Survival Of The Fittest

For once today, Matthew had luck on his side. Shawn did whatever he was planning to do, all he heard was Jezzie shouting in pain and Shawn's footsteps behind him. It was like the world's most high-stakes game of Frogger; instead of a frog, it was two guys, and instead of a car, it was like, 5.56mm and instead of going back to the start you died. Julia wasn't hit by anything - at least, he didn't hear any noises signifying that she got hit - but she only started firing once Matthew threw himself into the bushes, landing on his front as bullets whizzed past him.

Holy shit. Holy shit, he'd actually done it. They were alive. Matthew scrambled to a crouch, gun clenched tightly in his hand. Didn't know how many shots he'd fired, but he wasn't looking for a kill at this point. More so to make sure that neither of them got killed at this point.

Taking cover behind a tree, Matthew poked the gun out and returned fire in Julia's general direction, pulling the trigger until it clicked empty, hoping to give the two (three?) some covering fire. She was either dead or reloading at this point, and he'd rather get the fuck outta here with his life than push the point and make sure Julia was dead. Molly had taken the hint and ran ahead of them, and he was real fucking curious about why she'd decided to stand up for a man who would probably have killed her if he saw her rather than give her a hello.

Ejecting the mag and slamming a fresh one in, just like how he'd practiced a day or two ago, he moved after Molly. He didn't know what he was gonna do, but Matthew wanted some answers.

((Matthew Bell continued in Speechcraft))

Bullseye.

Shawn didn't have much time to gloat or capitalise on his headshot before bullets started whizzing through the air, letting out a yelp of fright as he stumbled backwards.

Tempting as it was to charge in and follow-through to finish Jezzie off, he was neither brave or stupid enough to linger when two angry girls were shooting in his general direction. As such he was quick to scramble away, tripping over himself amidst all the gunfire as he dived for cover behind a nearby tree.

"SHIT-SHIT-FUCK-AAAH!"

Shawn barely had a chance to catch his breath before another bullet flew past, bark flying as it chipped the tree he was hiding behind. Jesus Christ, that was way too fucking close. Screw this shit, much as he wanted Jezzie dead he wasn't going to risk it all trying to pull off a miracle in a clusterfuck like this. It was time to make his exit.

Matthew was doing a commendable job of providing covering fire, one which their unknown 'saviour' seemed more than happy to take advantage of. Fat lot of good she was in the end. Still, she had the right idea, and Shawn didn't hesitate to follow suit and attempt to disappear into the surrounding snowfall.

"SKIDADDLE, NOW!" he yells, alerting Matthew to his decision to bail whilst the going was good. He was his friend after all, so he figured the least he could do was warn the guy that he was about to flee the scene.

((Shawn Bellamy continued elsewhere in Speechcraft))

A dejected spray of bullets scattered the once-scenic route through the forest, a calculated force deliberately unleashed on her opponents until the only company she was left with was solitude.

Silence fell upon the road as Julia stood still, recovering from the onslaught that had just occurred. All that remained was the ringing in her ears, an empty cartridge and her trembling skin. The blood in her veins cowered in response to how her spineless fingers had acted.

Tears started to fall uncontrollably as she came back to her senses, an immediate dose of amnesia blacking out any recollection of what just happened. The trauma blocked by the exasperation in her breath. She fell to the floor, her knees collapsing deep under the fresh snow. Her grip on the rifle eased as it dropped to the ground, quickly succumbing to the quicksand of the white slush around her. A steady sink in to the biting cold.

“I-I… I-I’m sorry.”

Her words were worthless, sin painted across her body.

“C-come back. I-I… d-didn’t mean to-“

The tinnitus in her ears stalked her every word and thought as she battled against the snowy chasm her body had created on the coated path.

“I d-didn’t mean to h-hurt anyone.”

There was empty truth in her words. She didn’t want it to end like that, she didn’t want an escalation or for people to be fleeing for their life. She didn’t want to be the monster that haunted people she would maybe consider distant friends. That was impossible now. The distance felt insurmountable as the challenge to survive heightened to new depths.

“I-I… d-don’t want to b-be that p-person.”

Her stutter choked her as she fought against swallowed tears, her words were genuine but embroiled in selfish concern.

Was she upset that it had happened or was she troubled by the reality that the monster had crept out. The monster hiding in the closet at the bottom of her bed had managed to sneak out and infect her with a frenzied bloodthirst. To drive her to hit out at her foes instead of find peaceful resolution.

Is this what she had become?

Julia clambered back to her feet, tears still running down her rose tinted cheeks. The best way to describe it was probably ugly crying. She had never been an ugly crier before. The internal struggle to reason her intentions with herself was unbearable as she relived the first time she had ever pulled a trigger in her life and it was with blinded intent to maim.

The manifestation of regret drove her to retch, a bitter metallic taste piercing her throat.

She dusted herself off as the high sun protruded through the snowy mist, granting her time through the tears to collect her thoughts and her weapon. Further up the trail near where Molly had been crying were some leftover supplies and a cosy looking hat.

Julia scooped up the food rations, leaving the hat as a token of memorial for what had happened, and left to find Joshua who was hopefully waiting at their agreed meeting place.

[S119 - Julia Guercio - continued in The Libertine Punished]