{Drifter knows where this is gonna go}

"Please sir, we don't want any trouble. Just leave us be, lay your trap somewhere else. There are kids here." I had begged, the children gripping their mother's dresses in fear, the Outsiders having much more weapons and men than our small village of huts. The hut's weren't much to look at, but it was home. 

"And that is why your village will help us, after all... it would be a shame if something were to happen to it." The brute threatened, His eyes as cold as steel during the harshest winter storm, it was obvious he did not care for my people, but what could I do? All I had was a simple rifle used for hunting, and a revolver from my father

"I-I see... but please, try to keep the fight away from the children. They are too young to see blood be spilt." I pleaded, knowing i could not stop them, no matter how hard i would try.

"I make no promise to the likes of you. If a child can not handle the sight of blood, then they are weak, and will last no longer than a day outside you pathetic huts." How I wished he would stop speaking, his words tearing down our home worse than their bullets ever could. Ha. A little joke to myself.

"O-okay, please follow me, I know the best place to spring your trap." I had said, guiding the group of men to an empty hut, having been empty since my father passed. It was right at the entrance to town, hopefully giving enough room for our people to be uneffected, the trap would be sprung on an unsuspecting force and the fight would move away from us, at least, that was how it was supposed to happen, but no plan survives conflict for long.

The men were hidden and the people carried on with their day, although it was obvious the children and their mothers were nervous, and the few men of our village had a solemn face. They did not expect things to go well, but hade hope things would. But I would soon learn that hope does nothing, and hoping only makes you doubt even more. 

Soon, another group of men approached our small town, even more heavily armed than the last. No wonder the men had wanted the element of surprise, it was their only chance. I could only hope no one would get caught in their petty fighting. 

"You, there! What is the name of your Village?" The leader demanded of me, an eight foot tall man with armor covering all off him except his face. He carried a large multi barreled gun, seemingly meant for mowing down an entire army, and a large revolver with a knife under It's barrel his men carried similar weapons, though to a smaller degree.

"We are but a small village, we know it by no name other than home. Why, might you ask, Good sir?" I answered, as politely as possible, not wanting to risk that gun being pointed at the crowd, ready to kill them all. 

"Well, it makes sense for my son to know the name of his property." The behemoth of a man said, grabbing the young man behind him, and bringing him to the front. The boy was obviously the leader's son, at least I think so. The boy was taller than most others, but did not have his father's strength. 

"Sir, we are a free village, we are not part of any faction." I had protested. It was probably a bad decision, but I could not stand someone trying to force my people to join them. Where the first group merely threatened us, these men threatened our freedom- my son's freedom.

"You talk as if y-" he began, before he was interrupted by the thunderous sound of a fifty-caliber sniper rifle pierced the eerie silence in which only the sounds of our argument had existed.

"Ah shi-" was all I had managed to say, before the large man punched me, sending me flying into a post as I was met with one of the most horrifying sounds I had heard at the time. 

Craackk!

 "AAAAAAGH!" I screamed, the impact bruising my back. Though by the time I could realise that, my entire body had turned numb. 

"PAPA!" I had heard the young voice yell out, fear and concern in his scream. I wish I could have said he was the last thing I felt before I had died, alas it was really my sorrow and my regret. His small hand shook at my shoulder, tears running down my child's cheek. I lifted my arm, and wiped away his tear, not feeling the numbed pain that came from my nearly dead body. 

"It's ok, bud. I'm here, Papa is here." I rasped out, my voice faded and broken as I hugged my son, his small framed shaking as he sobbed. He didn't want to, but he knew, deep down inside his heart, that I was about to die. His sobs were soon drowned out by the screams of my people as they were gunned down by the two groups, having sadly been caught in the cross fire. The bullets rained down on our village, almost as if it was hail made from hellfire and molten steel.

Soon the thunderous sound gunfire stopped, the deafening silence replacing it as my son's crying echoed throughout the field now littered with dead bodies. I looked up and was met with a horrifying sight, the man who had thrown me across the road with a single punch stood there, his group only having lost a single person, a new recruit who had been without armor. 

"Please, leave us be. Haven't you already done enough?" I begged, misery plagued my mind. The brute looked around, before sttling on the ground, he then knelt down and picked it up, and I realised just what it was. 

It was the revolver given to me by my father, and by the look in that monster's eye, I could tell just what he was about to do. I hugged my son, scared. He was the only person from our family I still had. "Please, don't do this... I beg you, let him live" It was foolish, but even as I died, I had hope... hope that maybe, this monster would let him live. 

"Let me think about it.... No." he stated, his voice hollow as a cave. He aimed the revolver and shot, the bullet riping through my child and my own chest as we screamed out in agony, sobs wracking my child's body he bled.

"P-Papa... I-I can't feel anything... it's so numb..." he whimpered, what little light that remained, fading out of his eyes. He hugged me tighter before he let out his last breath, my son dying in my arms. 

"M-Me too, kid... Me too." I mumbled out, my lungs failing as I wheezed out my last breath. My eyes closing for what I thought would be the last time.