Water Boy (Book #2)

Chapter 9: Bandaids Don't Fix Gun Shot Wounds

Cains P.O.V
I wake with a start, the dream I was having startling me into consciousness. Thing is though, I can't even remember what it was about. I shake off the shivers I was getting and wriggle out of my tent. Looking around I see it's not quite daylight, some stars still lingering in the sky. The sun should rise soon enough.

Fia sits in the middle of the clearing, eyes upwards just staring. She looked at peace and that's something she's been missing the past few days. Peace. I got to walk over to her when I see another figure laying next to her. Morris was simply staring at the sky as well as they both whisper to each other. I felt a pang in my gut that I identified as jealousy. Or was it?

I walk over to them, not caring, and plop down on the left of Fia. She looks at me and smiles then turns her head back to the sky. I do too. It was a shade of pink and purple fused into one with a few little stars gleaming and going out as the sun rose. It was pretty.

"It's beautiful" Fia says

"The sky?" I ask

"Well yea, but the stars mainly"

"How so?" Morris asks, one eyebrow raised

"The stars are so pure, untouched and untainted by mankind. They're left to be how they are, I find that beautiful" she says, passion in her voice and a shine to her eyes

I wish I could've stayed in that moment forever, time not passing and that same look on her face. The look of pure happiness and peacefulness. But sadly, it couldn't have lasted as a loud bang rang through the morning air. We jolt up whilst the others scurry out of their tepees. We stand next to the fire pit like stunned rabbits in headlights.

"The hell was that?!" Maria yells

"Gunshot" Guthrie says calmly

"Run?" Fia skis

"Run" I confirm

We don't bother hiding our traces of life and rush into the trees and bushes. Branches and thorns hit my skin, cutting and scraping myself and the others as we hot tail it out of the area. Another gunshot  rings out to our left so we veer right. They couldn't have caught up this fast, there's no way. Unless...

"Guys! It's a trap!" I scream just before Fia falls in front of me, clutching her arm

I rush forward to her and feel a searing pain in my leg.  I fall to the ground, leg giving out underneath me. Blood seeps through my jeans and onto the dirt and grass. Everyone else falters and that's when we get jumped. People holding guns jump from the bushes and out of the trees along with some more hybrids. The others take a defensive stance.

I try to get to my feet but am pushed back to the ground by a boot on my chest. A soldier stands above me, face mask on and a gun held straight to my head. Bit over the top to be honest. Maria yells out and I turn to see her charge at a soldier. He fired his gun but she miraculously dodges it and side kicks the guy to the face. She whirls on the guy next to her and punches him square in the face.

The others snap out of their shock and start throwing themselves and their elements at the soldiers standing around us. I use the strength left in me to draw water from the ground and cover the guy standing me with it. He falls back and I leave him there to deal with the muddy water attacking his face. Hobbling, I get over to Fia who hasn't moved from her fetal position in the ground. I touch her gently on the arm and she groans out in pain. I roll her onto her back and see that it wasn't just her arm that got shot. Her left thigh was covered in blood as well along with her right ankle. Her left shoulder was bleeding profusely and I didn't know if I had the strength in me to heal her.

My leg was taking it out of me as my body healed itself slowly. Placing my hand on her shoulder, I ignore the gunshots flying past me, and try to get water onto her wound. It was working, slowly but still working. I went to put my other hand on her thigh when I noticed her leg was covered in fire. I pulled away from her when the flames went up to her arm. I watch in aw as the flames in gulf her then dwindle away and she sits up ready to fight.

"Fia, you just-you, how?" I stutter out

"No time, let's help the others" she says and rushes at a guy who had a gun to Demeters head.

I jump to my feet and rush at the guys Morris was fighting off, two on one didn't exactly seem fair. I side tackle one of the guys and Morris gains time to knock the other one out from his shock. I land on top of the soldier and start punching him. His face hurts more than it should to punch, like there wasn't any real skin there, just skull.

The guard pushes me off his chest with a force so large I get thrown backwards into a tree. Winded, I stand up and rush back at him. He goes for his gun but Morris already had it and points it at his head.

"Any sudden moves and you ain't gonna have a head" Morris snarls

It was then that I notice all the sounds of fighting had stopped. Turning around I see that all the soldiers and hybrids are on the floor, knocked out cold or something like that. The hybrids look dead but the soldiers, from all the fighting their skin had peeled away to reveal metal arms, legs and heads.

Robots, she made more of herself.

I look back at the guy we have held hostage.

"You better be in a talking mood buddy"