The Battles End (#wattys2016)

Chapter 15

  Chapter 15: It's Yoour Turn

~3rd~

Hawna had no clue where they were now, how long she was out, or how far from EastHaven the group was. All she knew was that she woke up in the bed of a truck beside three others who were part of the council. All three men. Then there was a man on a grey roan horse. Once Aahana's eyes fully adjusted, she recognized the horse to be Cobalt, her pack horse. Hawna's wrists and ankles were tied, along with a cloth tied around her mouth. She looked around at the men beside her. One trembled, another held his bound hands slightly up as if to pray; and the last, just stared off into space. He looked like he was dead already. That was what the four assumed, was that this day, they were going to die. The only reason that could come to mind this wasn't put on display was so people didn't rise up. That had to mean they were outnumbered, right?
     Then the truck stopped moving. Tree branches arched above them, covering the pre-dawn sky.
     "Line em up!" Someone shouted. Large, calloused hands reached for the man beside Aahana. Two sets grabbed the other two. Then it was Hawna's turn. When the large man grabbed ahold of her, picking her up, it caused Aahana to feel small. Compared to the three men, she was. Very pathetically. She tried to struggle, slip from her restraints. They wouldn't budge. The man placed her at the end of the line, right as the click of a gun echoed through the silent trees. That confirmed something else. If these SOBs wanted to keep quiet about these deaths, they wouldn't have been too near EastHaven. So they had to be, very, very far. Extra distance just to be sure. That should put them somewhere in Ohio. Someone's footsteps mixed with the chirp of any remaining night animal sounds. An owl's hoot, a cicada's buzz. Hawna wasn't afraid to die, but like any other person, didn't like the thought of it. She jumped the moment the loud report sounded, shortly followed by a thud. Through the darkness Aahana could see the outline of the body. She could see how the bullet had torn his skin at point blank. Slowly, the executioner made his way to the next man in line. Hawna's head pounded, her stomach sore from the beating she took.

Bang!

The sickening sounds repeated, only much closer. Hawna tried to control her breathing, so far it was working. But no matter what, she couldn't deny the rising terror within her. She didn't want to die at the hands of these men. She didn't want to die and leave her kids alone. Only Preston would be able to get them to their father. The thought of those two having to learn how their mother died, having to take that news, almost killed her then. That thought was the bullet ripping through her skull already. The only difference, Hawna was the one to pull the trigger.

The gun clicked again.

Through the darkness of the early morning, Hawna saw the gun being pressed against the head of the man behind her. She saw the tears in his eyes, the fear through his glasses. Sweat rolled down the side of his face, even though the morning air was chilling to the bone. Hawna could see everything from the corner of her eye. The cloth in his mouth shook, dulling his whimper. Hawna could see it then. His wife and children in his eyes. Bang!
Her eyes went wide, her shoulders pulling back causing her to become even smaller. Her left ear started ringing from the close range of a loud noise. Warm blood splattered Hawna's already Crimson smeared face. His body fell to the ground. Hawna's eyes stayed wide as a hooded man came from memory.         

It's your turn. He hand chanted slowly. It's your turn lil' miss fire. His hood hid his face well, but it didn't hide that predatory, sickening grin. It's your turn.

Hawna hadn't felt this powerless in a long time. Fear ran through her like her own blood. She started trembling as the familiar click rang through her ears. Her breathing became shaky as the cold metal of the gun pressed to the back of her skull. The man pushed the gun into her head harder, jerking her forward. He got behind her. Immediately Hawna stiffened. She knew what was coming now.

It's your tuuurn. The voice chirped.

     "Really? What do you think Negan would think if he learned you played with one of 'em before you ended it?" One of the other men groaned.
     "Don't give me that. You want it too." The man behind her let out a dark laugh. "Probably more than I do." The other two were strangely silent after that. Probably ran out of objections as the one behind Hawna fiddled with his belt. Her eyes were still wide. She still trembled with fear. She was pulling away from the world, make it easier on herself with what was about to happen. There was the clink as the man successfully unhooked the belt. She kept telling herself it wasn't real. It wasn't happening again. That she hadn't broken the promise to herself she wouldn't let a man take advantage of her like this ever again. In her growing state of shock, Hawna hadn't noticed the man shifted his hand enough, the gun pointed right over her shoulder. He reached around to the button of her jeans. Hawna's breathing picked up.

It's your turn

Bang!
Another gunshot this time from the man behind her, followed right after. Now both of Hawna's ears were ringing. Blood splattered on the back of her neck and jawline. Terror picked up within her as the full weight of the man fell onto her. Hawna was pinned down by a dead body. He had been shot in the back of the head. His stubble lined head allowed blood to run down easily, and drip onto Hawna's face as she tried not to hyperventilate.

It's your turn.
It's your turn now.
Your turn.
You're gonna love this sweetheart.

But there was another sentence that came to mind.
It's not my blood.

She trembled even more, starting to be crushed by the weight of the dead man on top of her. Hawna curled into herself as much as she could. Fear causing her to want to ball up. Then, the weight was thrown off of her. She rolled onto her side, but now it was worse. The dead man stared at her. His lifeless eyes still, somehow, shown the joy he had gotten out of what he almost had. Hawna started shaking harder. Terror continued to overtake her as odd, but familiar voices echoed around her. The ringing in her ears not helping anything.

     "For christ's sake, someone roll the bastard over!" A new voice ordered. This one was a stranger. "Can't get these damn things off with her shakin like this."
Someone did what the voice asked and kicked the body further away. Now Hawna could see the back of the dead man's head. A bullet hole clear in the back of his head. He wasn't coming back. He wasn't coming back.
Someone took the gag from around Hawna's face. She breathed through her mouth, still not fully back to the real world.
     "That it.. Just breath." A different voice soothed. This one, if Hawna was in her right mind, she would have known. Someone held her arm, moving it back and forth, before the tug of her bounds slipped away.
     "There we go. Got them off." The stranger told, then moving to Hawna's feet.
     "Shit." A third person cursed. "They seem on a damn warpath."
     "They are." The familiar voice confirmed. Spite filled his voice as he kneeled by Hawna. The first man went to pat her on the shoulder reassuringly. "Maverick don't." The second warned.
     This "Maverick" held his hands up in defense. "I was just gonna tell her it's okay." He looked down at the woman, now being able to tell she probably wasn't even in her twenties yet. She was just a kid that had been scared shitless. Hell, she still was. Her Amber blue eyes were wide, but unfocused on the world around them.
     "That's only going to make it worse." The friend warned. "That goes for you too Heath." He spoke from his knowledge of the girl's history. He was a friend of her's as well as the two who accompanied him.

A/n

Just skipping to the questions... 😇

Who are Maverick and Heath?
Who is this "friend" of Sunny's?
Where are they?

Please remember to vote and comment, and find out in the next chapter!