The Water Witcher (Completed)

Chapter 11 - No Regrets

        Gunner ducked from the bullet but collapsed to the ground with an angry, screeching woman pounding him with her fists. He tried restraining her arms, but the fury in her eyes amplified like crimson spider webs, fueling her strength. Spit gathered in her mouth with a bead dangling from her lip, ready to drip onto his face as she fought against him.

Using the strength in his back, he bucked his hips and scissored his legs around her torso—locking her in place. This made her screech louder as gunfire shot all around them like firecrackers lighting up the navy blue sky. He see-sawed forward, forcing her onto her back, and with a jerk of his legs, he broke her neck.

Next to him, Jasper pulled Archibald's attacker off by the hair and shot through his temple. As bullets flew past them and pierced through the tents, Archibald extended his arm, firing several rounds at the Scout aiming at them. Gunner tucked and rolled into a kneeling position, releasing a throwing knife that slid into the Scout's neck. The man slapped his palm over the protruding handle and dropped to the ground like a wet sandbag.

"Come on!" Gunner shouted, dragging Archibald behind the tent while Jasper finished off the knifed Scout. "Are you alright?"

"Tis a scratch..." Archibald grimaced, covering his side.

"Let me see."

"No! Go finish what we started. I'll be fine."

"Archibald! Let me see."

"MIGUEL." He grabbed him by the shirt collar. "I'll be fine! Now go."

Gunner glanced down at the scarlet color blooming across the man's side like a wildfire consuming a forest, so he pressed his palm against it. "Hang on. We'll get you home."

"We'll get there faster if you help my son and your cousin. Now go!"

"Fine, you stubborn man."

Leaving him, Gunner returned to the war zone they created and spotted Jasper using a gargantuan tree trunk as a shield while exchanging fire with a few Scouts across the way. Meanwhile, Abraham wrestled on the ground with another. With the Scouts distracted, Gunner rushed along the perimeter of the camp and weaved through the trees. Branches slapped his legs and whipped his face, leaving tiny cuts on his exposed flesh—yet he felt none of it as he ran.

With a knife in each hand, he dashed for the first Scout he saw and jammed a blade into his neck. The rifle in the man's hand sent a spray of bullets towards the sky as he fell backward, so Gunner snatched it from his grip before firing a round into his skull. He sprinted around more trees, spotting his next targets, and dropped to a knee to position his newly gained rifle. Taking a breath, he concentrated on the first Scout and exhaled as he pulled the trigger. When their body dropped to the ground, he jumped to his feet and fired at the next one while running.

Not wasting any time, he zig-zagged towards another Scout, and through the clearing of trees, he saw her stretched across a slab of rock with a rifle in hand. Bullets screeched from the barrel as she took shots at Abraham, who ducked and dove for cover. Slowing his pace, Gunner snatched a rock from the ground and tiptoed onto the slab. When he got closer, he yanked the woman's head back.

"Naptime, precious," he said, knocking her out.

Using the rifle's strap, he bound her arms at her sides, and then stood on the slab to reassess the camp. Jasper emerged from the tree, doing the same as his eyes roamed over the quiet scenery. Abraham gave one last stab to a Scout and straightened hai posture, his garments looking as if he'd bathed in a barrel of wine.

"You hurt?" Gunner called out.

"No es mi sangre," he replied and motioned over the bodies. "Their blood."