ROSES HAVE THORNS-Chapter 36 - Joint Attack

"The male prostitute..." Kurt revealed.

"I’m not a fucking prostitute, you moron!"

"Really? So, it wasn’t you at that old lady’s house? You seem a little young to be in a relationship with someone like her."

"Fuck you! She’s not even that old! I like my women ripe for the taking!"

"T.M.I. dude, I didn’t ask about that."

"The fuck is T.M.I.!?"

"Geez seriously, it’s like every day I learn about something that’s been forgotten to time."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"It means; Too,"

SMACK!

"Much,"

SMACK!

"Information,"

SMACK!

"Stop smacking me!" He cried at Kurt.

"Why the hell were you trying to kill me, huh? Afraid that someone’s been snooping in your back yard?"

"That’s none of your business! Whatever happens in this place is none of your business! So why don’t you just die!" He tried freeing his arms but couldn’t.

"Did the church send you? Are you part of the cult?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about!"

Although it was very subtle, Kurt noticed the slight eye raise and twitch of the nose when he brought those two words up.

He then took out his knife and stabbed it into the floor right next to the young man’s head.

"Does this knife look familiar to you?"

"... Where did you get that?" He looked at the knife in surprise.

"Oh! So you do know! That’s great..." Kurt smiled. "As for where I got it, I believe we have a mutual friend. Do you know the name Arlo?"

"Ar...lo? Was it you, you bastard! Were you the one you killed him!? No... no, I don’t believe it! You couldn’t have! Arlo’s too strong for the likes of you!"

"Why don’t you believe it? This is his knife after all. Unless you need more damning proof? Because I have it."

"What are you talking abou– Oof!"

Kurt reached into his shirt and threw a chain onto his face.

"This is his personal tag I took. I was going to use it to take the money out from his account, but it turns out it’s not so simple."

"Get this tag off my face! How am I supposed to know it’s his?!"

"Oops. I forgot to pour mana into it. Here," Kurt took the tag off his face and imbued it with mana. A projection popped out of it revealing the owner of the tag.

"It... it really is Arlo’s... you mother... you motherfucker!" He burst into a fit of rage.

"Whoa there, Mr. Prostitute. It’s very ironic that you’re the one calling me that, given that you’re the one who... you know... pfft."

"I’ll kill you!"

Mana surged through the young man’s hands as he blasted through the floor below him. The wooden floor cracked and collapsed as it exploded with the impact from the blast.

"Oh, you’ve really done it now~" Kurt smiled as they fell together.

When the dust settled, the young man threw the wooden debris off of himself and frantically looked for Kurt.

"Where are you, bitch?! Come out and fight me like a man!"

He carefully listened to his surroundings, hoping to spot and kill anything that so much as moves.

rustle

"There!" He shot magic at the sound, but it was nothing.

"Fuck! Where did he go..."

He walked over the debris and readied another shot of magic.

rustle

"Got you, bitch!" He turned around and fired another blast.

BANG!

But once again, no one was there.

"Dammit! I cannot keep wasting my mana like this..."

He readied another round of magic but this time his hands grew even brighter than before.

"I’m not going to play this game of cat and mouse with you! If you don’t show yourself in the next five seconds, I’ll blow this entire place to kingdom come! Five!"

He started counting down as he walked around and looked for Kurt.

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

When he reached the number two, he saw a shadow hiding from under the staircase. He smiled devilishly and approached it quietly.

"One!" He jumped to the shadow, hands ready to kill, only to find,

*meow*

"The cat?"

"Zero!" Kurt appeared from the rubble below and gave him a death punch right in the liver.

"Argh! *cough!* F-fucking! *blech*" He coughed out a winded breath and nearly gagged as he tried to aim shaky hands at Kurt.

"Oh no you don’t, happy hands!" He quickly closed the gap between them and grabbed his wrists together and lifted them up.

"What the fuck are you doi-"

STAB!

"AHHHHH!" He screamed in pain as Kurt stabbed the knife through both his hands, lodging him into the wall.

"There, now no more magic for you." He clapped his hand to dust off any dirt on it.

"P-please *sob* *cough* I-I’m sorry." He started crying.

"Aww here we go with this nonsense. You do realise you were trying to kill me, right?"

"T-they forced me too *sniff* you have to believe me."

"So you admit that this was the cultists’ doing? They left those two kids homeless, and they kidnapped all those other kids not so that they can serve this ’holy child’ but instead use them for their sick they’re planning at the end of every month?"

"Y-yes to all of that! But you have to believe me, I’m not involved!"

"No. I don’t believe you. Pfft, what a stupid lie."

"F-fuck! Just kill me already! Those freaks will kill me anyway after they find out you’re still alive! So please, I beg you, end me quickly and painlessly!"

"That’s gonna be a no from me Mr. Prostitute. I’m gonna take you to the Prefect Station so I can clear my name. But first, I want my just deserts~"

"Your what-"

"Kidney punch!"

Bam!

"Argh! *cough!*"

"Another kidney punch!"

Pow!

"Oof! *blech!* *Hurf!*" He vomited all over himself.

"Ewww. You’re disgusting Mr. Prostitute~ Is this how you also treat your clients?"

Kurt stared at the now unconscious young man who was teary faced, covered in vomit and hanging to the wall with a knife in his hands.

"What cinematic art... And oh boy, was that just deserts a treat. Luckily, he only passed out, otherwise I would’ve been in deep trouble."

*meow* The cat tapped on Kurt’s leg.

"Well, well well if it isn’t my partner in crime~ We’ve got to stop meeting like this. Hoh hoh hoh." He bent down to pet the cat.

"Good work on the distraction. I’ll get you a nice treat at Sophie’s later."

*puurr*

"Now, let’s get our new friend here back to the station. The only problem is how? We’ve made such a ruckus that the people around here have probably noticed something is wrong. If I was by myself I would’ve escaped somehow but..."

Kurt thought deeply about what to do. He couldn’t just leave him lying there on the wall while he calls for backup. But he also couldn’t risk being seen carrying an unconscious man on his back.

’These people could all be in on it and attack me on site. Hmm should I just risk it?’

"... I think the commotion came from here!"

"... You think he’s still alive?"

"... No. My man is strong; He surely must’ve killed that stranger by now."

’Dammit! Did I jinx myself?’

*meow*

"Not now kitty." Kurt whispered, "I gotta think fast."

*meow*

Suddenly, when the cat opened his mouth, a suction vortex appeared and swallowed the unconscious man whole.

"Did you just eat that guy?!" Kurt yelled.

"... Hey! Did you hear that?!"

"... Let’s storm in together!"

"Shit! I’ll think about this later. Let’s go kitty!"

*meow!*

They both quickly hurried out the back while the mob intruded from the front. Kurt peeked around the corner of the house to check how many people there were.

’There’s at least twenty of them. All with weapons, magic and a lot of killing intent. Could they all be part of the cult? No that’s unlikely, they most likely have been bought off. Still, they helped evil. Scum like them don’t deserve to live... but not now. Escaping and getting to Dominik is my priority.’

Kurt turned away from them and hopped over a couple fences in hopes that he wouldn’t get seen. After hiding in a few bushes and sneaking past some houses, he finally made it out of the area.

"Home free. Here’s to hoping those pictures I took as well my and those kids’ testimony should be enough to clear my name. Let’s mosey on out of here, kitty."

*meow*

.........

When he made it to the station, he saw the kids sitting on the waiting chairs, looking totally different from how he’d seen them.

’I guess Dominik must’ve had them take a clean shower.’

"Hey kids," Kurt called them.

""Mister!"" They sprang up from their seats and ran to hug him.

"Whoa there! I wasn’t even gone for long." Kurt held them when he nearly fell over.

*Gasp!* "Who’s this cute kitty~ What’s his name, mister?" Rupee snuggled against the cat.

"I don’t know, really. I just call him kitty since he’s so small."

"Kurt you’re back!" Dominik came out from the chief’s room. "And? What’d you find?"

"Not much, but you won’t believe what I have to tell you."