jones didn't even pause, kicking Joey in the head as we went after the one who ran. The bleeder on the ground had no sympathies for us after what we'd found in here. Storming into the room, it was stacked with tables and bricks of white powder. I shook my head and the two of us headed for a door in the back. Jones kicked it open as the man opened fire. He only managed a few shots before I hit him centre mass, but Jones still went down hard.

"FUCK!"

"Jones!" I rushed over.

"I'm fine!" Jones snapped. "Barely grazed me, just scared the shit out of me!"

I grinned and took his hand to haul him upright again. He was bleeding under his arm, but if he said it was a graze, I wasn't about to push. We moved a little slower to the door at the end of the corridor and we could hear thumping. With no other option, I kicked the door hard. It blew open, showing what looked like an office. Big leather chair, a table that looked like they built it inside the room, and a ladder. Directly above the ladder was a manhole that closed as I watched.

"Let's go!"

Jones turned on the spot, and we raced for the exit. Anything could happen at this point. Adrian could head into the viewing room, or they could get trapped inside the exit. There were numerous possibilities and none of them good. We ran as quickly as we could, mindful that there were still two women down here. Jones led the charge up the stairs and burst into the foyer. A man spun around at the open front door with a rifle. He didn't get any further as Jones put him down. But the door was open.

We ran out as the flashy black sedan from earlier tore past. Without thinking, Jones and I both raised and fired our weapons. The driver panicked and lost control, slamming into a parked car. We raced over to check on it. And sure enough, we were right about the armour plating. The windows were shattered but whole and there was movement inside.

I grabbed the handle and heaved. Part of me expected the door to be locked, but it pleasantly surprised me when it swung open easily. The driver was groaning, while Adrian, our target was lying on a cow, while another tried desperately to help. And she wasn't doing a good job.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!"

The cow flinched and threw herself back, before awkwardly tumbling out of the car. She was a collection of bruises, burns and cuts. Some of them fresh, some of them, much older. But she was as beautiful as Rose was, staring up at me with terrified eyes.

"Nope!" Jones shouted, diving into the car.

There was a gunshot, followed by a loud frightened moo.

"Sissy!" The cow at my feet cried, rolling over to stand.

I thought about it for just a moment and grit my teeth. Putting my boot on her shoulder, I pushed her into the dirt. I didn't want to hurt her, but I couldn't have her getting in the way.

"FUCKER!" Jones shouted.

"Stop!"

"JUST FUCKING DIE!"

"You're killing me!"

"THAT'S THE GOD DAMNED POINT!"

I leaned back and looked into the car, where Adrian was pressed up against the door at the back. There was a gun I didn't recognise with gold inlay lying on the seat. And Jones was slamming a knife into Adrian over and over again. The man's eyes glazed as I watched. But my concern was the sound of approaching sirens.

"JONES!"

Jones paused, then stabbed Adrian one more time and turned. The second cow, identical to the first was cowering on the floor.

"There now," Jones called softly. "We need to get up now."

"Are you my master?"

Jones paused and looked up at me. I gave him a small nod. Jones nodded back. "Let's get you home first."

"B-but."

I bent and took the cow on the ground. I felt like the biggest piece of shit mishandling them. But they just accepted it, which made me hate myself even more. Jones pulled the one out from inside the car and we dragged them to the four-wheel drive we arrived in. Getting the doors open, we shoved them inside, before I handed Jones the keys. As he got the cows belted in safely, I rushed back inside where Harper was standing in the foyer. Her gun came up as I burst in, but she lowered it quickly.

"Is that it?"

"There's a bunch of customers, one dude upstairs with broken teeth one downstairs unconscious and we got the two out of the cages."

"Shit, what now?"

"The cops are coming, so I need to leave."

Harper nodded, "Do me a favour. Don't go down shooting. I want to publicly thank you in front of the whole world, and I'm sure I'm not the only one."

I shrugged, "So long as my cows get to live long and happy lives, I don't care what happens to me."

Harper nodded, "You look after those two."

"Will do and... Put down the gun. The cops might be trigger-happy when they come in."

"Right," Harper nodded.

With that settled, I turned and headed outside where Jones was backing out of the parking space. I waited for him to turn around, before jumping into the passenger seat and he started driving. Pulling out of the lot, we could see the flashing lights from the police cars approaching. So we went in the opposite direction. We were aimless at first, wandering the streets for a time. But we came across an empty field with a road on the other side that headed back towards town. With no reason not to, Jones pulled the car over the curb and we made our way across.

"Lay down and close your eyes," I told the cows.

They whimpered softly, but did as they were told. With them unwilling to do anything other than what they were told, I pulled off my balaclava. Jones did a moment later, and I frowned seeing him covered in streaks of blood.

"Maybe we should stop somewhere?"

Jones shrugged, "Just take longer to get back. And they'll probably have footage of the car by then."

"Good point," I nodded.

We kept our heads down, obeyed the traffic laws and tried not to flinch at every passing police car. But they didn't seem all that bothered by a lone four wheel drive in the middle of the night. We drove for a time and had to stop when whimpering in the back got too much to ignore. We had a pit stop a few minutes later after Jones and I got our balaclava's back on. The cows were happy to relieve themselves on the side of the road before they both climbed back in and buckled themselves without help.

I didn't order them to lie down this time. We hadn't passed anyone in a while and there wasn't really any need to take off the balaclavas again. So we kept driving as we were. The cows whispered in the back and gave us mixed looks. Jones ignored them, but I kept watch. Just in case. Each of the cows I'd rescued bonded with me immediately, and while I thought these two hadn't bonded, I didn't know if their previous one had been broken entirely. Joan was in an appalling state and she made it immediately known that she would prefer to be dead than with Mr. Daniels.

Thankfully, when I got out to open the second gate and bring us in, Lori was stepping out the front door. The sun was rising, and the sky was lightening. But all my cows were ready and waiting inside. Lori met us by the car and I opened the back door as Jones came around the vehicle.

"Ladies," Jones gestured at the cows. "This is your mistress."

The cows' eyes snapped to Lori, and I heard the sharp intake of breath from the frightening woman. She smiled softly. "Come on now."

Both cows started crying at once and quickly unclipped themselves. Lori had just enough time to shoot Jones, and I looks, that in an alternate world, would have killed us. Then she was surrounded by womanly flesh. They lowed softly and kissed her all over. The distraction was enough that I could slip off and step inside, before pulling off my balaclava.

"Welcome home master," Rose smiled, stepping forward. "Claire tried to wait up, but..."

Tina shifted and gestured to my fiance slumped over the table with Heidi sitting beside her. I smiled and felt myself relax.