Natasha and Jaxon exchanged a look.
Jaxon spoke first. "We were planning to leave this area too. We just hadn’t decided where to go."
"Blackridge Facility. Can we co with you?" Natasha followed.
"Can I stop you if you want to follow?" Elena asked back as she chuckled. "Let’s go together. It’s better than fighting alone."
"Thank you, Elena," Jaxon said sincerely.
He glanced at Natasha, and she nodded back, already understanding him. Their destination had been decided.
From that mont on, Elena joined their huddle.
Soon, they began discussing things in detail. Jaxon told Elena about the evolved zombies he had seen near their area.
The mont she heard it, her face stiffened, fear flashing in her eyes. It was the sa look Burgors and the others had shown when they heard the news.
"So you haven’t run into those kinds of zombies either," Jaxon said quietly.
"Why are they evolving so fast?" Elena muttered, biting her nails. Her gaze darted. "The normal ones already wiped out our entire station. Now they are even stronger?"
"Elena," Jaxon called out when he noticed her drifting.
He reached out and tapped her shoulder. She flinched slightly, then looked up.
"Sorry. What was that?"
"Are you okay? You seed lost for a mont."
"Yeah. I’m fine," she said, forcing a breath. "Just recalled a bad mory. Let’s continue with the escape plan."
After more discussion, they finally decided on their departure date. Two weeks from now.
It would give them ti to gather supplies, prepare properly, and allow Elena’s leg to heal.
Natasha then sent the update to the others and added Elena to their group chat.
The plan was set.
"Don’t forget to bring my rice, alright? I haven’t eaten it in a long ti," Elena said as they said their goodbyes.
"Jannah, Hiromi, take care of yourselves. Send us a ssage if anything happens." Natasha reminded gently and pulled the twins into a light hug.
The girls nodded, holding onto her for a mont before letting go.
Soon, Jaxon and Natasha headed back ho.
....
A week passed since their encounter with the twins. The days that followed were strangely peaceful. It was a calm they were not used to, especially after everything they had been through.
Shooting practice continued every day. From their hunts, Jaxon gathered enough coins to buy scopes for the two pistols. It took ti to get used to them, but the results soon showed.
Natasha fired the last shot and lowered her pistol. Eight of the ten targets were hit.
Cindy stepped up next. Her shots were slower and more careful. When she finished, six targets were marked.
"You did a good job, Cindy. You improved a lot," Jaxon praised, genuinely pleased.
"Ah... thank you," she replied, catching her breath.
"Be proud. A little more practice and you might hit them all." Without thinking, he reached out and patted her head.
Cindy froze for a mont, then stayed quiet. A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
"I really did work hard," she whispered, smiling.
....
Jaxon then turned his attention to Isabel. She was trying to shoot the cans, but her progress was the slowest. Out of ten, she only hit two.
"Let try once more," she said quietly.
She took another round. This ti, it was worse. Only one can fell.
Isabel lowered the pistol and stared at the cans. Her brows deeply furrowed as she stayed silent. She wanted to try once more, but held herself back, gripping the back of her clothes tightly.
Jaxon watched her closely. He could see the disappointnt clearly written on her face.
"Mom, instead of the pistol, why not try this?" Jaxon brought out one of the M16 rifles. It was fitted with a suppressor he had bought using his last coins.
"No, keep it, Jaxon. No need to waste good weapons on . Maybe a kitchen knife suits better." Isabel replied, forcing a smile
"Try it. There’s no harm in trying."
Isabel shook her head, feeling a bit frustrated. "I’m terrible at this. There’s no need to waste bullets on ."
Jaxon stepped forward and took the pistol from her hand. He then placed the M16 into her arms.
"This is how you do it," he said softly. "Hold the rifle tight with both hands."
He adjusted her grip, guiding her fingers into place.
"Jaxon, stop. This won’t work."
He did not answer. Instead, he stepped behind her and supported her arms, his hands resting over hers as if he were holding the rifle himself.
"Carry it like this," he said calmly. "Line up the sight. When everything feels steady, pull the trigger."
"Why?" Isabel asked, her voice trembling. "Why are you helping ? You’ve seen it. I’m useless at this."
Jaxon stayed silent as he pulled the trigger with her finger along with his.
Thup. Thup. Thup.
The cans rang as bullets struck them one after another.
When the last can fell, Jaxon finally spoke.
"You’re a strong woman, Mom. You worked your way up to beco a CEO with your own effort while raising us alone. Because of you, we had everything we wanted and needed."
"Jaxon..."
" You even let do whatever I wanted after I graduated. I was incompetent. I stayed in my room all day playing gas, and you never complained. You still supported ."
Jaxon chuckled, then added softly, "So let help you this ti. This is nothing compared to what you’ve done for ."
Isabel bit her lip, holding sothing back. Her eyes softened, then slowly filled with resolve.
"I want to learn..." she said quietly. "Please teach , Jaxon."
Jaxon smiled. "Gladly."
He set the cans back in place and stepped behind her again. Just like before, his arms supported hers as he guided her movents.
Isabel felt as if he were hugging her. Her soft back pressing lightly against his chest, and a faint warmth crept up to her ears.
After a few more tries, Jaxon slowly let go and stepped aside. "Now try it on your own."
Isabel took a steady breath and pulled the trigger.
Clang. Clang.
Several cans fell to the ground. Out of ten, five were hit. And that was without a scope, since they did not have enough coins for one.
"Told you. The M16 suits you better."
Isabel turned to him and let out a small smile. "You’re right. I should have listened to my son."
User Comments
0 comments from readers