Hellbound - 001/Henry Creel/Peter Ballard

012

"EVE GET DOWN-"

Bullets ricochet through the woods like panicked birds. I fall to the ground with a thud instantly, my arms wrapped tightly above my head in an weak attempt to protect myself.

Henry is by my side, tucking me into his chest, the both of us waiting for the bullets to stop raining down on us viciously so that we have a chance to fight back.

"Don't make a sound." He whispers in my ear and goosebumps cover every inch of my body.

I nod frantically, shutting my eyes forcefully as if the lack of sight will shield me from the bullets.

Slowly, the shooting sound comes to an end and faint human voices speak up against the quiet of the forest.

"Where are they?" Someone says.

"I don't know. Do you think we shot them?" Another person follows up.

"I hope so."

A shudder runs through me.

They want us dead. Just like they did in the lab, just as they do now. I am deeply disappointed in my unchanged fate, I hoped that as soon as I got out of the lab everything would change for the better.  Another foolish hope of mine that proves all the more how innocent and naive I seem to be.

Death seems to follow me like a lost puppy wherever I go.

"Stay down, I'll take care of this." Henry leaves the spot beside me, slowly getting up, trying to be silent.

I put my hand against my ear, muting the world out. I know what Henry means by "I'll take care of this" by now. I'm well accustomed with his vulgar way of taking care of things. I don't freak out anymore, I don't hold him accountable for it. I turn a blind eye to it and act as if it never happened.

It's better this way, I have convinced myself. The less I think about it the less it troubles me.

Every day with every kill of his, whether it be animal or human I slowly feel the moral code in me slip away and become more and more faint in my head.

He doesn't like to kill, he's reassured me many times. He does it only out of necessity, because he has no other choice. It's us against them.

I stay unmoving on the ground, counting my breaths and eager for all of this to be over.

I wonder if they had winter clothes on them, if their guns still have bullets in them, if they carry backpacks with necessities.

Old me would have never thought of anything like this, of stealing the clothes off of dead people. Times change, however, and now I grab every opportunity that presents itself.

A hand taps on my shoulder twice. I raise my face off the ground and uncover my ears.

Henry is looking down at me, his eyes wild, the look that he has on his face after every kill. Using his powers in high quantities, like this, makes him stronger, healthier, his skin oddly brighter.

"It's over."

Two words, they are enough to tell me that the job is done, that he has two more kills under his belt, two more sins added to his already tainted soul.

We both walk towards the lifeless bodies, I scan them top to bottom for anything that might be useful to us.

They are dressed in hiking attire, thick jackets and ankle high boots. The straps of a backpack are over their shoulders and guns discarded at their side.

I grab one of them and hold it in my hands. It's heavier than I expected, made up of too many compartments that I don't know what their purpose is.

I start to wave it around but promptly stop when I realise when it could misfire and possibly injure something.