Page 45 of When the Living Fall

Peering toward the source of the most recent gunfire that almost took me out, I see one of Nathan’s men turn his attention away, distracted by another skirmish. It’s my chance. I crawl out from under the car and bolt toward the building, weaving through the maze of fighting bodies. I eliminate one of Nathan’s men with ease along the way, so that’s one victory.

Another one of Nathan’s men rounds the corner, almost colliding with me. I grab him and slam him against the nearest wall. He grunts, his eyes flaring with hatred.

“What’s your problem?” I growl, my arm pressing hard across his chest.

“Mine? What about yours? You’re the one who stole from us,” he sneers. “Nathan saved your lives, and you threw him out like trash.”

I press harder against his chest and look straight into his eyes while he gasps for air. My voice goes cold. “You mean the guy who almost wiped out this whole town for fun and still destroyed us again after? Yeah, doesn’t sound like a hero to me.”

“Hypocrites. Every one of you,” he spits out. “Pathetic bunch of people. None of you deserve to live.”

“Well, I see this won’t be resolved anytime soon.” I should have killed him instead of wasting time trying to get information. What a waste.

His knee jerks up into my side, hitting the tender, still-healing wound. The pain is so intense it blinds me, and I have no choice but to loosen my grip and keel over. When I hear the click of the safety on a gun, I drive my knife into his gut, twisting it with a sharp movement. His instant reaction must be to squeeze his hands into fists because both of his guns unload into the ground behind me. Once they’re empty, his body goes limp, and he collapses to the dirt. I lean against the wall to catch my breath before for a moment before moving toward the nearest door. Emily is going to kill me if I’ve opened this wound again, but I don’t see how that’s going to be unavoidable in this situation.

Once inside, I plan to regroup, but something in the shadows catches my attention. A faint, desperate rasping. I raise my gun and inch forward, then freeze.

“Help me…please.”

I squint to see through the dark. It takes a moment, but then I recognize the face. “Richard? What’s your sorry ass doing in here alone?”

He’s slumped against the wall, blood pooling beneath him, his breathing labored. I keep my gun raised and move closer.

“The others went out to fight them off. Judging by the noise outside, I don’t think it’s going so well.” His laughter is a hollow echo in the empty room. “Funny, isn’t it?” He chokes. “They dragged me in here to get me to safety, but it won’t make a damn difference.”

“Every single one of them?” I inch closer. “Now you’re hiding out in here like the coward you are.”

Richard lets out a grim laugh that devolves into a cough. Blood stains his lips. “I’ve lost a lot of blood. So, are you only here to gloat? Or can you put those weapons to good use?”

“Come into the light.”

“Would if I could. Power’s out, but there’s a lantern in the cupboard. Help yourself.”

I spot the lantern. When I light it, I’m surprised to see the large pool of blood he’s lying in. He wasn’t joking. “Holy shit, how are you still alive?”

“Stubbornness. It’s the cure to mortality.”

“Figures. My bet was on assholery.”

He laughs and then coughs again. “I know we’ve had our differences?—”

It’s my turn to laugh. “Call it what you want, but I’m sure you would have killed me the moment Emily turned her back.”

“Luckily, we didn’t have to find out.”

“Well, at least you’re an honest asshole.” I kneel to the ground and let out a low whistle. “Damn. You look worse than I expected.”

He kicks out his leg and somehow props himself up against the wall. “Do you have any bandages on you, by chance?” He nods at the bag I carry on my back.

“You’re a bold one. That desperate, huh?”

He grimaces. Fear, remorse, and agony shine through in his eyes. “I thought I was protecting the colony, but I left it defenseless against the real enemy that I never saw coming. I know I was wrong. Now, are you the kind of man who has the heart to forgive, or are you the monster that you look like?”

The implication lands hard. It strikes straight through me to my wound that’s more than skin-deep. Anger flows through me and my trigger fingers flexes. I think back to the night in the tent with Emily when she ran her fingers over the raise scar tissue on my face and saw straight past it to the man I am beneath. “I might look like a monster, but I’m far from the level of monstrosity you are.”

“You’re not wrong.” He coughs and sputters.

“Thought you wanted me out of here because you think Icause more harm than good, and now you’re begging for me not to leave, and to actually help you?”

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