Read Online DeadEarth: Mr. 44 Magnum by Michael Anthony - Free Book Online

self.
    Shade pulled her weapon out and aimed it at
Rikka’s leg, just above the knee. “I’m going to give you the key
and patch up your wound. You try anything and I’ll shoot you again,
understood?”
    Rikka nodded.
    Without a moment’s hesitation, Shade hooked
the medi-pack over her shoulder and walked over to her sister. She
grabbed Rikka by the throat and ordered her to open her mouth.
Knowing what was to come, Rikka complied. Shade put the handcuff
key on her sister’s tongue the twisted open the bottle of
water.
    “Lift your neck up and open your throat,”
Shade said.
    Rikka lifted her head, allowing the key to
slide to the back of her mouth. Shade shoved the open water bottle
in her mouth and squeezed, forcing her sister to chug the water and
swallow the key. Only when the bottle was empty did she toss it to
the ground.
    With a pair of scissors she retrieved from
the med kit, Shade cut the sleeve off Rikka’s shirt to inspect the
gunshot wound. It didn’t look too bad, but she hoped it didn’t do
too much damage inside. That was unlikely, but she hoped for a
miracle. Lightly pressing her fingers around the wound, she looked
up at her sister to gauge her reaction. Rikka didn’t so much as
blink.
    Shade went back to her pack and rummaged
around for a long pair of tweezers and sterile gloves so she could
remove the bullet. Both were in sealed containers. She balanced
them on Rikka’s shoulder then dug around for a bottle of rubbing
alcohol to drench her hands.
    Thud.
    Dropping the pack, Shade stepped back and
pulled out her weapon. Rikka looked down at her, wearing a
malevolent sneer that made her blood freeze. Looking around, Shade
couldn’t find the source of the sound, but her sister soon drew her
attention to it with a simple nudge of her toe. A spent,
blood-covered bullet tinkered across the hardwood floor, coming to
a halt inches from Shade’s feet. She looked down at it, willing her
mind to accept what she was seeing. It couldn’t, so she looked up
at her sister for an explanation.
    “Like I said, this isn’t over.”
    Shade raised her weapon to her sister as she
backed towards the staircase. “Guys,” she said, her voice barely a
whisper as fear threatened to strangle the life from her. She
swallowed and tried again. “Guys,” her voice was louder, but still
tainted by fear. “Hurry up. We’re leaving.”
    Daniel and Fievel came running upstairs.
“Everything all right?” Fievel asked, noting the gun.
    “No,” she said, taking the book bag, gun, and
sword that was handed to her. “Go out through the back door. I’ll
be right behind you.”
    Seeming to sense the urgency in her voice,
Fievel guided Daniel through the house and out the back. When Shade
heard the screen door slam, she eased towards the exit as well, not
taking an eye off her sister for a second.
    “I’ll see you soon,” Rikka said, her dead,
black eyes locked on Shade’s.
    Shade was tempted to kill her right then and
there. Something told her to just pull the trigger—to end it before
it began. But she couldn’t. Despite everything—despite the years of
abuse, despite the hate she felt for her—Rikka was still her
sister. She couldn’t kill her.
    With one final glance at the bullet on the
floor, Shade shrugged her pack higher up on her back and dashed
through the house and out the back door. Her sister’s words echoed
over and over in her mind.
    Like I said, this isn’t over. I’ll see you
soon.