Slice of (magic) Life

Chapter 20 - Elaine

That bag's gotta have something valuable in it. Elaine's thoughts rushed in her head as she chased after Kyra and the thief. Despite her hunger, Kyra's words echoing in her mind told her to ditch her food.

"It's all I have left of him," she had said before leaving them behind.

Elaine couldn't guess who the mystery person was, but she could tell it was someone Kyra was close to before something bad happened to them. And that was all the motivation Elaine needed.

"Hey," Elaine said while running alongside Axle and the others. "Don't you need your cane to walk? How are you running?"

The old man leading the way replied, "I thought you were smarter than that, girl. I only use that on my travels as an illusion to give my opponents."

They took a left, following a distant figure of Kyra. The shops and houses zipped by them, giving Elaine a good guess just how empty the town was.

The grey, rocky streets were like endless flowing rivers as Elaine ran full tilt. She had seen only a handful of people after running through half a dozen streets.

How has she not caught up to her already?

Just when Elaine was about to tire out, Kyra managed to run the thief into a dead end at their next turn of a street.

"Give it up," Kyra spat.

From the look she was giving Elaine and the others, especially Kyra, she didn't seem to be a magical threat, but a threat nonetheless.

Elaine watched as Kyra advanced on the thief. Before any of them got any closer however, she pulled out a gun.

"Stay back," she warned. "One more step and you're dead."

No, she's dead if she doesn't give those back, Elaine thought. She looked to Kyra cautiously. She didn't look scared of the weapon, not for a second.

Kyra said to Olsen through gritted teeth, "Hold me back, Olsen."

The old man sighed and continued approaching the thief beside Kyra.

"What are you doing?" the thief demanded, bumping her back against the wall. "I told you to stop or I'll shoot!"

Kyra and Olsen kept walking, undeterred by the threat. Elaine and Axle and his father also moved closer. With a shaking hand, the thief aimed and pulled the trigger.

Elaine and Axle yelped and jolted back at the loud gunshot. Elaine looked to Kyra. She remained unharmed, but more furious. The bullet hit Kyra, though it seemed to just fall to the ground instead of hurting her.

The thief looked at them in utter shock. "What devilry is this?"

She tried shooting Kyra again and again, each time Elaine and Axle flinched back in fear, but Kyra pressed on.

They kept advancing on the thief until they were right in front of each other, the gun all out of bullets.

Carefully, Olsen pulled the gun away from the thief. Kyra presented a hand, demanding her bag and Olsen's cane back. The thief gave up and sunk to the ground. She returned the items and raised her hands up.

"Please, don't hurt me," she begged. "I won't do it again, I swear."

For a second, Elaine thought Kyra would beat the other woman up. Instead, she offered her hand to the thief.

"Promise me," Kyra said sternly. "Swear it on your ancestors' graves."

The thief nodded vigorously and took Kyra's hand. Elaine noticed something weird happen however. The woman was shaking violently as soon as she took Kyra's hand.