I’m sorry.
I’m so sorry.
My eyes prick with tears, but I blink them away. I’m going to kill this SOB. If he’s the only one who goes down, so be it. This one is going to die. “I’ve never been one to take the easy route.” It probably isn’t the right time to have a smart mouth, but to hell with it.
“I was hoping you would say that.” He grabs the waistband of my pants.
I kick him hard in the shin. He grunts. I kick again, but he blocks me with his own leg. Then he pulls. The top button flies off my pants. I try to hit him, but he is turning me around. I can feel his heat behind me. His erection is digging into my back.
No!
Hell no!
I elbow him. I kick backward. I scream and writhe. I can’t break free. One of his arms is snaked around my waist. His hold is vicelike. He has my zipper down and is pulling my pants down as well. I’m trying to hold onto them with one hand while fighting him with the other. He grunts when my elbow makes contact, but otherwise, it’s as if he is made of stone. My arm hurts. I’m struggling to breathe. This is going to happen. He’s going to rape me. They all will. They’ll question me between bouts. Then they’ll eat me. They’ll tear me limb from limb. There will be very little of me left when this is over. Andy will be raped too. His fate will be worse than mine since the women will use him as well. They’ve been known to start eating their victims before they’re finished with them. They’re bastards. Evil bastards!
I’m screaming.
I won’t lie. I’m afraid. Terrified. I’m also angry. Angry because I can’t do anything to stop this. Furious because I got us into this. I turn my head to the female centaurs. Gaia was against this part of their plan happening right away. Maybe I can reason with her. One of the males has changed into centaur form. He’s on top of Gaia. I taste bile when I realize what they are doing. One of the men is shifting. The other female is presenting her rear. This is sick. I lose my grip on my pants, and they are yanked down. His cock is hard against my ass. I’m fighting as hard as I can. It isn’t enough. Not nearly. I look for the fourth male, he has his hand on his cock. He’s stroking himself, his hand moving up and down his shaft. His lips are pulled back in a sneer. He’s going to get off on watching me being raped. If I reach for my ankle holster now, I’ll give myself away. I need to wait until this bastard is inside me. Until both men are so caught up in their sexual pleasure that they are no longer paying attention. Then I can make my move. The thought of letting this happen sickens me. If I want to kill one or two of them before I go, it is the only way. I redouble my efforts anyway. He is using his leg to pry mine open. He is so damned strong. I’m losing this battle. He’s—
Two shots ring out. Then three more quickly follow. The centaurs scatter like dry leaves in a gust of wind. The one trying to rape me collapses to the ground. Gaia is holding her chest. Blood spurts from between her fingers. Her eyes are wide. Her mouth too.
Andy.
I pull my pants up and grab my ankle pistol. It’s a low caliber, not designed to take a centaur down, but at close range, it will do the job.
The asshole who almost raped me is trying to stand. He has blood on his shoulder. I shoot him in the head. He falls back as his eyes go blank. Two down. I manage to hit the rump of another male and the neck of the remaining female. She goes down too. That’s three down and one wounded.
More shots are fired. It must be Andy. Another centaur collapses. The female I hit in the neck has turned, and she’s charging me. Another shot is fired, and she falls down at my feet, blood spurting from her mouth. I notice that she’s been shot in the side of her chest. She’s gurgling, choking on her own blood. I walk up to her. “What did you give the harpy?” I ask.
The centaur bitch smiles at me. Her teeth are red with blood. She coughs, and some of it trickles down her chin.
“What did you give her in return for us?” I give her a kick and hear a rib break.
She moans, her eyes clouding in pain. Her wounds aren’t gushing with blood anymore. Centaurs have very quick healing capabilities. If I leave her, she might well make a full recovery. I have no intention of leaving her. I shoot her in the meaty upper part of her back leg.
She screams in pain. The bullet makes a nice little hole, which spurts blood. “This is a low caliber weapon. I can shoot you countless times before you’ll die from the blood loss. We can go at this for hours. I’m offering you a quick death in return for information. What did you give her?”
The centaur looks unsure for a moment. I aim my gun at her shoulder.
“No!” she yells between gasps. “No more. Food. I told her where to find food.”
“Food?” I frown. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not saying anything more.” Her eyes get this resolute look.
I’ve dawdled too long. I need to help Andy. I deliver a kill shot by shooting her in the head at point-blank range. These things are tough as nails. Her body jerks and then stills.
There is one male left. I don’t know where he is exactly. Since he’s not here, I assume he’s stalking Andy. I know he would never leave his herd, dead or alive. Not until he has revenge. I say a silent prayer for Andy’s safety. The odds are far more in our favor now. They were so damned sure that Andy had been captured. Their overconfidence was their downfall. We can be lucky that asshole was more intent on raping me than checking me for another weapon. More of that arrogance.
By the bullet trajectory that killed Gaia, and the shots fired at the others, I am pretty sure I know where Andy is holed up. There’s a large stack of drums on the far side of the warehouse. This place is full of junk no one has used in years. There are plenty of hiding places. I have to be careful.
I head for the drums. I need to help Andy take this asshole down. My heart is racing. I have my gun ready. I inch my way around the stack. There is a downed centaur on the floor. He has a hunting knife sticking out of his right eyeball. It seems like this particular herd was quick to underestimate us. Thank God, or we wouldn’t be alive now.
I inch my way around a makeshift corner. I have to hold back a laugh when I see the last centaur starting to climb the drums. These creatures are not made for climbing. Running, fighting, killing…yes. Climbing…not so much. I’m almost tempted to watch him, but Andy is sitting with his back to us. The centaur is determined. We got the upper hand over this situation because they underestimated us. I’m not about to make the same mistake.
This centaur must have gotten away during the last shootout. Andy must have lost sight of him. I frown. Not like Andy at all. I’ll have to tease him about getting sloppy. About being off his game. I see my partner tracking the warehouse floor, sweeping from left to right with his weapon. With all the junk in here, there are plenty of hiding places. He doesn’t realize he’s about to be ambushed himself.
It’s my turn to give back and fix some of this mess I created. The centaur is slow but making progress. I aim and fire, hitting him square in the back. Red blossoms at the entry point. The centaur, still in human shape, jerks but keeps climbing. I shoot again…twice, both bullets hitting home on his torso.
At this point, Andy turns, his eyes widen in shock. Then he shoots the centaur in the face. I see the back of the creature’s head explode in a spray of brains and blood. He falls to the floor, eyes wide and unseeing.