Because Of You

Chapter 35

Their reinforcements gathered as quickly as the ringing faded from Carmen's ears. She was prepared, she knew she was, but as she looked around, she began to doubt herself. There had to be around 20 of them, all a similar age to her, if not younger. At least she could be sane knowing that she wouldn't be fighting against children, that would have broken her completely.

"They sent this many of you, all for me?" Carmen bragged, arrogance in her tone as she mocked the dolls surrounding her. "They really aren't taking any chances, are they?"

The girls scowled at their enemy, not enjoying her nonchalance, after all, they were under the impression that she was a dead girl walking - her demise was inevitable. But instead of folding, Carmen met their glares, she was toying with them, treading in dangerous waters.

"You're not that good." One of the dolls spoke up, her short auburn hair bouncing as she shook. It was clear she was nervous, but she was mimicking Carmen because that's all she had been taught to do. All any of them had been taught. They were unoriginal copies of one another, Carmen knew if she could kill one, then the rest would fall like domino's.

"Oh?" Carmen quirked a brow.

"You ran away and abandoned your purpose." Another accused.

"You were never as strong as us."

"Traitor."

Carmen took in their words, she knew they would be angry at her for experiencing the freedom that they lacked, however, she thought that maybe they would understand her running away. But as she listed more and more, she came to realise that these girls weren't like her. Unlike them, Carmen had Petra and Oruo, she had experienced love, friendship and normality. But the girls around her only knew suffering and conformity. Convincing them would prove and impossible task.

"I don't want to hurt any of you." Carmen began, choosing her words carefully. "This is your final warning. Leave, or die."

Some of the dolls scoffed, their nativity consuming their better judgement. "Its 20 against 1. Even you aren't that good." One stated as she clenched her fists and got into a fighting position. The other followed like sheep, mindlessly gripping their guns and daggers with killing intent.

"So be it." Carmen followed, sighing. She didn't want it to come to this, but she knew it had to be done. She was saving the girls from a life of misery - she just had to keep telling herself that.

Carmen reached quickly reached inside her jacket pocket, giving some girls an opportunity to close in, but before they made it too close, the blonde took out a gun she concealed. She fired it six times, each bullet landing in the skull of her victims.

"14." She made a quick note to herself. One girl jumped towards her, knife slicing through thin air as Carmen backed away into more of the dolls. They had her circled, moving away from one easily led her to move towards another - it was highly inconvenient, but she managed. She had to.

Instead of dodging the bladed hand, Carmen caught the next attack, using all her strength to shove the weapon into the dolls throat. Another was dead, leaving 13. She decided to use what she had and ripped the knife from the dolls neck, throwing it into the eye of another enemy.

12 left now, all sticking to long distanced attacks. Carmen quickly dodged an oncoming wave of bullets, she needed to get rid of those guns, otherwise she wouldn't stand a chance. So, she utilised her ODM gear and bounced to the roof, instantly bouncing back and shooting of of her hooks into the torso or one of the armed dolls. The girl screamed as it impaled and dragged her to the roof. It must have been painful, Carmen shook her head.

She quickly put the girl out of her misery by slicing her throat with her swords, coaxing her clothes in thick red blood. The woman was demoted from a human to a shield that Carmen hid behind to attack the gunned girls. The shield intercepted the bullets and allowed Carmen to get close enough to use her swords to take away the hands of her enemies, along with the guns that rested in them.