My Long Lost Mate

The young girl screamed at her now bloody hand, scared to see blood flowing profusely out of her hand. She was crying uncontrollably, just like how a normal child—or person—would react in her current situation. I'd accidentally shot her hand along with the stone, leading to this monstrous crying. 

She sobbed over her bloodied hand, crying out for her mother. She looked around for any sign of her safe haven, but all she found was a man strangling a woman—me. When her eyes fell on me, her eyes widened, as if it was her first time seeing me. 

She looked more like a normal child now compared to before. 

She backed away at the sight, and I could see the fear in her eyes when she saw how I was struggling for air, trying to tear the man away. I was getting dizzy, my vision blurry as my lungs fought for the limited oxygen supply. Despite my best efforts to pull his hands away from my throat, he refused to budge and kept his hands tight, for he had only one thing in mind—to kill. 

To my surprise, the young girl ran and took a rock, throwing it at the man.. 

"B-bad!! Bad man!!" She screamed through her tears, throwing more stones at the man. Her efforts succeeded in making him loosen his grip, allowing me to tear his hands away from me. Without missing a beat, I elbowed the man in the face and stood up, not forgetting to keep my gun close by. 

I coughed vehemently, finally getting the air I needed for me to breathe accordingly. Though the light-headedness was still there, I couldn't afford to spare a second longer to catch my breath.

The man quickly turned around and went after me again, running at such a speed that it caught me off guard. I pointed my gun at the man, my hand trembling at the thought of shooting an innocent man. Though he was trying to kill me, it was not of his own volition. He was controlled.

When the man was going after me, the young girl threw yet another stone at the man, diverting his attention to her. The young girl stood a few meters away from me, with her entire body trembling in fear as she threw the stones. Why was she being like this?

Just a moment ago, wasn't she the one who asked this man to kill me? If not for the magic stone, she wasn't even in the least interested in me, but now, why is she trying to help me? It's like she was a whole different person—is she? 

Was it because of the silver bullet? Did it help in removing the control the witch had over her? 

Perhaps angered, the man turned around towards the girl, changing his target. He swiftly ran towards the young girl, not minding the stones thrown at him. The girl stumbled backward, falling as she watched the man run at her in full tilt.

No! I have to do something! He's going to kill her at this rate.

My only choice is... in my hand. I looked down at my gun, my hand trembling as I pointed it at the man. But he's innocent—the thought kept clouding my mind. How could I shoot someone who was innocent? But so was the child. She was another victim, yet her life is in danger as of now because of another victim—and also because she was trying to help me. The only possible way for me to stop him at this distance is to shoot him, which will inevitably leave a wound in the man's body. I have to do this. I have no other option. 

Please forgive me. 

BANG!!!! 

The same thundering sound came from the gun as I pulled the trigger, trying to shoot the man but shooting the air instead. I was shaking all over, and I had no previous experience with a gun until today. It was obvious that it was pure luck that got me hitting the magic stone right on. 

BANG!!!!

Again, I missed it. I was getting even more anxious this time. There aren't many bullets left, so I need to aim carefully. Stay calm, I reminded myself. I took a deep breath, aimed, and fired the gun again.

BANG!!!!

The man fell to his side. 

Successfully shooting him in the shoulder, I screamed at the young girl, "RUN!!!" But she only sat there, stunned by the scene she'd just witnessed. She was trembling terribly, too scared to do anything. I had no other choice but to run to her before the man regained his composure, knowing very well that the wound wouldn't affect him much in his current state. 

I immediately pulled the girl's hand to run, not even knowing where to go. The girl followed after me, her tears flowing out profusely while doing so. She held my hand tightly with her own small one, her trembling hand also meeting my trembling one. 

"H-he is coming," she sobbed, her short legs running a bit too slow for our current situation.

"Don't look back, just run!" I said, turning to hide inside one of the houses. I slammed the door open and dragged the girl inside, immediately moving the furniture inside to block the door. I moved tables, chairs—whatever things I could use to prevent the man from opening the door.

I couldn't help but question why the man suddenly turned to the girl, when it was obvious that he only had his eyes set on me before the girl came to her consciousness. Was it because the witch had lost her control over the girl? Was it why the man didn't listen to the girl any longer?

What should I do? I only have one bullet left—and I haven't even met an actual black witch. I searched through the house, looking for anything I could possibly use as a weapon against the man. I found a knife in the kitchen—quite dull, but it was still better than nothing.

I pulled the girl to the deepest part of the house, hiding in a dark corner. I hugged her close to me, covering her ears so she wouldn't hear the banging of the door. She whimpered with every bang the man made, trembling as she hugged me tighter.

SLAM!!!

The door slammed open, and all of the furniture I'd used to block it collapsed at the same time. I put my hand over the girl's mouth, trying to make as little noise as possible while holding my own breath. I held my knife tighter, my mind set on using the dull little knife to attack the man. 

Walking inside the house, the sound of the floor creaking with every step he took filled the whole room. I bit my lower lip, feeling my mind going crazy the louder and closer the sound got. 

Please leave. Please leave.

I prayed in my heart, despite the fact that I knew God never heard any of my prayers. I didn't believe in God, but there was nothing else that I could do but pray in this situation. As usual, my prayer soon went straight into the dumpster when the young girl accidentally let out a sob, a small sound that sounded very loud in this quiet house. I cursed.

I put a finger over my lips—telling her to be quiet—but it was too late. The man heard her. He walked straight to where we were, his shadow showing up on the walls.

I stood up from the corner, asking the girl to stay quietly where she was. The moment he saw us, I had to attack him and give the girl a chance to escape. Should this knife fail to wound him, I have no choice but to use the last of my bullets. I only have one—two chances. 

With a knife in one hand and a gun in the other, I waited for the moment the man showed up from behind the wall. I've got to catch him off guard. I steady my trembling hands, my entire body tensing in response to the mounting anxiety and fear.

A few long seconds passed and the man's shadow came even closer, the sound of his steps getting louder and louder. I tightened my grip on my weapons, immediately swinging my knife at the man the moment he came into my sight.

"Take this!! You—" the man quickly noticed me and grabbed my wrist, tackling me to the ground in the process. I lost my footing and fell, but I never made it to the ground. Startled, I opened my eyes, expecting to see a pair of milky ones but saw a pair of red eyes instead. 

Luke.