Survival Instinct

Chapter 4

When we get the shooter back to camp we stop by Lily on the ground.

"I can't stop the bleeding!" the doctor man yells in frustration.

"Please try!" Charlie screams with tears in his eyes. Lily is writhing on the ground in pain.

"Keep pressure on the wound" I say as I rip off some cloth from the hem of my shirt. I give it to the doctor and he puts it on the bullet hole.

"Ch-Charlie" Lily says very weakly.

"Yeah?" he says.

"Its ok don't worry it's ok"

Charlie puts his head down and starts crying.

"Yeah baby it's gonna be ok" he tells her through tears.

"The bleeding has slowed but she's lost a lot of blood...." The doctor says grimly. Cecily pushes through the crowd surrounding Lily and Charlie.

"Is she ok!?"

"I don't know" I say standing up.

"Everybody give us space!" I yell to everyone around us. People back away. After ten minutes of standing by Charlie I wander off and find Gary with the prisoner.

"Has he said much?" I ask him.

"Nope just his gibberish." He replies.

I look at the man sitting tied to a post in the ground. His face is bruised and bloody from Gary punching him. Also the wound I put in his leg with the knife looks infected.

"How's Lily?"

"I don't know she lost a lot off blood and its not looking so good."

He's silent after that.

An hour passes and then another does. After what feels like an eternity I walk back over to Charlie who is still leaning over Lily holding her to him. I feel for her pulse on her wrist and find that it is still. My heart sinks so far down it feels as if it went out my body and into the ground.

"Charlie........" I say tapping his shoulder lightly. He doesn't answer me at first then he says "Where is that son of a bitch!?"

He jumps up and grabs my shoulders with a desperate look on his face.

"Where is he!" it was more of a demand now.

"Follow me" I reply.

We walk over to where Gary is holding the prisoner. Charlie walks over with clenched fists. He starts beating the man in the face over and over. He cries out in pain and every time Charlie yells at him to shut up. Finally he stands up and turns to me.

"Give me the knife" he says with tears in his eyes.

I don't hesitate. I feel sick when I give it to him, but Charlie needs this revenge. He walks over to the man slowly, twirling the knife in his hand. He bends down and stabs it into the wound that I made. The hunter yells in pain.

"You haven't yet felt pain" Charlie snarls.

He continues to twist the knife in the wound. As the cries continue, people stare over in shock and then turn away. Then Charlie rips the knife out and moves to his other leg. He repeats the process again. He does the same with the arms. Charlie steps back and watches the man whimper in pain. Gary offers Charlie the gun but he pushes it away. He raises the knife and brings it down on his head. I turn away as I hear him bring it down again and again. Then I touch his shoulder.

"Charlie stop please."

He stops and drops the knife shaking. Then he starts to cry as he puts his head in his hands. Blood is splattered all over his shirt and his hands. I look over at the remains of the man's head, then I turn around and puke on the ground. People all around and gasping in shock and horror. I realize that it's getting dark, so I stand up to address everyone.

"Uhhh guys just get into your lean to's and get some rest."

People mumble to each other and some whimper as they settle in. Gary and I start a fire in the makeshift fire pit. Once we get it started I look over at Charlie. He has moved back and is now holding Lily again.

"So Gary umm how do you think should.....dispose of the body?"

"I don't know maybe put him in the woods for the animals."

"Yeah sounds like a good idea."

We stay silent for a few minutes until Gary breaks the silence.

"Do you think that what we let Charlie do was right?"

"I don't know. He needed that revenge, I mean that man killed his wife."

"I see what you mean but I just don't think it's very human."

I'm silent after that. After a bit Gary offers to take watch and I settle into my lean to. When I close my eyes the only images that float into my mind are ones of the man with his brutalized head limp against the ground.