River Of Horrors - A Schlattbur Story

PART 8 - GUNMAN

RIVER OF HORRORS

PART 8

───── ❝ GUNMAN ❞ ─────

It had been at least a week — if not, almost 2 — since Wilbur had seen Technoblade. But with the recent sequence of events happening lately, those 2 weeks felt like eternity.
The last time he saw him was a couple of days before he had went to look into the River with Schlatt — a few days before, Techno had decided to go venture out to the North. Before that, he was on another mission for a week, staying at the base for only 4 days before heading off to his next quest.

Techno's missions had grown to be more and more irregular — to the point where he was barely at the base anymore. His frequent disappearance had bothered Tommy a lot at first, but even the rampant child had eventually accustomed to the usual routine.
Nobody really questioned Techno on his missions, though some thoughts had always pondered in Wilbur's mind: Like, why did he always leave so often? How do they usually go? How is the experience like?

But most of the time when Wilbur would decide to ask these, Technoblade wouldn't give a straight response — and if he did, it would be extremely curt. He supposes it's just because of his mysterious personality.

At this point, the group had grown used to Techno always leaving and coming back. And hence, the thought of Techno being killed by one of those cannibals had never crossed Wilbur's mind, since he had full faith that Techno would be able to fend them off. He is, after all, The Gunman — and he wasn't given the title of the Gunman for no reason.

However, seeing him appear at the doorstep looking like he had just returned from World War I, had indubitably sparked a new flurry of unanticipated emotions in Wilbur — one prominent one being fearful dread. And terror.

"I need to speak to you all," Techno says in an underlying, intimidatingly low voice, "because we're in a lot more danger than I thought."

The first thing Wilbur takes notice of is how low his voice sounds; like as if he's forcing to control the threatening anxiety rising in his voice.

Technoblade never worries. And if he's worrying right now, then Wilbur can only assume that it must be bad.

After the slightest of pauses, Connor swallows, speaking up. "Techno, where did you. . . where have you. . . what the hell is going on?"

"A whole lotta shit is what went on, " he responds with his usual monotonic voice, pushing the others out his way as he throws himself inside the base. With the living room being conveniently right next to the entrance, he immediately crashes onto the couch.

"I guess that's one thing both our sides have in common." Wilbur can hear Tommy mumble quietly, but he's unsure if it's to himself or to Techno.

Following the man's lead, Wilbur also walks hesitantly inside, as he speaks with a calmly assertive tone: "What happened, Techno? Can you tell us what happened?"

"A lot. I'm knackered, though. So after I fill you all in I'm goin' straight to bed."

Right. Wilbur sometimes forgot Technoblade was human, too.

After the last words slipped from his, Techno proceeded to purse his lips; his heavy eyes then glazed across the room and group of boys, who are now all back inside the house — a prolonged expedition passed as his eyes carefully and intuitively scanned the area, until Techno finally vocalised once more. "Where's Schlatt?"