Page 23 of Whispers and Warriors
A man lay sprawled on the ground, his body twisted at an unnatural angle like a broken doll. Blood seeped from multiple wounds, painting the once dry brown dirt a sickening shade of crimson. His face was contorted in agony, mouth agape as if frozen in a silent scream. His dark blue eyes bore into William’s with a pleading desperation, begging for help or mercy. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare.
“Jesus fuck,” Alex whispered, mirroring William’s thoughts.
“Please,” the man rasped, his voice barely more than a whisper. “Please, help me.”
William’s stomach churned as he took in the extent of the man’s injuries. It was clear that he had been run over, his lower body crushed beyond recognition. There was no way he would survive, even if they had the means to help him.
Alex crouched down beside the man, his expression grim. “What happened to you?” he asked, his tone gentle despite the harshness of their surroundings.
The man’s eyes fluttered closed, his breathing labored. “They left me,” he whispered, his words punctuated by a cough thatsent flecks of blood spraying from his lips. “Said I was... dead weight.”
William’s heart clenched at the man’s words, at the cruelty of a world that could abandon one of its own so callously. He glanced back toward the truck where Chris still worked with the fuel pump, his ID likely deactivated and useless.
“Please,” the man begged again, his voice growing weaker by the second. “End it. I can’t... I can’t take the pain anymore.”
William met Alex’s gaze, saw the same grim determination reflected back at him. They both knew what needed to be done, even if it went against everything they had once believed in.
With a heavy heart, William reached for his gun, his fingers curling around the trigger as he took aim. He closed his eyes, sending up a silent prayer for the man’s soul, and for his own.
Then, with a deep breath, he squeezed the trigger, and the world went mercifully silent as his ears adjusted.
The shot echoed through the desolate landscape, a haunting reminder of the brutality of their new reality. William barely flinched as he lowered the gun, his eyes fixed on the lifeless body before him. He had taken countless lives before, but this...this felt different.
“You did what you had to do,” Alex said quietly, placing a hand on William’s shoulder. “He was suffering. You ended that suffering before I could.”
William nodded, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat. He knew Alex was right, but it didn’t make the weight of his actions any easier to bear.
The sound of running footsteps drew their attention, and they turned to see Chris rounding the corner, his gun at the ready. “What happened?” he demanded, his eyes darting between William and Alex.
“We found a man,” Alex explained, his voice steady despite the gravity of the situation. “He was badly injured, begging for death. William...Will ended his suffering.”
Chris’s gaze settled on William, and for a moment, he saw a flicker of understanding in the older man’s eyes. Then, just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by the steely resolve that had kept them all alive this long.
“Get back in the truck,” Chris ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. “We don’t need to be here when anyone else hears that gunshot.”
William nodded, holstering his gun as he turned to follow them back to the vehicle.
“Thanks, Ranger. You helped today.” He rubbed over the dogs back just before climbing into the back.
“Alex, why don’t you come drive for a bit. They’ll be looking for me thanks to my ID scan. Liam, flip with Bash. We might be able to trick people into thinking we’ve gone separate ways.”
Everyone shifted without any words, and William moved to sit beside Emma, intertwining his hand back with hers the way it had been before they stopped.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly, her thumb tracing soothing circles on the back of his hand.
William nodded, his gaze finding hers in the dim light of the truck’s interior. “I will be,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “As long as I have you.”
Emma smiled, the warmth of her expression chasing away the chill that had settled in William’s bones. She leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, and for a moment, he hadn’t just killed a man and they weren’t on the run.
In that moment, there was only them, and the love that had become the anchor in the stormy seas of their lives.
William pulled away first, his thoughts drifting to just hours ago when he’d come undone inside of her. Everything had fallen apart so fast.
William turned his gaze to the window, watching as the barren landscape rolled by, a seemingly endless expanse of desolation stretching out before them. The sun hung low on the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and red, a stark contrast to the lifeless earth.
With no talking to be had, William was left diving back into his thoughts. He thought of the choices he had made, the lives he had taken, and the toll it had taken on his soul.
“What are you thinking about?” Emma asked, her voice cutting through the silence.
