A bullet tore through Ash's thigh and the man collapsed to the ground with a cry of pain. Elira immediately knelt beside him, her hands gripping Ash's shoulder, her eyes on Jacker.
"Stop! Please, he's not lying, please stop!"
But Jacker's eyes weren't on Elira. They were on the ground near Ash's feet, on the spreading pool forming beneath Ash's thigh.
His blood wasn't red.
Bright purple, nearly blue at the edges, flowing from the gunshot wound and soaking into the ground. The remaining crowd of villagers froze. Jacker's men exchanged glances. Jacker himself stood without moving, his jaw dropping slightly.
Then the bullet moved.
Not flowing out with the blood, but pushed slowly from within, the metal tip emerging at the skin's surface and falling to the ground. The wound on Ash's thigh slowly closed from the edges inward, until all that remained was a thin line that then disappeared.
Jacker's voice came out quietly, only for himself. "Abysswalker."
His body trembled slightly. In his mind he already knew what it meant, already knew what had to be done next, and he didn't like any of the remaining options.
An Abysswalker created outside laboratory protocols, could not be tamed, could not be commanded, and could not be controlled. The only thing that could be done was to eliminate him before his power fully activated.
"Tie him to the post." His voice returned to flat. "Now."
Four of his men moved immediately. Ash struggled as his hands were pulled behind him, but his strength wasn't enough against four people at once. His hands and feet were chained to a large wooden post at the edge of the field, his body facing the villagers still kneeling with anxious expressions.
Elira lunged toward them but two people caught her from behind. "Let go! He's not lying! You can't hurt him!"
"Hey!" Ash's voice was hoarse. "She has nothing to do with this. Let my wife go."
Jacker walked closer to Ash, stopping in front of him with his hands in his coat pockets. "Sorry, kid." His voice sounded almost bored. "I've grown tired of your jokes today."
One of his men came with a jerrycan and poured its contents over Ash's body from above his head. The smell of gasoline immediately filled the air, the liquid running down his face, over his body, soaking into the ground beneath Ash's feet.
"Jacker, don't!" Elira screamed, her voice breaking. "Please! Please don't! I beg you!"
Ash didn't scream. He fixed a sharp gaze on Jacker, his teeth grinding.
Jacker's pistol rose, fired once into Ash's body, and the spark from the bullet grazing the iron chain was enough to ignite the gasoline on Ash's body.
The fire blazed instantly.
"AARRGH!" The heat and pain attacked at once.
His body tried to regenerate, the damaged tissue trying to close, but the fire kept burning faster, making Ash feel the pain slowly and continuously.
"NO! ASH!" Elira wept and wailed, trying to break free, but it was useless.
The people still knelt, some turning their faces away, some crying, trembling with fear, some grinding their teeth in frustration, but not a single one moved from their position.
One of Jacker's men walked toward Elira, his eyes sweeping her from top to bottom. "Boss, what do we do with this woman?"
Jacker turned, looking at Elira with a cold and calculating expression. His hand moved, his fingers gripping the fabric at Elira's shoulder and pulling hard until a long tear opened there. "This woman ... her body is decent enough for a village woman."
"Maybe we could sell her in the city, boss," said one of his men.
Jacker glanced toward Ash still screaming at the post, the fire not yet out and his body still visibly intact. Then his eyes returned to Elira. "No need. Let her follow her husband, I don't want to leave any grudges behind."
However, the corner of Jacker's lip rose slightly. "But before that, there's no harm in having a little fun." He turned to his men. "Strip her."
The people reacted at once, unable to contain their fury, several rising from their positions. Old women cursed and condemned Jacker. Shouts began to ring out as Jacker's men took pleasure in tearing away every piece of fabric from Elira's body.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Jacker fired into the air three times in succession.
"I have no more business with any of you!" he shouted at the crowd of villagers. "Anyone who still wants to live, leave this place now!"
A barrage of shots from all his men into the air caused panic to erupt, people running in every direction. Several of Jacker's men grabbed the village women they had been targeting as the crowd scattered.
Ash watched all of it from the post.
His skin peeled and closed then peeled again in a cycle that would not stop. His body was in agony, but what hurt him most was the feeling of helplessness, watching his wife.
He watched Elira get pulled one way, shoved another, knocked to the ground then lifted up again, treated like an animal. His mouth kept screaming but no sound came out, his throat could no longer form any clear sound.
Then a small stone flew from the direction of the village hall door and struck one of Jacker's men in the face.
Ash shifted his gaze toward where the stone had come from.
Lyanna stood at the village hall entrance with another stone in her hand. The face that usually made him laugh now looked angry, her eyes red, her teeth clenched tight. "Let my mother go!" she screamed.
***