//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: Time Doesn't Heal All Wounds // by Caineachu //------------------------------// As the sun slowly began to set and finally give her a break from the intense heat, Applejack stopped walking, scanning the horizon for any kind of shelter that she could rest in during the approaching night. She slept out in the open before, but most times it was either a restless night or someone stumbled upon her, and she'd rather keep that can of worms unopened tonight. Her eyes stopped on a small cabin a few hundred meters from the road. Taking a deep breath to steady her suddenly rising nerves, she started her approach, her hand resting on the revolver she had holstered on her side. She was tempted to take it out now, but if there was anyone in the house, walking up with a gun in her hands might send the wrong impression, and she really didn't want to have to shoot anyone right now. She crept onto the porch, the wood beneath her boots creaking softly as soon as she put her weight on it. She tried to peer through the windows, but with little to no light inside, it was hard to make out anything from where she was standing. She moved over to the front door, reaching out to open it. She hesitated, though, and pulled her hand back a bit, and said one hoarse question. "Hello?" Applejack hadn't heard her own voice in so long that it sounded almost foreign to her. She swallowed, waiting for an answer, or even any kind of sound that would indicate that someone or something was moving around inside. After a few seconds of the silence hanging in the air, she moved her hand forward, opening the door with a twist of the door knob, a small push and a few creaks from the hinges. She drew her revolver as she slowly stepped inside, the light from the setting sun casting dark orange around the room through the windows. She closed the door with the back of her boot before she walked through the house, checking every room, the finger on the trigger twitching as she steadied her nerves. After checking the bottom floor, the only way she had left to go was up. Taking a deep breath, she slowly started up the stairs. About halfway up, with her head just high enough to see the hallway, she thought she heard something in one of the rooms ahead. She froze, slowly pulling the hammer of her revolver back, praying it wouldn't make a loud- click Her heart was racing, and the house was so quiet that it seemed to suck away the ability to make sound at all. Taking another deep breath and telling herself to relax, she finally made it to the top of the stairs, looking at the doors on either side of the hall. There were three more rooms to check, and then she'd be done with it and could rest easy. The sense of urgency she felt to have this house clear made her move a little faster, and she pushed open the door closest to her and looked inside the empty room. Satisfied, she checked the room straight across from it, being met with another empty room. All that left was the room all the way at the end of the hall. Applejack crept towards it, reaching her hand down to turn the door knob, and found to her surprise that it didn't turn. It must've been locked. She sighed to herself, wiping sweat from her brow, as a peculiar smell hit her nose, one she couldn't quite place but at the same time had a familiarity to it. She brushed it aside, taking a step back. I ain't sleepin' in a house I haven't completely checked. In one swift motion, she raised her leg up and struck right above the door handle with the bottom of her boot. The door splintered around the lock and flung open, slamming back against the wall. She moved in fast, arm raised and revolver at the ready. Scanning quick, she almost didn't notice the covered lump on the bed in the corner. She didn't move at first, staring at the small, child-sized bed. She could only imagine what the lump was, and really didn't want to check it, but she had to make sure it wasn't something dangerous. She slowly moved towards it, closing the gap in a second or two before gently pulling the covers back, exposing exactly what she expected to see: the corpse of a small child, mostly decomposed. She nearly threw up in her mouth at the sight of it, not because of the body itself or even the smell of it, but because of who it looked so similar to. It looked like Apple Bloom. ---------- She let out a yell and a curse as she spun around, diving behind a wagon that was thankfully within dive distance as another round struck the ground just to the left where she fell. She looked down at Apple Bloom, still in her arms. "Are ya okay? Did ya get hit?" "No, I'm fine, but..." She pointed to her big sister's shoulder, where there was a bloody hole from the bullet that struck her. Applejack knew it was there, and was doing her best to ignore it despite the pain. "It doesn't matter none, sugarcube, I'll make it, don't you worry." She paused, trying to gather her thoughts. She had to take that sniper out, or they'd be stuck here until the people from the barn strolled back through town, or some other thing that she'd rather not happen. A plan slowly started forming in her head, and it was stupid, but she had to do something, and fast. She set her sister down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Apple Bloom, I need you to stay here, behind this wagon. He can't get ya from there." "Okay, but what are-" "I'll be back in a jiffy. Just stay down, no matter what, okay?" Before she got an answer, Applejack stood and quickly dashed across the street. A round came way too close to comfort, knocking the hat off her head, but she kept running, jumping at a shop window. Glass shattered and spilled everywhere as her body shot through the air, and she slid across the floor all the way to the wall. She spotted someone else inside behind the counter, although judging by the gun he was holding, he wasn't a friendly person either. She mentally cursed as she kicked off the wall, barely dodging bullets as she slid herself behind one of the store's shelves. She looked around for something to throw, either at him or to distract him. Finding a glass cup, she grabbed it and chucked it to the opposite end of the store. Once the glass shattered against the wall, the gunfire was immediately redirected towards it. Applejack used this as her chance, dashing around the shelving and towards the counter where the second gunman was. Right as he was reloading his revolver's cylinder, she vaulted over the barrier between them, the bottom of her boot colliding with his face. He flew back, head striking the wall behind him before he slid down to the floor. He was either dead or unconscious, but she didn't intend to waste time finding out which. If everything went okay, she'd be long gone by then. She bent down, taking his revolver and the holster from him and wrapping it around her own waist. Okay, if'n I remember correctly, I can go through the backdoor of this shop, and there should be a ladder I can use to get onto the rooftop. I can take that bastard out easy as an apple pie once I get close to 'im. She winced as her shoulder ached and gave another her another sharp pain. Her hand moved up to her sleeve, tearing it off into a strip as she pressed it onto the wound. She walked through the shop and into the backroom, opening the rear door and striding back outside. Scanning around, she spotted the ladder already leading against the building and walked over to it. She was pretty sure the sniper was on the adjacent rooftop, but there was still a few feet that he could get her if she wasn't fast about it. Gripping a rung with the hand of her good arm, she moved quickly up the ladder before climbing up onto the rooftop. He wasn't facing her, instead focused back on the wagon Apple Bloom was (hopefully) still hiding behind. Applejack glanced down at the gap between the rooftops. She could clear it. Now's my chance. She ran forward at full speed, leaping over the space between the buildings and landing with a thud on the other roof. Just as the sniper was turning to look back, she was already upon him, delivering a hard, bone-shattering kick to the side of his head. He flew back from her, sliding across the roof before being stopped by the lip of the building. He didn't move, either, but she didn't care if he was dead or just knocked out, she was taking her sister and getting the hell out of here. Scooping his rifle up and slinging it across her shoulder, she looked around from her new vantage point, checking to see if there was anyone else around that she had to worry about. A bullet whizzed past her head, and she ducked down, quickly moving to the edge of the roof. Seeing no other quick way down, she just jumped, landing down on the ground with a hard thud. She quickly rolled into the cover of an alley as more rounds hit the dirt around her, unslinging the rifle from her shoulder and pulling the bolt back just enough to check if a round was chambered. She glanced over to the wagon her sister was behind and saw two men moving towards it. Her stomach flipped. "No!"