The First Age

The creaks were making Ricky nervous, but at the same time gave him an excitement that he didn't experience when there wasn't a sense of danger around. This building wasn't stable and was probably made less so from the C4 explosions they had caused earlier.

Ricky followed Jacinda's lead as she went towards the sacristy. He followed her down after a flash bang went off and covered the stairs and corners. There were four victims - three women and one man, though the man was gone. Jacinda pushed the girls toward him and he rounded them up, speaking to them calmly in Spanish and took them up the stairs after Jacinda. She took out more rougs and went after an injured one.

The creaks were getting worse and she ordered him to get the victims out of here. Ricky didn't hesitate to follow that order. It wasn't fear. It was just what they did. They had to protect the innocents. He went for the closet exit.

One more roug surprised them as he waited in ambush. The roug grabbed one of the girls and she screamed. Ricky reacted quickly, but the roug still got a swipe at him, causing a blood to trickle down his cheek. He placed his pistol underneath the rougs chin and pulled the trigger until the revolver clicked empty. The roug fell over dead. Ricky was aware of the blood, but kept moving anyways. It wasn't bad and was nowhere near the horrors the women had faced.

The woman the roug attacked grabbed onto Ricky and wouldn't let go. Ricky kept moving, slowed down by the woman. Soon they were outside, and Ricky brought them to the SUV. He opened the truck and pulled out a couple of blankets. He had the women sit down - at least the two that didn't have a death grip on him and wrapped the blanket around them. They held onto each other and he pulled some bottles of water and handed it to them.

He tried to hand the other bottle to the other woman, but she was too busy sobbing into his shoulder to notice. He couldn't remove her. She held onto him like a security blanket and Ricky wrapped the second blanket around himself and her and rubbed her back issuing comforting words. It was all he knew how to do. Jacinda should be out soon. He kept his eyes open for her and more rougs just in case. Either way, it looked like the hunt was over.


Edited by Enrique, Nov 4 2014, 03:53 PM.

The pops and creaks of the wall continued but she was following a trail away from that wall so she wasn't as concerned. She did keep her heavy blade handy though. The long weight of it in her hand filled her with a sense of power. Her arm itched to swing it hard, to feel the thwack of it meeting flesh.

But she couldn't be so focused on chasing him down that she missed another. The thing was injured anyway. It wouldn't move fast. An injured animal could still kill you. She wouldn't be easy prey in any case.

She peaked her head out the hallway- down low in case anything was waiting at head level- and saw nothing. The blood trail was still fresh and she walked out the arched way into what used to be a garden but was now just an overgrown mass of bushes and trees and vines. It was only late afternoon but the over-growth and the high walls made it seem like dusk. She stopped, the sounds of the wind stirring leaves and tall grasses and leaves muffling the sound of anything else.

She stood there, quiet, feeling the place. Her eyes adjusted until she could see just fine. She crouched with her weapon free and scanned the ground while never really stopping from watching everything else. She could see from the placement of leaves and bent grass- its leg had been cut badly and it was dragging it- the direction it went. This was the most dangerous moment of all. It was hiding somewhere in here.

She moved imperceptibly, the sounds and movements from the wind masking her progress partially. Despite the growth, the walls showed she was approaching a densely covered corner of the wall. She'd be stupid to go into that. The thing was fleeing, which meant it was hurt and scared. If she went in there, she'd have limited freedom of movement and its anger and strength could overwhelm her.

Without thinking, she pulled another flashbang from her pocket and readied herself. She looked around and could see the thing would be coming out straight towards her. She got her blade ready and then set it and throw it. She was ready and the loud bang and smoke and light only momentarily fazed her. The noises and lights coincided with a crash that was slightly off to the right. She shifted and swung just as it jumped at her. It lay on the ground still moving but she didn't immediately go to it.

More than likely that was all of them but she still needed to be careful. When she heard nothing else, she went to the creature. It gave off a low moan as she kicked its foot- happening to be one the leg she'd but before. She smiled at its pain. They were still dangerous like this and the intelligent part of her told her to just put it down. But she felt that hunger in her. She wanted to see the fear in its eyes.

She crept closer until she could see its eyes. The middle was nearly slice in half and it was bleeding out and clear in pain. She smiled and watched it. There would be no bullet in the eyes, no quick death. She was alert to the rest but could not stop staring at it. She couldn't see what the creature saw, but she did see its reaction. She treasured it and kept looking until something about the way it held itself- the way its muscles were clenched- relaxed and the eyes glazed over.

Carefully- after signalling Ricky that she was ok- she backtracked, searching the rest of the Convent. For any others. She found evidence of their living- and their eating, but nothing else. As she did, she placed the remaining charges that had been in her hip bag. The single ante-rooms destruction had place a huge strain on the north wall. She place the others in the other chambers and on a few cross walls. They were all keyed to the same frequency.

Once she was outside, it was starting to become dusk for real. Ricky was probably worried so she radioed him that she was on her way. The relief in his voice was palpable. She followed their old route- around the ruins of the antechamber- to the truck. He was there with the four girls, one of whom clung to him and wouldn't let go. She rolled her eyes.

"Let go now!"
she barked and the girl's hands loosened. She dug into her pouch, really glad that Ricky had thought to give them water, if for not the reasons he thought. They didn't have a lot of time. The explosion was going to call attention to this place and she didn't want them to be here. And they weren't going to keep the girls around for longer than they had to.

She passed out three pills to them each. "Take it."
The words were simple but brooked no argument. At Ricky's look she explained. "They've been with the rougs. They obviously weren't for food except for an ear maybe. You figure it out."


The girls seemed frozen. One of the girls, the one who'd been holding on to Ricky began crying and crossed herself before touching her stomach. "No, no, no...." She exhaled in irritation. She didn't have time for this. She pulled out her gun and put it to the girl's head. "It's the pills and maybe some cramps for a few days or this. Decide quickly."
She would give them 10 seconds.

The three other girls took the pills without question. It was the one who had crossed herself that was refusing. She thought it was murder, no matter if the child born to her was a monster conceived in rape. She started crying as Jacinda put the gun to her head.

Ricky didn't have a lot of time to think. He understood Jacinda's reasoning. It wasn't the act of having her take the pills that bothered him. It was the gun to her head. The terror she was inflicting on the poor girl. She needed to be consoled, not subjected to more of this.

"She's scared enough Jacinda, she doesn't need this."
he said in English, moving forward and pushing the gun away. He could feel the woman resisting him.

Jacinda fixed him with a glare and pushed the gun back. "Don't touch my gun again or it goes off."
She looked at him harshly. "I'm not going to stand here arguing about it. The timer has been set and the explosion is about to bring everyone down here."
She looked back the direction they'd initially driven then back at him. "If these girls are pregnant there's a good chance they will grow up to be rougs. I wont allow that."
She looked at the girl. "Drink and you can go home."
The look in her eyes was deadly serious.

Ricky was conflicted. He knew the risks, and again it was the method more than anything that bothered him. He shook his head. She was right, but if she was then why did it feel so wrong. Ricky sighed and spoke to the woman telling her that it was necessary she take the pill.

The girl crossed herself again and Ricky heard her whisper the words, "Dios me perdona."
Then she took the pill.

They loaded up the van and Ricky remained silent getting in. He started the car and drove away. He remained silent for a few moments before speaking again in English. "Speak in English please, I don't want them to understand us. I understand the why but not the means. That's why I'm bothered. Will you please explain because I'm a little bit upset right now?"


Upset was the best word to describe how he felt. He wasn't sure if it was anger or sadness or some combination of both.

Edited by Enrique, Nov 4 2014, 07:01 PM.

Jacinda smirked at Ricky and holstered her gun. As far as she was concerned it was all done. The girls got in the back- they were shaken up but that was going to be the case then minute they had been found.

Ricky immediately started in on her and she felt her eyes roll. Good god, this guy just didn't get it. She didn't answer him at first.

Instead she casually pulled out the detonator and pushed the button. Suddenly there was a woosh of explosion behind them as the convent went up. The look on his face was priceless and she laughed deeply as they drove on through the darkening sky.

After the laughter stopped she pulled out her gun and let out the clip and tossed it to him. Empty of course. She laughed again. Such a sap.

"Listen up skippy. It needed to be done. I had neither the time nor the inclination to talk this girl into anything. I wanted it done and I got it done. End of story."


The girls had been held and raped by rougs for who knew how long. No telling how many had gone at them. They had seen them carving on and eating other people. There was the real possibility that the children they would one day have would themselves become rougs- possibly starting with them.

Now, they sat in the back of Ricky's Tahoe on their way back to a life that had been as good as gone. In the quiet of the cab she finally added, "After everything they've experienced over the last few days and weeks, I doubt very much that my holding a gun to one of their heads will rank up there in their nightmares. I just saved these girls from a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering."


She looked back at them in the shadows and then smiled and went silent again. Ricky drove them to a hospital inside the city and got them checked in or whatever. She wasn't interested in seeing this any further. As far as she was concerned, the hunt was over. And she was rather disappointed that the frenzy she had felt had been quelled by Ricky's attitude.

Oh well, she shrugged. They'd get back to his bar and she'd see what she could see. It wasn't as good as right then and their after a hunt, right where the fighting had been. But with a bottle of tequila, she'd make do. A bottle and one of the patrons. That bartender had been pretty hunky. Course Ricky's friend in the red dress had been something too. Now that it was done, she was pretty ready to have a nice little party.

Enrique sulked more on the drive back. The worst part was he understood, but it still felt so wrong. Jacinda was experienced, she knew what she was talking about, but the way she had dealt with it had been...he couldn't come up with a word for it.

That was the worst of it. He was torn between what he felt and her experience. It led to confusion on his part, and he didn't know how to deal with it. He didn't like being confused, hence the sulkiness.

They arrived back at the bar and it was once again packed like it was the night before. He went to the bar and got a shot and a long-island. He wanted booze. It was just how he felt right now.

Mercedes arrived again, wearing a low cut blue dress this time. For the first time since the hunt ended, Ricky smiled. She came over to him and leaned against the bar in between Ricky and Jacinda.

Mercedes smiled at him, but it was soon replaced with a frown. She had noticed something different about Ricky. "What's wrong?"


"It's nothing. I'll be fine, especially since you're here."
he gave her a wink and she smiled, taking a seat in Ricky's lap.

Ricky got her a drink, and they chatted for a bit. The distraction from his thoughts banished his sulky thoughts and he became more like himself. There was some dancing tonight, but not as overt as last night - there was no competition. Ricky caught Mercedes giving Jacinda a couple of looks here and there.

Well, that's interesting...
Ricky thought. His mind raced with those possibilities.

Of course, she was sitting in his lap. She turned back to face him, looked down, and looked back up again. She grinned and there was a mischievous look in her eyes. Ricky looked back at her, curiosity in his gaze.

"Dance with me,"
she said standing up. Then she fell backwards. She tried too hard to make it look like an accident, as it was obviously on purpose. She landed directly in Jacinda's lap.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry."
she said to Jacinda and brought her hands up to her face as if in embarassament. Ricky could tell she was mouthing something to Jacinda. She was making it obvious on purpose. She wanted him to know that she was teasing him.

Mercedes shot him another mischievous look and turned back to Jacinda. Ricky shook his head with a smile. "Hello, there. You know, you're really comfortable."
She wrapped one arm around Jacinda's shoulder as she had before with Ricky.

Jacinda smiled at the girl- Mercedes was it?. Course it was clear that she was just teasing Ricky. And it was working. He finally stopped acting all butt-hurt and was relaxing.

The girl seemed to sense there was some tension between them. Well, from Ricky anyway. Jacinda really couldn't care less what he was feeling. She purposefully fell into Jacinda's lap and then leaned it- after a feigned apology- to whisper "Play along."
A grin split Jacinda's face. Now this might be funny. At least for a little while. She had her own hunt, after all.

The girl settled into her lap and said she was really comfortable. Jacinda looked her in the eye and spoke to her smokily. "Oh, I'm kinds of comfortable. Especially for a little thing like you."
Her eye flicked to Ricky and then back. "Don't you know, dearie, that nobody knows a woman's body better than another woman?"
She smirked and nodded her head toward Ricky and then laughed. "Certainly not a man whose access to the equipment is infrequent- and is mostly alone practicing in the batting cages."


The girl laughed but looked hurt and playfully slapped at her. "You're so mean to him. He seemed to know what he was doing yesterday."
But she didn't get up. And she did look at Ricky.

Come on, Skippy.This is your chance. Do you need a sign? She would give him a few minutes to strike while the iron was hot. If he didn't, then, well Jacinda just might decide to pounce for herself. That would show him. You snooze you lose.


Edited by Jacinda, Nov 5 2014, 12:51 PM.

Ricky laughed at the exchange. She was teasing and Jacinda played along. Both women seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Jacinda's speech brought more images to Ricky's mind and he knew he was ready to get out of there. When Mercedes looked at him again and he saw that gleam in her eyes and stood and walked over to her.

He kissed her while she was on Jacinda's lap. She put her arms around his neck, and he reached to pick her up. She let out a short, playful scream as he did, but laughed as he set her feet down.

Ricky gave Jacinda a quick glare for the teasing, but the smirk on his face said that he had found the humor in it. "Good night, Jacinda."


He once more escorted Mercedes up to his own apartment above the bar. Maybe this would turn out to be more than a fling - eh who knew?

Turned out Ricky wasn't that much of a dolt. Good. Whatever else had happened, he'd earned a little fun. And so did she. She turned to the hunky bartender but saw him talking to another amazing looking man with exquisitely dark features. She didn't bother further. Body language told the whole story, after all. She did smile though.

Now it was her turn. Her eyes surveyed the floor for a bit, sizing people up and reading their situations. She decided on a likely couple of candidates.

The dance was on.


Edited by Jacinda, Nov 5 2014, 06:28 PM.