Chapter Six
Risa dried off and dressed, still struggling to process everything Sentinel had dumped on her.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Risa spotted Amelia and the twins at the table. The white-haired woman was setting down bowls of food. At the sound of the door opening, Amelia looked up, their eyes meeting across the room.
The twins turned as well. One of them immediately brightened and rushed toward her, grabbing her hand.
"Mama, come on! Mommy made food for us!"
Risa blinked, barely managing to mask her surprise. 'Mama'. Right. That was her now.
She let the child lead her to the table, smiling as she lifted the girl and helped her into her seat. The other twin, however, remained seated, watching her closely.
Risa reached out and gently patted the child's head, wishing she could tell them apart.
"The girl who pulled you is Airi, while the one who remained at the table is Rika," Sentinel's voice echoed in her head.
Risa tried not to react to Sentinel's voice suddenly chiming in. Instead, she focused on the two kids, Rika and Airi. At least now she knew who was who.
Airi, the one who had eagerly pulled her over, was beaming up at her, completely at ease. Rika, on the other hand, sat quietly, still watching her with cautious eyes.
Amelia hadn't said a word. She was watching too. Risa could feel the weight of her gaze. She swallowed hard. She wasn't the same person Amelia had known before, but Amelia didn't know that.
Sat at the table, Risa felt out of place, like an intruder in someone else's family. Amelia silently placed food in front of her. Maybe, just maybe, she could figure out how to live in this world.
There were still too many unanswered questions, but her brain couldn't handle any more right now.
For now, she picked up her spoon and ate.
As they ate, Amelia watched Risa with growing suspicion. Despite her own confusion, Risa instinctively helped the twins, wiping Airi's face, gently patting Rika's head, and offering small smiles. The Risa that Amelia had married had never been this attentive and had never smiled at the kids like that.
Even after the meal, Amelia's suspicion only deepened. Risa noticed the wary glances but didn't comment. Instead, when Amelia began gathering the dishes, Risa stepped in.
"I'll do it. You three haven't had any proper sleep yet. Go ahead and get some rest."
Amelia hesitated, studying her closely. This person was acting far too differently. But for now, she said nothing.
As Amelia disappeared into the bedroom with the kids, Risa remained in the kitchen, quietly cleaning up.
When Risa finished, she buried herself on the couch, closed her eyes, and tried to process her current predicament.
A soft creak made her snap her head up. Amelia was standing in the bedroom doorway.
The white-haired woman was staring at her, arms crossed over her chest, expression guarded.
"What's your plan?" the white-haired woman asked, her voice sharp with suspicion. "Why are you acting like you care?"
Risa blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"You protected them, carried them, showed affection. Why? What's your plan?" Amelia pressed.
Risa didn't even know how to respond. What could she say?
Amelia's frown deepened. "What's your goal in doing all this?"
Before Risa could answer—
BANG.
A loud, heavy thud echoed through the house, rattling the doorframe.
Risa and Amelia looked at each other, then back at the door. Sensing danger, Risa immediately stood up and drew her gun.
Another bang echoed against the door.
"Go hide with the kids," Risa whispered, her voice firm and serious.
Amelia nodded without argument. With one last glance at Risa, she turned and hurried toward the bedroom.
A voice called from the other side of the door. "We know someone's in there. Open the door."
Risa's grip tightened around her gun as she moved silently toward a window, careful not to make a sound. She positioned herself at an angle, peeking outside without revealing her presence.
Another voice followed, sharper this time. "Look, we don't want trouble. Just open up, and we'll talk."
Risa wasn't buying it. No one in this world came pounding on a door like that just to talk.
Several hours had passed since they'd arrived, and now the sun was fully up, casting bright light across the surroundings. Risa could clearly see the people outside. They were dressed in ragged, mismatched clothing and armed, their faces hollow from hunger except for the man with a shotgun. Their body language made it clear they didn't have anything good planned for whoever was inside the cabin.
The tallest of them, a man with a scruffy beard and sunken eyes, banged on the door again, impatience creeping into his voice. "Come on, now. We just wanna talk."
Risa didn't respond. She needed to assess the situation. Three men, all armed. One held a machete with a knife strapped to his side. Another had a shotgun slung over his shoulder. The last one, young and twitchy, gripped a knife like he was expecting a fight.
The second man, the one with the shotgun, scoffed. "No answer? Maybe they ain't home."
The bearded man shook his head. "Nah, someone's in there. I saw a shadow move past the window."
'Damn it.'
Waiting would only put Amelia and the kids in danger. She needed to strike first.
Moving swiftly, she stepped away from the window and slipped out through the back, keeping low as she rounded the side of the cabin.
The man with the shotgun stood by the door, impatiently tapping his foot. The youngest of the group glanced around, fidgety and alert, while the bearded man muttered something under his breath and began creeping along the cabin's side.
Risa crouched and hid, staying out of the approaching man's line of sight, ready for him to come closer.
When he got close, Risa closed the distance in an instant, grabbing the bearded man by the back of the neck and slamming his head into the wooden wall. The shock of the sudden attack gave him no time to react. Before he could recover, she yanked the knife strapped to his side and, without hesitation, drove it into his throat.
His eyes widened, a strangled gasp escaping as blood gurgled from his lips. Then, he crumpled to the ground.
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+ Threat Elimination x1 EXP Gained: +35
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A faint bluish text floated for a second before vanishing.
'One down.'
The others must have heard it, because the man with the shotgun called out, "Hey, Quinn? You good?"
Silence.
A tense second passed. Then another.
The bearded man's companion shifted uneasily before turning to the youngest. "Check it out."
As the younger man cautiously followed the path of his fallen companion, Risa moved and quickly hid, leaving the dead man on the ground.
When the younger man spotted his companion's body, he was about to shout and call the other man, but Risa swiftly covered his mouth and drove a knife into his side.
A sharp cry of pain tore from his throat.
The man with the shotgun heard the faint sound and reacted immediately, his boots pounding against the dirt as he rushed toward the noise.
Risa heard his heavy footsteps closing in fast.
She had seconds.
She ducked behind a tree, taking cover in case he fired, her heart pounding as she drew her gun, preparing for a potential shootout.
The man was armed with a shotgun, which meant she couldn't afford to be caught out in the open.
Click-clack.
The distinct sound of a shotgun being pumped echoed through the trees.
"I don't know who the fuck you are, but you just made a mistake," his voice was tense, laced with anger "Come out now, and I'll make it quick."
'Not happening.'
Risa stayed hidden, eyes tracking the man's movements. He was now standing near the wounded one, gun raised, scanning the shadows.
She lined up her shot and fired, but at the same moment, the wounded man pointed in her direction.
Bang!
The armed man tried to duck, but her bullet tore through the air, grazing his shoulder. The impact sent him stumbling back with a grunt of pain, but he didn't go down.
Boom!
His shotgun roared in retaliation.
Bark exploded from the tree beside Risa, shards flying past her face. Too close.
She moved fast, sprinting to another tree before he could fire again. One shot. One opportunity. He was wide open.
She raised her gun.
Bang!
Her bullet struck him square in the chest.
The man staggered, choking, his shotgun slipping from his grasp. He collapsed to his knees, then fell forward, motionless.
Silence.
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+ Threat Elimination x1 EXP Gained: +40
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> LEVEL UP!
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The wounded man was gasping weakly on the ground, his hands pressed over the knife wound in his side, blood pooling beneath him.
Risa stared down at him, her gun still trained on his trembling form. His breathing was shallow, his hands slick with blood as he tried in vain to stop the bleeding.
He was no longer a threat.
She saw it in his eyes, the raw fear and the crushing realization that he wasn't going to survive.
"P-Please, let me go. I only joined them because Frank was a runaway police officer, and he was armed," he explained, fear lacing his voice as he struggled to speak.
Maybe he was just some kid who had fallen in with the wrong people, dragged along by desperation. Maybe he hadn't even wanted to attack in the first place.
Risa let out a slow breath and lowered her gun.
"Get lost."
The young man's eyes widened in disbelief. He hesitated, as if expecting a trick.
"Go, before I change my mind," she snapped.
That was all he needed. With a sharp gasp, he stumbled to his feet, clutching his bleeding side. He gave her one last uncertain look, then turned and bolted, vanishing into the trees.
Risa raised an eyebrow. For someone who had been acting half-dead a moment ago, he sure ran fast.
Risa watched until she was certain he was gone. Whether he survived or not wasn't her concern.
Right now, Amelia and the kids were her priority.
Before heading back inside, Risa turned her attention to the fallen men. She crouched and quickly searched their bodies for anything useful.
A shotgun. She picked it up and checked the chamber: two shells loaded. She found six more in the dead man's pocket; better than nothing.
A machete, worn but still sharp. Useful.
A knife, good as a backup.
Other than their weapons, they had nothing. No food, no medical supplies.
With the scavenged gear in hand, Risa cast one last glance at the bodies before heading inside.
She needed to check on Amelia and the kids.
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Author's Note:
Hello! This is the updated version of the story. Thanks for your patience!