Stray bullets ricochet off brick and metal. Glass shatters as soldiers dive for cover. The brick face of one building explodes, rattling my teeth. Debris sprinkles over us in a deadly rain.
“That way,” Sergeant Taylor shouts, pointing toward a blown-out Mexican restaurant.
“Stay together!” Rodrigo yells as we run.
Pistol in one hand, blade in the other, I follow Rodrigo inside the building, then scramble over the bar for cover. Tekqua plops next to me, breathing hard.
“Assess your surroundings,” Sergeant Taylor says. “Where’s the closest exit?”
Daniela pops up to peer over the bar and through the front window. “I think there’s a squad of Hunters across the street.”
Princeton and I lift our heads. The world outside is a mess. Soldiers dart everywhere, some brawling in the street, others jumping for cover. The jewelry store across from us is missing its door. Inside, a slew of men in Hunter black aim firearms at Defiants.
“We can’t just sit here,” Tekqua says. “We have to do something. They’re burning alive!”
“We need to get out of here,” Daniela says, crawling on all fours to a crumbling wall near the back corner of the restaurant. We follow.
In the alley outside, a Defiant jogs past. “There’s about twenty of them in the gastropub down the street. Safe House Red is done.”
Done? What does that mean, done?
The seven of us slip behind a trattoria and press our backs to the brick. An explosion tears open a nail salon nearby.
“Fuck!” Rodrigo throws his hands out to protect us.
“We need cover,” Sergeant Taylor says. “Everyone armed? Stay together!”
We sneak along the wall single file. At the building’s edge is an open street with no cover. The parking lot of a Catholic church spreads out wide on the other side. Sergeant Taylor assesses our surroundings. At the sharp jerk of his head, we follow.
At the corner, Tekqua squeezes my hand. “Stay with me if you can.”
We take off at a run. Bullets sail our way, chinking through abandoned cars and bouncing off the concrete. Together, we jump through the broken glass into the pub. Overturned tables and chairs transform the place into an obstacle course. We dart through the maze, the kitchen, and out the back door into a small parking lot.
I’d just set my foot on the asphalt when?—
“Get down!”
Sergeant Taylor, Rodrigo, and Tekqua fire their weapons toward a gourmet burger shop, and a half dozen Hunters fire back. Something ricochets off an air conditioner unit and embeds in Mahmoud’s leg.
“Agh!” He staggers backward.
I raise my gun, and with a couple lucky shots, snag one Hunter in the pelvis. Princeton and Sergeant take out another.
“Right there!” one Hunter yells. “Defiants twelve o’clock!”
My legs have never moved faster. Past a pizzeria. Across a side street. Behind a sub shop. We topple into an empty building next door.
Mahmoud slides down a wall. I lift his pant leg. A jagged piece of metal protrudes from his calf. I yank it out, and he hisses.
Time slows again, and I take the moment to stare at his face.
He’s right here in front of me. Alive.
They all are.
I want to tell them to stop, to go back. It’s not worth the sacrifice.
But my mouth is stuck, and nothing comes out.
