Three in the Gut, One in the Head (Patreon)

The forest should have been safe.Elena had only wanted solitude — a quiet run through the spring woods to burn off the anger and the fear that had been chasing her for weeks. She moved lightly between the trees in her white crop top and black leggings, her combat boots barely making a sound on the mossy ground.Then the first bullet slammed into her belly.The impact punched the air from her lungs. Elena’s eyes flew wide, mouth dropping open in shock as her hand instinctively clutched the fresh wound just above her navel. A bright red bloom spread across the white fabric.Before she could even scream, a second shot ripped into her stomach, followed immediately by a third. Each heavy impact twisted her body, forcing a guttural cry from her throat. She staggered backward, gun already in her hand, staring down in horror at the three dark, bleeding holes now decorating her toned midriff. Blood ran freely down her abs in thick, warm rivulets, soaking into the waistband of her leggings.“Fuck…!” she gasped, voice breaking.Pain exploded through her core with every breath. Her abs clenched and trembled as she fought to stay upright. Still, the fighter in her refused to go down quietly. She raised her pistol with shaking hands and fired back into the trees, teeth bared, eyes blazing with fury even as blood poured from her three belly wounds.She fired until the slide locked back — empty.That was when the final shot came.The bullet struck her squarely in the forehead.Elena’s head snapped back against the rough bark of the tree. Her eyes widened in one final, stunned moment of realization. A small, dark hole appeared just above her eyebrows, a single trickle of blood immediately running down the bridge of her nose. Her mouth fell open in a silent, agonized scream that never fully formed.For a heartbeat she remained standing, leaning heavily against the moss-covered trunk, one hand still pressed weakly to her bleeding stomach, the other limp at her side still clutching the empty gun. Her body shuddered once… twice…Then her legs gave out.She slid slowly down the tree, leaving a faint smear of blood on the bark behind her. Her back hit the ground first, followed by her head lolling to the side. She came to rest half-reclined against the massive oak, legs splayed awkwardly in the wildflowers and clover, her bloodied white top now stark against the green forest floor.Three vicious wounds marred her once-perfect abdomen — dark, wet, and still leaking. The headshot wound on her forehead glistened wetly, the single drop of blood tracing a path across her face like a final signature.Her chest rose and fell in shallow, irregular gasps for a few more seconds… then stilled completely.Elena’s eyes remained half-open, staring blankly into the trees, her expression frozen somewhere between shock, pain, and defiance. The forest fell silent around her broken body — only the soft drip of blood onto the leaves below broke the quiet.She had fought hard.
She had bled beautifully.
But in the end, three in the gut and one in the head had finished her.The hunter stepped out from between the trees, looking down at the gorgeous, motionless woman lying in the grass. A faint smile touched his lips.“Nice try, Elena.”The End.