His eyes straightened and he looked the man in his eyes with his teeth bared like a hound. He snatched the gun from him and shot him, multiple times. He aimed at the other man and fired. The first bullet missed but the other found its place deep in his stomach.
The other man had already started to flee as Michael fell to the ground and clenched his eyes. The rain falling upon him deep nothing to cool the fire inside him. He turned his head towards him as the life left him.
Then, he was standing in front of him, grabbing his throat and choking him. Michael looked him in the eyes as he did watching the life leave him.
For the first time in his life, he had felt peace. He had felt life and he had felt good. For the first time, the anxiety within him had been cooled when he had been in that carriage with Rose and her imagination. The moment those eyes had looked into him, every worry in his life had come unhinged and fallen inside him with a clatter. Now anxiety burned inside him, a beast that was had awoken all of a sudden and was angry for having been awakened.
There was no making it sleep now as the man went limp in his arms. Michael let him drop to the ground and his gaze turned to the carriage. The door was closed and Hicks was just coming to.
Hicks shook his head and groaned. He looked around and saw all the dead bodies. His body which was already shivering from the rain grew even more cold when he saw his dead friends. He practically froze when he saw Michael making his way to him.
Michael seemed strong, way stronger than he had seemed since his fist had connected against him. The thunder crackled behind him as he stomped toward him. There was a fury in his eyes and his hands were scrunched into a fist.
He saw death in the respawner's eyes. Hicks knew he had to do something.
He turned to the carriage and pulled open the handle. The door was locked. The bitch's locked herself inside! Panic surged through him as he turned back and saw Michael approaching. There was relentlessness in his movement.
Hicks grabbed the gun that had fallen from his hand and instead of aiming it at Michael, pushed the butt against the glass panel at the top. It cracked and Hicks hit it again. The glass shattered and he heard the screams of the girl inside. He pushed his hand inside and searched frantically for the lock.
His hands finally found the latch and he flung open the door. He pulled out Rose out from the carriage who tried to kick away from his searching hands. Hicks overpowered her eventually and pushed the revolver muzzle against her head. Michael stopped a few feet away from them.
"Stop! Stop! I'll shoot her. One move and I'm going to pull the trigger."
Hicks's hands were shaking. He did not think that would prevent Michael. He was a respawner. A goddamned respawner! Of all the fucking people on this earth, this guy is the respawner?!
Hicks had to run. But he was trapped. There was no way to escape. Michael could not die. What was he going to do? What was h-
A gunshot. Rose felt the bullet zip past her and she heard the sick thunk of the bullet making its home inside her captor. She felt his grip loosen but was too afraid to look behind her. She could feel warm liquid seeping down her shoulder like a waterfall with the rain washing it all over her dress. She heard him fall to the ground and yet she did not move. She looked up just as Michael swiveled his head behind.
It was her father.
Michael saw Wilson come down the valley and felt relief. Rose was going to be okay. He turned towards her and smiled.
She looked like a mess but Michael still found her as beautiful as when he had seen her tonight. Michael wanted to hug her and comfort her, tell her everything was going to be okay and that he would protect her. And he would mean it. He would do anything for her, anything to protect her.
She did not return his smile. In fact, she looked at him like he was a monster as she ran up to her father. Michael felt the same feeling of contempt that he had gotten from the others when they had realized who he was. Somehow, he knew then, that whatever had been between them was over. The realization hit him like a bullet and shattered his heart.
Before he could even comprehend all the emotions swirling through him, he heard Wilson's boot scrunching through the wet dirt and he turned around again. Wilson was pissed. He looked like a raging bull and Michael could swear he saw puffs of steam blowing out of his ears, his nose and his mouth.
I'm so screwed…
Wilson rammed the butt of his rifle into Michael's face who fell to the ground in a heap.
I'm so screwed…
Boy, that's gonna hurt in the morning, The Creator thought to himself. He already knew what the morning was going to bring.