Page 65 of Not This Soon

"Keep him busy," she hissed at Ethan as she began to cut through his bindings.

Ethan nodded weakly. With tremendous effort, he shifted his position, drawing the attention of the agitated reptiles away from Rachel and back onto himself.

Just as the last rope was cut free, another gunshot echoed around them. A bullet whizzed past Rachel, slamming into the ground beside them and sending up a cloud of dust.

"Ethan!" Rachel shouted over the gunfire and hissing of snakes. Suddenly one of the snakes appeared to rear back before lunging with open jaws towards Ethan's face.

With no time to think, Rachel took aim and fired a single shot that silenced the rattlesnake before it could strike Ethan. The commotion sent the other snakes scurrying away, disturbed by the loud noise.

Ethan took this moment to scramble on his feet, hobbling towards Rachel. Despite his pale and shaken appearance, Rachel could see his determination. He was a fighter.

Another snap echoed in the air. A strangled cry tore from Ethan’s throat as he stumbled but kept moving, fueled by adrenaline and desperation.

"Rachel," he gritted out through clenched teeth, eyes wild with fear. "I've been shot."

Her own shoulder and arm ached with bursts of agony.

His words were drowned out by the cacophony of snakes, their hisses becoming more frantic. Ethan had made it to Rachel’s side, but the snakes were hot on his trail.

Her hands flew to her gun, her aim finding two of the snakes slithering after him without thought. Two shots rang out in quick succession. With each shot, the rest of the snakes retreated back into the darkness.

Rachel pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for Ethan to be quiet. She handed him her gun before turning her attention to the largest of the retreating snakes.

"What are you doing?" Ethan whispered hoarsely as she grabbed the snake by its tail. It coiled and tried to strike, but she held it just out of reach.

Rachel didn’t answer; she was busy scanning their surroundings for any signs of Atticus's location.

A gunshot rang out again, ricocheting off the ATV. It was followed by a brief silence before another round pinged against the vehicle's exterior.

She then broke into a sprint towards the base of the ridge. “Cover me!” she called.

“Rachel!”

She ignored him, her arm aching. She rushed towards the muddy embankment. Ethan fired towards the ridge. Atticus was distracted.

Now! Rachel seized the opportunity and flung the snake towards where she thought Atticus was hiding.

A startled yelp echoed from the ridge above them.

"Shoot him!" Rachel hurled the command at Ethan as the sniper scrambled from his position, exposed and fearful.

Ethan's aim followed her directive - one single shot echoed through the night. The man on the ridge cried out in pain, his body teetering precariously on the edge before toppling over. He tumbled down the dune, his body striking a boulder with a sickening thud.

His fall was arrested at the bottom of the valley, his body sprawled out in a grotesque display of defeat. Rachel's gaze was transfixed on the lifeless body of Atticus Silver, his eyes wide open and staring at nothing.

She felt no satisfaction, only a hollow relief.

He was a pale man, balding and strong-featured. He wasn’t breathing. He wasn’t speaking. Shot dead.

Just like his parents.

Ethan collapsed beside her, groaning in pain. His body was pale and sweat-soaked, blood still seeping through his clothes.

Rachel quickly moved to his side, her own injuries momentarily forgotten as she surveyed Ethan's condition.

"Hang in there," She said quietly, her hand pressing against the bullet wound on his shoulder in an attempt to stem the bleeding. "You're going to be alright."

Ethan nodded weakly, wincing as Rachel applied pressure to his wound. His gaze turned to where Atticus laid still amidst the sand and rocks.

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