Petr comforted her but she could see the rage in his eyes boiling, his eyes turning from warm velvet to that of boiling blood. The eyes scared her and yet she felt protected looking into them. She could see Manus and his whole army drown and burst into flames in those eyes.
"It will… it will be alright Violet," said Michael awkwardly trying to get into his act. He looked out the window as he did and could feel Rose's eyes piercing his as he did so. He prayed Rose wouldn't feel how hard he was… "I will… I will kill them. Kill them all… if they… if they… even lay their hands on you. Even if they look at you, I will kill them."
The army was hot on their trail with their dual-colored eyes flashing in the lightning creating a frightening spectrum. The banished were hungry for vengeance. They were sent away for a crime they did not commit.
"I trust you, Petr," said Rose in a sensuous whisper. There was so much desire and passion in her voice. He suddenly wished in that moment that their ride in the carriage would last forever. That any worries in his life would get deflected just like the rain was getting deflected from the carriage. The storm could rage on forever but at least he would alone with his Violet.
Michael placed his fingers on her chin and raised her head. He saw fear in her eyes, a fear that only he could get rid of. The thought of her wanting him seemed absurd and yet he saw it in her eyes. In those pools of crystal-like purple.
Michael placed his hands on her nape and brought her closer to him. The purple stars in her eyes gleamed as the fear from them went. They saw only one thing. Him.
He looked at her lips and felt an uncontrollable urge inside him. He wanted to do things with those lips that he had never thought of before in the brief life he had lived since waking up naked in the city. He brought the lips closer to his and closed his eyes. He could smell the gloss on her lips hitting him like a drug.
The army lost their lead on the lovers the moment they kissed. They had almost reached the Mountains of the Green which was immune to the magic of Manus. This was where they intended to convince the Elders to remove the rule of the forbidden love, for their sake and for the sake of the land of Walmin. Their love would be the blossoming of a new era..
An explosion suddenly made them pull away from each other. Gunfire. The carriage suddenly swerved to the side and crashed hard into something. They both fell on the polished hardwood of the carriage.
Michael was confused. Manus's army intercepted them after they had kissed not before. Maybe he did not remember it correctly. He turned to Rose and saw sheer terror in her eyes.
"What's going on?" she asked suddenly. Is this part of the roleplay? Michael couldn't understand what was going on.
Michael heard someone whimper outside. Someone begging in a weak voice before another shot of gunfire silenced him.
This was not act Michael realized. They had been intercepted, by bandits probably.
Michael moved forward to push the door of the carriage open but someone else flung it open from outside and peered inside. He recognized the man who opened it.
It was Hicks who barely acknowledged his presence. His eyes, full of rage, were turned to Rose.
"Get out, Michael. I've got no bone to pick with you," he said in a menacing whisper. "It's her I want. This bitch is the reason my brother is dead."
Michael looked behind at her and saw the desperation in her eyes. Save me, they screamed. They cried out for him but this time to save him.
Hicks grabbed Michael shoulder and shoved him out. "C'mon, Michael. We ain't got all night." Michael stepped out and let out a gasp when he saw the dead body a few yards away from him. He could see a pool of darkness underneath it which glinted red when the lightning flashed. It was Wilson's butler whose mask had been removed and a look of shock was frozen on his face. He was dead. There were two holes of darkness on his chest pumped with lead from a repeater.
There were three other people with Hicks who Michael did not recognize. They all had repeaters and shotguns with them. They looked dangerous. Michael turned away from them fearing they would shoot him too if he looked at them too long.
Hicks had a bit of difficulty taking out Rose who tried to fight back but was no match for Hick's strength.
"Leave me alone!" she screamed. "Michael, please help me!"
"Ain't no one gonna save you now princess," he said as he took her out of the carriage. He grabbed her hair and she screamed as he pulled her face towards him. He looked her in the eyes, his scars lighting up as lightning flashed behind them, and he smiled his yellowed teeth at her.
"Well, I can see why Burt fell for ya," he whispered menacingly in her ear. "You remember Burt don't you? He was my brother, pretty face, a lot prettier than mine. You told lies to your father who kicked him off the farm."
Rose did not say anything. She just looked at him, frozen with shock. Afraid that if she did anything he would hurt her.
"He died, ya know? This job was the only thing he had other than being an outlaw. He had to turn to his past, to survive. And guess what?" he said laughing in a threatening way. He was trying to scare her as much as he could. The fear he saw in her eyes filled him with joy. "He died. He got killed in a shootout. All because you tricked him into thinking you wanted him. He was a good guy who got me clean. He was the one who showed me the wrong of my ways and brought me here. You killed him."
"I… I.. I'm ssss.. sorry," blurted out Rose with tears from her eyes. The falling rain had messed up her makeup and the purple eyeliner was running down her face. Michael looked at her and felt sorry. He wanted to help her.
"Sorry? Sorry?!" he said raising his voice and shaking her. "You think a sorry is going to get you off the hook? You're gonna die just like he did. You're gonna join him in hell and he's going to fuck you there while the devil watches. But first…" He smiled and surveyed her body as her wet shirt clung to her body. "First, I'm going to have some fun with you. Then the others are going to have some fun too. We don't get much cash for girls which well… is your father's fault. But you will do nicely. You're all dressed up too."
He winked at Michael as he held Rose's arms in one arm who started thrashing and screaming again. Hicks pushed her back inside the carriage and pushed her lower body under his. He held out his knife and Rose began to thrash even more. He put the tip gently between her breasts and she froze. He began to slowly tear through her shirt running the blade gently between. She could feel the cold tip as it scraped against her skin. Michael had had enough.
He moved forward and pushed himself between Rose and Hicks who glared at him like a rabid dog. His friends had their weapons raised at Michael ready to gun him down if he made any more sudden moves.
"What's the matter with you?" spat out Hicks. "You trying to save her? You crazy? She doesn't give two shits about you and you're here trying to help her? My brother loved her too and look what happened to him. She'll do the same to you, to all of us."
"That doesn't mean you should kill her," said Michael.
"Move aside, Michael or I swear to god I'm going to kill you. I'm going to give you till three," Hicks threatened. Michael knew he wasn't kidding. His expression was dead serious.
Michael looked behind him at Rose. She looked at him with the eyes of a helpless puppy. The makeup on her face was ruined and she wore expression of sheer terror. But she was still beautiful…
"One…" Those eyes… "Two…"
They don't deserve to ever close.
"Thr-"
Michael acted quickly. He grabbed Hicks turning him around and using Hicks as a shield. He grabbed the revolver in his hostage's holster but before he could even pull it out, Hicks smashed his elbow hard into his chin. Michael grabbed at his face and staggered around. The pain was enough to dull his senses until he heard the gunshots. Bullets rammed into him and he could hear Rose's screams in the background between the blasts. He fell on his back turning his head towards the carriage.
"I was going to let him a go at this bitch too," Hicks shook his head in disappointment. Then he focused on Rose again giving her a ravenous look.
That was the last thing Michael saw before he blacked out.