Alone • Liam Dunbar

Thirty-Nine

Flashbang canisters are tossed into the warehouse first, the sudden burst of light and smoke being used as cover as what seems like dozens of assassins begin to flood the building.

"Get back!" Braeden orders over the sound of automatic gunfire. 

Everyone scrambles to hide as bullets fly. Kira and Scott fall to the ground, Chris leads Satomi and her pack to shelter, and Braeden and Derek lay a suppressive fire. I grab Lori and drag her with me to cover. We hide behind a nearby structural pillar. I hold her in front of me tightly as chunks of the pillar's concrete are blown off the corners from various bullets.

"Stay low," I instruct the young wolf. "You have to hide. Go!" 

She doesn't argue and drops to the floor out of my grasp, crawling away from the action. It appears awkward, but a little discomfort was worth it in exchange for her life. Lori was nimble and quiet, she could easily stay hidden until this passed. 

I swiftly peek out from behind my cover, hoping to get an idea of what we were up against. 

The warehouse had quickly divided itself between our two sides. The assassins had yet to cross a valley of cubicles as Braeden, Chris, and Derek, all returned fire, keeping the ex-hunters subdued for the time being. A lot of them had swapped their crossbows for rifles and returned fire. They also had the same body armor and combat helmets from yesterday, but without the shadow of midnight, I could see they weren't entirely covered. I can't gauge much else beyond that, though, and have to return to my hideaway when I'm met with more bullets. 

Frustration starts to set in as I feel trapped, and I do my best to fight it off. 

It was only a matter of time before they had an opportunity to move in and start working their way through us. I had to thin out their herd before then and increase our odds of survival. I begin to scan my immediate surroundings, trying to find somewhere that could be a potentially decent vantage point to snipe from. 

I find an old scissor lift against the far wall of the warehouse. I had no idea if it was even operational, but it was a worthy risk. 

My instincts push for me to look to Chris. I need someone to cover me and I can't change the fact that my brain is hardwired to rely on him in the heat of battle. He's to my left, ducking under a row of desks, occasionally peeking out from behind it to shoot. When he feels me staring, he peers up at me. 

I jut my chin out, pointing at the lift. 

He follows the direction and his eyes fill with comprehension. He returns his stare to mine, and whatever resentment had lingered between us dissipated. Now, all that was there was understanding. Chris has my back, and I have his, because this is what we do. 

Without needing to say anything, I separate myself from the pillar at the same time Chris stands. I sprint toward the lift while he fires at the assassins, taking any and all attention away from me. Satomi and her Betas, who saw our interaction, run out from behind Chris and take the field to aid the distraction. They were no longer willing to hide as people threatened the lives of whatever pack they had left.

They take on the assassins in their direct vicinity, tackling and clawing at them. Distant growls and whimpers mix with gunfire, making me move faster.

I duck under the railing of the lift and climb onto its metal platform before hitting the switch on the control panel. The machine comes to life and I don't hesitate to yank at the lever, making the lift rise to its full height and give me a proper view of the warehouse. I lay flat on the platform when it stops and prop my rifle up on the edge of the slab, peering through the weapon's attached scope.