The Runaway Huntress
Chapter 55 - 54

Chapter 55: Chapter 54

Chapter 54

He instantly put down his weapon and stared at the stab he had. Blood was spreading through his shirt. He pulled the knife out and pressed the wound with his hand in an attempt to minimize the bleeding. He was cursing and grunting in pain and anger. His knees buckled and gave in, kneeling on the dirt.

He raised his head, breathing in hurried puffs through his lips. He had a triumphant smirk on his face as he looked in her direction.

Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, making some loose strands of her hair stick to her face. Melisca, knowing the upcoming effect of the substance, anticipated for it to take place while still on one knee. She dug the knife into the dirt to lean her weight on it. Taking a deep breath to help ease the pounding of her heart that would slow down in a minute. But she found a suspicious smile from the guy while staring at her.

No. He wasn’t. His eyes were not on me!

She felt another bit of pain from a needle injection in her back. Without turning around to see the attacker, she just pushed her body to the side. Rolling again to the ground. She had to continue moving. She stood on her feet and ran for the nearest hiding spot. The closest tree would do.

Bang!

That sound made her body petrified as she stumbled on the ground. "Fuck!" Cursing as she knew the familiar pain of a bullet to the left side of her lower back. She grunted and pushed herself to get up and kept moving.

Bang! Bang!

"No! Don’t kill her!" The man she threw her knife at demanded the newcomer.

She successfully jumped behind the tree. Her eyes clenched, and she wiped her sweat with the back of her palm. Exhaling a painful breath with the face wincing from the gunshot wound. She groaned, not expecting to have someone come to their rescue. It could be the driver of the van. She thought of coming at him when she was done with his fellows.

Melisca pulled out the injections protruding from her back. She can’t feel the effect of the needles. Maybe because of the bullet that was buried in her flesh. The searing pain of the gunshot was enough for her to feel numb, even to slow down her actions.

Until when did the effect of the airborne drug last? No time to waste. She still had a standing enemy with a real gun at hand. How would she be able to get close?

"Be careful with that monster. And don’t kill her." She heard him again with heavy breaths.

She can’t see where the enemy is. With a single weapon at hand, she contemplated throwing it at him, but what if he was able to evade it? Wait. Not kill her? Huh, that would be their biggest mistake. Like the wolves before.

She had to gamble her life for this. To take them down.

"Don’t move! I’m pointing my gun at you. Throw your knife away."

The shooter demanded. His footsteps were getting closer to her direction. Her blood trickled down the root of the tree where she sat. Her back to the wide bark. Dying for blood loss was never the situation she imagined. Not by the hands of these hunters.

Her breath was coming quickly. She had to finish this to tend to her wound. With labored breathing, she raised her head, looking at the tree she was leaning her back to.

"I said, throw your weapon where I can see it!" A gunshot was released, and she flinched with the sound.

"Motherfucker." She cursed under her breath, gritting her teeth. She hated being ordered like her life was at someone else’s mercy. Huh! They wish!

She bit her lip to stifle her groans of pain.

"She could have already fainted with the effects and her wound."

"She might be bluffing if I go to her, pal." Responded the other man.

She snorted. The newcomer had a little brain cell indeed.

"But you can’t keep shooting at her. We need her alive."

Need me alive? Why? But that would be her advantage then.

"She can’t heal now because of ABD (Airborne Drug). C’mon." A sound of scrunching leaves on feet as someone is pushing himself up from the ground, straining in pain. "Go, get her. I might not be able to stay alive for long if this isn’t treated immediately."

Her ears caught a quiet sound of footsteps, inching cautiously to her position.

Instead of letting go of her knife, she gripped it even tighter. The syringes were far better than bullets. It doesn’t affect humans. And she was being entirely human right now. Her eyes widened in realization. Her faint heartbeat thudded loudly again from the thrilling fact that she just discovered. That might be the reason why she hadn’t felt the anticipated effects earlier. Enveloping her humanity voided the result of the substance. The gun wound had nothing to do with it. She can never be too sure though, except for one thing. They won’t kill her. Such a stupid mistake.

She glanced at her wristwatch. An hour had already passed. And she still had a meeting with Lorna. Then she noticed the small cuts in her fingers from stumbling earlier had closed. And the pain in the lower side of her back was subsiding. Her abilities were returning.

She decided to do something quick and painful. She bit her forearm to refrain from making any noise while digging the bullet out of her flesh. Her ears were picking up the upcoming footsteps. She inhaled and braced herself. The searing pain was burning her skin upon opening it again. Her teeth were burying in the leather jacket. The bitemark would be gone anyway, but it was nothing compared to her back.

The bullet rolled out to the ground and she exhaled a huge breath. Removing her arm from her mouth, and felt the healing, chilling process of her system fixing all the damage she got.

"Here! Use that, instead of bullets."

The man caught the syringe gun his fellow threw at him and pocketed his own gun to its holster.

"Spray your ABD first. The effects might have gone already." He warned.

Too late. Melisca came out from hiding and leapt to the approaching guy before he could pull out anything else.