The Bites

Chapter 18

BANG!

The loud sound of a shotgun blast shattered the eerie silence of the night, echoing off the surrounding walls with chilling finality. In an instant, chaos erupted as the survivors scrambled for cover, their hearts pounding in their chests with a mixture of fear and adrenaline.

Brea's senses snapped into overdrive as she scanned their surroundings, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow in search of the unseen threat. The little boy clung to her tightly, his eyes wide with curiosity as he fixed his gazes somewhere. Alex, always quick on his feet, dove behind a nearby crate, his mind racing with strategies to outmaneuver their attacker.

And then, amidst the chaos and confusion, they saw him – a lone figure standing opposite them, his silhouette obscured by the darkness. In his hands, he held a shotgun, its barrel still smoking from the force of the blast.

"Who's there?" Alex called out, his voice trembling with fear. "What do you want?"

But the figure said nothing, his expression hidden behind a mask of shadow and gloom. Without warning, he raised the shotgun once more, aiming at the survivors with chilling precision.

"We need to get out of here," Alex whispered, his voice barely audible over their pounding hearts. "Now."

But before they could react, another blast rang out, tearing through the air with deadly accuracy. One of the survivors cried out in pain as the force of the impact sent them sprawling to the ground, blood pooling beneath their motionless form.

Panic surged through the survivors as they realized the gravity of their situation. They were trapped, with no way of knowing who their attacker was or what they wanted.

As the moment's chaos threatened to consume them, the little boy's tug on Brea's hand jolted her back to reality. For a brief, heart-stopping moment, a vision flashed through her mind like lightning in a storm.

There, standing opposite them with a gun in hand, was Jack – her former colleague, his face a mask of cold indifference.

Her breath caught in her throat as the puzzle pieces fell into place. The betrayal cut deep, twisting like a knife in her gut. Anger surged through her veins like wildfire, burning away the fear and uncertainty that had gripped her moments before.

"Jack! I know it's you!" she shouted, her voice ringing out in the night with unwavering defiance.

But Jack remained silent, his gaze fixed on them with chilling indifference. The survivors watched in stunned silence as Brea stepped forward, daringly confronting the man who had once been her friend.

"I trusted you, Jack!" she continued, her voice trembling with rage and disbelief. "How could you do this?"

Brea's heart sank at Jack's indifferent and cold response. His words cut through the air like a knife, slicing through the last trust she had harboured for him.

"I never asked you to trust me, Brea," Jack said, his voice devoid of emotion.

The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, a bitter reminder of the betrayal that had torn their once-solid bond asunder. Brea felt anger and hurt coursing through her veins, mingling with the fear still gripping her heart.

"He's not going to listen," Alex whispered, his voice filled with resignation. "We need to go."

But Brea refused to back down. With a defiant glare, she stood her ground, her eyes locked on Jack's shadowy figure.

"How could you say that?" Brea shot back, her voice quivering. "We were colleagues, friends... I thought I knew you."

But Jack's expression remained impassive, his mask of indifference unyielding. "You were wrong," he said, flat and emotionless. "We were never friends. I'm so sorry."