Chapter 77: Man Down

Suddenly, they heard a loud explosion coming from outside. It sounded like a grenade had exploded. The shooting immediately ceased and there was a ghostly silence outside the door.

"Sharon? Victoria? Are you both okay?" Peter asked the girls.

"We're fine! What do you think happened out there?" Sharon asked him.

"I don't know, but it seems to have stopped the shooting. Chris, come on! Help me move the couch so we can check it out," Peter answered and said to Chris.

They moved away the furniture that they had used to barricade the door and Chris opened the door while Peter pointed his gun outside.

There was smoke everywhere, so Peter's vision was hindered. But then, he saw a man's silhouette getting closer to them and aimed at him.

"Don't shoot." The man said as he got closer, "It's me."

He was now at the door and his face could be seen clearly; Hector.

"Hector! Did you do this?" Peter asked, referring to the explosion that killed the enemy and probably saved their lives.

"Si! I'm sorry I abandoned my position, but when I heard all the gunshots, I just couldn't sit outside and do nothing. I had to come and help," Hector explained to Peter.

"You don't need to apologize. You just saved us. You should be proud of yourself as I'm sure your sister is," Peter said to him and gestured at Victoria standing behind him.

"Vicky, Hermana! Estas bien! Estaba tan preocupada," Hector said happily and ran over to his sister and gave her a long embrace.

"Hector, Hermano! Estás aquí," Victoria said, a bit surprised to see him.

"Of course, I'm here. You're my only family and I will do anything to keep you safe," Hector said to her.

"I'm glad to see this nice and touching family reunion, but we have to go because I'm sure there are more armed guards on this island and they'll be coming for us," Chris cut in.

"You're right. Let's get out of here!" Peter concurred.

He grabbed Sharon's hand while Hector held on to Victoria, and they all made their way out of the house.

As soon as they got outside, Chris noticed a group of armed men running in their direction and alerted Peter.

"Peter! On our six!" He said.

Peter saw them and decided to stall so that Sharon and the rest of them could escape.

"Chris and I will hold them off while the three of you get back to the boat. If we don't make it back in time, then you go on without us," Peter said to Sharon.

"No, Peter! I'm not doing that. I'm not leaving without you," Sharon protested.

Peter held her face with his hands and gave her a quick kiss on her parched lips.

"I'll be right behind you, I promise, but you also have to promise me that you'll go if it seems like I can't get back," Peter said to her.

Sharon shook her head in disagreement, refusing to make such a promise.

"Peter, they're getting closer." Chris alerted him.

"Just go, my love! Go!" Peter yelled at Sharon and ran off with Chris to buy them the time they needed.

Sharon reluctantly ran off to the shore with Hector and Victoria. They made it to the boat and Hector got it into the water and was ready to get the hell off the Island.

"We have to wait a while for them, Hector," Sharon said, and he nodded affirmatively.

Sharon sat on the boat and watched nervously, waiting to see Peter running towards the boat in one piece. That was all she wanted to see at that exact moment.

They could hear the gunshots being exchanged, and they all hoped for the best.

"We need to flank them! You attack from the east, and I'll hammer down on them from the west," Chris told Peter.

"Got it," Peter said back and ran down the slope towards the east.

At least seven men were coming their way so Peter and Chris had to be careful and smart in fighting them, and smart they were.

Peter took out a grenade from where he crouched on the east side and Chris did the same from the west. They removed the pins and tossed the bombs right into the path of the armed goons.

"Grenades!" One of the goons shouted, and they all took cover.

As soon as the explosions went off, Peter and Chris came out of their covers and began shooting at Addicus' goons. One after the other, they took them out and they didn't stand a chance. They both killed every single one of them until they were the only men standing.

"Well, that was easy," Chris said to Peter, who shot him a conceited smile.

Suddenly, a gun went off, and the bullet landed right into the side of Chris. He held the side of his stomach.

"Peter!" He said and fell to his knees.

Peter quickly grabbed onto him and pulled him to the cover. He looked up and saw even more men coming for them, at least a dozen of them and they were all armed to the teeth.

"There's more of them, much more," Peter said to Chris and began firing his weapon at them.

"I guess that means we have to skedaddle," Chris said while grunting, really feeling the pain from his gunshot wound.

"Can you walk?" Peter asked in concern.

"Sure thing! This isn't the first time I've been shot, you know?"

And with that, Chris leaned on Peter's shoulder and they both ran back to the shore to get on the boat.

"There they are!" Victoria said and pointed, being the first to see them.

Sharon was elated to see Peter running towards her, but that elation quickly became alarmed when she saw what they were running from behind them.

"They need help!" Sharon screamed out and jumped out of the boat with her gun in hand. She began shooting at the men behind Peter and Chris and managed to kill a few of them. The men shot back, but the guys kept running and thankfully, none of the bullets made contact with them.

They reached the boat and Peter threw Chris into it. He turned around and shot at the enemy with Sharon shooting by his side as well.

"Let's go, Hector!" Peter shouted, and Hector turned on the engine of the speedboat.

They all got into it and sped off while firing bullets at their pursuers until they were beyond range.

"We did it!" Hector yelled out happily and Sharon hugged Peter.

"Are you alright?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I'm okay, but Chris isn't," Peter replied.

Sharon hadn't noticed that Chris had been shot. Now, she could see the blood pouring out of him. She quickly found a piece of cloth in the boat and used it to put pressure on the wound.

"You'll be fine, Chris! We'll patch you up, and you'll be going as new," Sharon said to him, trying to comfort him.

"Of course, I'll be fine. It's going to take more than one bullet to kill me." He said with a smile.

"Thank you, Chris, for coming all the way out here and saving me," Sharon said.

"And me," Victoria added.

"No thanks needed. It was the least I could do after icing out Peter from my life for so long." Chris replied and smiled at Peter.

They continued going until they got to Coco's Island. They got off the boat and ran into Peter's car that he had left there. Peter got into the driver's seat and drove off.

"We have to get him to my cottage. I have the necessary medical equipment we'll need to get the bullet out and patch him up." Peter mentioned while he drove.

"Shouldn't we get him to a hospital?" Victoria asked.

"No, Miga, it's too risky! We'll have to save him ourselves." Sharon told her.

Chris was unconscious now and Sharon cradled him in her arms.

"Stay with me, Chris. You'll be fine, I promise." She said to the out cold Chris.

"Faster, Peter. We're losing him," she cried out and Peter stepped on the gas even harder.

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***Author's Note: Our team are heading back to the cottage to save Chris's life. Will they be able to or will another die in the fight against Addicus?***