He stumbled backward.

"Wh—why?"

She fixed another steel ball and raised the spring-loaded slingshot, but he was too fast. He reached for her hand just as she released.

"No! Stop shooting me, child!"

He clamped his good hand over the wrist of his profusely bleeding right hand and squeezed, yelling, "Frank!"

She raised it a third time. He ducked and rammed into her head first, sending her flying backward onto the floor. She scrambled for the slingshot, but he swiped it away. She wedged herself into the corner and rammed the wheelchair hard.

The chair swiveled, and a corner bar connected with the man's forehead straight on, knocking him sideways onto his hands and knees. She shoved it again, then again.

"Stop! Will you—"

"Elio? Hey!" the local man yelled. "What the f—"

She took aim at his face.

"Ow! Mother—" He ducked and flattened himself against the wall, dragging the smooth man over to him. "Stop fucking shooting!"

"Go away!"

"We're not here to hurt you," the woman shouted from somewhere by the door.

"Then leave!"

"Goddam," Frank said. "How old are you? Wait, what the fuck did you shoot us with?"

Frank reached up and touched his cheek. His fingers brushed up against something hard, so he dug in with a fingernail and tried to pry it out of his flesh. "Ah, goddamit! The face again? Seriously?"

"Please talk to me," the woman shouted. "I'm going to stand where you can see me. I'm unarmed. Please don't hurt me."

The woman walked to the far side of the room and stood beside the window with her hands up, palms out.

"I'm Tansy," she said. "Those men are Frank and Elio. They're safe. We are safe."

"Yeah," she said from the elevator, "I've heard that before."

The woman sighed and slowly lowered her hands. She looked out the window for a long minute before speaking again. "I understand," she said. "I used to be alone, too."

"Who says I'm alone?"

"You are alone. And if I were you, I would be scared, too. But we're not going to hurt you. We just need a place to hide."

"Oh yeah? Why's that, huh?"

"I think you know why."

The room fell silent.

The woman—Tansy—said, "The SDOs rounded us up. We were stuck in, well, an awful place. And I got out thanks to these two." She nodded toward the wall. "We're exhausted. We're thirsty and hungry. And we're—" she looked down at her whole body, and didn't finish her sentence.

The local guy said. "We're scared too, kid."

"Who did you know?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Not you. Smooth man, who did you know here?"

"Smooth man?" the local guy said. Then he burst out laughing. "Ha! Smooth man! She has got you pegged, my man. Elio? Hey."

She heard shuffling. Then his voice was more frantic. "Oh shit! Elio? He's out cold. Fuck, there's blood. Where's it coming from?"

Tansy ran over and kneeled. "Elio?"

She heard a slap, then another. The smooth man moaned.

"He's losing too much blood," Tansy said. "Here, put pressure so I can tie it." There was some movement as they worked in silence. Then the woman stood and turned toward the elevator.

"What did you do to him?"

"I..."

"Say it!"

"I shot him," she said, holding up the slingshot.

"With what?"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She opened her hand, where a fat metal orb rested on her palm.

"Lead?"

She shook her head. "Steel."

Tansy nodded. "Do you have any first aid? Can you help me?"

She nodded and reached for her wheelchair. Tansy righted it and turned it around.

"Do you need help to get in? Or up? Or...?"

"Nah."

A few moments later, she faced the intruders.

"What the fuck, kid?" the local guy said.

"What?” she said. "Sorry."

"You got a name?"

"Do you?"

"I'm Frank. Frank Chaplin. From Wharton."

She looked back and forth between Tansy and Frank. "Leila. I'll show you where I keep stuff."

"You are hurting me."

"I know. I'm sorry," Tansy said.

She pulled something from her bag and carefully unwrapped the cloth binding. She uncorked the glass flask and placed Elio's hand on her lap.

"This will hurt."

"Please lie to me," he said.

"Okay,” she said. “This will feel like butterfly kisses."

"Butterflies kiss?"

"Butterfly kisses? You know?"

He shook his head weakly.

"Okay, if you let me do this, I'll show you," Tansy said.

"Mmm."

"Frank, can you come hold his arm? He cannot move."

With Elio's arm pinned down, Tansy dripped clear liquid onto the wound in Elio's wrist.

Elio sucked in air through his teeth. "That was not so terrible."

Tansy said, "I haven't actually started. That was just some moonshine to clean it. Are you ready?"

"No."

"You have to hold still," she said. When he nodded, Tansy placed the tip of the knife beside the wound and pressed down.

Elio inhaled sharply, his whole body tensing. "Stop!" he insisted. "Stop now!"

Tansy pulled the knife back out, but gave him a stern look. "You have to let me do this. Or just go to a clinic already."

"No."

Frank said, "This is nuts, Rivera. Go home and get some proper help."

"No," Elio said, more insistently. "Ah, this is no good. Alright, my friends. Do it, but be quick. Please."

Tansy nodded to Frank. She took a deep breath and went in with the knife.

Elio screamed.

"Cover his mouth," Frank commanded Leila.

Without hesitation, she clamped both hands over Elio's mouth. He writhed and screamed into Leila's palm. "I'm sorry," she said, but she didn't ease up.

Tansy dug around for the steel ball embedded somewhere inside Elio's wrist. "I'm scared to nick his tendons or something," she said in a shaky voice.

"Just find it!"

"I'm trying, Frank! Hold him still!"

"I'm hold—"

"I found it," Tansy whispered. "I can feel it. If I can just—"

Elio's whole body jerked. He yanked his arm out of Frank's grasp just as Tansy pushed the knife tip under the ball. The knife's razor edge slid deeper into his flesh then fell out as he tore his hand away. Blood sprayed Tansy's face, then flowed in a steady stream from Elio's arm.

Elio tried to stand. "I think I will..." he said, then he slumped to the floor.

"Fuck, the tourniquet's gone," Frank said. "Where—"

Leila held up a blood-soaked rag. "This?"

"Yeah, can you?"

"No," Leila said, her voice sounding faint.

Frank gently lifted Elio's head and placed it in his lap. He leaned down to speak in his ear. That's when he saw it.

"Oh my god, it's not his arm." Frank opened Elio's blood-soaked black shirt, revealing a small hole in his chest, dead center.

"You?" he whispered to a stunned Leila.

"I'm sorry."

"Tansy? Tansy!" Frank yelled. "Help me!"

Tansy stood staring down at the wound, her eyes wide with shock.

"Tansy!"

She dragged her gaze to his face.

"You have to do your thing," Frank said. "Your healing thing."

"What?"

"Just fucking do it!"

"I can't, Frank! It's not like I know how."

"Ability?" Leila asked.

Tansy nodded.

"You just... I don't know. You just do it. You just think about it really hard and do it. Force it," Leila said. "You know?"

Tansy did not know.

"Watch." Leila took a deep breath and held it forcefully, closed her eyes, and nearly disappeared. Only the faintest ripple in the air gave her away. If you didn't know she was there, you wouldn’t even see it.

"Wow," Frank whispered.

Leila exhaled and faded back into view. She squeezed her eyes shut and hung her head, pressing into her temples with balled up fists. "Go on," she said, straining to speak. "Do it."

Tansy nodded. "Yeah, okay. But I think we have to go outside."

"What? Why?"

"Plants? It's about channeling plants or something. I don't know, Frank! Just, can you carry him outside?"

Two minutes later, they circled Elio's unconscious body. Tansy kneeled beside him and placed her hands on the ground. She looked up at Frank.

"Go on," he said.

"What if I can't?"

"Just try."

She nodded and closed her eyes. Tansy took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully. She did it again, then again. She held her breath and groaned, looking for all the world like she intended to bear down and birth a child.

The surrounding air suddenly pulsed with life. It was fragrant with scents of loam and crushed flowers and raw chlorophyll. Frank took one deep breath after another, filling his lungs with the surging energy. Each breath was more revitalizing than the last. He shuddered with the sudden rush of vitality.

"Wow."

He glanced at Leila. Her big, brown saucer eyes stared at Elio, mesmerized. Within seconds, two metal balls popped up from Elio's skin and rolled onto the ground. The wounds closed over, and Elio's face took on a healthy, placid glow.

A moment later, Tansy keeled over, unconscious.

"She did it," Frank whispered.

"Yeah," Leila said. "She did it. Pretty cool, huh?"