Fear

47 • Ambush

The helicopter sliced through the cold night air, our breath visible in the cabin as tension coiled around us like a tightening noose. Emily clutched my arm, her fingers digging into my skin.

The cabin hummed with the steady thrum of the rotor blades. I held her close, whispering reassurances I wasn't even sure I believed.

We were supposed to be safe, but the nagging fear that X was always one step ahead gnawed at me. My senses were on high alert, every nerve tingling with the anticipation of danger.

I stared intently out the window, scanning the dark landscape. Everything seemed calm, but I knew better than to trust appearances.

Jack was focused, his eyes darting between the controls and the view outside, while Nate, in the pilot seat, guided us safely through the snowy mountains.

The ride to Vancouver was tense but uneventful, yet my mind still raced with a hundred different scenarios, each more horrifying than the last.

As we touched down on the helipad just outside the city, the adrenaline that had kept me on edge began to temporarily subside. Jack and Nate were already moving, ensuring our exit was swift.

A black SUV awaited us, engine already running and driver ready. We hurriedly climbed in, the moonlight casting eerie light on our faces.

"Stay low, stay quiet," I whispered to Emily as we settled into the back seat.

The driver, a trusted contact, sped off into the night. I glanced at Jack and Nate, their eyes scanning every passing vehicle, every pedestrian. The tension was palpable, but there was a brief, fleeting moment of relief. We safely made it off the island.

But relief was short-lived.

I thought we were fine.

I thought I could let my guard down.

I thought wrong.

A sudden jolt rocked the SUV as another vehicle slammed into us from the side. The screech of metal against metal followed with ear-splitting sound. My heart lurched and I instinctively threw my body over Emily's to shield her from the impact. She screamed and braced herself.

"Shit!" Jack yelled, reaching for his gun.

"Ambush!" Nate shouted, drawing his weapon as the doors were yanked open.

The scene erupted into chaos.

Gunfire echoed in the street, bullets shattering windows and piercing metal. The SUV swerved violently, trying to evade the attackers. Emily screamed in terror, still blindfolded from earlier.

"Stay down!" I shouted, pushing her further into the seat. "Don't move!"

The SUV skidded to a halt.

We were surrounded on all sides.

I jumped out of the vehicle, my gun drawn, firing at the figures surrounding us. Bullets whizzed past me, the night air filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder. The sound was deafening.

Even more deafening were Emily's screams from inside the car - desperate, confused, terrified.

I saw Nate, still in the vehicle, firing back at the attackers with one hand while he tried to protect Emily with the other hand.

Unfortunately, his efforts were cut short as a bullet tore through the window, hitting his neck and piercing through the jugular vein. Blood sprayed everywhere as he slumped forward, lifeless, his hand still gripping the gun.

"Nate!" Jack shouted. He continued to fire, but was quickly overpowered as someone came at him front behind, immobilising him.

There were too many of them.

They overpowered us.

I tried my best.

But I failed.

Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in my abdomen. I gasped, clutching my stomach, feeling the warm blood seep through my fingers.

My vision blurred as I dropped to my knees, the world spinning around me.

I tried to stay upright, tried to keep fighting, the gun in my hand still firing, but my strength was fading too fast.

"Tyler!" Emily's voice cut through the chaos, filled with terror.

I knew something was happening but there was nothing I could do.

I slumped to the ground, the gun falling from my grasp.

The pain was excruciating.

I tried to crawl towards the SUV, towards Emily, but my body wouldn't cooperate. Darkness edged into my vision, the sounds of the gunfight growing distant.

I could barely make out the figures of X's men as they swarmed the vehicle.

I watched in helpless horror as they dragged Emily out of the car, her blindfolded form struggling against them, kicking and screaming.

"No..." I tried to shout, but my voice was a mere whisper. I saw X approaching, his cold eyes locking onto mine as I lay wheezing on the road.

"Get him to a hospital," he said to someone, his tone cold and commanding. "He's needed alive for the deal."

I felt their hands grab me, lifting me from the ground. My vision darkened further, Emily's terrified cries echoing in my ears as I was dragged away.

I didn't want to die.

I had to fight.

I had to live.

For her.

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