"What the hell is going on?" a pudgy man with sweat-slicked cheeks stamred, his eyes darting wildly as another gunfire echoed through the area, taking down yet, another masked man. His hands trembled at his sides, caught between the instinct to flee inside and the paralysis of fear.
As he stood there, a masked man laying low behind him had instantly surged toward him. His rough hands yanked him backward, as cold steel kissed the soft flesh beneath his chin. The man gasped, a high-pitched whimper escaping his throat as the sword’s edge bit just deep enough to draw a thin, crimson line.
"I’m going to kill him!" the masked man snarled, his voice sharp but filled with a slight panic as he faced Dave. "Stop shooting, or I swear to God, I’ll slit his damn throat!"
"Idiot!" The leader of all the masked n, shouted as he could also be seen hiding behind so of the people. His voice was like a gravel ground under the foot. He gestured at the man with a clenched fist. "You’re going to get yourself killed, you moron, stand down!"
But the threat-holder wasn’t listening. His eyes were wide behind the slits of his mask, darting toward the ard resistance of Dave ahead. His blade pressed harder against the hostage’s neck, drawing more blood that trickled down to stain the man’s collar.
The hostage, now wheezing with panic, clutched helplessly at the arm choking him. Around them, people scread, shouted, and wept. So buried their faces in each other’s shoulders. Others extended trembling hands toward the captor, pleading.
"Please... please don’t kill him!" one woman cried, her voice cracking.
"You little rats!" the masked man roared, turning slightly. "Shut the hell up, or I’ll--" Moreover, the rest of his sentence never left his mouth as a sharp crack split the chaos, clean and final.
In the blink of an eye, a bullet punched through his skull. The man froze for a second, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, before eventually crumpling on the floor. His mask split as he fell, fragnts scattering across the floor.
Gasps rippled through the onlookers.
There, lying in a pool of spreading blood, was not just any naless goon. His face as well was familiar to so of the people present. They had thought of him to be a protector, but actually he was a criminal who had been on the run for a lot of years.
A grim silence settled amongst the crowd, heavy with the weight of realization.
"Well," Dave muttered to himself, his plan finally working. "Now they’ve seen the truth. Hopefully, they’ll listened now."
However, before Dave could lift his weapon to continue with his assault, the masked n had started moving through the crowds, trying to prevent Dave from getting a clean target.
Moreover, as they did this, the leader had started moving his hands and fingers in a series of sharp, practiced hand signals, sending secret ssages to his n.
And almost imdiately, they had all responded as they fanned out and started closing ranks like wolves surrounding their prey. The leader then moved to one of people crouching on the floor, he turned his attention to a trembling woman who he had used as a human shield. He hid in a way that would prevent Dave from being able to target him.
anwhile, at that mont, his gloved hand clamped down on the woman’s shoulder, as he started speaking to her ears. "You’re going to do sothing for ," he hissed, his breath hot against her ear. "And if you screw it up... I’ll gut you right here."
There was no point trying to show they were good people when most of their mber’s faces had been revealed. And with their criminal records, threatening them would get them the result they needed. Which was why the masked man was threatening the woman right now.
The woman’s knees buckled slightly, and her hands shook uncontrollably as she tried to nod to his words. Her face had gone pale, her lips parted but voiceless, as terror stole her breath.
The man’s gaze swept the terrified crowd. His sword glead in the flickering light as he raised it, not to strike, but to point directly at Dave. His voice rose above the frightened murmurs.
"All of you... control your beasts! Make them attack the shooter. Now!" He shouted.
His words cracked like a whip. And silence followed, a tense pause, before the first shaky voices began muttering commands to their creatures. Then, one by one, the beasts obeyed their commands.
But it didn’t stop there. All around the compound, other masked n drew their blades, pointing them at the throats and backs of people, forcing the remaining tars into submission.
"Do it, or die," they growled, cold steel pressing into trembling flesh.
Faced with no other choice, the people had to obey.
The ground began to tremble, mot from fear, but from the rhythmic pounding of countless feet. Dozens upon dozens of beasts, horned, scaled, fanged, and clawed, all started charging across the dirt floor. Their eyes glowed with a large fury, driven by their masters’ commands. Dust kicked up behind them in thick clouds as they thundered in unison.
A hundred deadly creatures, bearing down on one single man. And Dave could only watch as they made their way toward him.
"Damn it... now’s really not the ti for interruptions," Dave muttered under his breath, his lips curling in irritation as he held his rifle in his hands. He had tried aiming again, but the beasts’ massive figures were blocking his sight.
Dave must admit it, the masked n were pretty clever, but at the sa ti dumb. He still had a handful of bullets nestled in his belt, enough to take out a few more of the masked bastards skulking in the crowd, but the sudden charge of beasts coming straight at him was going to complicate things.
The approaching stampede wasn’t just noise, it was chaos incarnate. Dust whirled up like smoke, snarls and roars echoed off the walls, and glowing eyes honed in on him like he was their sole target. But Dave was nothing if not calm under pressure.
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Alright then. Let’s even the odds."
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