Fireheart | Raven Reyes [O.H.]

14 | shoot your eye out

┏ ━━┅━━━┅━━ ┓
chapter fourteen!
SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT
┗ ━━┅━━━┅━━ ┛

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

ARES KNOWS THAT some of the things he does or says don't exactly line up with other people's morals. He is well-aware of the fact that he's pretty skewed in the head, meaning he can act in ways that make other people go wide-eyed, or thinks things that would make them raise an incredulous brow if they ever heard what runs through his mind.

For example, most people wouldn't feel so elated by having a gun in their hands.

Ares knows this because of the wary expressions on their faces. There are about thirteen other people in the Guns 101 class taught by him and Blake: Clarke (which is kind of a no-brainer), Nate, Kiernan, Raven, Harper, Jones, Jasper, Myles, Sterling, Monroe, Drew, Connor, and Derek. He only knows their names because Blake had given him a run-down before they'd arrived. He'd said something about how knowing their names might make them more inclined to listen to Ares, but whatever. He isn't so sure about Jones— the kid clearly hasn't forgotten about their ordeal with the poison fog when Ares had elected to leave Rhett behind. He keeps glaring at Ares like he's waiting for the perfect opportunity to shoot him right between the eyes.

Sensing the mounting tension that's already beginning to thicken between the two boys, Blake turns to Ares and mutters, "Don't worry about Jones. I'll handle him."

The man faces the group, his eyes briefly scanning the clearly nervous teenagers. Ares gives them a good, hard look as well. Jasper is trying and failing to hold his rifle comfortably. It looks clunky and awkward in his spindly arms, shifting around restlessly in a way that makes Harper and Monroe, who flank either side of him, edge away in case the safety flicks off. Nate looks bored already. It's probably just an act, but the dazed expression on his face doesn't make Ares feel any better about teaching this lesson. Handling other people isn't his specialty unless it involves beating the shit out of them.

To his surprise, it's Raven who gives him a small, supportive sort of grin. He dumbly blinks at her in response and doesn't have the two senses to lift his lips in response. Before anything else can happen, Blake launches into one of his notorious speeches.

"Listen up!" he announces, instantly bringing every speck of attention to him. Even though their group is relatively small and the rest of the camp is bustling from beyond their space behind the massive dropship, the very forest seems to halt to listen. "These should turn the tide and level the playing field. I don't think I have to remind you that these are not toys. There's a good amount of bullets in that bunker, but that doesn't mean they should be wasted. Remember that our supplies are limited. These are for protection, not for you to shoot your friend's eye out on accident."

It takes all of one second of peace for Jones to open his mouth.

"And what is Ortega doing here?" The boy's eyes are narrowed in his direction, his dark face pinched with hatred. "Needed to keep him on a leash so he doesn't kill us all?"