When the five of us emerge from the bunker, the city unwraps in front of us. Walking into the scorched streets we escaped from a couple minutes ago. There’s so many tall buildings around me, the sky is barely visible here. It might be afternoon, could be evening. Thick smoke from the explosions, the gunfire and scattered sand is blocking the little light coming through the horizon. We keep stepping on the dead roaches, smelling rotten flesh and burning corpses.
I hope it’s worth it. It has to. If he lives, we can all survive.
Whoever Red is, I have my doubts about him. Heg reacted the worst way I could’ve imagined, but maybe he’s right. Can’t blame the old man. He had seen these people at their worst. The little he ever told me about his brother… he spent years telling me one thing. Can't trust a Nitro.
"Where are we going?" I ask after we pass several buildings.
Nobody answers and I start feeling like they're leading me into some sort of private place, to get rid of me. Maybe hoping I will get lost, eaten by the goddamn bugs.
The weapons they had back in their bunker were in impressive condition. I'm holding a new AK-74, at least as new as it gets in around here. Even got myself a fresh out of box body armor.
And all I'm thinking is - I can put up a good fight, if it comes to it. One of them notices I got even further behind, and turns his head to me, "Just around the corner, c’mon." He says.
We walked through the last intersection, right around an old, rusty car wreck. It still smells of fire and burned plastic.
You've got to be kidding. Did we literally just walk back here?
"Is this a joke?" I whisper in frustration, "Why come back here? We just escaped from here!"
They all shush me immediately. I was prepared to throw a fit, leave them even. Though I realized looking around me that the numbers we are in now is the biggest strength. I’m stuck with these people, one way or another.
One of them gets closer to me, "Keep quiet, they won't come then." He tells me with a Russian accent.
Ashes from the fire are still in the air, getting stuck in my hair, falling in my eyes. Metal hits wood, its sharp sound pierces the entire block.
"Boss, we need to keep it down." one of the men whispers.
They are removing the red plank from that door we found earlier, with a crowbar.
The wood cracks and creaks as it bends and pulls out rusty nails out of the rotten door frame. 
A scream comes out of the streets. Very far away, but chilling. My head turns towards it.
"Screams. Don't follow them, anywhere." The Russian turned to me again, "That's the дьявол. Boys call it… diable crude." He looks at me. "De virus, is... de virus calling you, luring you." 
Soon enough, the plank gave out and the door was bare.
Small, red wooden pieces fell on the ash-covered road, and everyone moved closer to the edge of the sidewalk. The one who's called Wolf grabs the doorknob, it's unlocked.
He pushed the door, but it didn't go in easily. It was blocked by something.
"Oh shit." says Wolf.
As soon as he pushed the door in enough, a bright green goo started dripping from the frame. And it's a lot. It's everywhere.
"No flashlights, just lighter." He says.
"What the hell is this?" I ask.
But nobody answers.
It's a small room, there's three workspace tables with computer screens across one of the walls. Looks like some sort of internet coffee place, except for some reason covered in this strange goop.
"Trapdoor. G, give me matches." Wolf says.
We all approach the trapdoor quickly, the man called G gets in first.
The door is covered in the green slime, a thick layer of it. He lights up one match and throws it at the door.It burns fast, almost like it's alive and eating the light, as if it all reacted heavily to any light source. Explains why we can't use the flashlights.
Wolf stares at the slime for a second as well, then says "Fire in the hole." and throws second match at the door.
At first the door only sparked, then chain reaction. Soon enough there was nothing left from the door.
"Get in, boy." Wolf commands. Just now I’ve realized the only distinction from the rest of them is that ‘G’ is not wearing a helmet. Only his haircut, which reminds me only of a very short version of mohawk. He finally turns on his flashlight and soon we all follow him inside the basement.
Taking the rotten stairs down, all three of the soldiers used their flashlights to light this entire room up. It's quite a large room, walls laminated with shelves. At the end, there's yet another table with a computer.
Wolf walks from my behind, "I've got this. Go see Roman, he asked for you."
"Roman...?"
"The russian kid." He said and started up the computer.
I walk back to one of the beams of light. Being otherwise almost blind, I stumble upon G first, guarding the only exit.
I walk up to him but before I get to say anything, G just deflects, "Roman is that way." And points to the only other light in the room.
I look in Roman’s direction, "So, you gonna shoot me if I try to leave?"
He smiles and replies, "No. I just don’ wanna hunt down what’s left of you if you do." 
Unsure how to respond, I walk towards Roman. He seems to be struggling with some kind of door, also. I approach him, cautiously and with some degree of disinterest, frankly.
He looks back at me, "At least they let you have a gun...".
Roman gestures for me to go first. If they want me to be separated, this is just the way. The room is small, but dark. Maybe like a closet or storage room. The door shuts behind me.
"No!" I yell, smashing the door immediately. "He's gonna kill you all if I don’t come back, assholes! You hear me?!".
From behind me back, from the darkness a familiar voice cuts through, "Sure putting lot of  faith in that cockroach."
"Heg?" My voice cracks as I turn around. It’s him.
"I’m here.”

We look at each other, and I fight the urge to hug him. "It's time we get going." He says.
"What do you mean? What are you even doing here, you bailed on me."
"I got angry, but I didn't leave you behind. I just needed you to leave him. He's danger, Nae. Everyone wants his head around here. That's how I got you here in the first place."
"What are you talking about?!" As soon as the words leave my mouth, I put it together. “The deal.”
He smiles, "Roger's men? This room? Everything for his skin. That’s the deal, I will lead a Nitro guy to Roger and he will let you go. And we got some compensation, too."
"Roger who? Nevermind that, Heg. We can't leave Red, ok? He's on our side! And we will take Morelia back, with him we can take them all down. Not only we can save Sarina, we can give her a fucking home in this garbage town! You can't turn your back on this, not on me. Not now!"
"Red? That kid has a name now. That's rich. Just… Come back with me. Roger will get us some gear and we will get back on track."
I sigh. Heg looks at me.
"N. You have to believe me. Whatever he told you, he is using you. Just saying words you wanna hear. I told you, that’s what they do."
I look back at him, staring close into his eyes, "You are wrong. He saved us both, back in the hotel. He could've easily killed all of us there. But he didn’t. He didn’t! You painted Nitro as the ghosts of Mexico. Like butchers, animals with guns. But he's not like that. In fact, the only thing he's done since I knew him was save people!"
Heg stays quiet for a few seconds.
"It doesn't matter what I say. Doesn't matter what you say, either." Heg says, firmly.
"What?"
"The deal is done and gone, N. They have theirs, not we have to get ours. Even if all of what you said is true, they ain’t just gonna give him back now. So you better shut up about it, nod and just walk away with me."
I froze. The hatred in me combinated with the fear made the blood in my veins boil.
"Heg, what is the deal?" I ask.
"Simple." He says, "Once we are back, we give Roger what he asked for, we leave the Nitro with him, as he asked, and he gives us Sarina."
"What?! What makes you think he has her? Or even knows where she is?!"
"He is basically running the south district. He knows every building. And he says in one of them, Sarina is being held. I found her, Nae. I have to get her. I'm so... So fucking close." He whispers.
"What do you even know about this Roger guy? How do you trust him so much?"
"This has nothing to do with trust." Heg says and pulls out a wooden ring from his pocket. Sarina’s ring, with carved symbols. He gave it to her when she was little.
"You do realize this can mean just as much that she's dead, right?"
He gets angry, "Why are you doing this?! What do you want me to do, just forget all of it? To put my fucking heart and soul into this Nitro scum because you trust him so much?"
"My trust has a reason. Yours… you are desperate for her to still be alive. You don’t see two inches in front of you anymore!" I start yelling.
"I'm sorry, Heg. But I'm not gonna sell him out. If I lose faith in him, or anybody who puts their lives on the line for me, I might as well join the fucking Fuerza. Could you please just believe in me? And stand beside me on this? I promise you… I promise it's going to work."
He doesn't respond and walks away from me, thinking. It takes about a minute but he finally decides.
"Shit. Fuck! Ok. These two outside the door… they won’t let us out."
I resent the idea of killing anybody here. But if getting Red back means bloodshed…
Before I get the chance to say anything, he walks up to me. "One thing. And I want to say this for the last time. I am going to find her. With you, or him, or alone if I have to."
I nod. Heg then approaches the door and reluctantly opens it, weapon first.
We both stand in cover on each side of the door. "Nothing. The lights are out, It’s completely dark. I think it's clear, c’mon."
We take a few steps deeper into the dark room. All I can see is Heg’s back, our soles are slushing as they squeeze the green goo beneath them. Suddenly, lights pierce the room and our eyes. Almost blinding us for a second. We are surrounded in three directions. Three guns aiming at us, ready to fire.
"Now, put your guns down, nice and slow. Nothing has to go to shit, just do what I say." Wolf commands in a military demeanor.
I whisper, "Just do it."
Our weapons hit the squishy floor.
"I’ve never liked you Hega. Always plotting, even right behind my own door." Wolf says, before lowering his weapon. “We gotta talk.”