Rust: A Bad Boy Romance (Courage MC) (13 page)

W
e had made
our way to the Darkhorse house. It was no secret where there headquarters lay, but in the past it was an unspoken rule not to invade on anyone’s sacred spaces like that. Just like foreign entities didn’t bomb the White House, you sure as hell didn’t plan an attack around the place of leaders. Well, all that was broken when they had decided to bomb and assault Rust’s club. That was a clear violation in everyone’s eyes.

But when we got there, no one seemed to be around. “Where is everyone?” I asked aloud. “Where’s Rust?”

Bruce sniffed at the air and squinted his eyes as if he was trying to find some invisible clue inside of the air. “No clue, but someone was here. Many of them it seems. Not long ago.”

“What makes you say that?” I began walking up to the door, taking my gun out of the holster and preparing myself for a sudden attack.

“I can smell the burnt rubber in the air. And I can smell the gunpowder as well. Someone fired a gun around these parts.”

“You’re certain of that?” I asked him, feeling my stomach sink.

“Pretty damn certain. Although I could be wrong, it’s been in my best interests to know when someone around me has been shot.”

“Let’s hope you’re wrong.” I said, gripping the door handle. I slowly turned it and pushed myself through to the living room, gun drawn and all.

“Oh my god.” I whispered. In front of us was a murder scene. An elderly man with his head shot clean in. Blood splattered the wall. I’ll spare the details, but it wasn’t pretty. I instantly shielded my eyes and Bruce came running up behind me to protect me.

“Ah,
shit!
” he screamed.

“Who is that, Bruce? What the hell happened in here?”

He leaned over the body, covering his nose, and quickly turned away. “He was a member of the Darkhorse.” he said, solemnly. “Long time ago. This was back when I was just a captain. Back when everything was good between us two crews. Tragic story. He met a woman and fell in love. She ended up gettin’ killed, and he disappeared. I had heard some rumors about him being alive, but I always thought it was just people sayin’ stuff. But it’s him alright. God damn, I wish I knew what happened here.”

I pointed my gun towards the staircase. “There. Upstairs. Let’s make sure it’s clear.”

Bruce walked carefully upstairs and announced to me that, “It’s all clear. Just some candle and a…” his voice fell short.

“What is it?” I asked, running upstairs.

“It’s a note.” he said, holding a piece of paper in his shaking hands. “It says, ‘When you find this parchment, you will know that I have been killed. Know that I have done everything in my power to inform Rust of his origins. They set me up. They set us all up. The Darkhorse gang will have him by now. Be warned: they
will
try to turn him. They
will
be successful. The end
is
inevitable. I am sorry for all I have done.”

He crumpled the note in this hand and tossed it on the ground. “Sons of bitches!” He punched the wall, causing the wood to dent in a bit.

“Save your energy, Bruce.” I warned him. Things were at a tipping point now. We would need all the rest we could get.

“I guess you’re right. I’ll calm down.” He grabbed a cigarette and lit it. I frowned at him.

“What did the note mean when he said that he tried to inform him of his origins? What origins?”

He shrugged. “Beats me. Probably talkin’ about his parents gettin’ shot in front of him.”

“But he knew about that already. There was nothing to inform him about. I don’t get it. Why would this random old man tell him about that?”

Bruce turned angry and annoyed. “I don’t know, God dammit! He was a crazy old man. It’s like I told ya, he left a long time ago after the love of his life died. Ain’t nothin’ more to say. He went crazy. Probably became a bum.”

His answer only made a little bit of sense. But I still couldn’t figure out what he meant about where Rust came from. Bruce was up to something. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Alright.” I said, dropping the subject altogether. “Let’s just find him.”

We walked downstairs and exited the building. Outside, Bruce was bending down against the cold desert floor and inspecting something. “Gotta look for their bike’s tracks. If they got to him, they’d be bringin’ him somewhere secret. Some place we have never been to before.” He ran his hands across the dirt, until he finally came across something. “Aha! Found it!”

Sure enough, he had come across some tracks. They led deeper into the unknown, into the heart of the desert. I looked into the distance, where the moon had lit up the ground. “Let’s follow them. But we have to be careful about this. We can’t let them see us or hear us. How far do you think they took him?”

Bruce squinted his eyes and thought for a second. “I can’t be too sure. But there is a place not too far from here. It used to be an old ranch, but the owner was killed years ago. It ain’t but a few miles from here.”

“We’ll walk then.” I said. Bruce looked at me like he was going to kill me. “Sorry old man. Anyway, you could use some exercise.”

“I resent that.” he said, smiling at me.

We headed into the desert. Our only light and compass was the stars above us. The only thing holding us together was the hope that Rust was still alive. The note said that they would turn him. But how? All I could do was pray that he was still alive. If he was, I knew that his interior was too strong to be turned by the likes of the Darkhorse gang.

Hold on for me, Rust. Just hold on.

“
A
h
!” My teeth gnashed together. Thoughts streamed through my head like an animated movie. Yet, there was still the normal and rational side of me that kept telling me, “You’re still here. This is just the drug working on you. Don’t worry. It’ll all be fine.”

The rope binding my wrists and ankles together was now tightly straining against my skin. My muscles were growing. My anger was tripling. My desire for war and destruction was slowly becoming the only thing I cared about. Love? Fuck love. It was a false concept. Or at least that’s what my mind was telling me now that the drug had made its way through my system.

Power was the only reality. True and absolute power.

“No!” I screamed, snapping out of it for a brief second.

“Good. It’s working.” Don said. “Soon enough, you’ll be just like us. Hungry. Ready and willing. You’ll be one of our many golden leaders. Everyone will look up to you. Doesn’t that sound incredible?”

“It sounds
perfect.
” And that was exactly why I couldn’t give into it. Everything that
sounded
good to me was suspect. I needed to hold on to what I was and that meant holding on to what I now despised. Love, purity, healing.

But my muscles kept shifting and the thoughts grew stronger. After an hour or so, I felt the rope become so tight that it snapped. I was free. They all aimed their guns at me in fear. Don waved them away.

“Don’t worry. This is the process. He will not attack us.” he confidently announced.

He was right. I had no urge to attack him or anyone else in this room. These were my brothers. These were the ones who had shown me the light of darkness. Anger, hatred, disgust, and contempt for the known world. That was my new prerogative.

“How do you feel?” Don asked me.

I looked at him, grinding my teeth. “I feel like we’re wasting god damn precious time. We should be out there fighting!” I screamed. The men around me laughed.

I simply walked up to one of them and grabbed his throat, lifting him up, and completely crushing his trachea. “Is something funny to you?” I asked him.

“Put your weapons down.” he said to the rest of them. “NOW!” He smiled at me, pleased with my rage. I relished in the fact that I would become one of their golden warriors. I would go down in history as the most ruthless soldier to have ever fought. I wanted to. I needed to.

I threw the man down onto the floor as hard as I could. The man was instantly killed. I smiled, pacing around the room and staring into the eyes of every single Darkhorse member. “Anyone else think anything is funny?” I asked them. No one, of course, said a word. They looked down and saluted me. “Good.”

Don put his hand on my shoulder and said, “They have only received very small doses of the drug so far. After all, we need leaders and followers. Soldiers and captains. You, of course, are a natural born Alpha Leader. You are God’s gift to the cause. You know that don’t you?”

I nodded confidently. “I will bring our enemy Hell.”

“And who is your enemy?” he asked.

“Courage. And whoever else decides to stand in my way. This includes my subordinates.”

“Haha!” he cackled. “Good, good. We’ll show them what real pain is like. We’ll bleed them dry and leave them to rot in the desert sun. And when all comes to pass, we will be the only ones left. And we will have everything we could have ever asked for.”

“Power is all I need. The rest means nothing.” I said, walking outside of the house.

Don followed as I walked up to the nearest turret that had been set up, pointing at a target. I grabbed the gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger. To my excitement and surprise, every single bullet that came from the chamber hit directly in the center. I could see with precision. I could sense when the wind changed speed and direction. I was one with my surroundings. “God this feels good.” I said.

“It does.” Don said. “Good to have you aboard, Rust.”

“We must talk strategy. What is our next plan of attack?” I asked him.

“We mobilize force and send wave after wave of attacks. One bomb tomorrow morning. Another a few hours later. We send our soldiers into the city and have them come through the smoke and rubble to bring them Hell and horrific destruction. By the end of the day, we turn our once beloved city into a den of lost souls. The only ones who will be left will be the users. The homeless, drug addicts, and derelicts. Those are the people who matter to us. No more police. No more Courage. And no more Hell’s Wheels.” he said, looking into the night sky.

“And what about Darkhorse? We’re not of their kind.” I said to him. Dan, I knew, would agree with me.

“You’re right, of course. I’ve been thinking about that all day. We come from different origins. Both of us. Darkhorse has always been an enemy to all people. All they’ve ever wanted is death. But what is death without power? Nothing. When all is said and done, we will be rid of all names. The only thing that will be left is the
feeling
of unity behind our cause.” I shook his hand in agreement and took aim.
Bang, Bang.

“
I
t ain’t too far
from here. Just a little ways away. See that light?” Bruce whispered, pointing ahead of us. Sure enough, in the distance was a ranch and some lights. Only, there seemed to be something weird going on. There was movement, as if there was a whole group that had mobilized in front of us.

“What is that?” I asked.

Bruce got out the binoculars and squinted. “Looks like some kind of training going on. I can’t be too sure though.”

“Whatever the case, we better keep quiet and in the dark. There’s gonna be guards swarming the place.” I said.

We walked as quickly as we could, avoiding detection at all costs. It wasn’t just about staying alive at this point. It was about making sure Rust stayed alive. If we were caught, there was a high chance they would go ballistic and kill us all. At this point, with all the drugs they were loaded up on, it was hard to say what they would do.

We reached the side gate to the ranch in less than ten minutes. With our backs to the metal, we looked at each other to make sure we were on the same page. A guard was patrolling the area, but I knew what to do. As he passed our still bodies, I jumped up and wrapped my hand around his mouth and neck, twisting with full force. The man was practically killed instantly. “Come on,” I motioned. “time to save our man.”

We ran inside the compound and found that the place had more than a few armed men guarding the doors to the inside. I looked left and right. “Shit.” I whispered. “What do we do?”

“We gotta go for it.” Bruce said. “I have a smoke and flash grenade, but that’s about it. It might be our best shot.”

“No. We can’t afford to waste those yet. We gotta take the men out by the door without causing any alarm or upset.” I looked inward, trying to think of the best way in.
Think, Jackie. Think!
There was no grand plan. We had to act fast. I grabbed a small rock and threw it ahead of me. It smacked and ricocheted off a nearby pole.
Thwack!

“Hey, you hear that?” One of the men by the doors asked.

“Yeah, let’s go check it out.” Another said.

Together, they all walked away, leaving the entrance wide open. Bruce slowly walked up behind them and tapped their shoulders.

“Expecting me?” he whispered, slashing their throats clean. They fell onto the ground in a pool of blood. “Bastards.”

As he was cleaning his knife, I peered inside the building. First thing I noticed was that there were a lot of familiar faces inside. Only, they looked different. They looked like soldiers whose eyes had grown hollow and defunct. They still smoked, drank, and talked loudly, only there was no normal laughter left. Instead, it was replaced with evil cackles and paranoid looks.

And then Don walked by, followed by …
Rust?

I practically said his name out loud. It was Rust. Only, he was wearing their arm band, sporting the gorilla logo and everything. “What the fuck?” I whispered, waving at Bruce to come over and look for himself.

“Son of a bitch.” he barely said aloud. He grabbed at his gun and aimed at him.

“No!” I whispered. “What the hell are you doing? That’s my husband you’re about to shoot.”

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry, but what the hell are we supposed to do now? This changes everything.”

I pressed my hands against my forehead, feeling the weight of all that had happened thus far stack against my shoulders. “I don’t know, Bruce.” I shook my head, eyes watering up. “Maybe he’s just faking it. You know, maybe he’s got a plan.”

We peered inside again. This time Rust was laughing with him, loading a weapon together. It was as if they were partners in crime. Best friends even. “Jesus Christ.” I moaned. “Look, I can’t do this. I have to take a step back and think for a second.”

“There ain’t no time for anyone to think. We need to act. Now!” And in a fit of rage, Bruce grabbed his smoke and flash grenades and threw them inside.
Boom!

“Go!” he screamed, putting on infrared goggles and rolling inside. I trailed behind him, gun drawn. I put on a pair as well as the gorilla bikers strained their eyes to see against the blinding light and fog.

The men around me were all targets. One by one I shot my gun. Almost instantly, they all fell to their knees. “RUST!” I screamed, searching the house.

“You dare attack us like this?! You cowards!” A voice yelled from the other room. I recognized that voice from anywhere. It was Don.

“Don! Come out with your hands up and we just may spare your life!” I screamed.

“Spare his life?” Bruce asked me. “Fuck that! We’ll kill you both!”

“I’d love to see you try!” Don said, almost excitedly. “But we have a little plan of our own. Don’t we, Rust?”

“Rust?! You in there?” I yelled. My baby. Oh, God.

“Leave. Just leave. If you don’t, I’ll be forced to cut your limbs off. One by one.”

“Rust, don’t let them get inside your head!” I yelled. “It’s me. It’s Jackie. Your wife. Don’t you remember?”

“That was a ploy!” he exclaimed. “You think I wanted to be married to you? It was a means to an end. Nothing more, nothing less. Now I told you once. I won’t say it again. I
forced
you into this and you know it. Leave me!”

“We’re not going anywhere without you.” I said, throwing down my weapon.

“What’re you doin’?” Bruce said, scrambling to aim his gun.

“Rust, I set my gun down. Please come out. Just talk to me.”

“There’s nothing left to say. They’ve won. Now give up or pay the price. This is your last warning.” he said. My heart sank. Was this really the man I fell in love with?

“I love you.” I admitted. “I really love you. If you can’t love me back, there’s no reason to live any longer. Go ahead. Shoot me. Leave me to die.”

Rust walked into the center of the room, holding two sub machine guns out. “Shoot her, Rust!” Don cried out.

“Rust, it's me. Remember?” I calmly said. A single tear rolled from my eye, down to my cheek.

“I can't.” he said, blankly.

“What're you waiting for? Shoot her right in the head!” Don shrieked.

I walked up to Rust and grabbed both of his guns, forcing the barrels against my head. “Do it. Just do it. I dare you!” His hands wrapped tightly around the triggers. His gaze was steady and determined. “Goodbye.” I whispered. I closed my eyes and began to think about all the good times we had together. I thought about the future too. All those things I thought would happen together, crumbling before my very eyes. This was the end.

But in a single second, his eyes changed. His pupils grew small and his muscles seemed to relax. “Jackie.” he said, as if his rage had completely subsided. Then he fell to the floor. Bruce and I both took off our goggles, running over his lifeless, spasming body.

When he saw this, Don grabbed his gun and ran out the back door. “No you don’t!” Bruce yelled. He aimed his gun and shot in front of him. “Got him!”

Sure enough, a bullet pierced through the back of his shoulder. Don dropped a flash grenade, leaving us completely blind. “Where is he?” I cried out.

“He's gone, God dammit!” Bruce yelled. There was nothing to do, other than give up the fight.

I grabbed him and threw his arms over my shoulders. “Come on. Help me pick him up.”

“Better to leave him to die.” Bruce muttered, yet he grabbed his legs and helped me carry him outside the house.

“Shut up, Bruce. Just shut the fuck up.” I turned my head to whisper to Rust and said, “Stay with me, baby. Just stay with me, okay?” It was a long walk back, but if we just made it to Glen, he might live through this. Or so I hoped.