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Chapter 41

Strangely, the morning was washed over with tranquillity. Everybody was silent, wiping their preferred assaulting apparatus. The plan as follows; The two eldest were the last line of defence inside base whilst all of us were stationed outside.

I made my way outside, breathing in the air before my last. Thoughts popped up. 

Beautiful day isn’t it?

It sure is. I thought back. 

I’m sure you’ll be fine. I would give my blessings if I wasn’t also somehow involved. 

Surely you can still give them regardless of what’s to happen. 

A faint chuckle echoed in my head. I shook my head in light amusement, climbing the metal structure to reach the roof. I laid down behind the canisters the group previously installed to view the skies that were clearing. The orange film continued to disperse, allowing the first hues of blues to shine through that was once a fond childhood memory, now a stranger. I stared up at the blue, pondering on the aspects of my future. Let the expanse of the sky be the only limit. I sighed, mentally preparing myself for what’s to come. 

•••

A loud explosion just outside the base alerted everyone who was waiting for this event. The short bow perched in my hands felt comfortable and familiar. I drew the arrows from the quiver hanging at my hip. I loaded the arrow on, pulling the string taut, and aimed before releasing the string with a ‘twang’. The arrow whistled mid flight and struck an opponent in the leg. A bit of a miss. I started warming up, requiring two hits before the individuals retreated. Then it only needed one, especially with the arrows coated in gasoline and lit aflame.

Arrows rained down, piercing the air before piercing the target. The sharp whistling, shaped to sound like a hellish scream added to the cacophony of rifles and metal clashing. Those hit with the silent but deadly arrows made of bone fell immediately. I had no time to think and check as I pulled back to reload another pair of complementary arrows.

That was until the group broke out to attack the members in smaller groups. The opponents, by now, knew to disperse to make it harder to be hunted. Aiming individually created more chances at missing than hitting. I covered Yunho’s back when Mingi separated from him who was preoccupied with the oncoming wave of assailants that rained down on him.

I became a target to those holding rifles and I too, ducked behind the empty metal canisters. I watched as the rifles ran out of ammunition from missing the shot and focusing on the wrong target. When the ammunition ran out without reloading, I secured more long shots. I had a few arrows left, the deadly whistle that the last few heard before they dropped dead to the ground. 

Another explosion sounded which shook the building I was perched on. I shakily regained my balance and scaled down the building. The palm of my hand caught on protruding metal and I hissed at the pain. Hope the metal wasn’t rusted. TeTaNuS. Pain and suffering was the least of my worries at that moment as I heard someone charging at me. Generally, I was more experienced with catching people off guard. Nobody expected a feeble looking girl to be able to wield a knife.

I slung my bow and readied my stance, detaching myself from my nerves and pushed forward. I held the knife, blade parallel to my elbows so that the momentum of the charge would slice the flesh as they passed. Blood splattered over my hand and face and I heard the body sink to the ground. They weren’t dead but they would soon be from blood loss. I ran away, a little shaken but quick to swallow it back, aiming for the fallen to find any reusable arrows.

I sifted through the bodies to recover reusable arrows and their hand guns from their holsters. A hand grabbed at me. I swatted it away, thinking nothing of it until I saw their open, but unfocused eyes. I jumped back, not forgetting to snatch the gun up with me. I bolted for it, finding an encirclement of people. I found San and Wooyoung who didn’t look too good. Both of them sported injuries that weren’t major but enough to hinder some movement. I cocked the gun and pulled the trigger.