“You aren't getting anywhere,” Lucas declared firmly as he hurled a fiery fireball at their adversaries, his eyes ablaze with determination.

Everly, the woman attempting to drag Rosa away, moved with incredible agility as she swiftly flung her sword at Lucas's fireball. The two deadly projectiles collided with a resounding clash, filling the air with sparks and fiery fragments, buying them some precious moments. Panic flashed across Rosa's face as she desperately tried to reach Julia and the others.

With a sense of urgency, Everly snatched Julia's gun, her fingers trembling as she squeezed the trigger. The deafening “Bang!” of the gunshot echoed through the tense atmosphere, followed by another shot. “Bang!”

Taken aback by the sudden gunfire, Lucas reacted instinctively, dropping into a crouch with his heart pounding. Bullets whizzed past him, zipping through the air like angry hornets. In his peripheral vision, he saw Lucy using her katana to slash at Everly's hand.

Lucas was astonished, not knowing when Lucy had managed to get so close to Everly. All he could discern in the chaotic exchange was Lucy's determined effort to sever Everly's hand.

“AHHH!” Everly screamed, the sound piercing the chaos like a banshee's wail, echoing in the night. The sound was deafening, and the pain contorted her features, but her grip on the gun remained firm as she kicked Lucy away.

The three shadowy figures, who had been tending to Julia, were taken aback by the sight of Everly's bleeding hand. Their silhouettes hastily retreated into the darkness; their intentions shrouded in uncertainty.

“Jeremiah, Kristian, Belle, where are you going?” a man's voice rang out, cutting through the tumultuous scene. Lucas recognized the voice etched in his memory from their earlier encounter.

He turned his head at the sound, his gaze locking onto the man who had tried to kill him before. Without a moment's hesitation, Lucas rushed toward the man with the injured arm, his jian sword gleaming in the dim light.

Jim, the man with the injured arm, quickly spotted Lucas charging at him. In a desperate move, he seized a jagged piece of a crushed car and hurled it at Lucas. Lucas reacted with lightning reflexes, deftly deflecting the makeshift missile with a graceful sweep of his blade.

“Get away from me, you brat!” Jim yelled in frustration, his anger fueling the intensity of the battle.

Lucas didn't dignify the insult with a response, but his agitation was evident on his face. He lunged, slashing his jian sword in Jim's direction with calculated precision. Jim managed to evade the attack, but his trembling hand lost grip on his knife, which clattered to the ground. He cursed and resorted to throwing objects at Lucas once more, desperation fueling his actions.

Lucas retaliated with a swirling fireball, the flames crackling and hissing as they converged on Jim's arm. A violent collision erupted, and Jim's agonized scream pierced the chaos as he stumbled backward, writhing in pain.

While Jim writhed in pain, Lucas was poised to finish him off, but his intentions were abruptly interrupted as Rosa suddenly appeared, her knife intercepting his jian sword's downward motion.

“I won't fall down twice,” Rosa declared, her clothes still bearing the scars from the earlier fireball attack. Her scorched visage twisted into a grimace; determination etched across her face.

With two formidable opponents now facing him and no immediate skills at his disposal, Lucas quickly scanned the battlefield. His eyes fell upon Lucy, who was desperately trying to reach Julia while Everly engaged her in a fierce melee.

Julia had fallen onto the rough road, her trembling hand struggling to regain control of the gun.

“Oh no, you don't,” a new voice suddenly echoed. Lucas turned to see Meri; her grip steady as she held the gun firmly, her left foot stepping on Julia's right arm, effectively immobilizing her.

“Aunt Meri!” Lucy called out, relief evident in her voice, her eyes darting between her fallen friend Lucas and Meri, who had just intervened.

Meri maintained her unwavering focus, the gun trained on Julia, her expression a mix of stern resolve and caution. She understood the gravity of the situation and knew she had to keep a tight grip on it to prevent further bloodshed.

Lucas, still reeling from the pain of his gunshot wound, watched the scene unfold with a mixture of relief and concern. Meri's timely intervention had saved them from an even more dire outcome, but the battle had taken a heavy toll.

“Stop all of this, or I will blow her head off,” Meri announced with chilling resolve.

Hearing this ultimatum, Rosa and Everly halted in their tracks, their faces contorted with a mixture of anger and fear. They quickly dropped their weapons.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Release your grip on Julia's gun,” Everly commanded, her voice seething with anger.

Meri remained silent, her sharp eyes scanning everyone in the tense standoff.

“Why are you so hell-bent on getting us?” Meri asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and anger.

Most of it was her own fault, she thought, since she was the one to attract their attention first, leading to Lucas looking for her and unintentionally causing the deaths of two of their people. She had been resting, watching over Cale, when her energy arrow suddenly ran out. The sudden gunshots and Lucas's screams had jolted her back into action.

Hearing that, she activated her abilities and secretly moved closer to their enemy, Julia.

“You killed Matthew and Zaina, my friends, and yet you wonder why we want to kill you?” Everly responded, her voice tinged with madness.

By this point, Lucas held his jian sword at Rosa's neck while Lucy mirrored his stance. They were at a tense standoff, yet Lucas had the advantage, his eyes darting between the two women, waiting for any sign of a move.

“Those people also tried to kill me. What do you think about that?” Meri asked in a sharp retort, a departure from her usual demeanor. It was clear to Lucas that something had deeply affected her in these events.

Rosa, hearing this, suddenly exclaimed, “Nonsense! You and Lucas planned an ambush to kill them!” Her voice sounded mad and desperate.

“Ah, this is frustrating,” Lucas muttered under his breath, recognizing that their words would likely fall on deaf ears.

Lucas tightened his grip on Rosa, the cold edge of his jian blade pressed against her neck. His eyes bore into hers as he spoke with unwavering determination. “They ambushed me while I was looking for Meri, the one holding her gun at your leader,” Lucas stated firmly, his voice carrying the weight of truth and frustration.

Rosa's eyes widened, and she let out a shrill scream, her fear and anger merging into a venomous tone. “Don't try to get our sympathy, kids. This might be one of your tricks. I might have thought you were harmless before, but you're not harmless now.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm and suspicion.

Julia lay on the rough road, her clothes dirty, her disheveled hair bearing the marks of burning, her heartbeat quickening. She muttered in disbelief, “I can't believe two kids managed to put me in this state.”

As the tension hung heavily in the air, Lucas noticed three shadowy figures hiding in the nearby building, observing the chaotic scene, their intentions unclear. Lucas's brow furrowed in confusion. “Who are they?” He pointed towards the concealed figures.

Rosa, despite her fear and anger, answered with a tremor in her voice. “They are our companions, Jeremiah, Kristian, and Bella. I think they're afraid for their lives, which is why they're up there.”

Lucas regarded her silently, still puzzled by their actions.

Everly, growing increasingly frustrated, shouted, “You kid, come down here this instant. We are at a disadvantage here.”

Silence echoed back, chilling and eerie. No response came from the shadows above, and the quietness hung in the air like an ominous fog.

Lucas's heart raced as he struggled to maintain control over the volatile situation. He knew he couldn't afford to let his guard down, especially with Rosa held captive. With a fluid and well-practiced motion, he summoned a blazing fireball, poised to launch it at the concealed figures on the second floor.

Alas, the fireball hit the window where the three figures looked over, and yet none of them uttered a word or made a sound. Lucas sighed in frustration and turned his head back to the immediate threat.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, shattering the tension like a lightning bolt. Lucas's eyes widened in alarm, and he frantically scanned the area for the elusive source.

“Bang!” Another gunshot pierced the air, leaving everyone on edge, wondering who had joined this already chaotic battle.

“AHHH!” Lucas screamed out, agony ripping through him as a bullet found its mark in his left calf. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his wounded leg, his vision swimming with pain.

“SIR LUCAS!”

In the midst of the shocking events, the gun Meri held at Julia's forehead discharged with a deafening blast, the impact exploding Julia's head like a ripe watermelon, showering the surroundings with gruesome remnants.

“Bang!”

But the nightmare continued.

The woman, whose life Lucas had hung in the balance with his jian, swiftly retrieved her knife and swung it towards Lucas with deadly intent.

“Meri, shoot her!” Lucas gasped; his voice strained with pain.

“Bang!”

Meri's shot rang out just in time, hitting the woman and ending the threat. Her lifeless body collapsed, joining the growing chaos around them.

Lucy's voice trembled as she called out, “Lucas!”

But Everly, seizing the opportunity while Lucy was distracted, kicked her aside and lunged for her fallen sword.

“Swoosh!”

Lucy leaped back just in time, her katana flashing through the air like a silver streak. Everly's head fell to the ground, a grotesque, detached prize.

“Bang!”

Once again, a gunshot pierced the air, and the origin was finally revealed. It was a man with an injured hand, a sardonic smile curling on his lips as he aimed the firearm.