"Wait, what the fuck?!" Gorgon's eyes fell upon Sprout as he appeared through the side door of the cafe. Glancing back at Tobin, he forrowed his brow. "Now I see..." The two of them had drawn their attention away from Gorgon and were preparing to make a break for it. Using a reloader, he quickly popped the empty casings out of the chamber and fed his revolver six new bullets. Now was the time to strike. Just as soon as he'd lept from cover, however, an explosion detonated several meters behind him. The shockwave knocked him off balance, sending him crashing to the floor of the cafe.
Sprout staggered backwards, covering his face with his arms as the explosion sent tremors through the city. His ears ringing, Sprout slowly opened his eyes to see Lilith and Tobin scrambling towards him. Noticing Gorgon on the floor a few meters away from them, he fired his two remaining shots; neither of which reached their mark, "Shit, hurry!" Sprout shouted as he grabbed Lilith by the arm and ushered her through the door.
Though he was partially deafened, Gorgon shook off the shock of the blast with surprising ease and got to his feet. Alas, Tobin's legs couldn't keep up with the sure footed bandits and was promptly knocked on his ass as Gorgon lunged over the table, nearly trampling the dwarf as he made after his quarry, "GET BACK HERE YOU FUCKIN' BRATS!"
Lilith pushed the boy in front of her as she reached him, putting herself between Sprout and the hunters. "Just keep moving kid!" She grinned as she heard the hunter from earlier call out in anger. "Not today, wanker."
As they ran, Lilith spotted two corpses against the wall of the cafe. 'Was this Cranston's handiwork' Her face hardened as the realisation washed over her.
Sprout glanced back to ensure Lilith was still with him as they turned around the first bend, back towards the way he'd come. Noticing the looking on her face, he grimaced and turned his attention to the path ahead.
They'd continue down the way he'd come and collect Maria on their way out. Then they'd---"I'VE GOT YOU NOW!"
Sprout looked over his shoulder to see Gorgon hot on their trail. He'd stopped at the end of the alley and had taken aim, knowing he wouldn't be able to catch them on foot.
No...
Just as Sprout and Lilith were about to cross an intersection, the hunter fired his weapon, "LILY!" Sprout shouted as he threw himself against her, knocking her into the intersecting alleyway. Hot metal tore through Sprout's back, sending him stumbling forward and onto the ground.
I...I've...I-I've been shot....
His thoughts immediately found their way to his mother. She was embracing him. It was a warm, happy feeling. She whispered something... what was it? He couldn't hear her, but... b-but it wasn't right! Something was wrong! What was it!?
Sprout wouldn't get his answer, however. Darkness had claimed him.
Lilith stumbled as the boy shoved her, "What the hell Spr..." She heard a shot behind them, her eyes widening as she watched the boy tumble to the ground.
'No...'
Like some kind of sick nightmare, her world slowed around her, watching as the life drained from the boy's face, a crimson stream trickling from the hole in his back.
"No!" Lilith choked, her knees crashing to the dust as she dashed to the boy. Turning him on to his side, she cupped the side of his face, one hand trying to stem the blood that was flowing from his wound. "Axel?" Her voice croaked as she leaned over him. "Answer me!" The colour had already drained from the boy's face, with one hand she quickly pulled the scarf from around her neck, balling it up and pressing it against his wound. "Axel no..." She took in a sharp breath as tears began to well in her eyes. "Please!" Her scarf quickly began to soak through as she tried to stem the flow of blood. "Stop bleeding." She whispered, pushing harder against the boy's back. "Stop bleeding." She begged, as the tears began to fall freely.
Hunching over him, Lilith pressed her forehead against his. "Wake up." She choked, "Wake up Axel." Her chin quivering. "Please, open your eyes." As the boy refused to oblige her, a sob escaped her throat. "No..." She squeezed her eyes shut. "No, no, no, no, no, no." She rocked back and forth as she cradled the boy. She felt the warmth of his blood as the scarf absorbed beyond what it was able, pushing it deeper into his back, she pulled him closer. "No!" She couldn't hear his breathing, she couldn't hear anything, "Not him, please" She sobbed quietly, giving in to her grief as she began to weep.
Gorgon approached the grieving woman holding his weapon lazily at his side. Landon was right, they really were the weakest of the bunch. There was no way hardened Maidens would go down so easily. The kid was understandable, but a full grown woman? She was weak. With the kid gone, however, perhaps he'd take it easy on her.
He stood over her in silence, watching her weep. After a short while, he levelled his gun, "Okay, now. That's enough. Come quietly an' you won't have to share his fate."
The man's word echoed throughout her mind, hot tears streaming down her cheeks as the boy's blood began to trickle onto the dust below. Her breath quickened, pulling the boy tighter against her chest. "Don't leave me." She begged, "Axel please!" She gasped, clutching the back of the boy's head.
"Axel." She hugged the boy before gently placing him on his back. "My Axel." She cupped the side of his face, gently brushing her lips against his forehead. "My best friend." Her voice cracked. "My best friend in this entire shithole." She balled her other hand into a fist. "And you killed him." She squeaked, she grasped a handful of hair as she raised a hand to her forehead. "For money?!"
Gorgon didn't so much as wince at her words. His cold gaze bore into her, "That's right. A lot of money. That's what this world's all about, kid. Now, come on, let's not make this harder than it has to be."
"That's what the world's all about." She whispered.
Her head hovered over the boy, her eyes wide. "That's what the world is all about?" Her voice sounded calm, despite her her current state. "You kill a boy, a precious, innocent boy." Her hand still rested on Sprout's cheek, a look of desperate longing in her eyes. "And you tell me that's the way the world works?"
A moment of silence passed before Lilith reluctantly began rising to her feet.
"Let's not make this harder than this needs to be..." She repeated
Slowly turning to face the hunter, her hair obscuring her face, a sharp chuckle escaped her throat, she found the very notion preposterous. "I'm so sorry to inconvenience you." She raised her head slowly, her blue eyes burning with an anger that had never before graced them. She looked upon the face of the hunter, she would never forget that face for as long as she lived, that disgusted expression, like he had just stepped in something foul.
Gorgon cocked an eyebrow. Had she totally lost it? He pointed his gun at the boy as he spoke, "Look lady, the kid took a bullet for you. You really want to do this? Give up now and he may not have died in vain."
"You were aiming for me." She stated simply.
She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, Axel's blood dripping from her sodden hand. "Well..." She locked eyes with his. "Here I am."
Her rage ignited.
"YOU BETTER NOT MISS AGAIN!" Lilith roared as she lunged towards the hunter, pulling the combat knife from her belt.
Gorgon gritted his teeth, bringing his revolver to bare as he stumbled backwards. Why did he always have to emote with his gun hand? Why?! Needless to say, he did not expect Lilith to move so quick. His shots went wide, grazing her thigh as she lunged at him, "FUCK!" He coughed as the blade went in.
She said no words as her blade found it's mark, sinking the knife deeper, she met the eyes of the hunter.
'Not yet.'
Pulling out the knife, she reversed the grip, smashing her fist across the side of the man's face.
Gorgon crashed against the brick wall, sending his weapon flying several feet down the alley. The knife had sunk deep into his pelvis, splitting muscle and severing tendons. He held his new wound and cursed under his breath. His left leg now essentially dead weight, he braced himself against the wall and narrowly dodged another blow from Lilith's blade. His options in short supply, Gorgon dropped low and threw himself into Lilith, hoping his superior size would be enough to overpower her.
Lilith grunted as the man tried to tackle her, standing her ground, she used the man's momentum against him, she grabbed his shoulders and delivered a swift knee to his chest, as he doubled over Lilith grabbed his ridiculous mowhawk, delivering several more precise blows to the man's head with both knee and fist, before bringing her knife down and stabbing him in the back of the shoulder, dragging it towards her as she ripped tendon and muscle.
Her rage still burning, she pulled out the knife and swiftly uppercutted the man to the ground just as two more hunters rounded the corner.
"What the fu-" One of the hunter's words was cut short as Lilith's blade found it's way into his chest, stabbing several times she roared as she slashed across the man's throat, splitting his jugular, blood streaming across his killer. Using his body as a shield, Lilith blocked two panicked shots from her third victim before she tossed the knife, its tip finding its home in the man's throat.
Quickly dumping her shield, she extracted her knife from the dying hunter, making her way back to Axel's murderer just as he was getting to his feet. With one swift motion she sliced her knife vertically up the right side of the man's face, taking his eye in the process. As he fell to the floor in agony, Lilith stood over him, placing her boot tightly on the man's throat, her eyes unmoving, her words unspoken.
Gorgon coughed up blood and wheezed as Lilith pressed her boot against his throat. Looking at her with one eye, he spat, "F-finish it..."
Lilith said nothing, her eyes burning, she wanted this man to suffer, she wanted him to suffer more than any other person had suffered anything. She tightened her boot on his throat, clenching her jaw as she did so, the fresh blood of her enemies dripping from her hair, clothes, and skin.
She heard someone sputter behind her "He's alive!"
Lilith paused, her eyes wide, turning her head quickly she saw the moped girl tending to the boy.
"Axel?!"
Taking what was likely his only chance at making it out alive, Gorgon grabbed her boot, and with his immense strength, pushed her off of him, sending her staggering backwards. Scrambling to his knees, he braced himself on the corner of the alleyway and took off down the intersecting path, hobbling as fast as his broken body could take him.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...." He muttered under his breath as he made his way deeper into the labyrinthine back alleys of the market.
Letting the hunter escape, Lilith fell to her knees next to the boy, her hands cupping the sides if his head, as fresh tears began to well in her eyes.
