The inside of the safe zone was far larger than I had expected. It was the underground parking lot of a massive mall after all. Everywhere I looked, pillars of concrete appeared.
The air felt suffocating and stale, as if it had been stuck here for a long ti. Every sound in the space carried a little too far.
"No, please stop! Soone save !"
A scream cut through the silence and fell on my ears.
It echoed again and again, bouncing off concrete and tal, turning the entire space into a hollow chamber of desperation. And yet... no one ca. No footsteps. No voices calling back. No sign that anyone intended to help.
There was only silence.
That alone told more than enough about the so-called safe-zone.
I slowed down instead of rushing forward. Panic got people killed faster than anything else, and this place was too open, too full of blind spots for to act carelessly.
My eyes scanned the surroundings as I moved, taking in every detail. Abandoned cars sat at odd angles, so with doors left open as if their owners had fled in a hurry.
A few had shattered windows. There were faint drag marks on the ground in places, barely visible under the thin layer of dust.
Sothing had already happened here before I arrived.
"Save... soone... pleas-"
Another scream followed, weaker this ti, cracking halfway through as if her voice was starting to give out.
I stopped for half a second to catch my breath before dashing forward.
My footsteps were light and controlled as I weaved through the maze of vehicles and pillars. The deeper I went, the clearer the sounds beca. The echoes sharpened into sothing more distinct.
It was rough noises and loud laughters. The scuffling sound of movent that didn’t belong in a place like this.
My expression didn’t change, but my pace quickened slightly. I turned past another row of pillars and finally caught sight of them.
Three n stood in a partially lit section of the parking lot, their shadows stretching long across the ground. Their posture alone made it clear what kind of situation this was.
Loose and unbothered. Like they owned the place. Like nothing could touch them.
Two won were on the ground nearby. Even from a distance, I could see the state they were in. Their movents were weak, uncoordinated, as they tried to resist with what little strength they had left.
A third figure lay further back, completely still except for the faint rise and fall of her chest. For a brief mont, everything slowed. Not because I was shocked.
But because I was thinking.
Three opponents in close range with no visible weapons. But that didn’t an much anymore. People adapted quickly when given power.
Their stance, their confidence, the way they hadn’t even bothered to keep watch... it all pointed to the sa conclusion. They didn’t expect interference.
Which ant they were careless.
One of them noticed first.
"Oi." His voice cut through the space, annoyed more than anything else. "This area’s taken. Get lost if you don’t want trouble."
The other two barely reacted. One glanced over his shoulder for a second before returning his attention back, completely unconcerned.
That indifference was almost worse than hostility. I stepped forward.
"No."
The word left my mouth quietly.
"What did you say?"
I didn’t answer. There was no need to repeat myself.
Instead, I kept walking at the slow and steady pace. I was closing the distance one step at a ti.
Sothing in my approach must have felt off, because his expression changed slightly. The casual annoyance faded, replaced by a flicker of uncertainty.
"Hey... I said get lost."
Still, I didn’t stop. By the ti he realized I wasn’t going to listen, it was already too late.
I moved.
The distance between us vanished in an instant. My hand shot forward, grabbing his collar before he could react. His body jerked in surprise, his feet lifting off the ground as his balance disappeared.
"What the—"
I slamd him into the nearest pillar.
The impact was heavy followed imdiately by a sharp cracking sound that echoed through the parking lot. His body went slack almost instantly, the fight leaving him before it had even properly begun.
I let him drop.
The sound of his body hitting the ground seed louder than it should have been. The laughter stopped which was echoing before stopped.
The other two finally turned fully toward , their expressions changing rapidly from irritation to shock. For a mont, neither of them moved, as if their minds were struggling to catch up with what had just happened.
Then the shock twisted into sothing uglier.
"Bastard!" one of them snapped, pushing himself up to his feet. "You think you’re so kind of hero?"
Hero.
The word barely registered. I looked at them without any particular emotion, my gaze steady and unreadable.
"I think," I said calmly, "you picked the wrong place."
They exchanged a quick glance. That was all the coordination they managed.
Then they rushed together, their earlier confidence replaced by sothing more desperate, more reckless. One ca straight at , his movents sloppy but fast, while the other tried to circle around to my side.
It was predictable. I stepped forward instead of back. The first man swung and I caught his wrist mid-motion.
The impact never landed.
For a fraction of a second, confusion flashed across his face as he realized his arm had stopped moving. Then I twisted it hard.
A sharp snap cut through the air.
His scream followed imdiately after echoing across the parking lot. His body buckled as the strength left his arm, his knees dipping as pain overtook him.
I didn’t give him ti to recover.
My knee drove into his stomach, folding him in half as the air was forced out of his lungs in a harsh gasp. He collapsed forward, completely exposed.
My hand moved to the back of his head.
And then-
Reviews
All reviews (0)