Page 149 of Downfall

I glare at him. I know he’s trying to help. I know this isn’t his fault and yet right now I can’t even think straight.

“Perhaps we should go back. Regroup. Plan a counter attack.” Holden says.

“No fucking way.” I growl back. I’m not giving up. I’m not turning back. They have Rose, they have her and if we have to run them off the road, storm the very building to get her back then that’s what we’ll do.

“Roman.” Ben says grabbing my shoulder.

“I’m not leaving her.” I state. “I’m not letting Darius get anywhere near her.”

Someone else says something. Mutters something. But I don’t hear it. I don’t want to hear it.

We turn the corner, my eyes fixed on the road in front and then I see it, the wreckage. It’s up on the bridge. The car’s half twisted as if it almost ripped in two and it looks like they cut the entire door off.

“Fucking hell.” Ben growls.

But as he does a hail of bullets come our way. My men duck down, even though we have bulletproof glass. I guess it’s instinctual but right now I’m running off pure adrenaline.

I twist around looking for the source and spot the fuckers over by the trees. Grabbing an assault rifle, I drop the window just enough, and shoot a volley back.

My men in the truck come up behind us. They’ve got a machine gun attached to the roof. Ben had said it was unnecessary when we’d come up with the idea but it doesn’t feel unnecessary now.

We watch as a stream of bullets start flying off in the direction of the woods and I’ll admit when I see them start to fall, when I see them lying their dead, I do get more than a little sense of satisfaction.

But as my men are cheering all I can think about is the fact that they have Rose, that right now she must be utterly petrified and worse, she knows I’ve let this happen. That after everything I said, I’ve failed her.

We don’t have time for this, with every second that we are caught here, in this fight, she is being driven further and further from my reach.

A roaring noise brings me back out of my thoughts, we all turn, staring in horror as an actual fucking tank comes at us.

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

I don’t know who says it. If it’s me, if it’s Ben, Holden, or all of us together.

We don’t have time to react, time to do anything as the damned thing roars towards us and we’re rammed, hard, right across the tarmac before we come to an abrupt halt.

“We can’t get out. They’ll shoot us if we do.” Holden says but we can’t stay in this damned car either.

The tank rams us again. We all grab the sides as the vehicle lurches and then we’re rolling. Over and over. Down the bank and with a thump that feels like the very earth is shaking we land in the deep water below.

“Get out.” Ben yells. “Get out of the car.”

But the water is already filling up. We’re trapped by the pressure and the doors won’t open. They won’t even budge.

We’re sinking so quickly we can’t escape it and as the murky water overcomes us a hail of bullets rings down from what feels like the very heavens itself.

Rose

Iwake with a groan. My body feels heavy, like I’ve been in a serious fight. As I shift I realise my legs are exposed; it feels like I’m half naked. I jerk violently, kicking out as I sit up.

“Slowly now.” Darius says. “The drugs are still wearing off.”

I stare over at him, blinking rapidly as my mind catches up.

The room I’m in is dark, like it’s night time. I’m on a couch. Laid out on it while he’s sat across watching me. I’m no longer wearing my dress. I’m in a shirt. Just a shirt and my panties.

I glare at him. He’s got a gash down one side of his face, it looks fresh, painful. I hope it fucking hurts.

“Your dress was dirty so I took the liberty of putting you in something more appropriate.” He states.

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