text: [Themes: modern, humor, female protagonist]
  
  You let these assholes come in and take medical supplies and they won't stop there. After all you've been through you're not putting up with MORE people not taking you seriously.
  
  "FIRE!" you shout and run back for cover as your people do just that. Naturally the trailer park crew do the same as their own leader runs for cover too.
  
  You've never shot at a human before, but you do remember when your brother Ben tried to show you how to shoot once. You weren't very good at it then, and you're not very good at it now, and sadly neither are a lot of your people.
  
  Several carnies get killed in the ensuing gun battle and many more get hit. While your own side does score a few hits of its own, Mel wasn't bluffing when he said his people were better shots. It's actually amazing that you come through unscathed, though that might be because Klepto in his foolish attempt to play hero gets fatality shot when trying to shield you.
  
  The only thing that prevents the rednecks from completely overrunning you is one of the jugglers lobs one of the few grenades that were acquired from the military with fairly good accuracy, blowing up two of their trucks (and some of them) and giving the survivors enough pause to understand that a continued attack is not in their best interest.
  
  Mel and the rest quickly pile into the surviving truck and drive away. You've won, but at a high cost. The carnies have already suffered losses and wounded with the recent internal struggle. Those that aren't wounded or dead are now experiencing a mixture of sorrow, rage and loss of hope.
  
  "Well what now fearless leader?! We got even more dead and wounded thanks to your leadership!" Dolores exclaims.
  "Would it have been better if I just let them come in a take all our shit?!" you snap.
  "It would've been better had we not got all our asses shot off! If it hadn't been for Zackary throwing a grenade we'd probably all be worm food!"
  "And how the hell is that my fault?! I was shooting at those hillbillies right along the rest of you! I didn't see YOU hitting any of them!"
  
  While you and Dolores continue to argue Shrimpy steps in to try to mediate.
  
  "Hey we don't have time for all this infighting! Haven't we had enough of that shit? Now we survived and that's the most important thing. I say we continue with our original plan and get the fuck outta here, in fact I think we should just pack up and go RIGHT NOW. Those rednecks aren't going to just take this loss, they're going to come back in force."
  "Are you kidding me? You want us to just turn tail and run after this? We need to get revenge!"
  "Dolores, we already got several wounded people who are in no condition to fight! Never mind the amount of dead! We have no idea how many of those gun toting rednecks there are or even how much weaponry they have!" Shrimpy says.
  "Most likely a lot and that's not even counting whatever they got from the military." You add.
  
  Dolores isn't deterred however, she's just angrier specifically at you.
  
  "Are you...(Sigh) can't believe I supported you as a leader, must've been the goddamn blood loss from my head wound after the carnival fight. Look, now maybe this gunfight was a cluster fuck and that's why I'm pissed, but I suppose in the scheme of things you at least stood up to these bastards. If we hit them now, they probably won't even expect it, and you heard their leader, he said they had a lot of wounded of their own, so how many of them could there really be?"
  
  Dolores exhales and now gives you an even more glaring look, which you didn't think was possible.
  
  "However, your plan is to just run off and not avenge our fallen then maybe you need to get the fuck outta the way and hit the road like you told us to do with Jack not too long ago. Suzy, if YOU want to continue running this carnival YOU better do the right thing. "
  
  Dolores' intentions are obvious and clear. She's going to go take revenge no matter what. What isn't quite obvious is if she's going to have the support. There are probably some that will support her, but several more are likely to not want to do any more fighting.
  
  > get revenge
  If you're going to have any hope and future of keeping this carnival together with you as leader, you're going to have to get revenge on those rednecks. Maybe Dolores is correct in that there won't be too many of them in fighting condition.
  
  "Okay, okay, we'll do something about those hicks. Just gotta get organized first..." you say before Shrimpy interrupts.
  "Suzy are you serious? Haven't you noticed all of the wounded and dead we have?"
  "Yes, and that's exactly why we're going to hit those bastards back hard! Look Shrimpy, if this is the way the world is going to work now, we need to always stand up to bullies or else they'll just walk all over you. Trust me, I know what the hell I'm talking about. Now you can either get with the program or hit the road." You say.
  
  Shrimpy is taken aback by your harsh tone. He doesn't reply, he just nods and leaves. He doesn't leave, so he's willing to fall in line despite believing that this is a bad idea.
  
  Dolores and yourself both gather those still in fighting condition and convince them that an attack is in order. You manage to convince most, but there are a few that leave. Dolores is nearly ready to blow their heads off for wanting to take some supplies with them, but not wishing to cause another potential internal firefight you allow them to leave with minimal of supplies.
  
  Within an hour and a half everyone that is willing to come with you is loaded up and ready to go. Shrimpy, in perhaps an effort to show his dedication says he'll come too, but you tell him to stay behind with the wounded just so there is someone that can help them in case they have to be moved immediately.
  
  "I'm not exactly how much I'm going to be able to help in that regard. My name isn't Lifto." Shrimpy says.
  "Well, not all of them are down for the count. I'm sure you'd be able to help a few at least." You say.
  "Suzy, you don't need to do this, we could just leave. This attack is a suicide mission. It's obvious from the last firefight with those good ol' boys we can't hit for shit."
  "Well, fortunately we've got some automatic weapons in that regard, more bullets, more likely to hit the targets. Hey it happens." You say.
  
  Sensing he isn't going to talk you out of this, Shrimpy wishes you good luck and you're on your way to a path of rip roarin' revenge, though there is a part of you that would just like to run.
  
  You lead the drive to the trailer park since you actually know where it is exactly. When you arrive, it's hard to tell if the place is in shambles from when their leader said they were attacked or if it always looked this way.
  
  No sooner have all your vehicles stopped, when Dolores has already gotten out of the military truck you took and started lobbing the remaining grenades at the trailer homes.
  
  "Come on out you inbred sister fuckers!" she shouts and begins firing randomly at the rest of the homes.
  
  "Dolores, get back in the..." you begin to say and then suddenly Dolores actions have attracted return fire.
  
  "Over there! Fire over there!" Dolores shouts and takes cover.
  
  At this point Dolores is giving out orders and you're not being listened to at all. Despite Dolores' enthusiasm for revenge it doesn't suddenly make her a better "commander." You at least try to remember all those times you played video games on your computer and know that wading straight forward into battle is traditionally a shit strategy so you attempt to try the classic pincer maneuver.
  
  Unfortunately given that you're the only one using any sort of critical thinking and nobody is actually listening to you, you're mainly stuck by yourself, trying to pick off the hillbillies when you see them pop up. If you were actually a good shot, you might've actually turned this attack into a successful one.
  
  As it stands, the trailer park crew even with the wounded they have and catching them off guard with the grenades, still outnumber you severely and STILL have better shots. They also have explosives of their own perhaps not military grade like you had, but when you've got a lot of half empty liquor bottles lying around and people with too much time on their hands well sometimes even the lower born get creative.
  
  Your vehicles and your people are suddenly bombarded by several Molotov cocktails and someone even has a homemade "launcher." The explosions are big, loud and fatal to most of your people who were still taking cover behind them. The others who weren't have already gotten cut down by the gunfire. Dolores herself is lying dead with a bullet hole in her head and you're suddenly hearing hillbillies whoopin' it up and seriously worried about your physical safety.
  
  "Whoo hoo! Somebody keep the pretty blonde one alive! We can have a good time wit her!" you hear one of them shout.
  "Goddamnit Ray, stop thinkin' with yer dick for one minute, she's still armed ya dumb shit!" you hear Mel shout back.
  
  Seeing as none of the vehicles you came in are usable anymore you attempt to run. You just hope you've got more endurance than a bunch of overweight beer swillin' hicks. They aren't going to be able to follow immediately by any working vehicles they might have due to the flaming scrap heap blocking the trailer park entrance created by their homemade bombs.
  
  You MIGHT have made it, if they weren't lead by a more pragmatic leader type. Just goes to show that you can't judge people just by where they come from...
  
  As soon as you make it to the road, a single shot rings out and you feel a burning sensation run through your upper back and up your spine. You then feel numb and collapse instantly. You're paralyzed, not just from the waist down, but from the neck down. You panic and the tears start when you know this is it.
  
  Mel arrives before the rest of his crew who are now complaining loudly about Mel shooting you.
  
  "(Sigh) Well darlin' you asked fer this. I get why you attacked, but that doesn't fuckin' mean we're gonna sit and take it in the ass any more than you did. Just be glad, I'm puttin' you outa yer misery rather than lettin' the rest have their way with you." Mel says.
  
  You don't reply and just close your eyes waiting to hear the final shot.