The Titans' Orb: Rising Storm

by Mister Horncastle

Chapter Five: Damsel in Distress

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Blinking, I gave my head a shake to clear my thoughts; I needed to focus on helping Bunnie, not swooning over her for goodness’ sake! Clearing my throat, I asked for more information about the cartel. Supposedly, it didn’t have a name, it was known by a symbol, which was tattooed onto the right hand of each member.

“What does it look like?” I asked.

“A twisted hand, surrounded by a ring of thorns.” Bunnie replied, “You can’t miss it.”

“Noted.” I hummed, “That makes things easier.”

Bunnie tilted her head.

“How so?”

“Because now I know who to kill.”

There was a moment of silence, and Bunnie started to second-guess things.

“Callum, I’m scared. If you do this and you fail, they’ll slaughter you… and then they’ll do worse to me.”

Swallowing, I furrowed my brow and couldn’t help but ask.

“Have they ever… before?”

“No.” she answered, “And I’d very much like it to stay that way.”

“Then I’ll make sure it does.” I huffed back to her, “Look, if you weren’t scared, I’d be concerned. This isn’t going to be easy, but I won’t fail you, I promise.”

Clenching her jaw, Bunnie asked how I wasn’t scared myself, and it was hard not to tell her more about the things I had seen in Ukraine. A few dozen arseholes with guns and knives hardly compared to zomrads, mutants, and the eldritch behemoth that was Elephant’s Tusk. Eventually, I gave my reply with a self-assured grin.

“Let’s just say with the things I’ve seen, there’s not a lot that scares me. I’ll tell you about it when this is all over, not that you’ll fully believe me. For now though, just take my word for it, after what I’ve been through, my balls have balls. Although, having been to Pripyat recently, those might be tumours…”

Bursting into a fit of giggles, Bunnie was caught unaware by that remark, and was pulled back into a state of faith and confidence. I followed up by telling her that the only thing that I was scared of was letting a promise go unfulfilled, and as such, I wouldn’t let her down.

As for my actual plan, Conscio had come up with one for me. There was of course, no way I could handle an entire cartel by myself, and unless Bunnie’s father had a Stock Heap of his own, I didn’t see myself rallying another uprising any time soon. Instead, I was to make a far stealthier approach, by way of infiltrating the cartel. The first step was to deal with the men looking for Bunnie, followed by donning one of their uniforms. From there, I would claim to have found Bunnie, and bring her back to wherever this organisation’s headquarters were. Being the one to find the girl, I would surely be granted an audience with her father, where I would proceed to shove Krocsbane so far up his arse that he would need brain surgery to remove it.

Though she abhorred the thought of being returned to her father, Bunnie knew that it was the best shot at freeing her mother, and so with great reluctance, she conceded to the plan.

“I suppose… even if we don’t make it out alive, I might get to watch that monster die.”

“That’s the spirit, love!” I smirked, winking at her, “Now, where might I find the members of his little fan club?”

Rolling her eyes and huffing with amusement, she pointed out that they would be all around this town by now, searching for her. To that end, I ordered her to get back into our hiding place, and proceeded to take out the Sparklight.

“I’d put that away if I were you.” Bunnie insisted, “They won’t think twice about attacking you for a smartphone like that.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it.” I replied.

Realising that I knew what I was doing, Bunnie got back under the stairs. With my rucksack still being under there as well, I asked her to retrieve my knife for me, which she found near the top. I attached the sheath to myself and then tied the sleeves of my extra shirt around my waist to conceal it.

With phone in hand, I walked to the other side of the road and leaned up against the brick wall there, and soon enough, it was time for action. From down the street came a man in a black beanie, wearing navy blue trousers and a black puffer jacket. As he got nearer, I spotted the mark on his hand.

{Are you ready, lad?} asked Conscio.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” I muttered back, “Let’s kill some bad guys.”

Clearing my throat, I was able to catch the man’s attention, who quickly spotted the device in my hand and strode towards me.

“Ei! Você! Esse telefone, dê para mim!” he barked.

I ignored him as he stormed right up to me, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Bunnie’s face sticking out of the hiding place, struck with worry.

“Can I help you?” I asked dryly.

“Dá-me isso!”

He made a lunge for the Sparklight, and as he did so, I used my other hand to withdraw Krocsbane and jam it into the side of his neck, not giving myself a second to think about it. The man jolted and let out a panicked yelp, distorted and gurgling at the blade’s behest. I pulled the knife out and he tried to scramble away, clutching at his neck with both hands in a bid to stem the bleeding. Alas, he hadn’t gone twelve steps before dropping into the road, and just like that, he was dead.

For a moment, I froze. Zomrads and mutants were one thing, for their humanity was lacking, but this was the first time since Brazil that I had killed another man. My stomach did a flip, and I had to force myself to remain composed. After all I had been through thus far, I had expected this to be easy, but if anything, the suddenness of how quickly I had just killed someone was harder to handle than any life I had taken before. The first man to die by my hand? That had been an accident. Inigo and his men? That was during an adrenaline-fuelled riot. But this? This had been a calm and calculated kill, and I needed a moment to recuperate from it.

Eventually, the need to protect Bunnie spurred me on, and I quickly approached the body to relocate it, quickly using his trousers to wipe Krocsbane clean as well. Picking up his legs, I dragged him to a nearby alley, and although I wanted to nab his puffer jacket for the warmth, I found myself unable to, for it was now heavily doused in blood.

I did however, loot his equipment. He was in possession of a walkie-talkie, along with a pistol; a Beretta Ninety-Two to be exact. I couldn’t have been more thankful that he had tried to take the phone by hand, as he very well could have just shot me for it. It was then that Conscio piped up, yet again providing more wisdom than I thought I was capable of.

{You know, it might be safer to keep Bunnie at your side. If these men are all armed, it would serve you well to be in the close proximity of someone they aren’t going to shoot at.}

Puckering my lips, I knew he was right. Heading over to Bunnie, I told her to accompany me, and explained why. At first, I had expected her to be disinclined, perhaps fearful of becoming something of a human shield. But much to my surprise, the girl let out a sigh of relief.

“Here I was thinking I wasn’t going to be useful.”

Scoffing, I reached out and helped her clamber out from under the stairs. I decided to leave my rucksack where it was; it was well-hidden and I could always come back for it. Looking to where I had dragged the body, Bunnie let out a pensive breath, before turning to face me.

“So, you really are a killer.”

“Is that going to be a problem?” I inquired, somewhat nervously.

Shaking her head, Bunnie said that since being abducted by the cartel, she had seen her fair share of death. Tutting, she said that it was actually quite a pleasant change, seeing it happen to someone who actually deserved it for once. At that, I let out a somewhat amused huff.

“Well, shall we continue the pleasantries?”

Slowly, her mouth shaped into a smirk, and it became clear that Bunnie had a dark streak in her. She may have been a frightened young thing, but it would seem that this harrowing twist to her life had led her to find comfort in black humour, even in the face of death. What she said next, confirmed this.

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

Though I grinned in response, she couldn’t help but follow up with a nervous apology, clearly quite afraid of tarnishing this newfound friendship.

“I’m sorry, that was dark. You have to understand, since coming here and seeing the things I’ve seen, well… let’s just say I’m a little bit fucked up.”

“Aren’t we all?” I replied, tilting my head towards her, “Look, I’ve seen my own fair share of shit. Darkness? That’s my whole jam, so you say whatever the hell you want, alright?”

Nodding, Bunnie perked up again, and now with the understanding that we were kindred spirits, we began chatting away as we strolled up the road, exchanging crude jokes and taking the time to get to know each other better. I learned that she wanted to become a model, and that she had a keen interest in photography. The former point made total sense, given how beautiful she was. I in turn, told her about how I once longed to be an actor, or at the very least, a voice actor.

“And instead you became an adventurer?”

Smiling at her, I shrugged and said that life was never something one could truly plan; it always had a funny way of throwing us off-course, and onto new paths that we never expected to walk upon. In some cases, a path wasn’t even provided, with one needing to make it for themselves.

“Sure you shouldn’t have been a poet?” she teased.

“Can I not be both?” I retorted.

At that, Bunnie broke into a most adorable laugh, and I couldn’t help but find myself even more allured to her. This was ridiculous, I had only just met the girl, and yet there was something about her, something that I couldn’t quite describe.

{Tits.} Conscio said bluntly.

{Shut up!} I ordered back in thought, {It isn’t that, you pillock.}

The capricious little voice chortled away, only for the merriment to be cut short as two men appeared. They wore the same attire as the man from earlier, and as we came to a halt, I turned away from them to look at Bunnie.

“This is about to get rather ugly.” I warned her, readying Krocsbane.

Clenching her jaw, Bunnie glanced at the men as they approached. She then looked back at me, and strained her brow.

“Just so long as it’s uglier for them.”

Pouting my lips, I gave her a small shrug, putting my head to one side.

“Well, if you insist…”

Hearing the footsteps, I honed in my focus and twisted around, slicing out with the knife and catching the first man in the throat. Caught completely unaware, he tried to gasp, only to inhale his own blood and begin choking; it wasn’t long before he was dead. The second man, now aware that I was a threat, reached for his gun, and without ample time to deliver a proper blow, I leapt at him and took him to the ground, sending his weapon clattering away. Seizing my wrists, he tried to wrestle the knife from me, and I was quick to plant my knee into one of his lower ribs, pressing down with all my body weight until there was a muffled snap. Crying out, he used one of his hands to try and shift the weight off of him, which was when I could finally overpower him and bring the knife down. Piercing his body just below the collar bone, Krocsbane found its way into the man’s lung, and as he bellowed in agony, I once again found myself in a state of shock. The other deaths had been quick and easy, but this? This was too slow, and the man’s cries had me realising exactly just how fucked up this all was. I was… I was killing somebody! I very nearly let go, but before I could, Conscio’s voice rang out in my mind, shouting angrily.

{Focus, lad! This man wanted the rape the girl you’re saving! Don’t waste a blasted thought on him!}

He was right, this scum didn’t deserve my sympathy, nor my remorse. Pressing down harder, I pulled the blade to one side, opening the wound further. Then, ripping the knife out, I brought it back down for a second time, puncturing his shoulder near the armpit and severing his axillary artery. The man continued to growl and wail beneath me, but Conscio’s words had driven the empathy from me. Though I took no pride in this, I also took no shame, and as the man began to lose consciousness, I looked him in the eyes and gritted my teeth. I felt like saying something clever, some closing remark about how he was getting what he deserved, but in all truth, my mind simply went blank. I just watched as his anguished expression relaxed, and his struggles came to a halt.

Getting to my feet, I took a moment to catch my breath, and looked at Bunnie with uncertainty. With a gulp, her eyes darted between me and the lifeless bodies on the ground, and just as Twilight had always looked at me and seen a threat, I expected Bunnie to do the same. And yet, for as disturbed as she clearly was, there was an undeniable hint of satisfaction in her eyes. Sharing Conscio’s sentiment, she knew all too well that these men were hunting her under the notion that they could have their way with her next year, and for that, she held no place in her heart for sorrow.

She did however, have a question for me.

“What’s it like?” she asked.

I tilted my head, to which she elaborated.

“Ending someone else’s life like that. How does it… feel, exactly?”

Swallowing, I answered for the most part in earnest, telling her that it was confusing. A part of me felt horrified by what I had done, like I was some sort of monster. The affair was as upsetting as it was nauseating, with the prospect of permanently ending someone else’s existence being all too much to bear.

Another, more logical part of me, saw the facts for what they were; these men were bad, without a hope in the world for redemption. As such, my actions had been rightful in the pursuit of honour and justice, and for the sake of protecting Bunnie. To that end, it had felt right to kill these men, as though I had made the world a better place for it.

However, in my unspoken shame, there was one detail I had left out, and that was the additional part of me that felt the indescribable rush of taking a life. It was a sensation not unlike magic. For every person I had killed, I had felt something that couldn’t adequately be put to words. It was like a rogue wave at sea, unstoppable and all-enveloping, flooding my system with intense feelings of giddiness, authority, euphoria, and glory. Crude as it was to describe, the feeling was akin to that of an orgasm; a sudden and climactic mind-melting discharge of excitement and pleasure.

Though I knew in my heart that killing for this sensation was wrong, there was no denying myself the truth; there was an inner part of me who enjoyed it, craved it, even.

For that part of me, killing was the sweetest feeling in the world…

After hiding the bodies and looting their ammunition, Bunnie and I continued to patrol the town. And after dealing with another three cartel men, the rest started to realise that something was wrong. The walkie-talkie I had taken emitted chatter more frequently, with Bunnie thankfully being able to translate for me. In short, the men were noticing the lack of response from the ones I had killed. If I kept this up, their suspicion might lead to reinforcements, and so it quickly dawned on me that I needed to don one of their uniforms and bring Bunnie in.

Spotting a lone gunman with a balaclava on, I slinked into a nearby alleyway to conceal myself. Bunnie meanwhile, remained out in the open, as to lure the man to my position. He quickly spotted her and gave chase, and upon reaching her, I darted behind him and wrapped my arm around his neck. Squeezing as tightly as possible, I brought the man to his knees while he struggled and spluttered. He then tried to reach for his gun, but to my relief Bunnie rushed to my aid, grabbing the firearm and quickly backing away from him.

“Come on!” I grunted loudly, “Go to sleep!”

Desperately clawing at my head, the man very nearly gouged one of my eyes out with his fingers, but just as he was able to locate them, he finally lost consciousness and went limp. Making sure he wasn’t faking, I continued to hold him for a few moments longer, before finally letting him go.

“Thanks Bun-Bun.” I wheezed, giving her a thumbs up while I caught my breath.

“What did you just call me?” she laughed.

“A nickname, ever heard of one?”

“Do Portuguese slurs count?”

Rolling my eyes, I playfully told her to stop using the victim card and accept the term of endearment. Blowing a raspberry at me, she assisted in dragging the body into the alley, where I proceeded to strip him of his clothing. Bunnie crouched down and helped take the man’s boots off, while I got to taking off his hat, balaclava, fingerless gloves, puffer jacket and shirt. I then took my top off and began to switch outfits, which was when Bunnie’s eyes flared wide open.

“What did that to you!?”

Looking down at the still-aching scars across my belly, I chuckled nervously and told her it had been from a bear attack.

{Stealing Rarity’s gimmick there, laddie?} Conscio scoffed.

{Shut it, brain tumour!} I barked back in thought, which resulted in a hearty laugh from him.

With a gulp, Bunnie said that the bear must have been absolutely massive to have created such gigantic claw marks, to which I concurred and said that it was indeed the biggest bear I had ever seen. Thinking about it, I could have told her the truth, considering the fact I had taken one of the mutant queen’s fingers as a trophy. However, the finger in question wasn’t with me any more, it was in Rarity’s saddlebag. My plan was to break it down and fashion the claw into something of an ornamental dagger, but I just hadn’t got around to it yet. As such, it had been generously wrapped in tin foil and put into cold storage, where it would be preserved on Equestria’s time to prevent it from rotting.

Slipping into the man’s attire, I had to fight to get my feet into his boots; they were easily two sizes smaller, possibly even three! Soon enough though, I was fully decked out, and once the balaclava was over my head, I faced Bunnie and asked her how I looked.

“Convincing.” she muttered with a sour expression.

“Hey.” I said gently, “I’m not one of them.”

“Hard to tell now.” she admitted, looking away.

“Look, do you want my help in freeing your mum? Because if so, then you need to trust me.”

“I do!” she replied hastily, “I’m just… scared.”

“That’s okay.” I told her, “You’re allowed to be. But if this is going to work, then I need to be one of the bad guys for a time. I might have to shove you around a bit, not that I want to. Can you handle that, and still hold faith in me? Because if you can’t commit to this, then nor can I. Say the word, and I’ll escort you to safety, but you’ll have to leave your mum behind.”

Before she could reply we heard a gasp, and it quickly dawned on us that the man I had choked out had woken up. In a daze, he tried to get to his feet, and before I could even comprehend it, Bunnie had stolen Krocsbane from me and lunged forward, where she drove the blade into the side of his head, right below the ear. He died in an instant, and as she tore the knife out and handed it back to me, Bunnie looked into my eyes with a bitter, seething glare.

“That committed enough for you?”

Swallowing, I took the knife and stared at her in disbelief. After blinking a few times, I inhaled deeply and searched for words. Bunnie then looked at the blood on her hands and shuddered, with her face becoming visibly paler. As the realisation of what she had just done kicked in, her knees buckled, and I darted forward to catch her just as her legs gave out. Lowering her down gently, I sat down beside her as she gathered herself.

“You really didn’t need to do that.” I sighed.

“I… I didn’t… I wasn’t thinking.” she croaked, clamping her eyes shut.

“Alright, alright…” I hushed, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Taking my old shirt, I took her hands and helped remove the blood. I then took the balaclava back off to look at her properly.

“That was really stupid of you.” I said sternly, before softening again, “Are you okay?”

It took her a while to speak, but as the shock slowly died away, Bunnie faced me and sniffed.

“If this all goes tits-up and we die, then at least I can say I took one of them with us.”

Though her lips trembled as she said it, I saw the glint of confidence in her eyes and knew that she would be okay. Tutting, I assured her once again that I would be getting her and her mother out of this, and that I had no room for failure. With a weak smile, I got to my feet and offered her one of my hands.

“Come on. The sooner we do this, the sooner I can tell you I was right.”

Taking the hand, Bunnie allowed me to pull her up. With her legs still a bit shaky, she stumbled into me and we met chest-to-chest. The both of us chuckled awkwardly, and I helped her to stand still.

“Okay… run me through the plan again.” she asked me.

Clearing my throat, I laid it out step by step. Now dressed as a cartel gunman, I was going to signal over the walkie-talkie that I had found Bunnie. I would then drag her out into the street and find some of my ‘colleagues’, and demand to be taken to the girl’s father. As for the language barrier, Bunnie assured me that plenty of her father’s men spoke English. In fact, the man himself spoke it as often as he did Portuguese. Permitting that I maintained the act well enough, my inability to speak the language wouldn’t pose as too much of an issue. Confidence was the key, and so I endeavoured to be as confident as possible.

With a nod, Bunnie told me she was ready. Recalling the last time she was caught here in the shanty town, she told me what to say, and with a deep breath, I picked up the walkie-talkie and held down the push-to-talk button.

“I found Bunnie.” I grunted, “Get the transport ready, I’m bringing her to you.”

Letting go of the button, there was a moment of silence, followed by crackling and static. And then, in a thick Hispanic accent, someone on the other end congratulated me for finding her, and commanded all the hunters to return to the rendezvous point on the north side of town. With a pained expression, Bunnie told me to grab her and start dragging her.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” I told her.

“Well, you said it yourself, this needs to be convincing.” she muttered bitterly, “Look, I can handle it, okay? Just do whatever you have to do.”

Tightening my lips, I dipped my head to her, confirming that I would. I then apologised in advance for any mistreatment that I might have to distribute.

“Apology accepted.” she assured me.

She then opened her arms for a hug, and knowing that it would be the last form of affection we could share for goodness-knows how long, I eagerly embraced her. Holding Bunnie tightly, I promised for a second time that I wouldn’t fail her, and letting out a heavy breath, she promised in turn that she trusted me. Closing my eyes, I held her for just a moment longer, before finally letting go. Putting the balaclava back on, I cast one final look of sorrow to the girl, before getting into character and tightly grabbing her wrist.

Taking the lead, I pulled her out of the alleyway and into the street, where she quickly began to resist me, struggling while I marched her up the road. She was actually pretty strong, and as we turned into a new street and spotted more cartel men, it became clear that she wasn’t entirely faking. With tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, I realised just how scared Bunnie was, and it wasn’t easy to remain in character. Still, I held firm and yanked her towards the men, where they watched me from beside a pair of white panel vans.

Upon my approach, they gave me vague gestures of approval, and then opened up one of the vans for us to get inside. As I pushed Bunnie to get in, she slipped free and tried to make a break for it, only for me to seize her by the arm and yank her back to me. Pulling her close, I stared into her eyes and ordered her to get in. With a scowl, she responded by spitting at me, making sure the others knew just how much she despised me. However, this meant that I now needed to retaliate, and so with all the regret in the world, I didn’t hesitate to strike her, delivering a firm backhanded slap to her face. It was enough to send her head jolting to one side, and I had to fight the urge to make sure she was alright.

Now shaking like a leaf, she did as she was told and we clambered inside together, where I forced her to sit in one of the corners and then plonked myself down beside her. The others got in and sat down as well, and in a bid to ensure nobody tried to touch her, I let my hand rest on her leg, effectively claiming her as mine.

The vans both rumbled to life and we hastily drove off. Along the way, one of the men tried asking me something in Portuguese, and letting my confidence shine through, I bluntly told him that he could either speak English, or not speak to me at all. Clearing his throat, another man sitting opposite me stepped in to translate.

“He asks where you found the girl.”

Lifting my chin in thanks for the translation, I said that Bunnie had been hiding in an alley, being protected by some do-gooder. I was asked what became of him, to which I scoffed and said that he was taking a nice dirt nap. A handful of them chuckled, with one of the men lightly smacking my arm in friendly camaraderie. Everyone fell silent after that, and I passed a glance at Bunnie, who raised her lips to me in a malcontent snarl. Making sure that no one could see, I winked at her, assuring her that we were still on the same side.

We had been on the road for a good while, when at long last, we finally came to a halt. The back doors and side panel were opened and the men all hopped out. I then took Bunnie’s upper arm and brought her out of the vehicle. Looking around, I found myself in the heart of the cartel’s compound. It was a far cry from Inigo’s place, that was for sure. Unlike the Bogeyman of Brazil’s warehouses and shacks, Bunnie’s dad clearly had a taste for finer things, for his organisation had set up shop within a traditional estate. All around were whitewashed adobe buildings, and in the middle was a gigantic manor house, where two men, armed with rifles, looked down at us from a balcony.

Not knowing what to do or where to go, I gave Bunnie an aggressive shove, secretly telling her to guide me. Fighting the tears, she began walking towards the manor, and I followed close behind. The doors were opened for us, and upon entering, the men I had travelled with went off in various directions. Two of them stayed with me however, and escorted us up a flight of stairs and along a set of corridors. Eventually we came to a halt outside a large pair of double doors. One of the men reached forward and knocked firmly, and from within came a man’s voice.

“Entra.”

The doors were pushed open and we walked into a large room with an ornate wooden desk in the middle, where a man was sat in a lavish-looking chair. He was a sleek individual in a well-tailored suit, and had oily black hair that was slicked backwards. A pencil moustache sat below his nose, and I needed no introduction to know that this was the man in charge. However, as I observed him getting to his feet and walking over to us, something far more concerning dawned on me.

I had seen this man before…

{Holy shit…} Conscio murmured slowly, {Ain’t this the wee cunny we knocked out back in Brazil? You know, when we went back to Inigo’s compound to steal ourselves a boat?}

My answer came in the form of a gulp, and I thanked my lucky stars that the balaclava obscured my face. Paying me no mind, the man focused instead on Bunnie, narrowing his eyes and giving his daughter a cold, sickly smile.

“Aprendeu a lição?”

He placed a hand against her face and she pulled away with a look of disgust. Offended, the man didn’t hesitate to slap her, forcing out a whimper that broke my heart. The man then huffed loudly.

“Suponho que não.”

Looking to one of his men, he jerked his chin upwards, resulting in the girl being hauled away. Every fibre of my being wanted to go after her, but I had to remember that this man was effectively my boss for the time being; I couldn’t leave without being dismissed. After she was withdrawn from the room and disappeared from sight, I looked back to her father as he stepped towards me.

{I could do it, you know.} I rumbled in thought, {He’s close enough. I could pull out Krocsbane and kill him right here, right now.}

{Aye, you could.} Conscio agreed, {And then those men out on the balcony would gun you down, if this other guy to your left doesn’t get to you first. One way or another, if you try something right now, you die here, and this’ll have all been for naught. So keep your hands where they are, yeah dipshit?}

Silently acknowledging that he was right, I remained still and looked at the man blankly as he observed me through narrowed eyes. Eventually he took a breath in through his nose and then spoke to me.

“Você fala português?”

I knew he was asking if I spoke his language, and so I shook my head slowly.

“Espanhol? Russo?”

Again, I shook my head.

“Inglês?”

Nodding, I confirmed that I spoke English, to which the man smirked with acknowledgement, before walking around his desk to sit back down, where he continued to peer at me cautiously. He then snapped his fingers and ordered me to take the balaclava off, and with my blood running cold, I did as he commanded. For a moment that felt like an age, he took in the details of my face through narrowed eyes, before finally moving things along.

“So, you are the one who brought back the girl, yes?”

Though his accent was thick, I understood him just fine, and nodded for a second time.

“Well done.” he muttered, “It normally takes a few days to find the bitch. Did she give you much trouble?”

I closed my eyes and shook my head, at which the man’s tone grew hostile.

“Do you not speak?”

Gulping, I took an inward breath through my nose, and forced myself to remain stoic. Desperately trying to keep my cool, I gave a verbal reply, expressing that I hadn’t slept very well lately, and that I didn’t speak much when I was tired. I had said it with a flat tone, hoping to make my accent indistinguishable, but much to my regret he clocked that I was British from the second the words had left my lips. Humming with interest, he slowly licked his bottom lip, raising an eyebrow with curiosity.

“Are my barracks not comfortable enough for you? Or perhaps that is not where you have been sleeping, hmm? I certainly do not recall employing any Englishmen into my Militia Unit, and yet here you are, wearing an outfit that very clearly doesn’t fit you.”

{Oh fuck…}

Not that he knew who I truly was, but he had seen through my disguise all the same.

“You think I wouldn’t notice?” he continued with a proud smirk, “Your shirt is bulging at the shoulders, and your trouser legs come high enough for me to see your ankles. You didn’t think about this very well, did you? So tell me, my sleepy friend in another man’s clothes… where is it you come from?”

A bead of sweat formed on the side of my head, which then rolled down my jaw and into my beard. Thinking as quickly as possible, I tried to come up with a believable reply, and for once, I didn’t need Conscio for this. By way of a simple deduction, it was clear that this guy had connections with Inigo back in Brazil; why else would he have been there with a clean-up crew, recovering the cartel’s product? I could only guess that this must have been another branch of Hoyt Volker’s worldwide criminal enterprise. Trusting in the theory, I made my bet, and answered him.

“I worked in Brazil, with a friend of yours.”

At this, he threw his hands up into the air and gave me an open-mouthed smile, shouting with excitement.

“Ah! You are one of Inigo Montenegro’s men, yes!?”

{Oh thank the gods…}

It seemed that the odds were back in my favour again, and with a weak smile, I gave another nod and continued the lie. I told him that I had joined up with his men a few months ago, during his clean-up crew’s sweep of the Bogeyman’s old compound.

“I knew I recognised you from somewhere!” he said, waggling a finger at me, “I remember your eyes! I forget names and faces all the time, but eyes? I never forget a pair of peepers. You must have worked for Inigo for some time, yes? I used to visit him often, you see. He and I were very close.”

{Well how about that…} I mused to myself, {It really is a small world…}

Lifting my chin, I confirmed that I had been in the Bogeyman’s ranks for the past two years, until finally the cartel met its end to the captive uprising. When the clean-up crew arrived, I mucked in with them and helped to slog product onto the boats, and then returned to Portugal with them. Since then, I had been lying low with the lower ranking members of the cartel, waiting for my moment to earn my new boss’s attention, and respect.

“When I heard your daughter had gone for a waltz downtown and needed someone to find her and bring her back, I nicked one of your Militia boys’ uniforms and decided to fetch her for you myself.”

At that, he emitted a loud, one-syllable laugh and clapped his hands together. Getting to his feet again, he walked around to me and put a hand on my shoulder, and proceeded to tell me that I had most certainly won his attention.

“I didn’t think any of Inigo’s boys had survived.” he went on, “You’re an endangered species, my friend! Tell me, what is your name?”

I couldn’t tell him that. Although it was very unlikely that he had learned who was responsible for the uprising, I would make absolutely no room for error. I had to think fast, or I wouldn’t sound genuine. For as stupid as it was, the first name that sprung to mind was that of my old friend Bruce, of whom I had given my dogs to at the start of this whole adventure.

“Bruce… Bruce Harding.” I replied, boldly putting out a hand.

After a tense hesitation, he took the hand and shook it firmly, before cupping it and smiling warmly at me.

“Mister Bruce, as one of Inigo’s former employees, you must know just how thrilled I am to meet your acquaintance. You already know who I am, but please allow me to reintroduce myself to you personally… I am Paulo Escuella, and I want you to know that you are most welcome here.”

So that was his name… Paulo.
Though his over-friendly demeanour was somewhat unsettling, it seemed to be quite authentic, as though Mister Escuella was genuinely happy to see a member of his dead friend’s cartel, returned from beyond the valley of death. For now, I would have to play along, at least until I could locate where Bunnie and her mother were being held, and orchestrate a way to exfiltrate them. Once that had been achieved, I would gladly add another mogul from Hoyt’s syndicate to the list of men I had killed.

Thanking him for his welcome, I asked if I could be properly acquainted with the ins and outs of his business. Elaborating, I told him that since arriving, I had been remaining idle around the compound’s outskirts, not really knowing what to do with myself. Now, I wanted to be put to work, and to show my worth beyond finding lost daughters. All too eager, Paulo ordered me to follow him, and proceeded to take me on a little tour around his compound.

Heading back through the corridor and down the stairs, we entered the manor’s main hall, where numerous men were dotted around, toying with their weaponry and chatting amongst themselves. In one corner was a group of people playing five finger fillet, using a large military knife that was completely identical to Krocsbane. The surface they were playing on was stained with old blood, indicating that many previous players had failed at the game.

Heading through to another part of the manor, I was introduced to where the slave girls were kept. It was a large room with dozens of mattresses dotted around. Stifling a shudder, I looked on as Paulo gestured to the numerous young women that dwelled there, scantily clad and all bearing bruises. Their legs were bound in chains that were linked to steel anchor points in the walls, and every one of them was malnourished.

“So long as you perform your duties, you can rent one whenever you like.” Paulo told me, before pointing to one in the far corner, “Lilly over there is my favourite.”

“Noted.” I murmured, trying to appear interested.

Continuing the tour, we went to another of the manor rooms, revealing a very impressive armoury. Most of the room was made up of shelves and racks, upon which were numerous firearms. At the back of the room however, there were scores of crates and barrels; I could only try to guess what they contained…

Leading me from the manor, we made our way to one of the outbuildings, which turned out to be the prison. Unlike the open warehouse of the Stock Heap, this cartel’s living product were kept on a multi-level concrete building, where people were divided into groups and packed into small cells, no bigger than the average walk-in closet. Akin to Inigo’s infrastructure, these prisoners would either be sold back to their families for profit, or be spirited away into the slave trade, never to be seen again. I could only guess this was where Bunnie had been taken, and it haunted me to know she might be trapped in one of these cells, just a few metres away from me.

Moving on, I was brought to a different building, which turned out to be the drug factory. Inside were dozens of workers, slaving away as they produced and packaged various narcotics, such as LSD, cocaine, ketamine, and heroin. The reek of chemicals burned my nose, and by the time we had gone through every station, I was feeling light-headed and nauseous. On the way out, Paulo offered me a small bag of some unknown substance, to which I quickly denied.

“Not a using man?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“I like to keep my head clear.” I replied in earnest, “Can’t fight well with a clouded mind.”

At that, Paulo chuckled and mused on how he wished more of his men thought this way. We then took a trip to the general sleeping quarters, followed by the higher-end cartel barracks. After that, we made our way to the rear side of the manor, where we strolled through a small-yet-elegant little garden. There were numerous flowerbeds, along with a large fountain in the middle.

“So, what do you think of my little empire?” Paulo muttered, taking a moment to admire a patch of camellias, of which were yet to fully bloom.

“Well, it’s not quite as grand as the British one, but you’ve done well.”

My response had Paulo emitting a long, wheeze-like laugh. He then tutted and told me that he was grateful to speak to someone with a degree of humour about them. After observing his flowers for a moment longer, he jerked his head to the manor in a commanding gesture.

“Come, drink with me.”

I followed him back indoors and we returned to the office we had started in. He commanded one of his men to bring a chair for me, which was placed opposite his on the other side of the desk. I sat down and waited for him to do the same, where he then craned his neck at me.

“Spirit?” he inquired.

“Say again?” I asked nervously, confused.

“Drink, Bruce! What spirit do you want?” he emphasised, rolling his eyes.

“Surprise me.” I replied, raising an eyebrow.

At that, Paulo rested the tip of his tongue on his bottom lip and chuckled, before reaching under his desk and withdrawing two skull-shaped shot glasses, along with a large bottle of Kraken Spiced Rum. He poured a large shot for each of us and pushed my glass towards me, which I picked up and dipped my head in thanks. He clinked his glass against my own before downing his shot in one. I did the same thing, instantly feeling the warm burning in my mouth and throat as the ethanol slid down into my stomach. It took everything in me not to cough; the last time I had consumed hard alcohol was my mother’s stolen whiskey.

Putting the glass back down on the desk, Paulo was quick to pour me another, along with one for himself. To my relief, he only took a small sip this time, indicating that I could do the same. Having not eaten since that nice old lady’s generous food basket, I was on an empty stomach and needed to pace myself.

“Now, Mister Bruce, to business.” Paulo rumbled, lowering his chin, “You wanted my attention, and you have it. As for my respect, you earned that by serving Inigo. So tell me, what is it you want?”

“As you just said, to business.” I replied blankly, “I want to work with you.”

Narrowing his eyes, he asked me to elaborate, and so I did.

“When I worked with Inigo, I wasn’t just some drugged-up grunt working for my next dose. I enjoyed the work, and I want to enjoy working here. I don’t want to package product and raid defenceless towns, I want to do more than that. I don’t want your money, and I don’t want your drugs. What I want, is a slice of the pie.”

To put it in simpler terms, I had essentially told Paulo that I wanted a position of authority within his organisation. I wanted to be what Vladimir Kikashkov was to Inigo; a right-hand man.

“That is… a very bold request.” he began, “Though I have always admired those with ambition.”

Reaching under his desk again, Paulo retrieved a small box of Cuban cigars, along with a box of matches. Taking two of them out, he handed one to me, which I graciously declined.

“Oh no please, I insist.” he told me.

“I don’t smoke.” I said calmly.

Nodding slowly, Paulo closed his eyes, and then with his other hand he pulled out his pistol and aimed it directly at my face.

“You will smoke this gift, or I will put a hole through your head.”

I gulped in fear, but kept eye contact with him.

{Well… this took a turn.} I thought to myself.

{Aye, that it did.} Conscio replied, {Now, would you kindly smoke the damn thing, before he sends me flying out through the back of your skull? There’s a good lad.}

Reaching forward, I took the cigar, along with the matchbox. Striking one, I lit the cigar and placed it between my lips. Lightly sucking at it, my mouth was flooded with the acrid taste of hot earth. It shot down my throat and into my lungs, and as though I had inhaled water, I broke into an uncontrollable bout of coughing and spluttering. At this, Paulo burst into a roaring cackle of a laugh, before stashing his gun away and pinching the cigar from my grasp.

“My boy!” he cried, “My boy, I was just fucking with you! Did you really think I would shoot the last living member of Inigo’s cartel? And one of his favourites, no less!?”

Smacking the desk and leaning back in his chair, Paulo started smoking the cigar for himself, and told me that he had simply been testing me. If I was to have a place as his higher-up, then he needed to see if I would still obey him without question. Although I had failed in this regard, he was far too amused by my coughing fit to care, and told me that he would consider my proposition all the same.

“I can see why Inigo was fond of you.” he said with a smirk, waggling a finger at me, “You permeate an air of fun, you know? Everyone here is so… dull. It’s all about money, sex, narcotics. But you? I see a glint in your eye. It is as you say, you are not some mindless, heartless drone, drifting between pussy and inebriation. No, there is more to you, isn’t there?”

“I’d like to think so.” I replied, bearing just a hint of conceit.

With his lungs full of smoke, Paulo sent two billowing plumes from his nose as he huffed, momentarily likening his visage to that of a dragon. He then sat in silence for a time, sipping away at his rum and gesturing for me to do the same.

“So, my daughter.” he eventually spoke, flexing an eyebrow, “Pretty thing isn’t she?”

“Very.” I agreed plainly.

“Do you want to fuck her?”

Almost choking on my rum, my eyes widened with shock. Wholly unsure of how to respond, my answer came in the form of a bewildered stutter.

“Uh, I, erm… beg your pardon?”

“Oh don’t be so coy, Bruce!” Paulo laughed, amused by such an abashed response, “It is no secret that she is the forbidden fruit in my holy garden. There isn’t a man alive who doesn’t want a piece of her. I would have her myself if she wasn’t my own child!”

I pretended to laugh, though the remark sickened me. The thought of Bunnie being thrown from man to man was nearly too much for me to bear. Lightly clenching my jaw, I remained in character and said that I could hardly blame him, for she was indeed, very beautiful.

“And no man said otherwise.” he tutted, taking another toke from his cigar.

“It would seem she doesn’t hold you in such equally fond esteem.” I pointed out, “Why is that?”

With a disgruntled shrug, Paulo blew a cloud of smoke to his left, before lamenting his fatherly woes.

“The girl is a menace. Her whore mother has turned her against me. When I had her brought to me, I opened my heart and my home to her, for I wished for her to live with me, and be a part of my life. But alas, she has chosen to resent me. I tried to give her a place in my business, but no matter what I have her do, she causes trouble. I had her working in the kitchens, and what does she do? She poisons the food. I had her packaging product, and she destroyed it, costing me tens of thousands!”

Slamming the desk with his hand, he continued to rant about Bunnie’s traitorous actions, from attempting to free the slave girls, to puncturing the tyres on the cartel vehicles. It seemed that she was no helpless babe after all, and was determined to rage against the confines of her captivity. As for her punishment, this was where the shanty town came into play. As payment for her rebellious deeds, Bunnie was dumped on the roadside, followed by members of Paulo’s Militia Unit, his higher-ranking soldiers, to hunt her down. It was all a ploy to give her false hope, to believe that she might get away, only to be brought back to where she belonged.

“As I’m sure you have heard, anyone who catches her during these little games are to be granted a turn with her when she turns eighteen.” he went on, “I have made this very clear to her. If she isn’t to join me, she is to become my product. Next year she will be put in chains to join the other slave girls, where you may do as you please with her for one night, and one night only. From then on, you will have to pay for her, as will the rest of my men.”

“Understood.” I grunted, forcing myself to seem enticed.

Squinting his eyes, Paulo clearly sensed my displeasure, and with an open-mouthed smirk, he leaned forward and guessed as to why.

“You want her for yourself?”

Hesitating, I met his gaze for a few seconds, before going full-throttle on the confidence.

“Well, from one fine gentleman to another… have you seen her?”

Gesturing outwardly as I said it, my response had Paulo leaning back in his chair and roaring with laughter. Emitting an amused huff of my own, I chose to press on.

“A bird like that, traitor or not, is too fine a prize to be passed around like some back-alley whore. Besides, I’m not one for sharing. If you would take me into your service, I would ask that such a pretty thing was kept off the public menu. I like my girls fresh.”

Saying that last part had me feeling nauseated, but I needed to seem like I wanted Bunnie as property, or he might suspect that I had taken a more emotional liking to the girl. If that happened, then my ruse would find itself on unstable ground. With his laughter coming to an end, Paulo was about to speak, when I bravely interjected with one final statement.

“If you and I are to work together long term, and Bunnie was to be mine, then perhaps I could… condition her, into reconsidering where her loyalties lie.”

Now that caught his attention. From the very moment Paulo had told me his name, I had been analysing him for a weakness, and at last, I had found one. Twisted and cruel as he was, the man still wanted a relationship with his daughter, and I had just presented myself as a doorway to one. The prospect of a new right-hand man that could sway his flesh-and-blood into loving him was too tempting to pass up on.

In the space of a few heartbeats, the room’s tone shifted. No longer was I just the novelty survivor from Inigo’s cartel; now, I was the potential key to something he wanted. Finishing his drink and slamming the glass back down, Paulo jumped to his feet and circled around the desk. Instinctively I got up as well, and upon reaching me the man firmly placed both hands on my shoulders and squeezed them tightly.

“You are… very good at talking business.” he growled, followed by his face breaking into a wide grin, “I will cut you a deal. I have a number of jobs that need doing, jobs that need to be handled… delicately. I would like you to prove your worth by doing these things for me. Permitting you succeed, I am a man of my word. Bunnie will be yours, for as long as you remain at my side.”

This was it. This was my chance. If I played along for just a while, and proved to Paulo that he could trust me, then I could ensure Bunnie’s safety whilst working on the inside. From there, I could locate Bunnie’s mother and plan their escape. All I needed to do now, was accept whatever these delicate-natured jobs were, and see them through.

“Consider them done.” I told him, “When do I start?”

---

Comments

[Monk With No Name]

I'd say you did a great job redoing this one, it conveys that Bunnie and Callum have been through it and what that does to people, while not going too overboard.

[Mister Horncastle]

11940583
Yeah this one took a LOT of work, so thank you very much!

I wanted this chapter to be way less 'Action Hero-y' and delve more into the suspense and espionage, with Callum feeling out of his depth, and I'd like to think I hit that beat rather well in this rewrite. Paulo knowing Cal was in a disguise was a way to heighten that further, adding another layer of unpredictability for one of the most tense segments in the story so far.

And as you say, for Callum and Bunnie, it leans harder in how horrific their respective experiences have been, with Bunnie being so damaged and desperate to save her mum that she impulsively took her first life, just to prove how badly she needed help.
It also makes her less of a 'helpless damsel', which adds a fun little irony to the chapter's title.

As for Callum, although the kill-count dropped substantially from the OG, the visceral nature of the chapter remains, and if anything, goes WAY darker as there's more focus on how it affects him.

I can't wait to get the next chapter done and bring it to you.
Back to the writing desk...