Chapter Twelve: A Regretful Action
Autumn was sitting on her bed back in Hank’s house. She was intensely gripping the bed sheet with both hands and staring straight out the window, on the second storey in which her room was located.
Suddenly Will passed by to check on her. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked.
Autumn never replied.
“Autumn, you all right kiddo?” he spoke in a sightly louder voice this time around.
“Oh, Will…” she said slowly turning her head to meet him. “I’m…I’m fine” she depressingly spoke out.
“Do you want to talk?” he asked in a concerned voice.
“No thanks…not…not right now” she replied turning back to look out the window.
“Okay well I’ll be down stairs if you change your mind” he said leaving her room closing the door behind him.
Autumn then forced her eyes shut and grabbed the pillow on her bed she then pegged it at the wall. It fell and landed softly on the ground. “*, this is all my * fault!” she harshly told herself. Then she thought (“I have to do something about that stupid arachnid”)
Autumn waited until nightfall she continued spending the rest of the afternoon alone in her room. Never had she seen a young child die before her eyes and yet she felt responsible for it too.
(“I have to go see Sarah”) she thought to herself. Then she slid open the window and peered outside. The cool night air blew gently onto her face as she heaved herself out the window. Her long bright green hair blew rapidly in the breeze. She was holding onto the outside edging and looked down. This wasn’t a very high fall for Autumn she’d been up way higher before. So she naturally let go and fell through the air. She then quite gracefully landed outside Hank’s house without making any noise.
“I’m sorry guys, but I can’t let you know what I’m going to do” she quietly spoke out loud.
Autumn then looked across to her left and seen the land rover was still parked outside the house. She smiled to herself then turned and began running to the Hunter’s Guild to question Sarah.
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Autumn entered the building because it was now dark everything was bright and lit up. Not many hunters were inside but there were a few small groups of them. They must have been going out to do night hunts.
Then Autumn looked over toward the counter where she sure enough found Sarah typing away on a computer. Her silky black hair was reflecting all the bright lights in the building.
“I wish my hair was naturally shinny like hers” Autumn told herself taking notice of Sarah’s hair. Autumn then made her way to the counter she lent on the desk and glanced over to see what she was typing.
It took a little while for Sarah to notice her presence; she was quite involved in her work.
“Whoa!” she exclaimed when she turned and seen Autumn. “Oh, it’s just you Autumn, why are you here? It’s night time and William never accepted any night hunts” she told her.
“I wanted to ask you something Sarah” Autumn said rubbing the back of her head.
“You look troubled sweetie” Sarah replied in a concerned voice
“Yeah you could say that”
“Well if I can help you ask away” Sarah replied. She then removed the glasses from her face and began cleaning them with the edging of her dress.
Autumn patiently waited for Sarah to put her glasses back on before she started talking. “Sarah I want to know…I want to know how to kill a Scorpirus” she asked her.
Sarah’s big blue eyes suddenly widened as though she was in shock. “Why, why is that?” she asked very concerned. “Those things are dangerous you couldn’t possibly…”
Autumn cut her short. “I was just curious you know encase we run into one on a mission sometime” she replied in a casual voice.
“Oh, um well lets see then” she replied turning the computer screen so Autumn could also view it comfortably.
Sarah was a whiz with technology; with a few clicks she had a complete profile about the Scopirus creature loaded up on the screen.
“Ah there!” Autumn said excitedly pointing to the lower right side of the screen. “Methods of defeat!” it read. Autumn then began reading the section of data. “The most effective choice off weapon when defending yourself against the Scorpirus is a Plasma Rifle or similar powerful two-handed firing weapon.”
“So um, Autumn does William know you’re here by yourself?” Sarah asked, taking away Autumn’s intense reading concentration.
“Will, oh, um of course I told him I was coming here” she lied. “So do we have any Plasma Rifles here at the Guild?” Autumn asked.
“Well yes we have several fully loaded and ready to go in the weapons room” Sarah replied.
“Excellent!” Autumn exclaimed excitedly. She then lent across the counter and hugged Sarah. “Thanks a bunch Sarah, and I love your hair” she replied. Autumn then left the counter and started jogging to the weapons room all hyped up.
Sarah seemed very confused about what was going on in Autumn’s mind. She sat there blinking a few times and shook her head. “I really need a hot coffee” Sarah told herself in a worn out tone.
Autumn entered the large weapon’s room and headed over to the guns and cannons section. She immediately seen the plasma rifle and grabbed it. Several other hunters were in the room but they were to busy getting there own weapons ready to notice her.
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Now standing back outside Hank’s house, she slide open the door on the land rover and hopped in. Before she closed it she peered back out and looked at the house. Several lights were still on and she could hear the TV going down stairs. (“I’m sorry guys but an innocent boy must be avenged”) she thought to herself. She then slid the door shut. She made her way up to the control panel in the front of the vehicle. The plasma rifle lay loaded on the passenger chair. “Okay now lets get this thing started”. Autumn then flicked a leaver and it began humming and lightly shaking. She grabbed hold of the wheel and was ready to drive off.
This event drew some unwanted attention.
Will, Hank and Isa were all sitting in the lounge room when they heard the land rover start up. All three looked at each other and ran for the front door. By the time they got outside the land rover was gone.
“She didn’t…” Will said to himself shaking his head disappointed
“She’ll be back right?” asked Isa who was now very concerned for her.
Neither Will nor Hank answered her. They all stood silent.
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“It’s a good thing Hank left these navigation points programmed in it’ll make getting there a lot easier” Autumn said to herself looking at a small computer screen not far from the steering wheel. The desert was extremely dark at night so Autumn took it upon herself to turn the high beam lights on. This lit up everything on front of the land rover.
About twenty minutes later, Autumn came to the village they were at during the day. She parked the land rover and grabbed the plasma rifle. She left on the lights so it could make the area visible for her. Her target wasn’t to far away either.
“There you are you rotten insect” she said aiming the silver coloured rifle at it. The scorpirus seemed as though it was sleeping. “Your days of killing little children are over!” she shouted.
This of course woke it up. The scorpirus then turned around and seen Autumn.
BANG!!! Autumn fired a large glowing bullet from the rifle it smashed straight into the tough armoured skin of the monster.
“Grrraaaa” it shouted in pain.
“Does that hurt does it, good because here comes two” Autumn smirked she then fired another shot this one into it’s tail. BANG!!!
Green oozy blood began emerging from the red husk of the creature.
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Then the scorpirus gathered up its remanning strength and charged for Autumn it was moving as fast as it’s injured body would let it. But it was outmatched this time around.
“This is for that poor child!” Autumn shouted at it. Then she fired a third and final blow. It shot through the air making a howling sound then it smashed straight into the front of the animal’s hard red skin. The scorpirus then stopped with one pincer stretched out front. It began shaking; green blood ran down its husk like a waterfall. Its orange eyes rolled back into its head. Then it let out a final growl “Grrrooaaalgh!!!’ It finally hit the ground with a very loud bang, completely dead.
Autumn turned and made her way back to the land rover. Just as she was about to open the door and go in she had a vision. (It was the old man from spaceport on Palma; he was shaking his head as though he was displeased he then vanished. Then Medusa’s unwholesome face appeared again. She then recited her last words to Autumn, “You’re the monster here!”)
Autumn shook her head and came back to reality. “What in the world?” she asked herself.
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Autumn began driving back to Aideo when she seen an undesired sight right in front of her. Several scorpirus were not to far from her land rover and the destroyed village. Because no humans had been around they started showing up obviously.
Autumn’s eyes widened in shock. Then her worst fears entered her head (“What if I killed the wrong one! They all look the same there is no way to be sure!”)
Before long Autumn arrived back at Hank’s house. She parked the land rover and slid open the door. She then walked out with her head down she felt disgraceful.
Will was standing next to the house with his arms folded. Concern was all over his face.
Autumn knew he was there but never bothered to give him eye contact. She then slowly walked past him.
“Hey are you okay?” he asked her.
Autumn was kind of surprised she was expecting to get scolded. But she never answered him instead she kept walking closer to the front door.
Just as Autumn was about to turn the handle. Will gently grabbed her hand.
Her hand was trembling.
He then asked her “How are you feeling Autumn?”
She looked up at him.
The cool night breeze blew past both of them. His short blue hair swayed back and forth. He was really looking out for her.
The moonlight reflected the tears brewing in Autumn’s eyes. She then replied to Will’s question in a very upset voice “…Horrible”
“I think we need to talk about a few things” Will replied to her.
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