Chapter 4
"Well this is just wonderful". "Out of all the places in the world he had to come back to this one."
Charlie was tired. It's been almost a week since she followed Bass to wherever he was going. Miles asked her to follow him and try to bring him back.
"I just don't get why you want me to go after him. Why can't you do it or we can go together?"
"The patriots are coming and I gotta deal with this mess."
"Look, I know it's the last thing in the world you want to do."
Was it? She thought.
"And I know you hate him more than anyone"
Was he? Did she? Still?
"But I'm asking you Charlie to do this. For me. "
Miles looked at Charlie and prayed inside she would say yes.
She sighed and said. "Fine. I'll do this for you. But you owe me."
She hid behind one of the trees and took out a pair of binoculars from her bag. The tracks led her to this place and her instincts were right. About 200 yards in front of her was Sebastian Monroe walking towards the city.
From his determined walk, she could tell he was a man on a mission. What are you up to Bass?
She was about to find out, and she had a feeling she wouldn't like it.
Charlie got up and put the binoculars back in her bag.
She didn't hear the sound, but she felt the barrel of the gun on the back of her neck.
"Turn around. Slowly" the voice said.
Charlie turned and was about to go for her knife when the man stopped her.
"Don't try anything stupid" he said.
The man was average height and blonde. His face was a little dirty, and he smelled like a bon fire.
"Let's go" he told her.
The man took Charlie's bag and led her in the direction of a camp ground not far from New Vegas.
As they approached, she could see men and women drinking and laughing around a campfire. One man was cutting the meat of a deer and another cleaning his rifle. To an outsider, this would like any other camp ground, but Charlie knew this place was far from it. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she was quickly about to find out exactly what it was.
A woman approached them. She was tall with long dark hair and leather jacket. She was wearing a biker belt and had a knife hanging from it.
Charlie looks at her but doesn't know what to think of her yet.
"What's this Scalion?" She asks the man that brought her in.
"Saw her scoping out the town. Could be a spy"
"A spy huh. She doesn't look like a spy." She says and looks at Charlie up and down.
"That's because I'm not" Charlie tells the woman.
The woman tilts her head as if contemplating what to say next.
"What are you gonna do with her Duncan?" The man asks.
"Put her in the back tent. I'll think of something." She orders. "Grab her bag."
Charlie tries to fight of the men that take her, but they are too strong. They bring her to the tent and tie her to one of the poles. She looks around and sees it's pretty empty. No sign of a knife or something sharp.
The woman whose name is Duncan enters the tent. She's holding something in her hand.
"So little girl, you want to tell me where you got this?" She says and holds up a necklace with dog tags hanging from it.
Charlie recognized it immediately. It was Monroe's. Miles gave it to her before she left hoping it will somehow help bring him back.
"Where's Monroe?"
Charlie says nothing.
"How do you know Monroe?" She asks.
Duncan tilts her head. "Let's just say we have a history together."
"What kind of history?" Charlie asks with irritation in her voice.
The thought of Bass having anything to do with this woman annoys her deeply and she is not sure why.
Suddenly, One of Duncan's men walks in and whisper's something in her ear.
Duncan turns to Charlie. "Looks like we're going to have to cut this short. We gotta get you ready."
"Ready for what?" Charlie asks.
"Turns out there's a main event tonight, and you're going to star in it."
Duncan takes out a knife and cuts the ropes that tie Charlie to the pole. One of the men grabs her and takes her to a wagon waiting outside. There are two men standing next to it.
Each one looks shadier than the other. Duncan turns to one of them and whispers something in his ear.
Charlie has an awful feeling at the pit of her stomach. What the hell is happening?
One of the men with greasy hair comes over to Charlie. He looks at her up and down, and it makes her skin crawl.
"So, this is who you were talking about." He asks Duncan.
"You're going to do great in the pits."
"Take her" He signals to the other man with him and he grabs Charlie and chains her to the wagon.
"Let me go!" she yells and yanks on her ropes.
Charlie has never been scared like this in her life. It feels like brand new territory of horror.
"Where are you taking me?" She yells at the men.
The ride is not long. She knows exactly where she is. They arrive in the camp ground, and she is released her from her chains.
Charlie quickly tries to use the opportunity and takes a swing at one of the men but doesn't succeed.
The man, who she learned was named Gould, grabs her face.
"I see you're a real fighter. Good to know. You'll get to prove to me just how good."
He says and releases her from his grip. "Take her to the pits." he says to one of the men.
As they grow near, noises from the crowd escalate. People are sitting around a huge cage.
The cage door opens and Charlie walks in.
She looks around and immediately knows who they want her to fight.
Bass.
The bell rings, and the crowd is eager for round one.
Charlie and Bass walk around each other in a circle, each one evaluating their opponent. Suddenly Bass lounges and takes the first swing at Charlie, and she is able to block him with her sword.
The match continues as each one alternates taking a swing at the other with their sword. The crowd goes wild. Each round as it seems a winner will soon be triumphant.
Facing each other, their swords block each thrust of the other's blade.
Charlie comes at Bass hitting at his weakest point, and she is able to disarm him.
"You're pretty good" he says to her with an impressed look on his face.
A new sword is thrown inside the cage, and Bass picks it up from the ground.
He slightly signals to Charlie to aim to his left side.
Charlie doesn't understand why but follows his lead. Bass thwarts her attack and takes another swing pushing her towards the cage.
What the hell? She thinks to herself.
They keep sparring until finally Charlie is able to get the upper hand.
Bass looks at Charlie as if he is saying "it's time"
Her hands start to tremble.
"I can't do this" she whispers softy. She looks up at Bass and tears are running down her face.
Bass's heart is breaking, but he knows he has to do something to get Charlie to move.
"Charlotte. Charlotte, look at me."
"Don't look at anyone else. Focus on me."
Charlie can't move a muscle.
"Charlie you have to do this. If you don't, I will never forgive myself." Bass takes a few steps closer.
"You're the one that needs to live. Not me. You hear me!"
I'm the one that did those horrible things, and now I gotta pay for it, ok."
Charlie looks at Bass through the tears. "But..."
"But nothing" He says.
Bass drops his swords to the ground.
He grabs her face and puts his mouth on hers. Their tongues act as if they were the ones fighting for their lives. With every sweep of his tongue, they explore and taste each other. In the background the crowd is going wild, but it was as if they did not exist. In this moment, it's just them. Bass moves his hands to her hips and brings her even closer to him, deepening the kiss.
Charlie's heart is racing. As the passionate kiss grows, the world stops around her.
She doesn't notice the crowd
the noise around them
or the fact that with each deepening of the kiss, her sword moves further and further into Bass's abdomen.
