Chapter 371
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Tempers were high, nerves were on edge. Walker said this "Babylon" was destined to be destroyed. Some, on both sides of the wall, had hoped to avoid confrontation. But even they knew that was impossible now. Nothing they could do now but fight for their side to the bitter end. And that bitter end was coming. Around 12pm, give or take a few minutes, Eve heard a gunshot. She didn't know which side had fired first. Maybe it no longer matterred. One side had fired upon the other. Withing minutes the angry mob was descending upon the wall. Eve tried to defend her position, but she knew it was futile. Soon they would breach the wall.
Eve crept behind her spot, fired at the mob when the moment felt safe. Keeler had ordered nerve gas fired over the wall. It was helping, but the mob was too big. One such crusader caught his nerve gas canister. Before he died, while still in great pain, he threw it back into Washington. Eve wasn't expecting to survive the day, hoped her death would come quickly, let it finally be over with. Another part, feared how God would judge her. Maybe Walker was right, he had made correct predictions in the past. That meant that Eve was shoting at holy warriors, defending a modern Babylon alongside whores and thieves. So, Eve continued to fight, trying to avoid Hell as long as possible. Then Eve saw someone breach the wall. Eve raised her rifle in self-defense. Then she saw the attacker, it was a little girl, couldn't be older than ten. The girl was scared, raised her handgun as protection. Eve knew she had done some bad things in her life, but she wouldn't shoot this child. Eve knocked the girl out and carried her to safety, to Marissa's bothel.
The little girl, whatever her name was, woke up as Eve was trying to carry her to safety. Eve couldn't hear everything over all the gunfire. From what she could tell the child didn't want to be rescued by the forces of the satanic order. She wanted to be a martr for Christ. Under different circumstances she could've gotten therapy, been a normal kid again. But there simply wasn't enough time now. Eve brought her to the brothel. She handed her off to Marissa's people, a man she knew as "Ernie." Ernie promised to keep the child safe, noone would try anything here. Eve then left. She feared Keeler's wrath. She'd desserted her post to protect an enemy combatant. But a part of Eve still wanted to do her duty, even if it cost her her life.