"Elijah," Samuel whispered, grabbing his arm and pulling him into a small storefront. "What are we running from? That drone is relentless."
Elijah leaned against a shelf, chest heaving. "Those are soldiers from the City of Noon. They've been chasing us for years. They're the reason my father disappeared."
Samuel's eyes widened.
'Disappeared? What the hell is going on?'
"Wait," Samuel said. "You said your father sent you. Now you're saying he disappeared? And what's the City of Noon? I've never heard of it."
"Now's not the time," Elijah snapped, his voice tight with fear and anger. "We have to escape first. I'll explain everything later. For now, lead us out of here."
Samuel clenched his jaw.
'Tsk. He's right. Run first, questions later,' he thought, swallowing his frustration.
They moved again, slipping back into the maze of alleys.
As they emerged onto another street, Samuel felt it again. That gaze. He turned toward where the sensation was strongest.
'Is there someone, or something, over there?'
High above, in a nearby skyscraper, a pair of glowing yellow eyes stared down at them.
"Oh? He noticed me? Impressive, for a human," a voice murmured.
The voice shifted, irritation creeping in. "…And why is there a templar here? Does he not know how to read a map!?" it growled.
Samuel kept leading them deeper into the city, twisting their path with the sole goal of losing their pursuers. The suppressed gunshots returned, this time much closer, sharp cracks echoing between buildings.
"They're close," Samuel whispered. "Really close. But what are they shooting at?"
"Probably mutants," Elijah replied quietly. "We're deep in the city. If we haven't seen any, then they're probably swarming those soldiers."
Samuel nodded grimly.
'The drone's gone. Whoever was piloting it must be busy,' he thought.
"Are you guys tired?" Samuel asked, glancing at the siblings. "If the soldiers are distracted, we can rest for a few seconds."
They ducked into another store, this one dark and half collapsed. They sat down among overturned shelves and broken glass.
After a moment of silence, Samuel listened carefully. His ears strained, picking up distant echoes, but nothing immediate.
"I don't hear them anymore," he said quietly. "We should be safe for now."
Relief began to settle in his chest.
Then it vanished.
*BOOM*
The back wall exploded inward, debris and dust blasting across the store. A towering armored figure stepped through the smoke, red eyes blazing.
"Found you!"
The knight crashed through the wall in a storm of shattered concrete and splintered metal. The impact sent dust and debris spraying across the store. The floor shook beneath Samuel's feet, and his body reacted before his mind could catch up. Adrenaline flooded his veins, sharp and electric, drowning out fear and pain alike.
Samuel grabbed the first thing his right hand closed around, the metal handle from the store's glass door. Without hesitation, he ripped it out of the glass door and hurled it with everything he had.
The force of his throw carried him forward as the remaining glass burst outward, shards scattering across the floor. The handle whistled through the air, aimed straight at the armored man's chest.
The man barely reacted.
With a sharp motion, he swatted the handle aside, sending it clattering uselessly against the wall. He straightened slowly, posture relaxed, almost bored. His helmet tilted slightly, the glowing red eyes narrowing as if focusing.
Samuel glanced at his right hand, 'How did I do that!?'
"Huh?" the man muttered. "My scanner doesn't detect you as infected. Then how were you able to do that?"
He took a step toward Samuel, heavy metal boots crunching over debris.
Behind Samuel, the siblings did not waste the opportunity. Elijah grabbed Ethan, Erina close behind, and the three of them bolted out of the store and into the street.
The armored man glanced toward the exit. "Whatever. I will just bring your corpse to HQ later. Move, you are not my target!"
In an instant, he flashed forward.
The man sprinted past Samuel in a blur of black and red, his focus entirely on the fleeing siblings. Samuel reacted on instinct, his arms shot out, fingers closing around the man's armored forearm.
"You won't get past me!" Samuel shouted.
"Tsk, you are annoyingly fast!" The armored man's eyes narrowed as he twisted and drove a punch toward Samuel's face.
Samuel barely avoided the first strike, feeling the wind of it pass his cheek. The second punch landed squarely in his ribs.
The impact felt like being hit by a speeding truck.
'Shoot! I'm fucked!' Samuel thought as his body was launched backward.
He crashed through the store entrance and skidded across the pavement outside, pain exploding through his chest and spine. His vision blurred, breath knocked from his lungs as he came to a stop against a wrecked car.
The armored man stepped into the street and looked down at him. The glow of his eyes intensified as if scanning.
"He is still alive?" the man said, disbelief creeping into his voice. "How is that even possible?"
His focus remained on Samuel.
That mistake nearly killed him.
A shadow dove from above.
The impact came like a meteor. The shadow slammed into the armored man from the sky, driving him straight through the back wall of the store. The man's armor flared bright red as he was hurled through concrete and shelving, disappearing into the dust cloud inside.
"Complacent and overconfident. What a fool."
The shadow landed at the store entrance and straightened.
It revealed itself as a massive humanoid, standing at least seven feet tall. Its body was covered in a deep black carapace that seemed to swallow light. The surface was smooth yet layered, like overlapping plates of chitin. Its back split open with a wet sound, unfolding thin, translucent wings resembling those of a dragonfly.
Its head was smooth and faceless, covered entirely in eyes of varying sizes. Eyes wrapped around its skull, even lining the back of its head. Its arms ended in long, curved blades like those of a mantis. A voice emerged from small gill-like slits along its neck.
"Templar," it said calmly. "Should I take your intrusion here as a declaration of war?"
Samuel forced himself upright, staring at the abomination before him.
'Shit, shit, shit! Time to go…' he thought, body trembling.
But before he could move, he heard shouting down the street.
"We are surrounded!"