Again we walked in silence, something that was obviously not unusual for our group. It was just one of those times where there was nothing to be said or no one knew what to say. It never really bothered me, though. During those times I was allowed to gather my thoughts properly without any disturbance.
It was like that for awhile until I felt a raindrop land on my nose. I brushed the few that followed it away, then more came at a hurried speed as it started to pour. I groaned softly as thunder and lightning ultimately joined the party, conveying light and rumbling across the dark and quiet streets. Everyone else was probably smart enough to go inside or at least find shelter. Although none of us were thrilled about the sudden storm, we had a very important destination ahead of us and couldn't risk the wait. Kade and Odis, however, did allow me and Maeve to use their jackets to cover our heads, even though we were already soaked.
Maeve was our guide to the BnB, saying she'd been there only a few times but could remember her way there. We'd have to cross a small, trivial bridge into the other part of town, which we came across not too long after she informed us about it. It was indeed small, only the length of two average sized cars put together. Nothing very intricate and nothing out of the ordinary. I was convinced we'd actually get somewhere without delay until some guy rose out of the shadows of a nearby building, smoking a cigar and taking shelter under a sunshade. He was wearing a black fedora and suspenders, a pretty mediocre appearance for this time period.
He put out his cigar and stepped out into the rain to prevent us from crossing the bridge, even holding his arms up as if thinking we'd defy him. Kade and Odis were already glaring at him skeptically. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked. All of a sudden three more guys stepped out from the shadows and stood behind him like bodyguards, cold and grim looks on their faces.
"We just want to cross the bridge. No trouble is needed," Kade said warily, obviously sensing the hostility the men carried.
"Trouble? Oh, there'll be no trouble... as long as you pay up," the guy answered. He placed his hand on his hip, a subtle action that actually caught my eye. My breath hitched when I saw a small revolver peeping out of the side of his suspenders.
"Pay up? For what?" Odis growled. His growl, though, was animalistic and Kade was already snarling. Their hostility was gradually building but I was in no mood for a fight, especially in a storm that seemed to be growing stronger.
"You want passage into the other part of town, right? And you want to cross my bridge to get there? Then you need to pay up. Two dollars... each," the guy said.
"Two dollars?! To cross a little bridge? You've got to be kidding me!" Kade blurted in disbelief. At first, I didn't see the problem with the price, then I remembered how money was different during this time.
"Hold on, I came here not too long ago and there was no fee for crossing this bridge," Maeve butted in bitterly.
"Then I guess that means you owe me four dollars," the guy said. "No one crosses this bridge for free. If you have a problem with that then you can speak to my father... who happens to be the sheriff." I could see why he was getting away with such a ridiculous scam. If it weren't for his father, he'd probably be in jail and we'd be across the bridge by now.
"Forget it. I'm not paying that," Kade snapped. We didn't even have money on us, anyway, so arguing was kind of futile at this point. Kade and Odis started leading the way across the bridge until the guy's backup stepped in front of them and lashed out at them with knives that had obviously been hidden until now. When they turned around, the guy had removed his revolver and was aiming it at Kade. Things were moving fast, way too fast for my own liking.
"There's no other way into the other part of town. So either you pay up or turn around and leave. If you continue to persist, I'll shoot you," he said. He pulled down the hammer of the gun to prove his point. I knew Kade could heal fast but I didn't know how well he'd do against a bullet.
We were surrounded by three men with knives and a guy with a gun, no escaping without injury, obviously. Maeve was next to me and I could already see her lips moving, proving her quick thinking for difficult circumstances. Her words weren't loud but I could hear the foreign language from earlier. The green in her eyes gradually grew brighter as she inaudibly chanted. At the end, though, they closed and the sudden sound of silver hitting the ground came from behind.
I glanced over my shoulder to see the knives clanking against the ground and smoking, the men clutching their hands and crying in pain. Odis lunged towards them as Kade jumped at the distracted gun wielder. He began to wrestle with him, pushing the gun farther away from him as the man struggled. Odis was opposing two of the other men, dodging and throwing punches like a pro. Maeve and I were about to help when the click of a gun stopped us dead in our tracks.
It was the fourth guy, holding another revolver and pointing it at the two of us. He shouted for us to halt and we did, holding our hands up in either defense or surrender, I couldn't really tell at this point. He was trembling a bit, proving that this wasn't something he was used to. It was obvious he didn't really want to have to shoot us, but he would if he had to.
My eyes drifted from him and over to Kade, whose fight with the guy was still continuing. It took an unexpected turn when he shoved him away and fired, sending Kade to the ground in a matter of seconds. Maeve and I screamed to the top of our lungs, although I was sure mine was louder. She pounced on the man aiming his gun at us and managed to swipe it away, pistol wiping him almost immediately. Odis knocked out the other two and raced over to the shooter while I went to Kade.
He was lying face-up on the ground, yelling and groaning as he gripped his shoulder. He was in extreme pain but instantly scrambled to his feet and limped closer to Odis and his new opponent. His teeth were gritted, his jaw clenched. He started to breathe heavily and pant with a fury so strong I could feel it clawing at my skin.
His eyes did the thing... the thing I was anticipating any second. They blackened, glared, and ignored me as I tried to push him away from the scene, sensing the havoc that was about to break loose. My head suddenly started to spin as I unavailingly struggled, and I fell to my knees as they buckled beneath me.
I started to moan when a putrid feeling hit my stomach, triggering some kind of dizziness I was unable to fix. A headache accompanied it, one that felt like a thousand brain freezes all at once and that made my sounds of agony increase in volume.
Maeve must've noticed because she glared heavily at Kade who was still working his way over to the scene in a sluggish limp. "Kade! Stop! Your madness is affecting Bella! You're gonna kill her!" she yelled.
Kill me? If it was going to kill me then why didn't Kade stop?! He kept walking! He continued snarling and glaring as his madness started to consume him again. I didn't think it would be so bad since I took half of it but it seemed it only affected me. I was receiving the worst of it... and it was painful. It was like someone screeching right in my ear and then beating my head with a hammer, an excruciating feeling that wouldn't stop until I took some kind of action.
I started to get angry, not with myself or with the pain or anything like that. I started to get mad at Kade. I could almost feel the air thickening as I pulled myself to my feet and glared at his limping form. It was probably the madness beginning to affect me because I'd never felt so much hatred or anger towards him before. Whatever fueled me, though, allowed me to push through my agonizing headache and sickening feeling and trudge over to the boy. I was dizzy and unable to walk properly, but I made it over to him just in time before he reached Odis and the man.
Like before he stared ahead, black eyed and oblivious to the small form in front of him. I gritted my teeth like him and inhaled shaky breaths of fury. "I will not suffer for your stupidity!" I yelled. My index and middle finger touched his forehead forcefully and immediately he fell. His eyes closed and his face became placid enough to rid any traces of his previous anger.
All my pain and instability vanished too quickly for me to adjust so I crashed to my knees and gasped. Maeve was at my side just as I heard someone else fall. It was the man who'd just received a hard punch from Odis. He was the next one over and both crouched over to help me.
"What did you do to him?" Maeve whispered cautiously. Even looking at the ground I knew she was asking me about Kade. Somehow I knew what I did and how I did it.
"I put him to sleep," I groaned. I wanted to say more but I lost consciousness just as fast as him and fell into the witch at my side.