Chapter 3, 'Don't give a kid a gun'
Among the night in the baron land of Kansas a decaying house remained, though still standing, a caring father and his little girl had sheltered.
“Remember Lilly we can’t be too loud ok?” Marcus said, while covering his twelve year old daughter with a tattered green blanket from the side. She stretched her tiny arms and yawned.
“We can still speak though?” Lily questioned.
“Of course we can”. He reassured, but in a hushing tone. “Just don’t speak too loud”.
“Well in that cas-“. She voiced herself then retracted, remembering what her father said and started to speak in a whisper.
“Well in that case, can we find something tomorrow?”
“Well that depends… That might have what you’re looking for at the resistance, if it’s still there… What is it you want to find?” Marcus went to the other end of room, sticking his hands in dusted cabinets, trying to find any supplies left in the house.
“You know the last group we were with… Nathan had this cool toy, it’s an Actionman-“
“An Actionman? So no dolls then?” He replied smiling at his daughter.
“Give me a doll and I’ll shoot its head off”. Lilly said patting her holster which held a Colt. While Lilly thought of it as a joke, her father didn’t feel the same. He clenched his jaw looking to the gun she always held at her side.
“Use it when you need too, not when-“.
“I want too”. She said boldly. Lilly knew what he was going to say, Marcus had been telling her ever since she got the gun and she grew tired of the continuous notice he gave her. To make a point she took out the gun.
“I know this isn’t a toy Dad, you speak to me like I think it is, but I know it isn’t, this-this can save us, life or death and I know that”. She looked into his eyes, just hoping she would receive a normal response and not the overly protective one she normally got.
After finally finding a packet of chips which he took a bite from, Marcus came over to the girl putting his hand on her shoulder.
“Lilly, you’re still a child-”. Lilly shrugged his hand off.
“If you still think I’m a child, then don’t give a kid a gun”. She threw herself back to her bed, facing away from her father with clear anger and putting her gun in front of eyes on the floor.
I’m not a child, I’m not. She thought.
Her father came use to this attitude at times, so often he just forgot about it. Marcus had a check through his bag while eating away with his potato chips. From his bag Marcus bought out a grenade launcher they found a while back, they just haven’t found the right moment to use it.
Marcus sighed and looked at his daughter, he moved over to his little girl and kissed her on the back of her head.
“I love you Lilly” He moved back to his own space and started to attempt some sort of sleep, but an eye was always open, as it should be in this world. Lilly herself continued to gaze at her gun as if it was judging her, the only time when she used it was to practice shooting cans, unlike her father who destroyed a few terminators, though he had been fortunate enough not be in the position to kill a person. A question Lilly always pondered on, could she do it? How would she do it? What would her father think? Questions that kept her awake, but kept her alive. Lilly sighed quietly and closed her eyes hoping a good dream could find a way into her mind.
Finding comfort, Lilly managed to find some sleep, though this only held for an hour. She felt a hand tugging at her shoulder with some aggression. She turned in a moment’s notice to see her father with a concerning look. Marcus put a finger to his lips, signalling silence.
Don’t be one of them… She thought. Lilly felt her hand move to the grasp of her pistol. Marcus, in a squatting position moved over to the window to confirm his suspicions. Her heart built in pace, the silence of the night was clear, but something was out there… Lilly bought out her pistol, ready to defend herself.
Then the robotic scream emerged. A T-600 came crashing through the window, making a large hole in the wall, bringing rubble through the inside of the house. The machine as it came through tackled Marcus to the floor. The machine threw up his fist ready to bring down on his face.
Lilly bought up her gun as quickly as she could and she pulled the trigger.
She hit it, straight in the left shoulder. Distracted, Marcus kicked off the T-600 to the side, free of grasp Marcus ran to pick up his bag, but now the machine was looking towards Lilly. As it began to rise she shot again, hitting it through the chest twice. The machine hardly seemed too noticed.
“Lilly! In there now!” The machine nearing a full stance, she took the advantage and ran to the other room as her father told her, Marcus quickly followed with his grenade launcher, he slammed the door so he give a bit of le-way between themselves and the T-600.
As Marcus started to move a large cabinet to strengthen the door the machine came roaring through the breaking the door, tackling Marcus to the floor again, knocking the launcher from his grasp. Lilly tried to fire, but nothing came out. She glanced around the room looking for anything, but before she could even make a move her father grabbed the grenade launcher, aimed to the ceiling top of the where the door was and fired. The impact pushed Lilly against the wall and swept her off her feet. Part of the ceiling came hurling down upon the machine on top of Marcus. Luckily the Terminator had taken the impact of the explosion, but as Marcus planned with his shot… The rubble from above crushed the machines legs.
The robotic screamed arose once more. Marcus pulled himself out, grabbing Lilly from the floor he went out of the building. He looked back seeing that the wires that connected the legs to the torso of the T-600 snapped off, it was free from the rubble, but without legs. Marcus turned back and continued to run with his daughter over his shoulder, who remained unconscious.
“We’re going to be alright-going be alright- going to be alright-“ A panting voice said.
“Sh-She’ll be ok..”. The voice said again.
Her eyes opened slowly, the sight of day sent her eyes back to close, but she had to try.
“Lilly?!”
“Wha-Did-Did we kill it?”
“We terminated it” Her eyes opened to the fullest, she could see her father smiling and tears pouring down his cheeks.
Lilly sat up and squeezed her father with a hug.
“I love you dad”
“I love you Lilly”