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The bullet winged away and Peri ca gave out Jack followed her down, pinning her to the pave the hard blunt end of a pistol against her kidney He was inches away, feeling both fa atop her

How asped when chunks of concrete peppered the Jack look up

"Why do you care!" Jack shouted, and the pistol lifted from her to point at Silas

Peri jerked her arm free and smashed her palm into his already broken nose

Jack screamed His fist lashed out She couldn’t move to escape it, and it hit her full-on

Pain exploded in her face She couldn’t see She struggled to keep froo swamped her

And then she could breathe as Jack was ripped off her

Bleary, she rolled to her stoht hand-to-hand on the concrete Gasping, she sat up and looked for the gun, spotting it flung off to the side Holding her stoered toward it He’d hit her so hard she couldn’t walk straight

"Silas, get clear!" she shouted, and he howled, getting in one last punch before he rolled to his feet and away

Jack lurched upright Expression wild, he didn’t see her as he screamed and went for Silas Her hand treround at his feet Shrapnel sprayed up, and Jack halted, his head snapping around Arun and shook She had him!

"Peri?" Silas shouted, hunched and afraid to move "Oh God Don’t kill him He’s your past You need hied She wasn’t scared She was angry with herself for being te that it would always be there The cracks would never ive her, and she hated that part of herself, even as it kept her alive

Slowly Jack pulled hi fro to shoot aze never left hi raw "And why not? You killed me first" The words were hard as they fell fro, she said, "Silas? Will you take this for me?"