Chapter 32 Reid
REID
The farm was dark and quiet, not atypical for any farm located in the area. The moon hung high, casting its light on the stalks of corn and rows of vegetation surrounding the property.
There were four main buildings on the property—one large farmhouse located in the front, two large barns located a distance back away from the farmhouse, and then a large aluminum structure that one would assume was used for storage and other farm-related equipment.
The truth was, Reid and the guys really had no idea what was contained in each of the structures.
Reid crouched beside Niko as they huddled at the edge of the cornfield, watching two sets of men guarding each of the barns located out back.
It was almost time.
Pulling back one of the stalks of corn, Reid watched as a figure slowly emerged from the field across from them.
“What is that?” one of the guards asked, elbowing his buddy in the ribs.
“What the fuck?” the second guy blurted, both men staring at the blood-soaked clown standing motionless next to the cornfield.
The two men glanced at each other before turning and running toward the second barn.
They didn’t get very far.
As they turned the corner, Caden and Blade met them with a large piece of wood to the face. Both men fell to the ground, stunned and confused. Caden and Blade didn’t give them a chance to make a sound. They both punched them twice in the head, knocking them unconscious.
At the second barn, Reid watched as two more clowns stepped out of the cornfield and waited to catch the guard’s attention.
This time, these two guards were not as chickenshit as the first set. These men stepped forward, cautiously raising their guns toward the clowns as they struggled to make sense of what they were seeing.
It wasn’t every day that someone encountered a set of clowns, standing in a cornfield, covered in what looked like blood from a distance.
Reid had learned that it wasn’t actually blood, but coloring that had been added to their clothing to give them that murderous look.
The killer clowns weren’t accustomed to rolling around in human blood.
That being said, Reid was still a little freaked out by the crazy clown gang, especially that little girl they met last night.
No seven-year-old should get that much pleasure out of wearing something so scary.
He wondered what sort of parties she had for her birthday.
Something told him that “princess parties” were out of the question.
“Poor guys,” Niko whispered, drawing Reid’s attention to the two other clowns who were quickly sneaking up behind the two distracted guards.
One tapped the guard on the shoulder, who turned just in time to see his friend get knocked in the head with a large metal pipe. The man fell to the ground like a ton of bricks.
The second clown snatched the gun from the startled man’s hands and slammed the grip of it into the guard's face.
Blood burst from the man’s nose as the other clown struck him in the head with the pipe. The guard collapsed with a thud, unconscious alongside his friend.
With the guards taken out, Niko, Reid, Marcus, and Ace charged out of the field and across to both barns.
“You guys take that one, and we’ll take this one,” Marcus ordered, pointing to the two barns.
Niko led the way as he carefully peered in through the open door.
There were men with rifles slung over their shoulders, marching up and down the center of the barn. On each side were rows upon rows of beds, all with men and children—some lying, some sleeping—on them.
It broke Reid’s heart to see people living in such nightmarish conditions. It was awful to think that some individuals actually forced others into manual labor.
Reid had seen human trafficking rings that forced people to work on farms or construction sites for twelve to fifteen hours a day, often in dangerous working conditions.
One construction site he investigated forced their guys to continue building houses, even when it was thundering and lightning out. They didn’t care if anyone got struck by lightning or even slipped and fell to their death. They knew that they could always get more free labor.
He fucking hated these scumbags.
“Ready to kick some ass?” Caden whispered over Reid’s shoulder.
“Fuck yeah,” Niko responded, giving his brother a slight head nod.
“Just make sure that no innocent people get hurt,” Reid reminded, wondering if this was such a good idea.
He was about to unleash a bunch of angry bikers and psychotic clowns on a barn full of human traffickers and their victims. Well, possibly two barns. He wasn’t exactly sure what was happening at the other barn Marcus and Ace were investigating.
Throwing the door open, Niko and Caden jumped inside, shouting for everyone to put their hands up.
Of course, nobody did.
Instead, the men holding the big rifles turned and opened fire on their uninvited guests.
So much for a peaceful resolution.
Gunfire erupted as the men and children trying to sleep screamed and searched for cover.
Caden dove behind a bale of hay before unloading several rounds in the direction of the men shooting at them.
Niko was a bit more of a gentleman, grabbing Reid and throwing him down into one of the stalls, where men had woken up, startled, and began scurrying toward the open barn door.
Reid hoped that one of the other guys might get to them first, before they ran into one of the killer clowns and died of a heart attack.
Perhaps using the Crimson Carnies wasn’t the best idea.
It was great for scaring and catching bad guys off guard, but perhaps not so great for gaining the trust of already scared victims.
“You think you’re going to shoot at me?” Niko growled from somewhere inside the barn.
The sound of what could only be described as someone pounding a sack of potatoes against the ground could be heard just outside the stall.
Reid peeked around the corner, only to find Niko knuckles deep, pounding some guy’s face. Reid smiled. Watching his man go all gorilla beast on some bad guy was fucking hot.
Picking up his gun, Reid joined Caden and Niko and began shooting at any man holding a rifle.
He aimed for body parts that would immobilize the men and not necessarily kill them—their hands, their kneecaps, even the junk of one man who was shooting at Niko from behind an open door.
Reid wasn’t exactly a hardened, trained killer.
The most he ever killed were fictional characters in the Call of Duty video game.
All around them, chaos erupted. Men fell dead, and others shot at anything that moved—clown, biker, or victim alike—while some ran for the door, hoping to escape.
Next door, similar sounds ensued. Occasionally, he would hear Marcus bark orders or Ace telling his brother to fuck off, but overall, it sounded like they, too, were winning.
Then came the clowns.
More screaming began as terrified children clung to their fathers. Even some of the adult males began covering their eyes as they fought against their nightmares that had suddenly come to life.
Yup. Using clowns was definitely not a smart idea.
Reid took another step before being shoved to the ground by someone behind him.
His heart stopped when he stared up at a man pointing a rifle at his chest.
This was it. This was how he was going to die—in a barn filled with clowns, traffickers, angry bikers, and the love of his life. At least he was going to die trying to be a hero.
Reid startled when an arrow pierced the guy’s neck.
The man’s eyes went wide as he stumbled, coughing up blood while struggling to breathe. The man fell to his knees, staring at Reid as if begging for help.
Reid didn’t know what to do.
Finally, the man fell to his side and stopped moving.
Breathing heavy, Reid glanced up to the rafters. Sitting there, legs straddling a beam, was Lucas.
“Hey!” the smiling blond shouted, waving to him with one hand, while holding a crossbow with his other. “Are you okay?”
Stunned, Reid nodded. He wondered where Lucas had gotten off to, but didn’t have time to ask Caden.
“If Caden asks, I’m sitting in the truck under a mountain of bulletproof vests,” Lucas said as he held out his hand, waiting to be given another arrow.
To add to Reid’s ever-growing nightmare, a large clown with bright blue hair and big red shoes sat next to Lucas on an adjacent beam, handing him arrows to reload his crossbow.
Well, at least the guys were all learning to play nice.
More gunfire erupted behind him.
Caden let out a cry of pain.
Lucas’s head snapped up, anger blazing in his eyes.
He took aim with his crossbow, then unloaded another shot, this one striking the man who had shot his boyfriend, right in his eye.
“Stay away from my man!” Lucas shouted, standing up on the beam and quickly moving into position for his next shot. He unloaded another three shots as Caden shouted curses at his boyfriend.
Those two had issues.
Scrambling to his feet, Reid rushed over to where Niko was reloading his gun.
“I thought I pulled you to safety?” Niko asked, glancing up at Reid.
“Yeah, thanks for assaulting me by the way, but I’m not staying out of this fight.”
Niko gave him a smirk. “You’re so stubborn.”
“Says the man who always has to be on top.”
Niko chuckled. “I fucking love you.”
Reid nodded toward an extension that had been added to the barn. “I think we should go check out that section.” Niko agreed.
The area was dark, with only a few working lights that kept flickering.
“Stay close to me,” Niko ordered, holding up his gun as they ventured into the darkness.
The place smelled like hay mixed with booze. There was also another scent that Reid knew all too well.
Sweat.
Tightening his grip on his gun, Reid held it up as they walked past several stalls. Some were open, some were closed. He assumed that at some point the structure may have housed animals, perhaps horses or cows, but judging by the silence, that was no longer the case.
Behind them, a large bang startled both of them. They spun around only to realize that the barn door must have slammed shut.
They both exchanged a glance.
“Are you okay?” Niko asked, chest heaving as he breathed in and out.
“Yeah. Let’s keep looking," Reid said as he pushed open the door to a stall while passing by. This one was empty, except for two bottles of beer and a woman’s pink bra.
Something about the scene didn’t feel right.
“I think this place is empty,” Niko whispered, glancing over his shoulder as he took another step.
The floorboard squeaked as Niko took another step.
That didn’t sound right.
He looked down at his feet as he examined the floor beneath him.
There was something there.
He knelt down, brushing away some of the hay from the floor around him.
“Gotcha!” Niko announced, linking his fingers between a metal ring in the floor and pulling up a hidden trapdoor.
Reid pointed his gun at the stairs leading down into the hole beneath the barn. Nothing screams criminal activity like a hidden compartment under the floor.
“After you,” Niko offered, gesturing toward the creepy entrance.
“Always such a gentleman.”
Niko chuckled. “Like I’d really let you go first into the creepy dark hole. Take a step back, and let the big bad Russian make sure that the way is clear first.”
Giving him a wink, Niko slowly crept down the stairs while holding out his gun.
Outside and above, gunfire continued as the war between bikers and clowns raged against the evil farmers.
At the bottom of the steps, the air smelled rank. They were in an underground tunnel that appeared to lead away from the barn.
“This isn’t creepy at all,” Niko muttered as he slowly walked forward.
Their path was lit by overhead lights that were spaced far apart, offering only minimal illumination.
“I think it’s a door,” Niko whispered as he stopped behind a metal barrier.
Reid stopped just behind him and kept his gun aimed at the door. He was ready to shoot anything that moved.
Niko used his fingers to count to three before yanking open the door.
Several women screamed as light came barreling into the dark room.
Niko and Reid’s mouths hung open as they stared into the faces of several terrified-looking women, all huddled against the far wall.
Their clothes were dirty, and their hands and feet were all cut up.
Reid held up his arms as he took a step inside.
“We’re not here to hurt you,” he said, wondering if any of them spoke English.
The women all looked at him and Niko, terrified.
“Are you alright?" Reid asked, stepping closer as they recoiled in fear.
Deciding his approach was not working, Reid passed Niko his gun, then decided to drop to his knees instead.
He hoped that if they saw him on his knees, he would look and feel like less of a threat.
“My name is Reid, and this is my friend, Niko. We’re here to help you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
One of the young women in the front nodded.
Good, at least they were able to communicate.
“Is there anyone else down here?” Reid asked.
The woman pointed down the hallway.
“Are they bad men? Or good men?”
The woman shook her head.
Well, that wasn’t going to clarify anything.
“I got this,” Niko said, turning back to the hallway.
“We’ll be right back,” Reid explained as he stood and followed Niko out.
As they continued walking down the hallway, the lights suddenly went out.
The women let out startled screams.
“Shit.” Niko gasped. The place was completely black with zero visibility. “Where the fuck are you?”
“I’m right beh—” Reid began before something hard hit the back of his head, and the world around him suddenly went silent.