Chapter 3 - The Alley of Fire
The mercenaries raised their assault rifles simultaneously, the glowing red laser sights dancing menacingly across the armored windshield.
Kiora covered her face with her hands, utterly terrified for the fragile, innocent life growing inside her.
Elias checked the heavy magazine of his sidearm, his silver hair catching the eerie, flickering glow of the burning buses.
"Stay very low and do not unbuckle your seatbelt under any circumstances," Elias commanded Kiora with stern authority.
The driver, Jax, aggressively revved the massive engine of the tactical vehicle in a show of sheer defiance.
"We cannot ram through that much burning steel, Elias," Jax warned through tightly gritted teeth.
"We aren't going forward tonight," Elias replied, a dark, dangerous smile forming slowly on his weathered lips.
Elias kicked the heavy side door open and rolled smoothly onto the pavement amidst an absolute hail of automatic gunfire.
He moved with impossible, lethal speed for a man of his apparent age, diving skillfully behind a concrete dumpster.
Elias returned fire with lethal, breathtaking precision, dropping two advancing mercenaries in a matter of mere seconds.
Jax threw the armored vehicle roughly into reverse, accelerating backward down the narrow alley at breakneck speed.
Kiora watched in sheer horror through the windshield as Elias was left behind in the chaotic, deadly crossfire.
"We absolutely have to go back for him right now!" Kiora screamed over the deafening roar of the massive engine.
Jax completely ignored her frantic pleas, his dark eyes locked entirely on the glowing rearview camera monitor.
The vehicle burst safely out of the alley onto a busy metropolitan street, blending instantly into the heavy evening traffic.
Kiora sobbed uncontrollably into her hands, realizing her only capable protector had just sacrificed himself for her survival.
Jax navigated the winding, rain-slicked streets until they safely reached an abandoned underground parking garage on the edge of town.
He turned off the loud engine and manually locked the heavy steel blast doors tightly behind them.
Kiora looked at the severely scarred driver, feeling completely lost and utterly alone in a terrifying world.
"Elias explicitly told me to deliver this specific item to you if he didn't make it out," Jax said softly, his voice full of sorrow.
He handed her a secure, heavily encrypted mobile smartphone.
The dark screen suddenly lit up with an incoming video call from an entirely unknown, restricted number.
Kiora answered the call with trembling, ice-cold fingers.
May you like
Instead of Elias's reassuring face, Vanessa's cruel, smiling visage appeared brightly on the digital screen.
"I have your silver-haired guardian angel, Kiora, and I will gladly trade his pathetic life for the baby."
