Meanwhile...
"Kyah!!" A woman’s scream pierced through the vicinity, but it quickly faded into the other noises that filled the entire city.
The woman, hiding inside one of the boutiques, slumped to the floor. Her eyes shook as she crawled backward on her buttocks and feet, unable to look away from the man standing before her.
Fear was etched clearly on her face, her complexion pale. Her lips quivered, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as if she already knew what would happen to her.
"No..." she begged, her back hitting the counter wall. "Please, spare me... I didn’t—I’m not..."
The man smiled maliciously as he chuckled, licking his lips while looking down at the young woman. Fighting raged outside, and fires had spread everywhere. Even with that damn misplaced music now gone, the gunshots echoed every other second.
No one would care what happened inside this small store.
Who would know?
"You... you damn bitch," he hissed through a laugh. "Just the other day, you acted so high and mighty. Even though you’re just a damn cashier. Let’s see if you can keep that attitude once I fuck your brains out."
"Kyah!" the woman squealed, struggling as the man jumped on her, tearing at her clothes. "Please—no!"
She fought beneath him until a powerful punch slammed into her abdomen. The air was knocked from her lungs, and she gasped desperately, rendered even more powerless. She coughed, rolling on her side, her fingers scratching the floor.
Her mind was telling her to make a run for it, but her body just couldn’t possibly do it.
"Fucking bitch," he spat, rising to his knees as he unbuckled his belt.
As he did, the light around him suddenly dimmed as a shadow stretched from behind. He froze, eyes widening, and instinctively turned his head. The last thing he saw was a pair of burning eyes, followed by a blade striking straight into his throat.
The man managed only a single, choking gasp before collapsing to the side, shoved away as the knife was pulled from his neck.
"..." The young woman coughed and looked up, only to see a woman standing over the corpse.
Scarlet stared down at her coldly, her eyes burning as if the young woman herself might be next. To her surprise, Scarlet’s next words were nothing like what she expected.
"I heard there’s a group taking civilians out of the city," Scarlet said, calmly giving directions she had overheard earlier. "Go there, or you’ll run into more people like him. The kind who take advantage of chaos like this. Tell the others who are hiding, too."
With that, Scarlet turned and walked away, only to pause when the young woman cried out,
"Thank you, young madam!" She scrambled to her knees, eyes fixed on Scarlet’s back. "Thank you for saving me!"
But Scarlet didn’t turn around. She didn’t acknowledge the words at all as she resumed her steps.
The young woman let out a shaky breath, her gaze falling to the man lying in a pool of blood. She clutched the torn remnants of her clothes to cover herself and forced her trembling legs to stand.
She had chosen to hide, but even then, someone like him had forced his way in.
"I have to tell the others," she whispered to herself as she rushed out, determined to warn those still trapped in the square about the route Scarlet had given her.
As for Scarlet, the moment she stepped outside, she took in the sight of the square engulfed in flames. It looked like hell itself.
"Those damn fuckers," she hissed.
Everything replayed in her mind, and now the anger she had buried deep finally surfaced.
Jarvis. The governor. The mercenaries. All of them—the ones who had dragged her into a situation that trampled on her pride.
Chuck topped her list, but she could deal with him later.
Her attention snapped to the body nearby. She approached it and searched for weapons, but it had already been looted. Several more bodies lay scattered around the square, and she checked them one by one.
Finally, she found one that hadn’t been stripped yet.
The man lay in an alley—most likely killed by friendly fire, or deliberately abandoned in the chaos. Either way, Scarlet took everything he had.
Once armed, the next thing she needed was simple.
Transport.
A few steps away, a motorcycle lay tipped over at the side of the road. Scarlet lifted it upright and mounted it. The engine coughed as she kicked the starter several times.
When it finally roared to life, she didn’t hesitate driving off without a second thought, unaware that her granny clothes, weapons, and motorcycle made for a bizarre sight together.
Where was she headed?
The second man on her list—after Chuck—the one who fueled the rage burning in her chest.
Jarvis.
*****
Meanwhile...
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Izu exchanged fire with mercenaries who had finally caught up to him. Throughout the chaos, he had been lying in wait near the building where the governor had been. Blending in with the residents, he’d breached security just enough to let them flood the place.
Naturally, Izu had tried to get inside himself—to get his hands on the governor and Jarvis—but by the time he did, the governor had already escaped. Forced to adapt, he helped wounded residents during the shootout until he realized it would slow him down too much.
So instead, he drew the mercenaries’ attention, carving out escape routes for others.
BANG!
"Damn it," he hissed, ducking behind the wall of a store. "There’s no end to them."
Izu drew a steadying breath. Lola had given everyone a role, knowing they’d be fully engaged in the war. His was to clear the square of mercenaries.
She’d said it would get easier once the governor and Jarvis fled, but Izu should’ve known that when Lola said easier, she meant for her.
Another shot whizzed past him, hitting the wall. Izu then leaned out and fired, taking down the mercenary instantly with perfect aim.
But as he shifted forward, he failed to notice the second mercenary lying in wait from another angle.
When it realized it, it was too late as he caught the glint of metal in his peripheral vision.
"Fuc—"
BANG!