Days of Love and Blood

situation and I plunged into warrior mode.
    I ran in between two large, frothing dogs toward the last two people who stood in between the line of trees and the army of dogs: Grisham and an elderly man I never met. Grisham had his arm around the old fellow, trying to lead him to the house. I could see what was going to happen before Grisham ever knew. The shadows emerged from the dark behind the pair and their distance was better than mine.
    “No!” I screamed. “Over here! ” I wanted to distract them. I wanted them to focus on me. But it wasn’t enough.
    Grisham fell first when a knife sliced through his side. The old man was hit in the head and fell quickly to the ground. I was there a second later and screamed as I slid my sword through the neck of one homicidal and then crouched low to avoid the second homicidal’s machete strike. In the same motion I whirled my blade around in a full arc and managed to slice through both of his legs just below the knees. After he fell on his stomach, I jumped back up and pierced his lower back at an angle, shoving my blade far up into his body while twisting it to make sure he would stay down. A second later I was on my knees, cradling Grisham’s head in my arms.
    He gripped my shoulder with his arm. The amount of warm blood pouring into my lap drew my eyes downward. He was cut halfway through his waist. I forced myself to look into his closing eyes. He opened his mouth and tried to speak but no words came out. I gripped his neck and looked him straight in the eyes, shaking my head back and forth. His eyes relaxed. He understood. I held him while he took his last few breaths. Then he was gone.
    “Carson!” Cooper yelled.
    “Grisham’s gone,” I cried. Cooper slid next to me and felt the pulse of the old man lying next to us.
    “ This one’s still alive.”
    A scream erupted behind us.
    “Take him to the house. Ronan’s at the river. Get him! I’ll take care of this!” Cooper looked at me with doubtful eyes. “Do it!” I screamed. “S ave my son! You run faster than me, please!”
    “Carson, I - please! I can’t leave you!”
    “You have to, Cooper. You have to.” I gripped his arm and pulled him toward me. “Cooper, now! We can’t leave Ronan alone! He’s with Ben !”
    “Shit!” he yelled. He held his hand to his mouth and turned around to scream. His body convulsed.
    “Now!” I bellowed.
    Cooper grabbed the neck of my shirt and pulled me into him. His lips pressed against mine and lingered for an extra second.
    “Don’t you leave me, woman,” he whispered in my ear. Cooper wiped his eyes and picked up the old man with both arms, carrying him away just as I heard the grass behind me squashing under heavy steps. I turned around on my bent knees and lifted my sword up just as a heavy blow from a hammer was coming down. I deflected the blow and the woman who dealt it buckled backwards, giving me the time to rise and attack. I slit her jugular with the tip of my sword and turned around to point my sword through the next attacker who ran straight into it. When they both fell I heard and felt the stampede behind them.
    “Jesus, “I whispered. “Here it comes.”
    I stood up tall and fearless and lifted my second sword out of its scabbard, holding both swords out straight from my sides. The line of screaming homicidals stood before me, at least twenty across and I didn’t know how many were behind them.
    “Here I am, you motherfuckers!” I screamed. “Come and take me!”
    Three of them belted out screams and ran toward me with weapons held high. One of them stumbled on the rough ground which gave me the advantage. I ran between the two attackers, ducked down while they tried to inflict their weapons, and ran my sword though their sides simultaneously while holding my swords straight out, gripping their handles as tight as I could and pushing forward through their flesh to prevent dropping one at impact or bending the blades. I jumped on the third as he tried to scramble back on his feet and plunged one of my swords through his neck and out his armpit. I pushed his body off my sword when the rest came for me.
    I ducked instinctively when I heard the gunshots behind me. Tasha, Johnson, Solomon, Brigham and Ivy were lined up behind me, taking aim. I almost moved back when I saw Ivy, until I saw the rest of them coming. Marianna, Gretchen, Jayde and several others who never fought before lined the top of the hill above me with guns drawn. I