The Country Club: Ladies' Night (The One Percent Book 3) Page 10

  “Oh shit!” Laura said and lowered her gun. “Is there anyone else?”

  “Probably. I hope so,” Blake said. “Not sure who else is coming. Or if anyone else is coming.”

  “This is a cluster fuck. Have you guys seen Camila?”

  “No. We figured she was down here.”

  “No. I haven’t seen her. We were headed downstairs to let the prisoners out.”

  “Good idea.” Blake took the lead and they all filed out of the kitchen, down a dark hallway to the elevator. When they reached the lower level, they stepped off the elevator where there were two security men standing outside the holding area. Blake and Derek both opened fire killing both men. Blake stopped to reload the shotgun as they went into holding where a dozen cages were lined up. Five of them still had people in them.

  Laura went through and opened each of the cages helping the prisoners out. Three were girls and two were men. They climbed out as they turned and got back onto the elevator. They rode it back to the ground floor and headed out one of the side exits. They filed through the door heading for one of the SUV’s parked around back.

  “They keep the keys in the pool cars,” Blake said.

  “Why are we leaving?” Laura asked. “I thought we were supposed to kill everybody.”

  “You see anyone here to help us? Plus, we got all these guys with us.”

  “Fuck! This is so fucked!”

  “Here. You guys,” Blake pointed at each of the prisoners, including the ones he and Laura had freed. You guys get into that Suburban. Get in there and keep your heads down. We’re going back in and fuck shit up.”

  “Can’t we drive out of here?” One of the men asked.

  “No. You’ll never make it out of the front gate. Just stay put.”

  They each walked to the SUV’s and climbed in as the three of them headed back inside. They walked through a side corridor into the main hall.

  “Why is it so fucking quiet?” Laura said. “I mean we just shot the place up. There should be people all over the damn place.”

  “I don’t know,” Blake said. “I don’t like it.”

  A minute later the sound of a helicopter sounded. Derek leaned out the doorway and looked outside to see a large helicopter landing on the main lawn. Once it touched down, the side door slid open as a group of men in black fatigues filed out followed by Mr. Black.

  Chapter 26

  Laura felt sick as she watched Mr. Black and his soldiers storm the front hall. They were all wearing black fatigues and ski masks with rifles at the ready.

  “Spread out,” Mr. Black said. “Kill everyone. I don’t care who they are. We’re shutting it down.”

  “What the fuck!” Laura whispered to Blake and Derek. “He’s got fucking Navy SEALs and shit!”

  “I don’t think those are SEALs.” Blake said. “I know Black has some other project he runs. I think those guys are from that. We are so fucked. Let’s pull back.”

  “Pull back where?”

  “Out that side entrance where we came in, and get the fuck out of here.”

  “What about the front gate? You said we’d never make it out.”

  “Probably not. Better than staying here though.”

  She saw one of the soldiers heading in their direction. The men looked at her and they fell back into the hallway. The sound of gunshots rang out from the top of the stairwell. A group of club members came running out of one of the side rooms, only to be gunned down by the soldiers. Laura watched as Camila came out of a hidden doorway beneath the stairs. She must have had some kind of panic room there. She approached Mr. Black with her hands up.

  “I don’t know what happened?” Camila said. “All of a sudden there is shooting, and my security guys are dead. Now Some of the members are missing. I locked it down and called you right away. I don’t know how this happened.”

  “I do. Mr. White. He’s compromised you.”

  “No. That isn’t possible. I personally evaluate everyone before they come in.”

  “It is possible because it happened. I had suspected a while ago he got some people in. Apparently there were more than I thought. Likely some of your security guys.”

  “Fuck. I can’t believe it.” Camila looked as if she could cry. Laura found the look of betrayal on her face somewhat comical, with all the things the woman had done. “So now what happens?”

  “What happens is I have to clean up your shit. Including you.”

  “What?”

  Camila never saw the soldier walk up behind her, point a pistol at the back of her head and pull the trigger. Her face exploded as she slumped to the ground. Blood splattered all over Mr. Black’s face and clothes. Despite all that, Mr. Black never flinched. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the blood off his face.

  “You idiot!” Mr. Black yelled at the soldier. “You got her blood all over my suit!”

  “Sorry, boss,” the man said.

  “Just go get this done. I don’t want to be here all night. Don’t forget the basement either. They got workers down there. Try not to fuck anything else up.”

  The man turned and wandered down one of the hallways as Mr. Black looked on. Blake stood with Derek.

  “We’re going to get out of here,” he said. “We’ll try and get those prisoners out of here.”

  “I’m not,” she said. “I’m going to kill these fuckers.”

  “Are you insane? You don’t stand a chance.”

  “Same as you do trying to get out of here.”

  “Suit yourself lady,” Blake said. As he stood, a gunshot went off, and his head exploded like a smashed pumpkin. Laura jumped as Derek dove the other direction. One of the soldiers was coming from the other end of the hall. They hadn’t seen him circle around. He opened fire as Laura dove through a doorway into one of the rooms. She dropped her gun in the process. Staying against the wall, she worked her way past the empty chair where a dead victim was still strapped. On the table was a collection of medieval weapons.

  She had no idea which member had used this room, but they apparently were into this stuff. She looked around and grabbed a mace, which consisted of a long steel handle with an eighteen-inch chain on the end. Attached to the chain was a steel ball the size of a baseball covered in steel spikes. She also picked up a knife in its sheath and tucked it into her pants.

  Laura walked to the doorway and leaned back against the wall. The soldier had been very quiet. She didn’t hear him coming but could smell his sweat as he approached. Just as he stepped into the doorway, she swung the mace, striking him in the face. He let out a grunt as he fell to the ground. She drew the knife and slashed his throat and ran out of the room and down the hall. She ducked into another room as she heard one of the men approaching.

  He ran toward her as she knelt down just inside the doorway once again. This time he stepped into the room but was pointing his gun at eye level. She thrust the knife into his groin. The man let out a squeal as blood squirted from his crotch. He stumbled back, but Laura was on him, thrusting the knife into his windpipe and pulling it out. Air wheezed through the new opening as she stepped over his body and headed down the hall to the back stairwell.

  Slowly she climbed the stairs and reached the top. There were three of the soldiers on the second level going room to room, shooting anyone they came across. Looking out into the main hall, she saw a soldier dragging Blake and Derek’s bodies into the main hall. She hadn’t seen Derek get hit, but they got him somehow. She stepped into one of the rooms and waited. Once the soldier on her side had finished clearing the rooms, he walked noisily down the hall. Just as he walked past her room, she swung the mace, striking the back of his head.

  He fell forward as she reached down and cut his throat. She stood again, but this time, she felt the barrel of a gun touch the back of her head.

  “You’re fucking dead, bitch,” the soldier said. Fuck. After all this, she’d come so close. She supposed it wasn’t a total failure. Worst case, they sl
owed this club down quite a bit. At least, for the time being. She closed her eyes and waited for the end to come. Instead she heard a familiar voice yelling from downstairs.

  “All right! That’s enough!” Mr. White called out from the main hall, standing next to Mr. Black. What the fuck? Another soldier walked out of a room with Brett at gunpoint. “Bring them down here! I’ll deal with this.”

  Laura’s head was spinning as they brought her and Brett downstairs. Mr. White and Mr. Black were both standing there. Mr. White was smiling while Mr. Black looked annoyed. She stood before them as Brett stood next to her. There were only three of the soldiers left. She’d managed to kill most of them. So close.

  “Sophie! Or Laura I should say. Whichever you prefer. You’ve done an excellent job. I’m very proud of you,” Mr. White said.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Laura asked.

  “I think congratulations are in order,” Mr. White said. “You single-handedly took out several of our men. I knew you could do it.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” She looked at Brett who was pale and trembling. No telling what he had been through. Brett looked as if he was about to speak but the soldier next to him put his pistol to Brett’s temple and pulled the trigger. The single shot sounded with a loud pop! As he tumbled to the floor. Laura looked up as another soldier slammed the butt of his rifle into her face, striking her between the eyes.

  She saw stars as she fell to the ground. Looking up at the sky, she felt her consciousness fading as Mr. Black and Mr. White stood over her.

  “Bring her out to the helicopter,” Mr. White said.

  “You think she’ll be good enough for the next contest?” Mr. Black asked.

  “You don’t think so?”

  “She’s tough, that’s for sure. But will she go along with it?”

  She felt herself being dragged as the men continued chatting as if discussing an upcoming football game.

  “She’ll play. I’ve been watching her for a long time. The girl is a player. Trust me. She’ll play and she’ll win.”

  The End (for now)

  Sneak Peek at Tim Miller’s Upcoming Book!

  Reggie woke up shortly after ten and grabbed his crap he’d piled onto the couch. He tossed everything into the Blazer and headed out to make his rounds to the pawn shops. He wasn’t expecting any large sums of cash. If he got fifty dollars for the whole mess he’d be happy. Before hitting the pawn shops, he stopped at Jim’s restaurant for breakfast. His favorite was their Santa Fe omelet. It was like a taco with eggs.

  Once he ate, he made it to the first shop. The guy there was a dickhead. He stood laughing at Reggie over the stuff. Said it was all obsolete crap. He was technically right, but he didn’t have to be such a jerk about it. He didn’t have any luck at the next two places. The last one he stopped at, things were different.

  He carried everything in and sat it on the table. This guy was an older man and much more pleasant than the last bunch.

  “All right young man,” the guy said. “Let’s take a look at what ya got.”

  He sifted through, held up the camcorder and turned it on.

  “This thing take VHS?” he asked.

  “Yeah, the regular sized ones. I got it a long time ago but barely used it.”

  “Wow. That is wild. I haven’t seen one of these in years. Got your Nintendo here, let’s see what else.”

  The man muttered to himself as he looked things over. In the meantime, Reggie looked at some of the merchandise along the wall. This shop had a different variety of things than some of the other shops. It had a lot more knick knacks and oddities. One was a jar with a pig fetus. There was a huge goat skull with horns hanging up along the wall behind the register. That was when he saw it.

  He wasn’t sure why it got his attention so much. It was a clown mask. Except it wasn’t a normal clown mask, it was hideous, yet beautiful.

  “Hey, can I see that mask?” Reggie asked.

  The old man turned around and pointed to it.

  “That one?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sure. Here you go.”

  Reggie held it in his hands. It was much more solid than it looked. It was some kind of plastic or fiberglass. The surface of it looked worn and beaten. It had a huge round nose on the end with a crack through the middle. The mouth opened in a crooked grin with wire mesh over it. Two large eye sockets stared up at him.

  “Can I put it on?”

  “Sure guy. Knock yourself out.”

  Reggie put it on and walked over to a mirror in the back of the store. Looking himself up and down he smiled inside the mask. He had to admit, he looked terrifying. At least other than his Jimmy Eat World t-shirt. If he had one something black or a hoodie he’d look pretty spooky. He was rather old for Halloween but there was something about this. He felt different. Behind the mask, it’s like he wasn’t himself. He could be someone else. Sometimes being Reggie Ryan sucked. Ok, most of the time it sucked.

  “Ok fella,” the old man said. “I’m afraid I can’t offer you very much. Ya got some cool stuff here, but it's old.”

  “How about this mask.”

  “The mask?”

  “Yeah. Can I trade all that for this mask?”

  “Seriously? That’s all you want?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sure. That thing has been hanging up there forever. Some guy brought it in here years ago. I don’t think I gave him anything for it. Said he didn’t want it anymore.”

  “Where did he get it?”

  “I got no idea. He just stopped in one night and said he wanted to make a donation. No one ever leaves me donations. People bring it busted up crap and want top dollar for it. So I was like sure. Well, first I was like you didn’t just rob nobody in this thing, did you? But he said no, nothing like that. He just don’t need it anymore. So I was like whatever and kept it. Been hanging there ever since till just now.”

  “Cool! I think it’s great! Why would anyone not want it?”

  “To be honest, the thing is ugly as hell. I guess I kept it hanging there hoping it would scare off anyone who thought of robbing this place. Clowns don’t scare me but they scare a lot of people.”

  “Well, I love it. You can keep all that. I just want this.”

  “It’s yours then my friend.”

  “Thanks!” Reggie ran out to his car and placed the mask in the driver’s seat as he headed back home. While sitting at a light, he kept looking over at the mask. The temptation to put it on was too great. He reached down and pulled it over his head. A thick leather strap held it in place, with a cross strap coming down over the top of his head. He looked in his rearview mirror. In the car next to him, a woman in the passenger seat was looking at him. He rolled down the window and leaned out.

  “Boo!” he called out and the woman screamed as her boyfriend looked over just as the light turned green. Reggie laughed louder than he usually did as he stepped on the gas and peeled away. This wasn’t like him. He usually wasn’t a jokester or even gleeful. Yet he was having a lot of fun. On the way home, he drove past the Smarty Mart. His boss, George would be working. It may be fun to play a little trick on his boss.

  He pulled up around the back of the store and climbed out still wearing the mask. He opened the door and ran inside. George was behind the register with a trainee.

  “Ahahaha! I’m gonna getcha!” Reggie yelled through the mask. The trainee was a young Hispanic girl whose face turned completely white. George’s eyes went wide as he held his hands up.

  “Ok! Ok! Don’t hurt us! Here!” He opened the register, grabbed the cash and sat it on the counter. Reggie stood there looking at it for a minute, not sure what was happening. Then it hit him. They thought he was robbing the place, even though he didn’t have a weapon. He looked at all that money sitting there. It was just after lunchtime. There had to be at least five hundred dollars there.

  Reggie grabbed it, looked at them as he headed for the door. Just as he reached the
door he turned and jumped at them raising his arms.

  “Ahh!” Reggie yelled. Both George and the girl screamed. Reggie laughed as he ran out of the store and back to his car. He made it home without incident and ran inside. When he counted the cash it was exactly five-hundred and forty dollars. Shit. That’s way more than he made pawning crap. He didn’t even have to pull a weapon. He put the mask on again and looked at himself in the mirror. Maybe he could just wear the mask around and get stuff. That wouldn’t actually be robbery, would it?

  Reggie.

  His own name sounded in his head like a whisper. At first, he thought he imagined it.

  Reggie.

  “Who is that?”

  It’s me. Captain Pinky. We’re together now. Things are about to change.

  About the Author

  Tim began writing at a very young age. Even in grade school he'd sit around with his notebook, writing stories for himself and his friends.

  As an adult, Tim's writings have evolved into darker realms. He released his first horror novel, "The Hand of God" in 2011. Since then his books have become progressively more violent and gory. With the release of "Family Night" in 2013, Tim had moved into the world of extreme horror where he continues to push the boundaries of human suffering.

  Tim is now an international best seller as well. His book, "Hell, Texas" has recently ranked high on Amazon sales charts since its release in Germany under German publisher, Festa-Verlag.

  Tim is very active on social media and loves interacting with his readers. You can find him at his website at http://timmiller.org

  Follow Tim Miller's Amazon Author Page and be notified of each new release!

  Also by Tim Miller

  Hell, Texas

  Return to Hell Texas

  Psychoville

  The Country Club

  Suicide Hotline

  Dollhouse

  Family Night