𝑻𝑶 𝑩𝑬 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑫, 𝒋𝒊𝒏𝒙

iv. guilt

11 years around the sun
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Sevika keeps her fist tightly closed. Her silent communication makes me halt in place. The two of us are perched on top of the roofs that surround The Last Drop. Hidden inside shadows and green smog, Silco and Zeri await Vander's exit.

My hands itch with nervousness and I crave the feeling of my sword in my hands. But, I keep it stowed away in its sheath. Otherwise, the silver sheen may be spotted by unsuspecting eyes.

Then, finally, like Sico planned, Vander exited the bar, alongside at least ten enforcers. Vander had a forlorn expression. He looked back at his bar one last time before marching ahead with the enforcers.

Silco parades out from his hiding spot, with a smirk on his face. "Silco?" An unknown man beside Vander calls out. "You animal. Go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of." He marches over to Silco.

"Benzo stay back!" Vander yells.

Silco has a delighted expression. "You never did know when to walk away." Sooner than Benzo can attack, Zeri infused with shimmer tackles Benzo to the ground. Slaughtering him in the process.

Sevika gives another hand motion. Confirming the cue for us to attack the remaining enforcers.

My heart is thumping from adrenaline. And when I jump down from the tall building I feel invincible. I feel light on my feet and prepared to fight enforcers. Sevika told me numerous times that if they were too difficult to knock out, then to draw back. Pulling my long sword from its enclosure, I feel new unexplainable protection. This sword is my shield.

Zeri to my left has torn through enforcers. Their blood and guts splayed across the cement walls. Enforcers running from Zeri run into Sevika and me. She is spraying bullets at them and I attack them with the blunt side of my sword. With calculated intent, I go after the smaller enforcers because I stand the best chance against them.

With a strong swing of my sword. The bluntness radiates in the enforcers' gut. They double over in pain and I hit them with a right hook. They roll over, onto the ground, slumped and unmoving.

I look for my next target, but they find me first. A large man, more than triple my size is marching towards me. I quickly step back; momentarily looking for an escape. The large man charges towards me. I exhale a puff of air and tighten the hold on my sword.

His arm swings back to hit my face. I attempt to use my sword to block his punch. Instead, his barreling punch whizzes by my ear unsteadily. I peer behind my sword and admire Sevika's fighting stance. She gives the man a smirk and beckons him to retaliate. So, he does. The two of them weave and throw punches at vulnerable spots.

I observe my surroundings. Zeri is still taking out a few large enforcers. Silco is nowhere to be found, so probably hidden beneath the shadows. I have to clean up those last few enforcers.

I charged towards two unsuspecting enforcers who were trying to shoot at Zeri. My thundering run alerts them, and they dodge my blunt-side swing. The stocky man hits me with the back of his gun. Then, the enforcer I had tried to swing at swiftly secure me in a headlock from behind.

The enforcer, short in stature, turns away. Assured the woman who had me in a headlock had it under control. I stomp my foot into her padded boot. Unsurprisingly she feels no pain. The dark-haired man surveys the scene with his pistol in hand.