Choosing Rose (Other World Series Book Six)

by Ramona Gray

  “Rose,” he whispered. Blood dripped out of his mouth and Brian’s hard hand wrapped around her arm, preventing her from moving forward.

  “Help me,” Peter whispered. “Please…”

  There was a loud cracking noise and blood gushed from his mouth like a waterfall. A horn tore through his chest, the end of it covered in flesh and blood. Peter made a strangled noise of pain as paws, their skin a scaly grey colour and tipped with long, black, razor-sharp claws, gripped his arms.

  The creature stepped out of the bushes, the horn on its chest protruding further out of Peter’s chest as it yanked the man back against its giant body. Another glut of blood poured from Peter’s mouth and he took one last gurgling breath before dying. His head lolled back and the creature bit into his face with a loud crunch, tearing off Peter’s nose and chewing it down happily.

  Rose’s gorge rose, and she barely felt Brian’s hand on her arm as another brino stepped out of the bushes. It tried to tear Peter’s arm off, and the first brino snarled at it before dragging Peter’s body into the bushes.

  “Brian,” Rose whispered through numb lips as the second brino studied them with it’s beady eyes. “What do we do?”

  Brian lifted his spear and threw it with a hard whistling grunt at the brino. It struck the creature in the stomach just below its horn. Despite the speed of Brian’s throw and the sharpness of the spear, the tip barely penetrated the brino’s skin.

  “Fuck,” Brian said when the creature plucked the spear from his stomach before dropping it. It sniffed the air as Brian grabbed Rose’s spear from her ice-cold hand. The brino took two lumbering steps forward. Rose could see bugs crawling across its leathery skin as it sniffed the air again.

  “Rose?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Run.”

  Brian’s hand gripped hers and they turned and ran. She could hear the brino behind them, hear its harsh pants and grunts, and made a terrified squeal when she felt its hot breath on her back.

  “Faster!” Brian bellowed.

  They put on a burst of speed and sprinted across the jungle. Brian dragged her over a fallen log and hauled her to her feet when she stumbled and fell. “Keep moving!”

  They raced through the jungle. The grunts of the brino were quieting, but Rose didn’t dare look behind her. She’d fall for sure if she did. When Brian made a sharp left and yanked her into a large clump of bushes, she threw her hand over her mouth, trying to quiet her rapid panting as Brian wiped the sweat from his face.

  He put his finger to his lips and she nodded and tried to catch her breath as Brian gripped her spear tightly and cocked his head. They listened intently for almost five minutes before Brian relaxed a little.

  “I think we lost it,” he said.

  She took a deep, trembling breath. “Peter’s dead.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “You okay?”

  She nodded. “I think so. You?”

  “Yeah. A little freaked out but -”

  A paw appeared, and the long black claws sunk into Brian’s shoulder. He gave Rose a weary look of resignation. “Fuck me sidew-”

  He was yanked out of the bushes, her spear falling from his hand. Rose screamed and scooped up the spear before pushing her way free of the clinging branches. She stopped, staring in horror at the brino as it lifted Brian off the ground and drove its horn deep into his belly.

  “Brian!” Rose screamed and darted forward, thrusting the spear into the creature’s side. It roared with anger and pain and she stumbled back. It dropped Brian to the ground, and Rose made a moaning cry when she saw the intestines hanging out of the wound in his stomach. The brino yanked the spear from its flesh before snarling viciously at her.

  “Rose.”

  Her terrified gaze flickered back to Brian.

  “Run.” He reached out with one hand and grabbed the creature’s leg when it started to move toward her.

  “Brian, no, I won’t leave you,” Rose moaned.

  “Run,” Brian wheezed. He sank his nails in the creature’s hide. The creature stared down at him and Brian gave him a blood-coated grin. “C’mon, motherfucker. Finish the job.”

  The creature dragged him to his feet, sniffing at the blood pouring from Brian’s mouth.

  “Go, Rose. Now,” Brian groaned. The creature bent his head and tore Brian’s throat out with a sharp jerk of his mouth.

  Rose turned and fled.

  * * *

  She was going to die. If the brino didn’t get her, if the blowcats or the pinkies didn’t kill her, then the fucking plants would. She was a dead woman walking and it didn’t matter how positive she tried to be, she had just watched two men die in front of her. She didn’t stand a chance and she’d might as well just find the nearest killer plant and let it strangle her to death. It would be faster and –

  Rose, stop! Just fucking stop.

  The coldness of her inner voice drew her frantic stumbling race through the jungle up short. Panting and gasping, she checked the tree next to her for vines before leaning against it. She strained to hear past the sound of her own labored breathing and pounding heartbeat. The jungle was alive with noise and for all she knew, one of them could be the brino lumbering its way toward her.

  Just shut the fuck up and stop panicking like a pussy for one goddamn minute.

  Her inner voice was pissed.

  She shut the fuck up and took breath after breath, drawing the humid air deep into her lungs before releasing it. After a few minutes both her panic and her heartbeat subsided to a more manageable beat and she studied the jungle around her.

  She was lost again. Understandable, considering she’d been running for her damn life, but not helpful. She’d always had a poor sense of direction and being surrounded by trees and killer plants and giant creatures that were a hellish mix of bear and rhino wasn’t exactly helping her get her bearings. She’d never find her way back to camp.

  Find the river.

  She blinked and stared up at the glimpses of bright blue sky. Sweat trickled down her neck and into the collar of her t-shirt. Small insects buzzed in her ears and she slapped absentmindedly at her arm.

  Why the river?

  Her inner voice made a sound that was a cross between irritation and laughter.

  Follow the river to the waterfall, idiot.

  Her eyes widened. Of course. The river flowed into the waterfall. If she found the waterfall, she could find her way back to the camp from there. Only one small problem, she needed to find the river.

  Close your eyes and listen.

  She closed her eyes and held her breath, straining to hear. There was nothing but the heavy buzz of insects. Disappointment trickled through her. Did she really think she’d hear the river? It could be anywhere and –

  Just shut up and listen.

  She listened.

  After a few moments, she opened her eyes before turning to her right. She thought she’d detected the faint sound of water coming from her right. She barked harsh laughter that made the birds in the trees above her squawk in alarm before taking off in unified flight. She sucked in some air and picked her way through the trees. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe the river wasn’t in this direction, but she couldn’t just stand around and wait for a brino or a blowcat or a pinkie to show up. She needed to keep moving and hope she found Vida and the others, or the river.

  She’d only been walking for about fifteen minutes when the shrill cry made her freeze. Goosebumps popped up on her arms and the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

  “What was that?” She whispered.

  There was another cry – it was full of heartbreaking fear – and she cringed before quickly making her way toward the noise.

  “You’re being an idiot, Rose,” she muttered to herself.

  Yeah, she was, but as another piercing cry echoed through the jungle, she broke into a jog. The fearful cry was tugging at every goddamn heartstring in her body. She couldn’t –

  Oh God.

  She had almost
jogged right into the dead body of the blowcat. As it was, she was standing on some of the intestines that were ripped out of its body and lying near it’s back legs. Her stomach churned, and she clapped her hand over her mouth as she gagged. She stepped back, wiping the bottom of her shoe on the ground and trying not to barf. The blowcat had been torn open from chest to groin and she could see that most of its internal organs were missing. She had no idea what had killed it and she really didn’t want to know.

  Flies buzzed around the blowcat’s dead body and its milky eyes stared accusingly at her as she stepped around it. There was another wailing cry and she pushed past a bush, her breath catching in her throat.

  The baby blowcat was crying continuously now, it’s small fuzzy body wrapped in vines that were dragging it relentlessly backwards. It cried pitifully and dug its nails into the jungle floor as the vines tightened around its body. Without thinking, she lunged forward and began to tear at the vines. These ones were smaller and thinner than the vines that nearly killed her and she tore them in two easily. She worked swiftly, constantly jerking her legs back and forth to tear apart the vines that were wrapping insidiously around her legs.

  When the baby was free, she picked it up and stepped away from the vines swaying blindly in the air around them. She carried it a safe distance away from the vines and petted the top of its head as the baby stared unblinkingly at her.

  “It’s okay, baby,” Rose crooned. “You’re safe now.”

  She petted it again, avoiding the hole in its forehead. A smile of delight crossed her face when it broke into a raspy purr.

  “That’s right. You’re a good baby. I’m sorry about your mama, but don’t you worry, I’m going to take good care of…”

  The vine, this one thicker and larger than the others, wrapped around her waist. Her eyes widened, and she yanked at it with one hand before trying to run. The vine tightened immediately as more vines came slithering out from the bush to her left.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” She shouted as the vines wrapped around her waist and hips and thighs and pulled her forward. A vine wrapped around the baby blowcat’s back leg and tried to yank it from her grip. The baby howled, and Rose screamed when it dug its sharp claws into her shoulder in a frantic bid to cling to her.

  “For fuck’s sake!” Rose shouted as she tore at the vines with one hand and clutched the baby blowcat with the other. She could feel blood soaking into her t-shirt as the razor-sharp claws of the blowcat sunk deeper into her flesh. She glanced up and the pain in her shoulder became meaningless.

  She stared in silent horror at the monstrosity in front of her. The bushes had parted to reveal the head of the plant and she shrieked before tearing at the vines with strength brought on by pure panic.

  “It’s a fucking Venus fly trap!” She shouted before struggling to back away. The vines tightened around her legs and she was knocked to her back on the ground. The baby blowcat clung to her, screaming into her ear as the vine around it’s back leg tightened until she could see the baby’s flesh bulging under its fur.

  She was dragged forward, shrieking and writhing, to the plant’s mouth. She wasn’t wrong about the plant looking like a Venus fly trap. If Venus fly traps were seven feet tall and had long waving tentacles covered in thousands of small black spiders sticking out of their mouths. The plant’s teeth glistened with saliva as the spiders scuttled and scurried up and down the swaying tentacles jutting from the plant’s mouth.

  “Fuck!” Rose screamed as the plant dragged her closer. Her shoulder bumped against an exposed root and as she was dragged by it, she reached out with her free hand and grabbed it. She was brought up short, the muscles in her arms straining as the vines around her waist and legs yanked viciously.

  The blowcat wailed and howled in her ear, it’s warm breath washing over her neck as her fingers began to loosen from the root.

  “No! Goddammit no!” Rose shouted.

  It was no use, she could feel her grip slipping and she screamed again in fear and rage as her fingers lost their tenuous grip on the root. A hard hand caught her wrist and Wallace grinned down at her.

  “Hey, Rosie-girl.”

  “Wallace!”

  “Hold on, Rose.” Duncan and Teagan ran past her and they hacked through the vines with Duncan’s sword and Teagan’s machete. The vines pulled harder in response and she gave Wallace a panicked look when she was dragged forward. He dug his heels in, vines were already starting to wrap around his legs, and wrapped his other hand around her upper arm.

  He held on grimly as Rose’s body lifted a few inches off the ground. She cried out, feeling the stretch in her spine and her legs as she was pulled in two different directions.

  “Fuck, kill it before she gets torn in goddamn two,” Wallace roared at Duncan and Teagan.

  Duncan darted past the vines and thrust his sword deep into the plant’s gaping mouth. All of the vines relaxed at once and Rose fell to the ground with a hard thump, banging her head.

  She sucked in a deep breath, wincing when the baby blowcat retracted its claws before resting its head on her shoulder. It meowed softly, and she petted it with one shaking hand as Wallace collapsed on his ass next to her and wiped away the sweat from his forehead.

  “Fuck, I hate those goddamn plants.”

  “You okay, Rose?” Teagan helped her to her feet, eyeing the baby blowcat she held in her arms. “Where did you find that?”

  “Its mother is dead behind those bushes,” Rose replied. “It was being strangled by the vines so I…”

  “So you rescued it?” Teagan raised his eyebrow at her.

  “It’s just a baby,” she said defensively.

  “You almost died trying to save it.”

  She flushed and held the baby a little closer before repeating, “It’s just a baby.”

  Duncan had moved behind her and he studied the back of her shoulder. “She’s bleeding.”

  Rose winced when he touched her back as Teagan said, “Why are you in the jungle alone again?”

  “I wasn’t. I was with Peter and Brian. We were attacked by two of those brino things.”

  Teagan stiffened. “Where’s Brian?”

  “I’m sorry. He – he didn’t make it. Peter was killed first, and Brian and I ran and hid but the second one found us, and it-it killed Brian. I tried to help him, but he told me to run.” She touched Teagan’s arm. “I’m so sorry, Teagan.”

  “Fuck,” Teagan muttered. Sweat was dripping off his forehead and he wiped it away before glancing at Wallace. “You okay, man?”

  Rose knew Brian and Wallace had been close. The cheerful look on Wallace’s face had dropped like a stone and he looked pale and sick to his stomach.

  “Motherfuck,” Wallace said. “Brian saved my life in Mosul.”

  “I know.” Teagan squeezed his arm.

  “He didn’t deserve to die on this motherfucking rock in the middle of goddamn nowhere.” Wallace’s voice was rising. “He sure as shit didn’t deserve to die because of some bullshit half bear half rhino motherfucker.”

  “He didn’t, but you gotta keep your shit together, man,” Teagan said. “We need to get back to camp.”

  “Where’s Vida?” Rose asked suddenly. “Brian said he was with you guys.”

  “He -”

  “Oh fuck me up the ass with a motherfucking dildo,” Wallace snarled.

  “What – shit!” Teagan shoved Rose behind him.

  She peeked around his broad body, holding the now-sleeping blowcat in her arms. Panic infused her entire body when the pinkie stepped out from behind the tree. The creature stared unblinkingly at them as Duncan and Wallace moved to stand next to Teagan.

  “Rose, move back slowly into the trees,” Teagan said in a mutter.

  “I’m not leaving you guys,” Rose said.

  “We’ll be right behind you, Rosie-girl,” Wallace replied. “Go.”

  “No, I won’t -”

  “Go now.” The tone of Teagan’s voice made her start
to back away immediately. She took a quick look behind her and stumbled to a stop as fresh panic wormed its way into her chest.

  “Keep moving, Rose,” Teagan said as he studied the pinkie in front of them.

  “I can’t. There’s another one behind us.”

  “Well, we’re fucking dead,” Wallace said. “Nice knowing you all, ya assholes.”

  “Use your guns.” Rose turned and backed up until her back was pressed against Teagan’s. She stared at the pinkie who had cocked his head and was studying the flowers around her throat. She shuddered all over. “They can’t survive bullets, can they?”

  “We ran out of bullets a week after we fucking got here,” Wallace said. “Teag, we gotta try and make a run for it.”

  “We can’t outrun them, they’re too fast,” Duncan said. “The flowers will keep us safe.”

  Like Rose, they were all wearing wreaths of the yellow flowers. Wallace pulled out a long and wickedly sharp dagger from his belt.

  “So, what? We all just stand here until the end of fucking time?” He asked.

  “Just shut up and let me think,” Teagan replied.

  Duncan and Wallace stepped in front of Rose. Duncan had a knife tucked into the back of his belt and Rose plucked it out and held it tightly. Duncan glanced at her and she gave him a short nod and placed the baby blowcat at her feet. It blinked sleepily at her before curling into a ball and tucking its face into its body.

  The three humans and the two creatures stood in silence for nearly five minutes. Sweat dripped down Rose’s back and she swatted away an insect buzzing near her mouth. Her throat went dry when the pinkies stared at each other over their small group and then walked forward

  “Hey, Duncan? The flowers aren’t fucking working,” Wallace said as the pinkies moved toward them simultaneously, their mouths opening and their jaws distending as their mottled green teeth protruded. “You go for its guts, I’ll go for – holy shitballs!”

  There was a familiar low growl and Rose pushed past Duncan and Wallace, her heart galloping into high gear.

  “Vida!” She gasped.

  The big blue man was standing behind the pinkie. It was fast, but Vida was faster. He wrapped one big hand around the pink creature’s forehead and the other around its lower jaw. It made a high-pitched squeal that made Rosie’s teeth ache. Vida, his face serene, twisted the pinkie’s head to the left. Its neck broke with a quiet snap and the creature fell to the ground. Vida stepped over it without a second look and walked toward them.