Melancholy

Shit. Fuckin’ shit.

“Set up,” Krypt growls.

A tall man with blonde hair, scattered with tiny pieces of grey, appears through the armed men. He’s got a small smirk on his face as he takes us in, his eyes particularly trained on Santana. He crosses his skinny arms, and his grey eyes twinkle with victory. This must be Atreau. Motherfucker.

“Well, isn’t this interesting,” he says in a low, girlish tone. “Butch said you’d show up, but I really didn’t think he was right.”

Butch.

FUCK.

It all falls into place like a fuckin’ bomb going off inside my chest. I close my eyes for a brief second, fuckin’ sick to my stomach with the reality of the situation I just put my boys, and my girl, in. This was a big, fuckin’ set up. The Tinmen weren’t chasin’ Pippa to get back at me, they were chasin’ her to get me here.

“I don’t really know what’s so good about the girl, that would make all of you would show up, but I’m not sad about it. I need some new workers, and all this muscle will do the job.”

“Like fuck,” Krypt growls.

Atreau laughs, looking around him as if to say, “Are you serious?”.

“One click of my fingers,” he laughs joyfully, “and you’re all minced meat on the ground.”

I can feel Santana behind me, her fingers trembling as she places them on my back. I’ve fucked up. Now we’re all going to pay for it. The only good news we have is that he wants us as slaves and not to kill us here and now, that gives me some hope that the boys will come for us.

“Don’t say another word, Krypt,” I mutter, low and deadly.

Atreau laughs again, fucker. “Yes, you should listen. I’ve been known to kill men for less. But, like I said, I could use your kind of muscle. So, if you will...”

He waves a hand towards the door. That’s when Mack shoots. I don’t see it coming; he’s behind all of us. But suddenly he’s firing, shot after shot into the men surrounding us. It takes them a moment to respond, by this time Krypt, Zaid and Rhyder are all shooting. I spin, pulling out my gun, shooting a man aiming at Santana. His brains scatter as his body falls into a heap on the ground.

“Fuckin’ run!” I roar at her.

She doesn’t hesitate, she knows better. She turns and runs towards the thick trees we came from. One of the men raises his gun and shoots at her, he’s not quick enough to hit a vital part, because I blow his fuckin’ brains out. I can’t tell if it’s a graze or if he got her good, because she disappears. Her scream rips a fuckin’ hole in my heart, but I can’t go to her. If I do, we’re dead.

“She can’t go alone, Mack,” I bark over the gunfire. “Go after her.”

Mack, two guns in his hands, doesn’t hesitate. He disappears into the trees, too. There’s only a few of us left now, and a whole lot of them still standing. Atreau must have made some sort of call, because suddenly another twenty or so men appear.

“You fucking put those guns down, or we’ll blow you to fucking pieces,” he roars.

Machine guns. They’ve got machine guns. We’re no match for machine guns.

“Drop the guns,” I growl, low and throaty. My leather is covered in blood splatters.

Zaid, Krypt, Rhyder, Grimm and Austin all drop their guns. Atreau steps forward. “Get on the fuckin’ ground!”

We do as we’re told, lowering to our knees. My pride rips to pieces as I get closer to the grass.

Turning to his men, Atreau roars, “Go and find that fuckin’ girl, now.”

About six of the men run off in the direction Santana went. My heart tears to shreds. Please, Mack. Fuckin’ make sure she gets to safety. Atreau’s boots crunch in the dirt as he nears.

“You just killed eight of my best men, I can’t let that go unpunished. I need your muscle, but not all of it. Which one of you will pay for the lives you just took?”

My stomach coils and I lift my head. “Don’t you fuckin’ kill them. You want revenge, you kill me.”

“That would be no fun. I mean, you’re the President after all. Isn’t it your job to protect them?” he laughs high and delighted. “I think you need to watch one of them die. Now, which will it be?”

His eyes scan over my guys. My hand goes to my gun, and he spins back to me. “You fuckin’ put that down, right fuckin’ now, or I’ll kill the fuckin’ lot of them and let you watch. What’s it goin’ to be?”

“Take me,” I growl, my voice a low hiss.

He ignores this, turning back to the guys. My heart races and my entire body feels like it’s going to explode with rage. I shoot, they kill us all. I don’t, they take one of my men. I have to come up with something else, something better, something he wants more.

“I’ve got girls,” I bark.

He looks down at me, his face serious a moment. I want to bellow with relief when he laughs, no longer amused, but deadly. “I’ve plenty of girls, biker.”

Then he turns his gun, without hesitation, and he pulls the trigger. An agonized cry rips from my chest, as Rhyder slumps backwards, his head no longer whole. Agony, the kind I’ve never experienced, rips through my body, collapsing me to the ground. Krypt bellows in rage, and if it weren’t for Ash, he would charge...life or not.

Zaid, Grimm and Austin have their heads bowed, their bodies shaking. With rage or emotion, I don’t know. My chest heaves with emotion, swirling with the rage inside, making me want to kill every fuckin’ one of them. I can’t do that, though. I can’t leave Santana. I drop my head, letting a single, agonized tear slide down my cheek for my brother.