Ellis & Others

It wasn't actually the ideal trip after a date, but Ellis had a soft spot for animals. After seeing several dogs being dragged toward the pit, he just had to follow. He always kept at least one weapon on him. He had to protect himself and Isabella. Today, he had a Desert Eagle pistol, along with a combat knife and an extra Colt 45 pistol. His safety was important to him.

Upon reaching the run-down house, Ellis put his back up against the wall outside the doorway and listened as he waited for Isabella. Inside the pit, besides the commotion of angry dogs, there was the sound of a child. It made him sick. Almost physically sick. He actually gagged at the sound of the defenseless child.

"Dad, no! You're going to hurt him!" The 9-year-old boy cried, reaching out as his father dragged the hybrid dog toward the fenced-in area. Another man held the boy back. The child, known as Maddock Buckley - called "Mad Buck" by his now deceased older brother - was the owner of the dog named Omega. Maddock was covered in bruises, cuts and scars, apparently from being beaten frequently. Tears streamed down his face and stung the fresh knife-slice cut on his cheek.
"Please, Dad! Be nice to Omega!"
The boy needed a hero. Little did he know, he was going to get two of them.

Ellis closed his eyes, preparing himself for the attack. They had to be careful down there. The dogs would probably be aggressive, but it was the people he was worried about. "Bella," Ellis whispered, holding the Colt 45 out to her handle-first. "Do whatever you need to do down there." With a deep breath, he peeked around the corner. He was ready to go if Isabella was ready.

Isabella Wayson

Sure, she had taken some self-defense classes, as her parents had strongly suggested, before coming here so she could handle herself against a single attacker or a small group. Though, she was sure there would be more than a small group here… Luckily, in the previously mentioned classes she had learned to handle a gun as well.

Ellis’ whispered tones caught her attention as he held the gun out to her and she took it, staring at it for a moment. She hated the thought of using the weapon, and many would not think her capable of doing so. But there was a side of Isabella that no one knew… Ellis was about to see it. She could be a fighter when it came to helping those in trouble that could not help themselves. So, when Ellis told her to do whatever she had to down there she nodded.

Then she waited for Ellis to move before she did, not wanting to get into his way but knowing that she wanted to make getting to the young boy her first priority. The dogs were important as well, but the child had to be first on her list. When Ellis did move, she followed suit with the gun held steadily… She moved into the house and scanned the area, there were plenty of people with knives but no guns were seen at this moment. Immediately her gun was pointed at the man holding the boy and she spoke calmly as she could manage.

Leave the boy go.

Ellis & Others

Ellis wasn't much of the hero type either; in fact, he was often a bit of a coward. But there was that primal instinct to protect the innocent, that nagging voice that told him to save the boy.
Isabella was probably braver than him. Truthfully, he was terrified, but something drove him on. As he went down into the pit with Isabella, a fleeting thought crossed his mind. If he and Isabella were ever to get married, Isabella would probably make a great mother with the way she stayed calm in from of the boy, while still protecting him.

"Hey man, I'm just doin' what the boss told me to!" The man restraining the boy exclaimed, and as he spoke, his arms instinctively went into the air. He was apparently not the bravest man around.
Maddock quickly rushed away from the man, only to be apprehended by his father and kicked in the knees until he fell and cried in sheer pain.

Ellis could barely watch this without breaking down, despite the fact that he tried to be tough. What kind of person would beat a defenseless child? It was the kind of person who was better of dead, that's who it was.

"Hey, listen to her when she's talking, punk." Ellis aimed the gun at the boy's father, his finger on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.
He sized up the group: from what he could see, there was the father, the man who had been restraining the boy, and two others, though there might have been more around the corner. He couldn't see any guns and most of the dogs were in cages. There were knives, but guns beat knives in most cases. This would be too easy, but still, the thought of killing even the most evil man made him a bit uneasy.
"Isabella, are you ready to save a life?" That was the cue to fire. The father was in better range of Isabella, while the man who had originally been restraining the boy backed up and was now closer to Ellis.
Before he could fire a shot, Ellis was hit with the searing pain of a throwing knife in his shoulder, tossed by one of the men near the stairs, and the coward immediately fled. Ellis fired a shot off at the man, but he had already gotten away. Great, more scum on the streets.

Omega was in the pen, barking the whole time, trying desperately to get out. He wanted to kill these men as much as Ellis and Isabella did. But the fence was high, much too high for the starving dog to leap. All he could do was make noise.

Isabella Wayson

Isabella definitely did not want to kill anyone, so she was relieved when the man who was holding the boy immediately let him go and backed up. Though, as soon as the boy had begun to run away, the man that she assumed was his father grabbed him and began to beat him right in front of her eyes. Immediately her adrenaline rushed through her veins and the only thing keeping her from killing him right at that moment was his close proximity to the boy. Seeing the man treating the child like this nearly made her sick… Though, she forced herself to stay strong, she and Ellis were the only ones who could help him right now.

The words that Ellis spoke barely registered to her as she zeroed in on the father. If he moved toward the boy one more time she would snap… She was on the verge now. Bella really was not a violent person, but she had a protective streak a mile wide. And she never could stand by and watch anyone be hurt, especially if they could not defend themselves. Then she heard Ellis speak her name. That was what brought her attention to him momentarily, at least part of her attention. She knew better than to take her attention from the men around her. Ellis’ words registered this time and she inhaled to try to calm herself before she spoke.

Touch the boy one more time and you will not make it out of here, that is a promise.

The man did not listen and moved towards the boy once more, ignoring her warning and she pulled the trigger. Her aim was true and she hit the man dead in the chest, keeping him from hitting the boy any more. She hated that she had to do that in front of the child but she really had no choice. She then heard the sound of Ellis’ gun being shot as well and she looked to him momentarily, seeing the blood seeping through his shirt. He was hurt! She kept her gun at the ready as many of the people fighting the dogs took off, being the cowards that they truly were. As of right now, she was numb to what she had done.

Later, after the adrenaline stopped rushing through her veins, she would probably be mortified, but now she was not even thinking. Her finger remained on the trigger as she watched the few remaining people, waiting to see if they would follow their buddies and run or try their luck. The boy was safe now; his father would no longer hurt him. Though, she needed to get him away from here. And Ellis needed a doctor. So, she hoped that the men would turn out to be just as cowardly as the others.

Ellis; Maddock; Omega

Maddock was on the floor, crying and screaming in pain. He had a broken leg and a shattered kneecap due to his father' steel-toe boots colliding with his knees. He was unable to stand up, not that his father would allow him to.

His jade-green eyes glanced up at Isabella in a pleading sort of way. In only a moment, he heard the gunshot and the thud of his father falling to the floor, dead. Still unable to move, he just laid there while all the others rushed out like cowards.

Ellis held his hand over the knife, not wanting to pull it out in fear of causing more damage. This was serious, and he really needed to get to the hospital. So did Maddock.

Maddock eventually began dragging his frail body across the floor toward Isabella. He didn't say a word, but his face said "help me."