Love Amidst Wars

thirty-eight

"Mother! Slow down! Please!" Juliette held her chest with her free hand as the other was held tightly by her mother. They kept running without stopping towards their home.

Lady Jane finally stopped in shock, seeing a group of men dragging a mother and a child out of their house and shooting her husband in front of their eyes.

"Mother, what is going on?" Juliette asked in a panic. Lady Jane cupped both of her daughter's cheeks and took a deep breath, "Everything will be fine. As soon as we get home, we will pack our things and run away. I need you to help pack your father's things as well."

Juliette did not ask any further and nodded before continuing their journey home. The situation in their manor was hectic as the maids and butlers were panicking, packing all the things.

Juliette immediately approached her father, "Dad! What is happening? Why is there suddenly a huge commotion–"

"Pack your things. We have to go. It's not safe," Viscount William caressed his daughter's cheeks before glancing at his wife, "Please. Just leave me."

"What the hell are you talking about, William?" The Viscountess glowered.

"Bringing me with you will only make you slow. I don't want you to burden yourself by making sure that I'm keeping up with you all the time. I don't want to be the reason you both are not safe."

"Dad, don't make jokes like this!"

"Leave! The maids had already packed your things! Leave now!"

"William!"

"Run to the hills and hide in the forest! Make sure you don't get caught!"

"Dad, we can work this out! I can push you in your wheelchair and we are all going to run to the hills, okay?" Juliette kneeled in front of her father, begging and tightening her grip around her father's hands.

"I will always love you," Viscount William pulled her into his embrace tightly, kissing her head and closing his eyes as tears escaped.

Lady Jane bit her bottom lip, suppressing her tears at the scene in front of her. The Viscount pulled away and sighed, "Jane, bring Juliette and the other maids safely to the hills and hide in the forest. If we are meant to see each other again, we will. The male servants and I will protect this manor from the enemies."

"William..." her voice broke, "Can you just stop caring for everyone and be selfish for once? Please come with us..."

He pushed his wheelchair towards his wife before pulling her into a long hug, whispering sweet nothings and assurance into her ear. Juliette wiped her tears and took a deep breath, "Mom, we have to go."

Lady Jane sobbed and let herself be pulled by her daughter, seeing the Viscount's figure slowly disappearing from her sight as they left the manor.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

"Any news?" Viscount William asked one of his male servants, looking out the window from his office.

"The enemies are ambushing manors and attacking people. They have killed Lord Clarke and raped his wife before killing her too."

"We have to be prepared. You have got your guns, right? As soon as they ambush us, we shoot them all."

"Yes, my lord."

He sighed and turned around, facing his desk. He took the small frame of him and his family, taking the picture out. He smiled softly and kissed his wife's picture before placing it into his pockets.

"Knock knock!"

"Where's our next victim!"

"They're here, my lord," the servant said anxiously.

"Shoot them dead."

The door to the office was suddenly being kicked. The group of men in foreign uniforms smirked before aiming their guns at the Viscount and the servant.

"Who should we kill first? The amputated bastard or the annoying-looking bastard?" One of the enemies teased as he looked at the servant up and down.

The male servant shot one of them dead before sighing, "Don't boast if you're incapable of avoiding a bullet."

The other men clenched their jaws out of annoyance and attempted to beat up the servant. Before they knew it, one of them began to grab a fistful of Viscount William's hair and dragged him out of the wheelchair. The man kicked the wheelchair away and dragged the Viscount down the stairs.

"Strip him."

The enemies obeyed and stripped the helpless Viscount, discovering the family picture he kept in his pocket.

"Is this your family? I wonder where they are."

"Do not even come closer to them, you bastard!" Lord William spat on the man's face.

The man laughed in disbelief and wiped his face before spitting back on the Viscount's face and slapping him. "How do you want to die? Do you want us to burn you? Hang you?"

"Go to hell, you fucking idiots."

"Cut his arms. He doesn't need them anymore. If he can live without his legs, I'm sure his arms aren't a requirement anymore."

Viscount William screamed in terror and pain as the enemies cut his arms mercilessly.

"Let's make a bet. Whoever shoots him to death wins," the enemies began to laugh with each other.

They took turns shooting the Viscount, aiming it towards his head. Lord William endured all the shootings, feeling his body getting more numb as time went by. He closed his eyes and prayed to God, wishing He would take the pain away and let him die instantly.

Dear Lord, I beg of you.

Please protect my wife and my daughter.

From these cruel men.

With one last shot at his head, he finally passed away, bleeding on the ground. He died with a small smile and an escaped tear, grateful for God granting his wish to die instantly.

"Let's make things even more entertaining. Let's find the wife and the daughter. We can take turns having fun with them as well."