Riot's focus narrowed on the walkie-talkie, his heart racing with the urgency of the child's voice. "Where are you? Do you need help?" he responded eagerly, his instinct to aid kicking into overdrive.
Doro's penetrating stare bore into Riot, his silent disapproval palpable, even causing Riot to involuntarily shift under the weight of his gaze. As the truck's lights dimmed, drained by the exhausted fuel tank, the urgency of the situation escalated.
"We need to move, fast," Viper urged, his eyes scanning the dimly lit cityscape, his M4 at the ready. "It's a kid," Frost affirmed, his tone laden with concern.
Cody's voice crackled through the walkie-talkie once more. "We're okay for now, but our luck might be running out," he relayed to Riot.
Seated back in the office, Cody swiveled in the spinning chair, Lucifer standing by his side. "We need to proceed with caution. We don't know their intentions," she cautioned, prompting Cody to seek clarification. "Who are you? Friend or foe? Military?" he inquired cautiously.
Confused by the mention of the military, Riot sought clarification. "Military?" he echoed, his curiosity piqued. Cody reiterated, "Yes, are you military?"
Before Riot could respond, a sharp whizzing sound pierced the air, followed by the sickening impact of a bullet hitting the truck. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, Riot instinctively shoved the walkie-talkie into its holder and drew his weapon.
Another bullet sliced through the air, striking Storm in the shoulder, eliciting a grunt of pain. Bullets rained down, plunging the surroundings into darkness as the truck's lights were extinguished, leaving only their flashlights to pierce the gloom.
Taking cover behind a ruined car, Doro rallied his comrades, while Riot sprinted to Frost, pulling him to safety just in time to evade another bullet.
Viper swiftly hoisted Storm to cover behind the truck, while Hawk unleashed a barrage of gunfire into the darkness, backing away cautiously.
"HIDING IN THE DARKNESS, COWARD!" Hawk bellowed, drawing the attention of their assailants. Riot's eyes scanned the shadows, his determination unwavering as he aimed his weapon toward a dilapidated skyscraper.
With steady hands, Riot unleashed a fusillade of rounds, shattering a glass panel and sending a figure plummeting to the ground with a sickening thud.
Amidst the chaos, a bandit charged toward the truck, brandishing a weapon. Reacting swiftly, Riot fired, painting the night with crimson as the bandit crumpled to the ground.
"These shots will attract rotters!" Storm warned grimly as Hawk, overwhelmed by the onslaught, faltered, his resolve tested. Undeterred, Riot continued to rain down gunfire, determined to fend off the encroaching bandits.
Hawk retreated, the ominous growls of approaching biters echoing in the air, signaling impending danger. As he took a final step back, he felt a solid object against his back, his senses tingling with alarm.
Suddenly, a hand clamped over his mouth, sending a shiver down his spine. Hawk's eyes widened in terror as he felt the cold steel of a Rambo knife jabbed into the side of his neck, eliciting a gurgling gasp of pain.
Struggling against the assailant's grip, Hawk's movements grew feeble, tears streaming down his face as he kicked out in desperation. With a swift motion, the bandit withdrew the blood-stained knife, clad in a tattered black cloak, and swiftly plunged it into Hawk's skull.
Drawing a finger across his own forehead, the bandit marked himself with Hawk's blood, a twisted grin spreading across his lips before stealthily advancing towards the others.
Meanwhile, Frost unleashed a barrage of gunfire, his rifle rattling with each round. The sharp reports echoed through the night as a bandit charged towards the truck, only to meet his demise as Storm's revolver found its mark.
"Hey, piss for brains," Storm taunted with a grin before pulling the trigger, the bullet obliterating the bandit's eye in a gruesome display of carnage.
Amidst the chaos, static crackled through the radio from Cody's end, prompting a sense of unease. "Could we have inadvertently alerted the enemy?" Cody glanced at Lucifer, who nodded in agreement. "It might be best to lay low and avoid further radio communication."
Lucifer offered Cody a reassuring pat on the shoulder, her gentle smile offering a glimmer of solace. "Why don't you get some rest," she suggested, stifling a yawn. "Mars will wake me up for my shift."
With a nod of acknowledgment, Cody descended the stairs in search of a place to rest, his thoughts momentarily drifting to Aya, who lay awake on the couch, lost in contemplation.
"Do you miss Mom and Dad?" Aya's voice broke the silence, her gaze fixed on the ceiling as if seeking solace in imaginary patterns.
Cody settled beside her, his expression tinged with melancholy. "Every day," he admitted with a heavy sigh, the weight of their absence lingering in his heart. “I’m sorry.”
Aya's apology caught him off guard, her gesture of empathy touching his soul. "For what?" he questioned, bewildered by her sudden remorse.
Reaching into an old laundry basket, Aya tossed him a blanket, a silent offering of comfort. "For not sharing your burden," she confessed softly, her words laden with sincerity.
Tears welled in Cody's eyes as he grappled with his emotions, overwhelmed by Aya's unwavering support. "I didn't want to burden you," he confessed, his voice thick with emotion.
Aya pulled him into a tender embrace, her warmth enveloping him like a soothing balm. "You don't have to carry it alone," she reassured him.
With a grateful nod, Cody accepted the pillow and blanket, nestling into a makeshift bed on the couch. As he succumbed to exhaustion.
Viper, seizing a shotgun from the passenger's seat, faces two charging bandits with a determined glare.
Brandishing his double barrel shotgun, Viper swiftly dispatches the first bandit with a thunderous blast, blasting a hole in the chest. He then pivots, firing at the second bandit, obliterating their head into a gruesome display of gore.
But a sudden searing pain erupts in Viper's back. Storm, alerted by the commotion, spins around to witness a cloaked figure plunging a rambo knife into Viper's back.
With a gasp, Viper collapses, while Storm's scream fills the air, “NO! NO!” Storm levels his gun at the assailant, who now charges towards Frost and Riot.
Meanwhile, Frost and Riot, startled by the chaos, pivot to face the charging figure. As Viper falls, Storm rushes to catch him, urgency palpable in his voice, “WE NEED TO FUCKING GO!”
Doro, poised with his gun, takes aim at an approaching bandit before turning his attention to the unfolding melee, hoping for a turn of events in their favor.
Riot fixates on the cloaked figure, a surge of fear gripping him, his heart racing as haunting memories flood his mind. As the figure closes in, time seems to slow to a crawl.
“RIOT!” Frost's voice cuts through the chaos, but Riot's senses are overwhelmed, the figure's distorted features revealing bright blue hair and glowing eyes in the darkness.
With a primal scream, Riot charges headlong, tackling the figure before Frost can intervene. The figure grunts as Riot rains down blows, the first punch drawing blood from their nose.
Undeterred, Riot continues his assault, each strike punctuated by the figure's agonized cries. Rising to his feet, Riot seizes Frost's pistol, shocking Frost with his audacity.
Aiming deliberately, Riot unloads the clip into the figure, each shot intended to incapacitate rather than kill.
As the figure groans, immobilized by the onslaught, Riot returns the gun to Frost, sending the bandits scrambling in fear of his ferocity.
Surveying the figure under Frost's flashlight, Riot is taken aback by the unexpected sight of brown hair and black eyes, far from what he had visioned.
