↳ 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹: 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀

𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙 - 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦

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[ any reader ]

The blast shakes the helicopter that struggles to steer away. Pieces of shrapnel and debris hurtling through the air as the aircraft tilts. Chris bellows when you topple off the edge, calling your name.

You desperately reach out for his hand, feeling your fingertips only brush against his skin. He hangs over the edge, watching you plummet towards the billowing clouds of smoke. Explosions erupting beneath the blanket of dust that swallows your figure.

Chris sits up gasping for air, forcibly shoving the covers off the bed. He swings his legs over the edge and digs his elbows into his thighs, running his hands over his face and through his hair.

He tugs at the brown strands, scrunching his nose and clenching his jaw in anger. He should've done more. He could've done better. It shouldn't have been you who lost your life that day.

Knuckles rap against the door and he exhales, shouting for them to enter. Dion stands in the doorway with an iPad in his hands.

"Boss."

"What?" He snaps.

"You need to see this."

The couple march into the room a few doors down, everyone standing straight as soon as he enters.

"Show me."

Keys are tapped and the large screen flickers to show the live footage feeding in from the drones. He squints and rests his hands on the table.

"We've been monitoring what's left of the village." John begins.

"Activity levels are still rising." Ronaldo adds.

"We haven't detected anything yet but there has to be life out there." Charlie insists.

"I don't understand. We blew the place sky high. How can there be anything left?" Emily places her hands on her hips.

"That place is cursed." His face remains hard. "Get ready. We leave in five." They share looks as he exits the room.

Upon arrival at the bomb site, the squad gradually make their way through the remains of the village, becoming increasingly aware of the thick veil of fog settling over them the further they travel.

"I've got a feeling we shouldn't be here."

"Maybe we should wait until the fog clears."

"This isn't the weather." Chris almost growls.

Being back here is like another knife being jabbed into his heart. It's torture for him to see this place in his nightmares, let alone actually be here in the flesh. Reliving the moment he lost his love.

"Woah," Dion whips around. "Please tell me you guys saw that."

"I didn't see anything?" Emily frowns.

"It was a shadow-something flew past me. I swear. I'm not crazy I know what I saw."

"Keep your guards up. Something's out here with us." Chris stops in his tracks, listening to the faint noises around him. He grabs John's wrist and roughly tugs him closer, narrowly avoiding the sheet of metal hurled his way. He breathes out, nodding to his boss.

Chris's eyes follow the shadow in the sky as it plummets down. The squad aiming their guns at the figure who slowly rises to their full height.

A handcrafted metal mask keeps their face hidden, along with the long coat that has the hood purposely pulled up.

Their left hand opens, sweeping forwards to direct another block of metal that knocks both Charlie and Ronaldo on their backs. Dion and John open fire. They swipe their arm to the side, sending the bullets hurling into a ruined fence.

Fists clenched and being dragged by their sides, their guns fly across the grass and land behind the figure. John urgently pats himself for an explosive but the figure reappears directly behind him, flinging him up into the air.

"Screw this." Emily mutters.

They glimpse the flash grenade by their feet and easily shield their eyes from the blinding light. They grip Dion, tossing him into Emily who lands with a grunt.

Chris has no time to react as they disappear, taking up the spot in front of him with their hand wrapped around his neck.

"I don't want any trouble." He rasps, pulling out every card to try to reason with them.

Their eyes narrow behind the mask and he notices them soften briefly. Their grip on him loosens, the man frowning when the hand slips to his shoulder instead.

"Chris?"

His mouth hangs open. That voice. Your voice. It can't be. He almost pushes them away, convinced this is just a cruel trick, until they remove the mask and drop it by their feet. He struggles to blink, taking in your appearance.

"How-how are you..."

"Is this real?" You look him over. "Are you real?" His large hands cup your cheeks and your eyes flutter as you hold onto him. A tear escapes as you wrap your arms around him tightly.

The squad help one another to stand up, brushing the dirt off their clothes while quizzically looking you up and down.

"Ain't [Y/n] dead?" John whispers.

"Uh, yeah." Emily quickly nods.

"I watched you die." Chris shakes his head.

"Miranda...she did something to me." You glance down at your hands. "I don't know what she did but it brought me back. I didn't survive the fall but I remember waking up when the village had been blown up. It felt almost like a dream."

"I know the feeling." A smile splits his tired face and you mirror it, embracing him again. He briefly lifts you off your feet, not wanting to let you go ever again.

"Well, this was unexpected." Charlie blinks.

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