Free Web NovelChapter 408: Chapter 408: Stench 6
The people next to Evelyn Ford also joined the fight. It was Wendy’s first time firing a gun, and though she was scared, she forced herself to stay calm.
"AHH..." Screams of agony rang out one after another. Seeing everyone from the farm wielding guns and shooting wildly, the refugees outside were terrified.
More than ten refugees were already dead, and the ground had become a river of blood. The same people who had been clamoring to take over the farm just moments before were now scrambling back, trying to flee.
Ronan Kendrick raised his gun, aimed at a few of the fleeing men, and shot one straight through the head.
"Quincy, Miles Vaughn, go check the fence line. See if anyone has broken through."
Without a word, the two men grabbed their guns and left. Evelyn Ford looked at the few survivors. They were squatting on the ground, clutching their heads and begging for their lives.
Evelyn Ford sneered. ’If I didn’t have a weapon, if they had broken in today with their knives, would they have spared anyone on the farm?’
’Mercy toward the enemy is cruelty to oneself.’
Evelyn Ford would not allow herself to make such a basic mistake.
"Please, don’t..." As the last man stared in terror, Evelyn Ford aimed her gun at him and pulled the trigger.
Only in moments like this did the people around her realize Evelyn Ford wasn’t the gentle, approachable farm owner they thought she was. She was decisive in killing, utterly ruthless.
"Finish the job. Clear out everyone outside the farm."
Just then, a series of urgent whistles came from the west. Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a look and took off running in that direction.
The others continued to hunt down any who had escaped outside the farm.
The western fence had collapsed. Seven or eight refugees had formed a human pyramid to climb over and get inside. They were screaming that they would kill everyone on the farm. Nathan Xavier and Drako had just killed two of them when two more refugees lunged, tackling them to the ground.
Just as Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick arrived, a refugee kicked the gun from Nathan Xavier’s hand and landed a punch on him.
At that exact moment, Ronan Kendrick’s gun went off. The refugee on top of Nathan Xavier was shot in the temple and collapsed.
Evelyn Ford reacted instantly, shooting down two more who were trying to climb over. Soon, the refugees on the west side were dealt with.
"Are you okay?"
Nathan Xavier shook his head. "I’m fine."
Evelyn Ford nodded. "Drako, hold this position. Nathan Xavier, you’re with us."
Nathan Xavier picked up his gun and immediately fell in behind them. Evelyn Ford’s shoes and clothes were spattered with blood. She walked ahead, her face an expressionless mask. Recalling the way Evelyn Ford had looked while killing just moments ago, Nathan Xavier couldn’t help but flinch.
But it was Ronan Kendrick who truly terrified him. From start to finish, he hadn’t spared the refugees a single glance. Even when he fired his gun, his expression was so placid it was as if he wasn’t killing at all.
The three of them reached the eastern fence, where Peter Owens and Ian Yates had already dealt with four men who tried to climb over.
Evelyn Ford gave them a slight nod before heading south.
After a full patrol of the farm, the refugees had mostly been dealt with. Paul Pence reported that a few had fled into the mountains.
"Should we go into the mountains after them?"
"Never pursue a desperate foe. We don’t need to. Leave a few people here to guard the farm. The rest of you, come with me to Fairgate Farm."
Regardless, Fairgate Farm was a victim in this, just like them. Besides, there were many women over there.
The group reached Fairgate Farm as quickly as they could. The entrance was littered with corpses and slick with blood. The main gate was open, and from within came screams and furious shouts.
When they entered, they saw Ethan Dawson shielding more than a dozen people in front of a cabin. He had a gun in one hand and a man in a headlock, facing off against more than twenty refugees.
The arrival of Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick made Ethan Dawson breathe a sigh of relief.
Evelyn Ford raised her gun and aimed it at the refugees. They seemed to think she was just trying to scare them, but to their surprise, she immediately pulled the trigger.
"Ethan Dawson, get that door shut!"
Ethan Dawson reacted instantly. He shot the man in his grasp, then slammed the door shut and immediately joined the fight.
These refugees had no guns, only machetes, hammers, steel pipes, and hoes...
Evelyn Ford fought like a madwoman, all reason gone. A single phrase echoed in her mind: ’Finish the job... Finish the job...’
With everyone working together, the frenzied refugees were quickly dispatched.
Everyone stared at the sea of corpses on the ground, frozen in place as if paralyzed.
Ethan Dawson walked over to Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick, gun in hand, and bowed deeply.
"Thank you." His farm had lost two people—two elders over the age of fifty. They had sacrificed themselves to buy time, holding back the refugees so Ethan Dawson could get the others to safety in the cabin.
For the first time, Evelyn Ford truly took Ethan Dawson’s measure. In the past, she had been displeased with him, suspicious of him, even outright hostile.
But seeing him just now, protecting those people, holding off so many refugees on his own... she felt she had to reconsider her opinion of him.
"You’re welcome." Evelyn Ford managed a weak smile. She tried to walk away, but her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground.
Ronan Kendrick rushed over and caught her in his arms.
"Evelyn, are you hurt?"
Evelyn shook her head. "I’m fine. Not hurt. My hands are just shaking, and my legs feel like jelly."
Evelyn looked at everyone and forced a smile. "Let’s head back to the farm."
"A lot of them got away," she said. "They might come back for revenge, so stay alert for the next few days."
Ethan Dawson nodded. "I understand."
Evelyn led everyone back to their farm. The bodies at the gate had already been removed, but the bloodstains were difficult to clean. Even though the sun had set and darkness had fallen, the air was still warm, and the blood was quickly congealing.
"Burn it all."
After speaking, Evelyn looked at everyone. "We did nothing wrong. They were the ones who wanted to break in, kill us, take our land, and steal our food. This is how you deal with bandits. You can’t show any mercy. One comes, we kill one. Two come, we kill them both. All of you did a great job. We protected our home. If we hadn’t been united today, if we hadn’t had weapons, if we hadn’t been ruthless enough, we would be the ones burning at the gate."
Evelyn raised her hands, letting everyone see them trembling uncontrollably.
"I’m just as scared as all of you. My hands are shaking, too."
Evelyn’s gaze turned cold and resolute. "But if anyone else dares to attack this farm, I will kill them without hesitation."
With that, Evelyn turned and walked away. The others stood there, looking at their own trembling hands as the fear in their hearts slowly began to subside.
’Yes, we were just defending our home. Those bandits deserved to die. We just took up arms to protect our home and our family.’
’Yes. We did nothing wrong.’
’We did well.’
Back in the cabin, Evelyn collapsed onto the floor. When Ronan Kendrick moved to help her up, she waved him away, signaling for him to leave her be.
After a long while, Evelyn looked down at her blood-soaked hands and let out a derisive snort.
’The people outside were starving, so they became monsters.’
’To protect our home, we became monsters, too.’
’Who’s to say who was right and who was wrong?’
’In the end, the ones who survive are the winners.’
’Even if my hands are stained with blood, I will be a winner.’
’Because I have to live.’
