Page 122 of Gunslinger Girl

Adora lunged to push Selene out of the way, but a fraction of a second too late. The spray of bullets tore through both of them, their bodies tumbling to the floor in a bloody tangle. Adora’s head lolled to the side. She coughed once, a bubble of blood forming on her lips before she went as still as Selene beneath her.

The world turned static gray, like the moments before a bad storm. Pity’s ears buzzed. She blinked and the buzzing turned to screams.

Beau. His ghostly pale face was twisted with horror. He reached for Selene, still yelling.

“Good Lord—Santino!” Sheridan cried. “Shut him up.”

Santino pulled out his knife.

Pity dropped her arms and drew.

She fired twice before she had a chance to think, or to aim. Santino’s shoulder and side exploded in crimson. He cried out and dropped the knife, which fell beside Beau. In the corner of her eye, she saw Daneko raise his weapon. The shot rang out as Max collided with her, knocking her to her knees.

No. Daneko had missed her, but she felt the bullet hit anyway, a shard of terror right through her heart.

“You idiot!” Sheridan screamed.

“Shit!” said Siena.

The bounty hunter dove on her shotgun and came up firing. She caught one of the Tin Men in the chest. Through tears, Pity saw Halcyon’s purple form dart away as Hook shoved Sheridan behind him. She unloaded one revolver in their direction, hardly looking where she fired. The other arm she wrapped around Max, who lay on his back, a ruby stain spreading across his gut.

She heard a second shotgun blast and a scream, and then Siena was beside her.

“Move, Jones!” she screamed, grabbing the collar of Max’s shirt.

Siena dragged him behind the desk as Pity drew her other gun and covered them. Bullets whizzed like angry wasps as Hook, Daneko, and the remaining Tin Man fired at them. Pity took aim. An instant later Daneko’s gun went flying, scarlet strings of meat where his thumb had been.

“Ahhh!” Pity felt a line of pain blaze up her arm as she tumbled behind the desk.

“You hit?” Siena was on one knee reloading, her head low.

“A graze.” She gritted her teeth, filtering out the pain. All she could see was Max propped up against the desk. She scrambled beside him, boots skidding on the dark, bloody marble. His chest was rising and falling with rapid breaths, his face blanched.

“You stupid—” Her voice hitched. “Why did you do that?”

Max gave her a weak grin. “Do I really need to answer?”

She ripped his shirt away to reveal an angry hole leaking blood.

No.

“We have to stop that!” Siena drew a handgun and fired around the desk. “Here!” She reached into her bag and pulled out a square packet. “You know how to apply a field dressing?”

Hands trembling, Pity grabbed the packet and tore it open. She positioned the patch over the gunshot and pressed down.

“Uggnnn!” Max’s head drooped, eyelids fluttering.

Pity slapped him. “Don’t you dare! Stay awake!”

Max’s gaze came back into focus. He lifted one hand and put it on top of hers, where they pressed against his stomach. “I’ll hold it.”

“No!” She kept her hands where they were.

“Yes!” snapped Siena. “Get those guns reloaded and firing or that patch job won’t mean a damn thing.”

Reluctantly, Pity pulled away, wiping her palms on her pants. When she wrapped them around the ebony handles again, they stopped shaking. Siena was right. Max’s only chance lay with them getting out of this.

Pity reloaded her guns and peeked around the desk. She was on the side farthest from Sheridan and the others, with no line of sight. A few yards away lay Adora’s and Selene’s bodies, Beau and Santino beyond them.