Chapter 35: Casey

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Casey held tightly onto Sydney's hand as they raced through the field and back to his house. The sputtering sound of many gunshots made his heart clench with every step he took. Are they here just to kill us?

Slowing their footsteps to keep quiet, they approached the back door of Casey's home. His many years of hunting aided his ability to move with stealth, and he was impressed that Sydney was able to easily follow his lead. The back door creaked as he opened it, causing them to freeze in the doorway.

"You picked the wrong house, ya' dirty leeches!"

The sudden sight of Gordon running toward them with a knife caught Casey by surprise, but relief immediately fell upon him when he realized who it was.

"Gordon, it's us!" Casey shouted, getting him to stop.

"Boy! Don't go sneaking up on me like that! I almost killed ya'," Gordon scolded, putting the knife down.

Yeah, I'm sure you almost did.

Walking further inside, Casey saw Marcus around the corner holding two heavy pans in his hands. It's a good thing we weren't actually mercenaries.

"Is it what I think it is?" Casey hated to have to ask him that.

"I'm afraid so," Marcus replied with a sympathetic look.

"I outta kill 'em!" Gordon shouted, frustratingly kicking the wall. "Bloody easterners don't know how to leave us the hell alone!"

Casey nodded his head, not realizing he was still holding Sydney's hand until he felt it stiffen and unweave itself from his. When he turned to face her, her skin looked pale and her eyes seemed distant, like she had seen a ghost.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, pulling her close, but she responded by pushing herself away. "What is it, Sydney? What's wrong?"

She refused to look at Casey, which only made him worry more.

"Is it the mercenaries? Are they who's after you? Did they take you from your village and that's why you're on the run? Because you somehow escaped them?"

Casey spewed out all the questions he kept himself from asking, not wanting to see her in pain again from the memories they would bring back up, but now he couldn't help himself.

"No, Casey," Sydney said, tightly closing her eyes as she shook her head.

A tear fell, and instinctively Casey wiped it away.

"What is it?" he pleaded, needing to know what was going on so he could find a way to help her. "You can tell me anything, Sydney."

She opened her big blue eyes and all Casey saw was fear. What is she so afraid of?

"There's something you need to know about me, Casey," she began, and the way she spoke seemed like it was a struggle. "I should have told you sooner, but-"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

The sudden shriek of a girl cut Sydney off, and as much as Casey needed to hear what she was going to say, he couldn't ignore the scream; not when it was coming from next door.

Casey quickly ran out the door, grabbing his bow and arrow as he left; it was the only weapon he was skilled with. The sound of gunshots going off so close to him made him stumble, but he quickly recovered. Again, a girl screamed, raising the hairs on Casey's body as he ran into his neighbors house just in time to see Carli being hauled out the back door by a group of mercenaries. They struggled to keep her still as she cried and squirmed in their grasp.

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