But He Stopped Pt 2

My Soul Is Changing

She shifted uncomfortably, her silenced rifle propped against a tree for leverage. Her armor was upgraded to the point of invisibility

We were stuck in a hard place; dead center in a tri-fecta of enemies. Ghouls, Raiders, Supers. We'd been crouching, cutting throats, and taking head shots when the opportunity presented itself.

Twice now they had begun fighting amongst themselves but never long enough to make any real dent in their numbers. I watched her as she steadied her breath, marvelling once again.

She was focused; everything she did she was all in. Her body was a tense ball of anticipation, her hair pulled tight in a ponytail out of her eyes. She had her hands sitting in just the right position, her knuckles white. The world around her didn't exist as she zeroed in on her target. I felt myself breathing as she did; deep in, slow out. My chest burned as we synchronized.

I felt as though I was intimately close with her as we inhaled as one, I watched her chest rise and fall as we exhaled together. Her breath hitched suddenly; spell broken. She breathed out and pulled the trigger. A low pop and a split second later the Brute fell off the scaffolding. We fell back and to the left, pinning ourselves against a small rock outcropping. She closed her eyes, breathing hard.

"Hancock." She pointed just ahead of us. "What are we going to do?"

Three yao guai circled the bodies of a few fallen ghouls. One had reared back on its hind legs, the roar a low grumble in his throat. I knew that Rosie could take them on if she hadn't just been playing gruella warfare for two hours.

"Run." I responded, already knowing I'd fight my way through the raiders.

She nodded and we both bolted. I could hear at least one of the mutated bears lumbering after me. The Raiders turned one by one, horror sweeping over their faces. I jumped over their low junk fence, my shotgun blasting through the closest asshole face. The bear was close behind, plowing through as of the fence wasn't there. Debris flew out, striking some.

Immediately they began turning their weapons on the bear. Using the distraction I began killing the ones further back, the people who cared more about my intrusion than a rampaging nuclear bear.

I pumped my shotgun, blasting one guy in the throat. I used my ghoul strength to propell me forward before the next enemy could fire. I buried my knife in her neck, reloading as I leapt off the walkway and fell, feet on chest, onto another raider. His ribs snapped beneath my weight. I grinned cruelly as I plunged my blade into the heart of a man rushing me from behind. I spun to my right and fired twice, taking down three more enemies. I pulled out the grenade in my pocket,pulling the pin and launching it into a building where at least four Raiders had taken cover. I slid out on the dirt as I ran, ducking behind a wooden post. The blast made my ears ring.

I spun back into the dusty clearing, a sword fell to my right. I grabbed the wrist that had delivered the failed blow, twisting. It snapped. While the Raider howled I drove my blade into his eye, letting him fall as I let off another shot, taking out one more and crippling another. I ran over and stomped on her neck while she was down. A guy ran up from behind, yelling his rage. I spun and put my last loaded bullet into his gut.

A big brute of a man lumbered up behind me, cracking his knuckles.I spun sharply, shoes slick with blood, and buried my knife in his absomen simultaneously shooting him in the face.

He staggered back, his hands hiding the damage. He roared in rage as the yao guai behind him fell to its death simultaneously. Five men, all that was left, flanked him after making sure the bear was truly dead.

One tapped a bottle in his hands, grinning wickedly he cocled back his arm and loosed it. The glass cracked across my head, knocking my hat off. Calmly I loaded my gun. The atmosphere was oddly still as I raised my head, blood spilling from the shallow wound.