The Perfect Machine: Kingdom Of Glass (GxG

26. River

"No!" I yell as Connor pulls the trigger of the weapon. River falls flat down onto the ground, and I sprint towards my brother and remove the gun out of his hand quickly. He raises his hands in fear as I point the gun directly at his forehead. As much as I want to bury a bullet in his skull, I can't do it.

I toss the weapon around and hit him with the end directly in his face taking him out.

"River," I call her name out carefully as I get down on my knees, laying the gun away. Her eyes are closed, blood is pumping out of the gun wound in her upper shoulder. I pull off my shirt and press it against her wound.

"Mary!" I shout, and a few seconds later, she and Harry come out the door.

"Oh my god! Get back inside!" She tells her boy and rushes towards me.

"Does she have a pulse?" She asks me.

"Yes," I breathe as I can hear her heart beating.

"We need to get her to a doctor. I know someone who can help," She runs towards the car Connor brought and opens the back door. I cautiously pick up the small woman in my arms and run for the car. I sigh as I noticed it has seven seats, so I try as carefully as possible to take her with me in the back.

"Harry!" Mary shouts for her boy to come to the car. He gets inside the front seat next to his mother. I sit back with River, her head laying on my lap as I include pressure onto her injury.

"Is she going to be alright?" Harry glances back at me, and I genuinely don't have an answer. Mary begins driving, feels like she is hitting every bump on the road as we are on our way.

"She is going to be fine," Mary smiles at her son, yet a trace of uncertainty in her face even caused me to feel a sharp torment in my chest. This is my fault. I should have left sooner. If I did, River wouldn't be dying. I grasp my free hand into a clenched hand as outrage and misery assume control over my body.

I feel a single tear slide down my cheek. Tears, I can't remember the last time I cried. I stare down at the woman in my lap. Her eyes closed, with a few spots of blood on her cheek. I try to dry them away but end up stoking her cheek instead. I am not sure if I am doing it for her comfort or my own.

Her skin is soft and warm underneath my touch. Her brown hair, which is now covered with a bit of dust, is so silky against my arm. River is a short woman, or maybe I am just tall, but she seems more petite than average. Her body is very slim, which is typical for those in poor living conditions. She deserves better and more than this country can offer her.

"Does she still have a heartbeat?" Mary asks.

"Yes," I answer, and it feels like we have been on the road for a while now.

"Alright, we are nearly there," She says, driving considerably quicker at this point. I look back down at the woman in my arms wishing everything could have been different.

A couple of moments later, the vehicle halts and Mary surges out the door to arrive at a little house. Harry opens the entryway for me and I cautiously get out of the car. As I stroll towards the house, Harry comes after me. We get in, and I watch a man with glasses and dim short hair moving around to discover his instruments.

"Place her here," The older man says calmly as he pushes everything on his kitchen table onto the floor, glass shattering everywhere. I lay River lightly onto the table and watch as he inspects the woman. He grabs a scissor and starts cutting up her t-shirt, pulling it off, exposing her upper body. The wound still won't stop bleeding. She is full of blood.

"Mary, I need you to assist me," He says as he is searching around of his tools, calmly.

"And I need you out of here," He looks at me with a stern look on his face.

"I am not leaving," I say firmly and clench my hand into a fist.

"I can't have you in here in the way. You will slow me down, and she will die, do you understand me?" I grit my teeth but do as I am told. I usually do follow orders, but sometimes emotions can take a hold of me.

I step into the lounge where Harry is sitting on the sofa. He is biting his nails and jumping up and down in his seat.

"Arthur has some extra clothes upstairs," I gaze at Harry for a second, not understanding what he has implied. But then I realise that I took off my t-shirt to keep the pressure on River's wound. My belly and arms are covered in River's blood.

"A shirt would be nice yes," I watch him get up on his feet.

"Oh, do you know where the bathroom is?" I ask before he could climb up the stairs.

"Right down the hall to the left," He smiles before disappearing. I step down the hallway and find the bathroom. I lock the door quietly and stand in front of the mirror.

I open the tap, fill my hands with water and carry it to my face. Trusting that would wash away the entirety of my torment, sins, and perhaps even the curse that will eventually be the end of me.

My veins filled with the darkness running from my hand to my neck and a bit on my chest. I turn around to see it's starting to go on my back as well. I sigh in defeat, knowing that soon enough, my heart is going to stop.

I start to wash away the blood that is covering me when a knock on the door startles me.

"I got you a shirt," Harry says and so I open the door to grab it.

"Thank you," I smile at him, then lock the door. I stare right into the mirror and watch my own black eyes staring back at me. You did this to yourself; there is no one else to blame for what you are. Do I regret what I put myself through? In the beginning, no, when I was in prison, no, now? Yes.

I look through the cabinet, searching for something give myself a long-overdue haircut. Eventually, I find a hair clipper, clean it thoroughly and I start shaving the sides of my head. It looks just like how it did when I was in the military. I also decided to cut a bit of the top. It was starting to get too long to keep in place.

I wash my hair underneath the tap to rinse all the clipped hair away and dry it with the towel I found. Presently I look new, much the same as I with my first run through the military. I push my hair back to keep it set up. The cut sides feel pleasant as I move my hand over them.

I noticed my eyes, black that used to be ice blue, and my black hair that was once brown. I barely remember what I looked like back then; it feels like a hundred years ago since I looked normal.

My body was not even half as muscular as I am now. I do like my strength and I do like the firmness of my body, but the rest is a bit overbearing. I can hear Harry sitting on the couch, still biting his nails in nervousness. Mary and Arthur communicate in the kitchen as they try to save River's life. As much as I want to shut it out, I can't.

The smell of River's blood still lingers in my nose, the iron scent so strong that it's unbearable. Usually, River has this flowery smell to her; it's plain and delicate. It's soothing and not strong.

Sheis definitely something.