Chapter 109: The Wounds

I pressed yes.

[Eric Buttman, 29 years old (Colonist)]

STATS:

Ranged attacks: 11/100

Melee attacks: 69/100

Construction: 78/100*

Crafting: 30/100

Cook: 9/100

Plant: 10/100

Mining: 12/100

Animal: 12/100

Medic: 22/100

TRAITS:

Agile feet - Eric has feet that can move more agile than usual. (Walking speed +15%)

INCAPABLE OF:

-

HEALTH ISSUES:

-

As soon as things went back to normal, Jill pointed her gun at Eric.

"Hey! Stop all this madness! We are family, right!?" Emma started to cry.

"Shut up and raise your weapon, Emma!" Jill snapped. "He's not part of us anymore!"

Emma shook her head. Her tears flowed harder. "No, please...."

"Ah, from the start, he wasn't really part of us." Jill laughed disdainfully. "He's just a boy from the sky who always feels uncomfortable with primitive people like us."

Eric tightened his grip on his sword.

"Aaaah, we really screwed, huh!" Kat squeaked, naturally attracting the attention of her colony mates.

Good, Kat. She did train her dog with that cue. I pressed the pause button again and gave more instructions to my colonists because there was a change of plans. Eric had joined, and I had to adjust.

As soon as I pressed the play button, Rox appeared and pounced on the gunman aiming at Pif, Leva, and Kat.

The gunman fell, and Leva stomped hard on his face, then Kat grabbed the rifle.

On the other hand, Manu had tackled Emma and was trying to snatch the girl's rifle. A fierce struggle ensued, and Emma put her muzzle rifle on Manu's shoulder.

The loud bang from the rifle sent Manu tumbling to the side, screaming in pain. His shoulder was bleeding profusely.

Emma was about to get up, but suddenly Pif came and bit her hand holding the rifle. The woman screamed and tried to free herself, but Leva came and hit her in the face, knocking her down. So Pif can take the rifle from her.

Simultaneously, Kat managed to shoot the newly arrived machete wielder, causing the man to hide again on the other side of the house. He is clutching his bloody forearm that was grazed by a bullet just now.

And when all that happened, Eric had already stepped forward and delivered a combination slash with his sword. Jill was forced to keep backing away and struggling to aim until her hand on the gun grazed the sword. The limp Hans was about to attack Eric with his ax, but the man stumbled as soon as my new colonist kicked him.

Then, Jill couldn't help but let the sharp edge of Eric's sword almost stick to her neck.

Apparently, Eric hasn't been able to kill his former friend, even though I told him to be ruthless.

"Enough!" Suddenly someone's scream echoed, bringing the chaos that had only lasted a few seconds to a halt.

The attention of everyone immediately turned to Seb, who was being held hostage by the knife holder.

Shit. Because of all this mess, I've forgotten that man exists.

"Drop the weapons you are holding and raise your hands!" The knife-wielder gave the order in a loud voice, then pressed the knife against Seb's neck. My male colonist could only standstill with his body shaking.

I sighed, then gave orders to my colonists. "Just follow his orders."

Pif, Eric, and Kat threw the weapons in their hands into the snow and raised their hands. Meanwhile, Manu was still lying on the ground, moaning in pain.

Emma took her rifle and gave Eric a hateful look. My newest colonist only glanced at the woman.

"Get your hands off my dad, Mark. Or I'll kill you." Eric threatened with a voice like a growl.

"Shut up, you traitor." The knife holder named Mark said back, then looked at my other colonists in turn. "If I could, I would kill all of you. However, somehow my heart rejects that. Maybe this is what they say as a whisper from the guardian angel. So, as long as you don't fight back, we won't kill you. We will give you guys a chance to treat the wounds of your own members."

"But remember, don't fight us again. If you fight us, then we won't hesitate to kill you." Jill, who had started to bandage the wound on her right hand, added.

I could only freeze, confused to find a way to get my colonists out of this situation.

***

My colonists gathered at the rekindled fireplace, at Emma's gunpoint. Seb was pressing Manu's wound with a cloth, while Kat did the same with Leva's.

Several times, Emma looked disdainfully at Eric, who never looked back at her.

Meanwhile, the raiders from Congraylham were being treated by Jill in the other corner of the house. For those who are still healthy or have been treated, they have started looting my colonists' belongings in the warehouse.

God damn it.

I looked at my two wounded colonists. Weird. Why hasn't Pif come back from the warehouse yet? I assigned him to take the medical kit from there.

So, I decided to check the stash.

"It's salty... It's fucking delicious." The man with the bandaged machete devoured a piece of jerky. "Shall we bring the salt too, Mark?"

"Focus on food. And move your ass to work, Clark." Mark, the knife-wielder, said as he stuffed things into a sack. Then, he turned his head to Pif, who was self-medicating. "If I may give you a suggestion, you'd better get someone else to look at your wound. You won't be able to treat it alone."

Pif didn't answer. He continued to focus on changing the bandage on his stomach. I knew right away she wasn't all right. His sweat was flowing like crazy, even though the weather was so cold. His breathing was also getting heavy, and his hands were shaking.

I cringed when I found a hole full of blood on the young man's waist, a sign that there was a bullet in his body.

Shit. He was the one with the highest medical stats among the rest.

I was about to whisper something to him, but the skinny young man suddenly said in a low voice.

"O guardian spirit... If you hear me, don't order me to actually treat this wound of mine. I'm in a race against time to save Manu and Leva. I'm the most skilled in medicine. Leva may have fast healing abilities, but no one knows the consequences if the bullet gets lodged in her body. Manu's injuries are also quite severe. The bullet went through his shoulder to the back."

I froze for the second time. My mind is blank.