Piece Simul ✔

Chapter 52- Russ-Nice Shot

Russ ran on, not looking behind her.

Once she had seen her companion downed and bloodied, she had fled.

"Don't worry, you're strong! The Storm will cure you," Jason promised, not far from her at all.

His voice held none of the tenderness from when he had tried to kiss her. Or the vulnerability he had shown when learning to shoot the pistol he chased her with. Most likely, the bastard had known how to shoot all along.

"Shut down main corridor access for passengers Jason and Kathar," Russ huffed out while pushing herself to sprint faster.

Particle walls began humming behind her, with Jason yelling in frustration.

Still not daring to check over her shoulder, Russ dashed into the nearest open room, the mess hall.

Crimson light illuminated almost nothing. Pockets of shadows crowded the vast space. She crouched under a polished metal table in the far corner. In a minute, chairs scraped across the floor. He had override codes, which meant she couldn't hold him anywhere.

Jason cursed at the seemingly empty room: "Fucking coward. Hiding? I thought you were strong."

He threw a chair against the wall. Russ covered her mouth abruptly to keep from screaming. All fell silent, save his heavy breathing. He was waiting for her to make noise, waiting---

Then, Jason howled, not in frustration, but in pain. Russ assumed Genly or Forster had shot him. Footfalls clapped nearby, and Russ tightened her body, ready to lash out with her fists.

Tiptree's angled face greeted her under the table with a small smile.

"You look ready to kill," she said.

"Did you?"

Tiptree shook her head. "Tried, but missed his heart. The fencing sword got stuck in his shoulder."

She offered a hand that Russ gladly accepted to hoist up. On her feet, she strained to see the traitor in question. Even in the scant lighting, he was easy to find, a sword wobbling out from his back through his shoulder. He cried out in missed attempts to reach back and yank the weapon out.

"I'll take care of him. Find Samuel, and get the samples from Sanctus. It's all we have now," Russ said.

"You got it. But first, here." Tiptree slapped a pistol into Russ's palm.

The weight of the weapon surprised her. She had planned to charge at him, but this would work better.

"Compliments of the training room?"

"Gotta use what we've got. Good luck," Tiptree tossed out, jogging from the mess hall and onward to save the world.

~*~

Russ lined up the shot, then hesitated.

Jason's face contorted in waves of pain as he continued to reach for the sword. He looked comical, and had he not been a traitor, Russ would've laughed with him at how silly he appeared. But she wouldn't laugh with him, not ever again.

Maybe he was never my friend.

The thought threatened to undue her, as Jason was foundational to her core. He was the touchstone to her past and present, and he was the antithesis of everything she believed in.

Her hesitancy cost her, allowing Jason to finally reach the sword. He yanked it free with a yell, flesh tearing and blood flinging in a fine spray.

Sword raised, Jason faced her, breathing heavily, eyes bulging. Then he gurgled with laughter, pointing at Russ.

She checked her front, noticing flecks of his blood peppering her clothes.

"The infection kills the weak, and chooses the strong. You've proved more weak than strong, and I won't even have to kill you."

Russ smirked, waving her half-arm in the air to underscore how the blood got on her empty shirt sleeve.

"Think I'll be just fine, asshole."

With her full-arm, Russ pointed the pistol at Jason. He dropped to his knees, arms open in a gesture of surrender.

The hesitancy returned, even as everything inside of her screamed to shoot him. Ending him had seemed natural when he'd stood with the sword, but was entirely ambiguous now that he waited for her to make the next move. Russ had so many questions.

"Damnit. Why?"

Jason grimaced, blood seeping from his shoulder. He took a deep breath, then said, "Because they saved me."

"From what?"

"Garly."

Suddenly, answers clicked in place. Garly. The man who had posed as a helpful neighbor, and had tried selling Russ like an animal. That man had seemed capable of all manner of ill-will. Apparently, he had not spared his ward, Jason.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Russ was only slightly aware of the tears slipping down her cheeks. The pistol trembled in her hand, but didn't drop.

"I wanted to," Jason said, sounding sincere.

At this point, Russ's vision had clouded over. She also dropped to her knees, breathing shallow.

She knew he was a consummate liar. And he had proved himself a good liar.

The sword clattered to the floor as Jason enfolded her in his arms. Russ kept the pistol aligned toward him, buried in his gut. He whispered how much he loved her, how sorry he was, and things she couldn't hear over her sobs.

I am strong.

In the next shuddering breath, Russ pulled the trigger.