Charlie’s scream ripped the air apart, a sound too sharp, too raw, slicing deeper than any blade ever could.
I moved before I even knew I had moved.
The knife flashed, catching the weak tunnel light as Hyena jerked it back, a thin line of red blossoming across Charlie’s neck. It wasn’t deep. But regardless a wound to the neck could easily become fatal. What’s worse was that it was bleeding, and Charlie’s small hands flew to his throat, eyes wide with shock, tears mixing with the blood.
I was at his side, dropping to my knees, pressing a hand against the cut, the warmth of his blood seeping through my glove.
"Stay with me," I ordered, my voice tight, too calm for the rage boiling beneath it.
Charlie whimpered, his small body trembling, the fear in his eyes raw and unfiltered.
"Stay with me, kid. Look at me."
Footsteps pounded behind me, splashing through the shallow water, echoing off the concrete like a war drum.
He skidded to a stop, eyes wide as he took in the scene: Charlie, bleeding, my hand pressed against his neck, and Hyena—
Hyena’s footsteps faded down the tunnel, the shadows swallowing him as he likely fled to where Anthony came from in the chaos of the situation.
"Anthony, here, NOW!" I snapped.
Anthony didn’t hesitate. He dropped beside me, pulling out a compression bandage from his belt kit, his hands moving with the clean, precise movements of someone who had done this too many times before.
"I’ve got him, Boss," Anthony said, his voice low but steady, the tension in his jaw the only sign of the fury burning beneath. "Go."
"GO!" Anthony shouted, pressing the bandage against Charlie’s neck, the boy’s tears spilling over as he whimpered in pain.
I looked at Charlie, at his wide, terrified eyes, at the blood staining my gloves.
"Boss, I’ve GOT HIM!" Anthony roared, eyes flicking up to mine.
And I believed him. I had too.
I stood, every muscle in my body screaming for action, for vengeance, for blood.
I took off down the tunnel, boots slamming against the wet concrete, the world narrowing to the sound of my breath, the thunder of my heart, and the echo of Hyena’s fleeing footsteps.
Behind me, I heard Anthony’s voice, sharp and professional, speaking into his phone.
"This is Anthony Smith, Sector 50 sewer access, requesting immediate medical evac for a child, approximately six years old, stab wound to the neck, bleeding controlled, but we need extraction NOW."
Charlie’s soft, pained whimper in the background nearly pulled me back.
The tunnel twisted and turned, the shadows dancing across the walls as my flashlight beam cut through the dark, illuminating streaks of rust and the faint, wet footprints Hyena left in his wake.
I felt the rage building inside me, a cold, steady burn that settled into my chest like a second heartbeat.
Hyena had hurt Charlie.
A kid who trusted me. A kid who had come to me for help.
And Hyena had hurt him.
Instinct and Psychological Insight blurred into a single, sharp edge inside me.
Hyena was losing himself, running blind, desperate, every step a mistake, every turn another nail in his coffin.
And I was the hammer.
I moved faster, every breath burning in my lungs despite Endurance Boost, every step closing the distance.
The tunnel opened into a larger chamber, a circular maintenance hub with rusted pipes lining the walls, the floor littered with debris, water dripping from the ceiling in steady, rhythmic taps.
He was stumbling, slipping on the wet concrete, his thin frame shaking as he turned, eyes wide, wild, teeth bared in that broken, too-wide grin.
"YOU!" he screamed, his voice cracking, echoing off the walls. "YOU THINK YOU CAN CATCH ME?!"
His laughter was shrill, hysterical, bouncing off the concrete as he backed away, stumbling over a fallen pipe, nearly falling.
He turned, running again, deeper into the maze of tunnels, but it didn’t matter.
He was slower than me. Weaker than me. I felt superior in every aspect and I was ready to make his life turn into hell.
I was gaining on him, every step bringing me closer, the distance shrinking until I could see the way his shoulders shook, the way his breath came in ragged, panicked gasps.
My boots pounded on the wet floor, the slap of rubber against concrete the only sound I could hear over the blood rushing in my ears.
Hyena glanced back, his eyes wide, mouth open in a silent scream as he saw how close I was. There was a sense of fear in his body language, but I didn’t care. Not in the slightest.
You hurt a child who trusted me.
I pushed harder, the rage boiling over, my hands curling into fists, the mask on my face cold, unyielding, a reminder of who I was. The wrist band that Alexis had given me to control my anger felt meaningless. Because nothing was going to stop what I had in store for him.
Hyena turned a corner, skidding on the wet floor, hitting the wall with a thud, scrambling to keep moving.
I launched myself forward using Muscle Optimization and Muscle Reinforcement, every single fiber in my body was coiling, every ounce of rage, every drop of fury was being channeled into that single moment.
I tackled him with strength that I never knew I had.
We crashed to the ground, the impact shaking the concrete, the air knocked out of him in a sharp, choked gasp. At the bare minimum, he had broken a few bones. Good...but I wanted him to suffer more. He deserved it for almost killing Charlie.
"I’m ending this now!" I said. My body seeming with rage that can’t be quelled.