Crimson Instinct

*Xin Lei*

Bai Li was scratched at his elbow when he hit the corner of the tip of the wooden table.

"I am fine," he said.

The woman sneered at us.

"Good job." She praised the leader.

I anxiously looked at Chu Jie and Liao Huifang. They were huddled together in a corner.

The woman quickly grabbed a gun lying on the ground and aimed at Chu Jie.

"Come out!"

Duan Deming said, "What are you doing!?"

Bai Li shouted. "No!"

"Grrr…"

Cocoa growled, glaring fiercely at her.

"Say to your dog not to do anything stupid, or the boy will be dead this instant!"

"Cocoa. Stand back."

Cocoa retreated.

"Drop your gun, you bastard, or I will shoot the boy, and my man will shoot the officer over there at once!"

Bai Li quietly kept the gun on the ground.

The woman took large strides towards Chu Jie and dragged him forward.

"No! Leave me. Let me go!" Chu Jie cried and protested.

"Hey! Let the boy go!"

Liao Huifang tried to pull him back, but the woman fired at her.

"Ouch!"

Huifang!

She stumbled and fell. She clutched her right arm, and through her fingers, blood was trickling down.

The bullet had grazed her arm.

I could hear Bai Li grinding his teeth.

Over there, Duan Deming tried to fight the leader's grasp on him, but he kicked him on the knee.

The woman said to the leader. "Keep an eye on them. I will take him away."

"No! Sister! Brother! Please help me! Please...I want to go home…" Chu Jie begged with tears in his eyes.

W-what now? How did everything turn out the opposite?

Chu Jie…We were so near saving him...

The woman was already outside by now.

"Cocoa. Attack!"

Bai Li suddenly said the command and Cocoa in a flash pounced on the leader.

Shocked, he left his hold on Duan Deming. The gun fell, and Cocoa bit his face and attacked his throat with his claws.

"Ahhhh!!! Get off me!"

He tried to shake him off, but Cocoa's strong grasp made it impossible to do that. His face was beyond recognizable now.

Duan Deming staggered a bit.

"Duan Deming. Go after the woman! Don't let her go with the kid!"

"Cocoa. Chase!"

Bai Li yelled.

"Got it!" Duan Deming grabbed his gun and rushed outside.

"Xin Lei. Look over Liao Huifang. I heard her scream in pain. I will be outside."

Huh? But how? He will be vulnerable without Cocoa.

I tugged him, and he said, "I have to do this!"

I was startled with his high pitched voice. There was clear stress, and anxiety etched on his face.

He grabbed the gun again and was walking, feeling his hands on the nearby objects making his way outside.

I was in a daze for a bit, but I quickly snapped out.

I scurried over to Liao Huifang's side. She seemed pale, and she was sweating a lot.

I had to stop the blood flow. I took out my handkerchief and tied it around her wound to stop it from bleeding.

Thankfully, the bullet didn't pierce her.

I took her head on my lap and rubbed her palm with my hands.

"Ah…" Liao Huifang seemed delirious.

I shook her shoulder and made her sit up, leaning on the pillar behind.

"O-ow…"

She frowned in pain.

I don't know what was happening outside at all.

I took my phone and quickly typed. "Once we get out, I will dress up your wound. You are fine."

She weakly nodded.

Suddenly I heard a gunshot sound and then the engine of a car starting.

What? What happened? I had to know.

I signed her to stay put, and she nodded again.

I rushed out and saw Duan Deming was collapsed on the ground, clutching his thigh.

"Ah, …she shot me...she is running away…"

There was a bullet hole, and blood oozed out of his wound.

The woman had already started the car.

"Hey!"

Bai Li called out.

"She is getting away…" Duan Deming pointed at her direction. "Don't think about me. Catch her…"

He coughed.

Bai Li had a gun in his hand, but I knew that he couldn't recklessly shoot because of Chu Jie. He aimed down and his hands trembled.

*Bang*

Bai Li wanted to fire at the wheel but he narrowly missed it.

"Arf!"

Cocoa ran towards the car. I took the gun from Bai Li's hand and also rushed towards the car, but it had already started moving away.

I got a glimpse of Chu Jie looking back at me, horrified. He was desperately flailing his hands from inside the car, pointing towards me.

What?

It felt as if he wanted to tell me something. But the woman shut his mouth and forced him inside.

We kept chasing after the car and from my side, Cocoa suddenly took a big leap and jumped on the window.

What!? No! Cocoa!

He was holding onto the window sill, and as he lifted his body once, he got inside.

"Arf! Arf!"

"Hey, get off!"

I heard the woman scream and saw her struggling with Cocoa from a distance.

The car picked up pace and started zig-zagging in any direction as she fought with Cocoa. I tried to aim at the wheel but the car was out of control. I shot but I missed it.

My heart drummed like crazy. The adrenaline was pumping in full swing. I felt my head go dizzy

I shot God knows how many times but that damn car was getting farther and farther away.

No... Cocoa…

I dreaded to hear the sound of any gunshot.

What if she shot at Cocoa?

I didn't want to, but I felt my eyes going wet.

Please...God... please don't let anything happen to Chu Jie or Cocoa.

But then I saw the car already getting back on track. It was now too far away and already speeding up.

W-what? How? With Cocoa attacking her, how can she drive back normally?

N-no. I didn't hear any gunshot.

So Cocoa wasn't shot.

But then what happened?