Bounty Hunter

Chapter 50

Rex kicked up and rolled over his chair before Tumbler's shots hit the cushion where he'd been sitting a second earlier.

Joe dove behind the sofa as Bolt fired at him. Joe pulled out his blaster and yelled back to Reuben in the bedroom where Champ was barking. "Cover the kids!"

Reuben didn't respond, but the bedroom door closed. Joe trusted the timid man to be brave when he needed to be.

"Stop firing! There are kids in here!" Joe yelled from behind the sofa.

"Then you shouldn't have brought them here," Bolt said, and fired several shots at Joe. The gunfire punctured the back of the sofa and hit the floor and wall around Joe with a sizzle; he hoped the walls were thick enough to stop the shots from penetrating the bedroom. One shot ricocheted off his armor. He grimaced; his helmet was still sitting on the table across the room. He looked over to see Rex hunched behind the chair and returning fire to Tumbler. Their glances connected, and Tumbler gave a sloppy grin. The other hunter actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

"I'm looking forward to killing you, T-Rex," Tumbler said as he fired at Rex. "Always thinking you're better than me. I'll show you."

"That's because I am better than you, whelp," Rex shot back.

"You should've died down in Shiprock, Havoc!" Bolt called out. "Now you're bringing your pals down with you!"

Joe fired random shots around the edge of the sofa to keep Bolt from reaching him. The furniture was rapidly breaking apart, with bits of fabric floating in the smoky air. Rex's chair looked worse, and Joe noticed the hunter's face was wrinkled in pain. They didn't have much time. Bolt and Tumbler had the benefit of high ground and helmets. Joe and Rex had their exoshields on, but without helmets, Bolt and Tumbler only needed one lucky shot.

Joe heard a pause in the gunfire.

Tumbler said, "Turbo, what are you—"

His words were cut off with a gurgling sound, then Bolt spoke. "Stand back, Turbo."

Joe cautiously came to his feet to see Tumbler lying on the floor with Kit's sword sticking through his neck. Bolt and Turbo were facing each other, blasters drawn. When Bolt noticed Joe, he pointed his second blaster at him.

"I'll take at least one of you out before you kill me," he warned.

Rex dragged himself around the chair, his blaster also leveled on Bolt.

Joe kept his focus on Bolt. "You're outgunned. Put down your blasters, and we'll let you live."

"I came here with a legal ticket for you, Havoc," Bolt said, and he became focused completely on Joe. "You're all making it worse for yourselves by fighting."

"No one's going to help you, Shorty. Everyone knows you were playing for the other team," Rex replied.

Bolt didn't speak.

"Look at Tumbler, Bolt. That's what's going to happen to you if you don't put down your blasters," Joe cautioned.

The pair faced off for three seconds, then another three. Joe couldn't kill Bolt without getting himself killed. The furniture fragments still danced in the heavy air like weary fireflies.

Bolt broke the silence first. "If I put away my blasters, none of you will shoot me?"

Joe tilted his head in a small nod. "That's right. You don't have to die today."

Another few seconds passed before Bolt spoke again. "Okay. I'll holster them. Don't shoot." He held his blasters sideways to show that he'd taken his fingers off the triggers, then he returned each blaster to its thigh holster.