The Renegade

Chapter 15: And a Gun Goes...?

    Belle throws on her combat boots and grabs her scythe. She insists that she goes first, saying that she knew the house better than anyone, despite its petite size. She claimed she knew exactly where Hallie’s shriek originated.
    She led the trio down the stairs and out onto the porch.
    They all froze. They were too late. Belle steps forward, in front of the trio. She placed her arm on one of the chairs sitting near the glass outdoor table, as if to support her weak body. Her legs buckle and she crumbles to the ground. Knees folded, scythe in her lap. Time slowed. Even if for a brief moment, everything was somewhat peaceful. Before all of hell broke loose.

    This was something they had not seen before. It seemed to be a ghoul, but it was ripping up the no-longer recognizable body. Belle hears footsteps approaching behind her. She turns her head to see Schmitty, Shawna, and Kenz. One person was missing. Everyone wore a face of shock and horror, not believing their eyes. Tears ran down a couple cheeks.
    Belle turned back to ghoul, and it had already took notice to the seven. The ghoul growled, launching itself at Belle.
   “Incoming! Look out, Belle!” Robby shouts. He readies his flamethrower. Belle didn’t even flinch. Mike had jumped in front of Robby before he ignited his weapon. On his way to the ground, he pulls Belle back. The flame nearly singed Belle’s hair that now barely touched her shoulders (from her previous encounter with death). Belle gives Mike and the rest of the group a confused look. Her breaths now shaky and uneven. Robby steps over Belle and walks over to the bloody mess of a corpse. Robby almost gags, but finds a way to hold it back. Mike stands up and offers Belle a hand, but, as a response, she just stares off.
    Mike pulls his hand back and looks over to Robby. Nikki, Mike, Shawna and Kenz step over Belle, weapons at the ready. Schmitty leans down next to Belle. Schmitty wipes at tear tracks. “You okay?”
    Belle mutters something inaudible, and Schmitty sits next her, cross-legged. “Yeah, me too.” Schmitty chuckles. “Have you decided to come back? To The Renegade?”
    Belle shook her head.
    Schmitty tsks, “That’s a shame.”
    Belle finally speaks, “No one actually cared that I left, right?”
    Schmitty chuckled, “Anything but, actually. I think. I mean you know people. It’s really hard to read them sometimes. But everyone was extremely upset after you left.” She paused. “Did you regret leaving?”
    “Not sure,” Belle admits. “I’m glad I got out though.”
    “You could have gone out on the next mission?”
    “Yeah, but I probably wouldn’t have been able to come here.”
    “Who knows?”
    Belle nods.
    Schmitty thinks for a moment before speaking again. “You know, I always wanted to go visit my family again. I hoped once this is all over, I would be able to.”
    “Do you know where they are?”
    “Not necessarily. But I figured I could track them down. For their safety, I left.” She laughs, “Brother Schmitty.”
    Belle hears an odd, but familiar sound, come from behind her. A bow. Schmitty lifted a finger to her ear, and when she pulls it back in front of her face, it had burgundy traces.
    A thump is heard from behind Schmitty. She turns around to see another ghoul lying face first on the ground with an arrow sunk in its skin. The arrow hadn’t seemed to have pierced the bone, simply sticking out of the skin. Schmitty hadn’t seen a ghoul up close, being that she wielded a long range weapon. She reaches out to touch it. Schmitty yelped in pain, grabbed her colt with her uninjured hand to shoot the ghoul. It falls limp, and hopefully dead this time.
    Schmitty laid back, turning paler by the minute. She holds her hand out. It had three claw marks with a sickly green tone to it. Her eyes started to glaze over, and she started to get delirious, talking about chocolate cake. And someone with blonde hair. Suddenly, the sound of tension of a string being released echoes in my ears.
    Belle wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Because of her, two people were already dead. Just from this mission. Hallie, and now Schmitty. Belle couldn’t handle this anymore. She didn’t know Hallie and Schmitty that well, but she was still hurt. As if someone had sliced her gut. Schmitty would never be able to find her family. Belle made a note to herself to one day, once this was all over, find Schmitty’s family and tell them of her bravery.
    They were a part of a team, a team she was in. A team in which these two came to find her, even though they didn’t know her that well. And knowing the team, they might have volunteered. Despite not knowing Belle enough, they volunteered anyway. At least, that’s what Belle assumed. She was a part of a team. Until she selfishly left. Everyone else was hurting, and she, in turn, hurt everyone more. Belle wasn’t sure how much more she could take.
    Robby had taken Hallie’s remains and cremated them, making it easier for transportation. He then put most of the ashes into a little box and put it on top of Schmitty’s body. Nikki held out her wrist, and a beam of light dances over top of Schmitty and Hallie’s remains. After it finished scanning the lifeless beings, they evaporate. Belle gives Nikki a questioning look, and Nikki replies simply with, “Teleportation.”