My starvation has dissipated as I make a mad dash for it, adrenaline pumping hard through my veins. A pair of footsteps trails after me as I fire behind me twice while navigating the brick labyrinth. My pursuer responds with a single decisive blast, but the bolt rams into a brick wall, leaving a black hole that’s singed in the middle.

My footprints are losing their glow. Maybe I can lose him after a—

A shock of pain surges through my right arm as my pursuer fires me in the left shoulder. I drop and writhe on the ground, my cries of agony ringing through the alley. My pursuer takes a gleeful stride forward as he sheathes his pistol—the POS-15 with the laser sight I now regret not buying.

He strolls over until his white robes come into view under the street lamp—an Apostle.

“You know, the boss didn’t care much for that explosion you made, but—” He shrugs. “Oh well. Looks like my solo investigation paid off.”

I aim the TRIN-12 at his face, but the Apostle barely flinches as he tackles my arm, forcing me to waste my final shot on an unsuspecting trash bin.

“That blue light,” His tone has turned serious as he rests one knee on my gaping wound, and the other on my chest. I grunt in pain. “You have the skill, don’t you?” 

He’s paying no attention to his robes getting soaked by blood. My blood.

“What are you talking about?”

He shrugs. “No matter. I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

The Apostle pulls out a switchblade that crackles with red lightning, matching the sheen of the puddle from earlier. As the blade’s radiance flickers across my face, I watch in horror as the Apostle gives me a sadistic grin that forms grotesque creases along his cheeks.

“All hail the First,” He proclaims.

ThiscantbehappeningthiscantberealIhaventevenfinishedhighschoolyetIhaventbyetoMomWhatamIWhatIshouldvestayedintheroomIshouldveturnedthose blinds 

AARRGGGJHHHAARRRGHHHHELPMEEEE

The Apostle’s pistol is kicked out of his hands. Familiar locks of dark hair sweep through the air as its owner tackles Apostle to the ground, and I draw in a large breath as I begin to see straight once more.

I lift my head up from the ground just enough to identify my saviour. Mere inches from my boots, the girl from the shop is wrestling with the Apostle, but she’s losing her grip on him. The scarf she’s still wearing is getting loose around her neck as one of its ends gets crushed by the Apostles’ struggles.

An idea pops into my head and I lurch over to them on all fours. I snatch the loose end of the scarf and toss the fabric around the Apostle’s neck, tugging it across his throat. As he lets go of Yoona, she gets the hint as she quickly undoes the scarf from her neck and pulls on it with me, stepping onto the Apostle’s shoulder for leverage.

The Apostle roars in pain as he attempts to pull the scarf off, while simultaneously trying to push the girl’s leg off his shoulder. Still high on adrenaline, I drive both feet into his other shoulder in a last-ditch effort to finish him off. 

Snap.

I don’t think the sound came from the scarf.

His arm continues to frail wildly, until it finally eases to a stop above his head. The same goes for the hand grabbing the scarf as its grip loosens on the cloth.

I let my head drop to the ground as I lie next to Yoona. We both pant for air as the realisation dawns on us.

We just killed somebody. I tilt my head to my left to check on the girl. Other than a few scratches on her face, she’s relatively unscathed. On the outside, at least. Still keeping her gaze fixed up, Yoona pulls up her Wristool and wheezes.

“It’s Yoona,” She talks into the screen and coughs up a storm. “I think I found him.”