Twisted tales from a twisted mind. Rose Blood chapter 1

Pain. It shoots up my left side from the gunshot that says there, my hastily made bandage is quickly becoming saturated and soon won’t stop the blood flow at all, but I have to keep going, if I don’t I’ll die. Shit, why couldn’t the base be closer? I’m not even sure how far away it is anymore, the blood loss making me disoriented, I’m only following the path in front of me, the way too defined path. Shit, I’m off track, please where ever this is taking me be safe.

I think back to how I even got into this situation, It was a lucky shot on the bastards side, it was completely dark and he couldn’t have seen me under the brush. Anyway, I was sent to see if the reports of the entry way we used to enter the encampment were closed off now, and they were, however, we weren’t told of the guard that was sanctioned there. Damn them, without that entry point how are we going to hold rescue missions? The culling is only in a month but yet without that entry point, we can’t get people out. Fuck slave trade for executing the slaves that haven’t been sold in a year, fuck King Frederick for declaring all orphans slaves, fuck Lloyd for running away when we needed him the most, fuck the civil war for existing, fuck Little Evila for using child slaves as their front line, fuck everything!

Shit, I’m losing my temper I can’t afford to do that. I look around trying to find out where I am, to see a clearing with a house in it. I wonder if the owners know that they live near an execution camp. What am I talking about? Of course, they do, why else would they live so far out in the middle of one of the most dangerous forests on Evila? It’s more than likely owned by one of the people that live in the camp and couldn’t stand the smell of thousands of innocent children being be kept there, only to be killed off. Then again there is that small chance that the people living in the house don’t know about the execution camp nearby. Either way, it was my only hope of living, and so I shamble on. Upon getting closer I notice a little girl playing in the clearing, playing alone that is. This just proves my point that almost all adults are idiots. “Oh, we live in the most dangerous place in the world that is packed full of man-eating creatures. It’ll be completely safe to leave my six-year-old outside without supervision, she’ll just scream if she needs help. So what if she is dead by the time we got out there to help, she needs her fresh air.” Fucking idiots. A scream alerts me that she has seen me. I look up to see the girl having trouble opening the door and eventually just starts pounding on it, the bastards had locked her out. Note to self-rescue little girl when escaping later. At least it doesn’t take long for them to open the door for her, but she would have been dead several times over if I was a monster. The girl points to me and the man who answered the door double take after seeing my condition and pushes the girl inside. At least he is considerate in that way.

The last of my strength leaves me and I fall face first onto the tall grass unable to even bring myself to put out my arms to catch myself. I feel myself being turned over where I come face to face with the Prince of Little Evila himself.

“You conscience?” I glare at him and spit in his face.

“Fuck off,” I say before blackness takes me.

I'm surrounded by people, all of which are under the age of sixteen. Unbathed, dead-eyed, and gazed unseeing looking at nothing, they look dead, no they are dead. However in front of me is a sixteen year old, with long red-brown hair that falls in limp waves from the grease that is in it, her skin was covered head to toe in dirt so dense that it blotted out her skin entirely in places, her brown eyes were dead just like the others, except they were glaring at me. I know this girl, she haunts my dreams frequently, she was the girl that took me in when I first arrived at the slave camp five years ago, when I was just four years old myself, she was also the person I stole my name from. Rose, the girl I killed in order to escape the jaws of death myself.

“Was it not enough to kill me?” Rose says and all the dead eyes turn to glare at me. The eyes of those I could not save. “You had to steal my name?” I hear the grinder turn on, it’s squealing faintly for now. “Why did you kill me?” Death curdling screams are accompanied by wet crunches as the grinder starts coming closer, but yet everyone continues staring, judging me, and yet expecting to be saved. “So that you could live another day?” By now the grinder is just feet from us and the death curdling screams are deafening, but yet still people refused to move. “What about me? Did I deserve to die?” Rose grabs my arm as she falls backward into the grinder taking me with her, but I grabbed on to the rim if the grinder preventing us from falling into the grip of the blades. This close I can see the red and white chunks that were previously humans. “What’s wrong?” Another person fell into the grinder and I’m forced to watch as the person was pulverized into nothing more than paste. “Why don’t you just kick me off once again?” My grip slips a little, the blood on the rim making it slippery to hold onto. “You had no problem doing so before.” My grip slips once again, now I’m only holding onto the ledge with the edge of my fingers “Come join me in Hell Rose.” No! I kick her again and again. “So you finally show your true colors. You murderer.” With one last kick she falls off and I’m able to grab onto the rim once again. “I will haunt you for the rest of your life,” Rose said as she was ground into a paste. Suddenly people flood the grinder making me lose grip of the ledge and fall into the grinder.

But as I was about to feel the bite of metal I wake up with a jump and instantly regret it as pain once again flares out from my side. I instantly flop back down onto the bed.

“Calm down. It’s ok, you’re safe here.” A soft voice says from my left side. I look over and see the little girl from earlier. Her appearance is unique, but at the same time she could be mistaken for my younger sister, with her white hair and green eyes, but while my eyes hold nothing but bitterness and mistrust, hers are innocent, full of wonder and worry. What truly catches my eye, however, is her collar making her a slave. “My master and I healed you as much as we could but it still won’t be fully healed for at least another week even with constant upkeep. If you keep moving it’ll take longer.” Damn, I really fucked myself over this time haven’t I? At least I’ll live. “It’ll leave a scar but seeing as you have so many already I highly doubt that you will notice it that much.” My scars are my pride each and every one of them tells of a struggle I have survived and are proof that I am getting stronger every day. Something bothers me about her, she looks too much like you younger sister for it to have been a coincidence, but that is impossible, my sister is dead. It doesn’t hurt to ask though.

“Your name, it wouldn’t happen to be Alaza would it?” She turns to me in shock. I must have struck something.

“No, it’s Lily.” But then why did she looked shocked? She’s not telling me the full story. “I’m going to go meet my master. Please stay still while I’m gone.” I don’t think I can move much anyway so I nod my head in acceptance. As she leaves, she leaves the door open and I can tell that the small bedroom that I was occupying was connected to a hallway with another door right across from mine. I hear the girl knock on a door not so far from my own, and a mumbled reply from whoever was in the room. I take the free moment to look around the bedroom, it’s small barely enough room for both the bed and the dresser inside of the room, and it distinctly lacked personality in terms of decorations but what few there were I could tell that this room is the girl's room. Luckily there is a window large enough to sneak out of when the time comes for me to leave. I just hope Second and Raphaela, haven’t sent out search teams yet. Who am I kidding? Of course, they have. I need to send out a signal flare to tell them I’m safe and my location even if I can’t leave at this moment.

A man with long black hair that reached mid-back, and black eyes, entered to room and looks at me. “So you are awake.” Was there any doubt? “I’m quite surprised I cast a sleep spell that was supposed to last a week at least, you must have the same type of magic resistance as Lily then.” I jump up once again this time ignoring the pain in my side as I do so.

“What the fuck!? What the Hell is wrong with you!? You don’t just put someone in a coma without their permission! And don’t pull that bull shit about it was a medical emergency, I’ve have had bullet wounds before, and in no way was I required to go into a coma! Bedrest sure but not a coma!” I back away from him so that I was close to the window in case I needed a quick getaway. I vaguely realize that my side has started bleeding once again but don’t think too much about it.

“It was for your own good after all look at what you have just done! You’ve opened up your side once again, I and knew that this would happen as patients like you refuse to stay down and do as I order!” He must not be a real doctor then, even Raphaela who’s healing training mostly consists of her own experimentation knows not to yell at a panicking patent. With a deep sigh, he continues. “I’m sorry, but I’ve gotten no sleep trying to save you that my temper is less than ideal.”

“Still, Fuck off. I just need to get home and they can heal me there.” I would much rather prefer any one of our self-trained healers help me than this asshole.

“You lost more blood than any person that I have ever treated before has, It’s a miracle that you're alive at all, and now you’re bleeding out once again, at this rate you really will die from pure stubbornness.”

“It’s my stubbornness that got me here so I am willing to bet I’ll survive the trip.” or die trying, I think to myself.

“I cannot let you do that. Besides don’t think me a foul, other than the slave camp some ways away there are no other settlements.” That you know of. I have it on good authority; aka me living there; that there is a city hidden in the treetops full of children. Then again what good is a hidden city if you just blurt out that there is a hidden city at all? “And if do try to run away, you're likely to be eaten by the monsters in the forest itself.” I’ll concede that point, it’s a miracle that I didn’t run into any last night.

“Fine, but I will need to send out a series of signal flares, only then will play good little patient for you.”

“I don’t believe that for a second but fine. Now lay down so that I can heal your side back up.” I reluctantly do as he says, and I can feel his magic wash over me. Fuck, I will never get used to that. “Now come on, I’ll let you send your flares but I want to know what they mean.” I roll my eyes but comply, if only for the fact that I need to send those flares.

“Green for safe, red for injured, blue for I’ll get myself back.” That is not a hundred percent honest Blue really means do not come, will go to retrieval unit at later date.

“Fine.” He leads me out into the front yard, where I look at the tree line to see Second hiding behind a tree. I send out my flares and watch her reactions, namely a grimace. She must realize how bad of a shape I am in if I can’t leave even if she was right there. She lets out a purple flare, asking me how many days until a retrieval unit will be needed. I look over to the man to see his confusion about the fact a return flare was actually sent. “How many days until you will release me?”

“Is that what that flare meant? A week at least, maybe longer if you're stubborn.” I send off an orange flare meaning three days and get a green flare in ok in return.

“What now doctor?” I say mockingly. And he frowns at me.

“Bedrest. As sleep spells don’t last longer than a day on you and they don’t stack, I’m just going to have to trust you that you won’t just run away once you wake up, but I will be putting you back under after you have had something to eat.”

“Fine.” I spit out, and enter the house and go back to my room where I see Lily standing there looking nervous. Properly because I disappeared and she doesn’t know where to put the food she was carrying on a tray that looks way too big for her to carry.

“Lily make sure this girl eats, and eat yourself, once the two of you are done come get me and I will put her back to sleep.”

“Yes, master.” Thinking about it I didn’t get the man's name, and I’m half sure it wasn’t because he was purposely avoiding letting him know my name. I guess I’m just going to have to do a little bit of info gathering from the girl; Lily I remind myself. Not that I wasn’t going to do that in the first place.

“So Lily, do you and your master live here?” Hey, I never said I was subtle. Besides with children her age, it’s better to ask directly or else they will not give full answers.

“No, we are just here to spy on the slave camp nearby and try to find out is King Seph’s and Prince Lloyd’s daughter is in this encampment.” Wait, Seph’s and Lloyd’s? It must be one of those weird one father is the child’s real father while the other is adopted. Also where the fucking hell is Seph the king of? Little Evila’s king is named Frederick, not Seph. Could Lloyd have been married off and that is why he disappeared? Or am I just giving him too much of a benefit of the doubt?

“You wouldn't happen to know why Lloyd is back, would you? Or even why he disappeared in the first place?” It just dawned on me that Lloyd could not even be here, and even if so why would this girl know things like that?

“From what I’ve overheard, Prince Lloyd’s eldest daughter and two grandchildren went missing one day, and he and an army of other Evilans went looking for them on the other planets Evila controls.” Lloyd’s elder daughter? Wasn’t that the one that married the emperor of Evila Azleid? “It wasn’t until he had already left that the civil war broke out and by then he couldn’t come back until they found Prince Lloyd’s daughter or grandchildren. I think the fact that he is here now and we haven’t heard any good news so far means that all three of them are dead.” Not all three of them, I have it on good authority that there is at least one granddaughter still living; namely, she lives in the tree top city and wouldn’t leave after seeing the horrors that she witnessed having been done. Even if she did decide she wanted to return she wouldn’t know if she would be capable of living that kind of life anymore after everything she has suffered through. Now the question is if I let Lloyd know that his granddaughter is alive or not. Also damn, I guess he didn’t disappear for no reason what’s so ever, still hate him though. “Prince Lloyd did join the rebel army after he came back though.”

“What about King Seph? Where is Seph king of and why was his daughter in Evila in the first place?”

“Don’t know the full story, something about retrieving Prince Lloyd and her being kidnapped.” I guess that makes sense but it just doesn’t feel right to me. Besides, why would they send the girl to a slave camp and not just keep her for ransom? It’s not like Azla’s; aka Lloyd’s granddaughter that lives in the tree top city; a story where assassins tried to kill her and her sister, only for the sister to accidentally teleported somewhere and Azla was saved by a random passer dyer. Since Azla’s existence had been hidden away from the public they didn’t recognize her and she didn’t understand what they were saying so they sent her to an orphanage and later that day orphans were declared slaves and sent to slave camps. I should move onto lighter topics now so that if asked later her mind will be on those rather than the ones I asked before. Though she has been to the point so far.

“Why were you outside earlier? And doesn’t your master know that it is dangerous for you to be outside here?” She flinches as if guilty of something.

“I wasn’t supposed to be outside. I was actually supposed to be in the kitchen helping Kyle and Jack cook.” What type of punishment did she have for that? She isn’t shuffling in her seat so it wasn’t a spanking at least.

“Who all is staying here? Also missed the name of your master.”

“King Seph, Prince Lloyd, master Rafael; my master by the way; Mr. Jack, and Kyle.” So we have a king, a prince, a noble, a commoner, and two slaves staying here? Someone from each social level living here, I wonder why. And where are all of the guards for the royalty? “Though Kyle is treated more like Mr. Jack's lover than a slave really. I know that fact bugs Master Rafael though, he’s unused to slaves talking freely, and having as much freedom as Kyle.” So Lily has been trained to answer when asked and be to the point, but otherwise be silent? I guess that solves that mystery. “Can I ask a question now?” I blink in surprise but nod my head, while answering.

“Ask away.” That doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be completely honest.

“What’s your name?” Fuck what to answer? My name won't reveal anything and since it’s not my real name they can’t put a curse on me but still...

“Rose.” Lily giggles about something.

“We both have Flower names!” Huh, I guess that’s true, in a way at least. “How did you know the name Alaza?” Now that is something I’m not answering in full truth.

“You look like a person I know who is missing a sister named Alaza.” Alaza being Azla’s sister's name alongside my own sister's name.

“Really! That person wouldn’t happen to be named Azla would she?” Damn! I didn’t think of that. Evasion, evasion!

“You’re asking for Lloyd aren't you? And he is sitting behind that door at the moment as well isn’t he?” I spit out, thankful that I have already finished eating.

“Prince Lloyd.” Lily corrects me but I pay her no mind as my theory of Lloyd’s placement was confirmed. Thankfully I didn’t ask anything that could incriminate me or something.

“How long have you known.” That he was there? Honestly, I didn’t, I was just saying whatever comes into my mind, but like hell, I’m going to tell him that.

“Depends, how long have you been there?” I tease, while Lily bows to him. I’m not one to bow, I’m one to give the King of the Universe the middle finger while everyone else bowed.

“Since you came back in.” Wait, he actually answered my question? What does he want? “Now then, is your friend named Azla?”

“If she is what would you want from her? To run back into your arms, call you grampy and act as if she hasn’t seen five years of bloody hell, where she will never be sure if the person next to her will return every time they leave the safety of our hideaway? We live a bloody precarious existence that doesn’t even allows for schooling. We live to save others, we kill so that someone else can live, we fight so that we can continue living, and we die for our freedom hard won. And I will not allow anyone prince, king, or emperor to take anyone away if they do not want to, and I don’t care if I have to kill every one of you to do so.” Admittedly the threat might not have been as successful as it would have been if I had been actually able to do any of that at this moment in time, but that was no reason to laugh. But yet at the same time, he is crying, I’ve seen this before; experienced it as well. A deep overjoying relief that makes you forget everything else. Tch. fine I’ll let him have his moment, for now.

“I’m just happy to hear the fact that she is alive! At least one of my grandchildren is alive! I don’t even care that you threatened me. You could kill me now and I would die a happy man. Tell me what will it take for you to take me to her?” I kinda want to deny him outright just to see his face, but I’m not THAT cruel.

“Not now. For one I’m injured, for two you have to prove yourself worthy. If you can complete nine of my challenges I will more than willingly take you to meet her, and after each challenge, I will tell you about Azla’s life, and how that daily challenge has changed her life.” Now, what trials should I put him through? They have to be both doable and yet still also show him exactly what we have to go through on daily basis. “The first will be to find the secret base where all of those rescued from the slave camp live. And for that, I will tell you about daily life in the city.” Lloyd hugs me and I freeze, unused to touch from an adult. Sure there are a few adults in our city but they are at most twenty-one.

“Thank you. I need to start looking now, I’ll send Rafael.” And so he leaves before I can even get out of my stupor, and lay down the first condition, no touching me. Oh well, I hope I didn’t just make a mistake by doing this.