SHARPER || Chishiya Alice in Boarderland

-27- it's over

My father grins, blood dripping from his side, his stance still unwavering. He's been through worse. He's fought through worse.

But he's never fought all of us.

He moves first.

A flick of his wrist, and a throwing knife soars toward me. I barely twist out of the way, the blade grazing my arm as it embeds itself in the wall behind me.

I don't stop to feel the pain. I raise my gun, fire twice, but he's already moving, ducking low, rolling behind a stack of debris.

He's fast. Too fast.

"He's using the alley for cover!" Kuina shouts.

Heiya is already on the move, her bowstring drawn back, eyes locked onto his position. She releases.

The arrow flies true.

He shifts at the last second, and instead of hitting his heart, the arrow embeds itself in his shoulder.

His head snaps toward her.

She's already moving.

He pulls the arrow out without so much as a grunt, tossing it to the ground. His hand dips into his belt—smoke grenade.

He throws it.

"Move!" Ann yells as the alley floods with thick, choking smoke.

I dive to the side, pressing against the wall as my father emerges, his silhouette shifting in the haze. He's already drawn a new weapon—a combat knife in one hand, a pistol in the other.

A shot rings out from above.

Usagi.

He dodges at the last second, the bullet striking the ground beside him.

She fires again.

He rolls behind a crate, disappearing into the fog.

Ann takes her chance, her rifle raised, scanning for him through the smoke. Her finger tightens on the trigger.

A knife flies.

It slices her cheek, missing her throat by an inch. She stumbles back, cursing, but doesn't drop her weapon.

"He's using the smoke as cover," Kuina growls. "We need to split up—hit him from all sides!"

We scatter.

I grip a throwing knife in one hand, my gun in the other, moving low through the alley maze. I can hear him—his steady, controlled footsteps. He's not panicking. He's hunting.

A flicker of movement—

I turn, throw.

The knife whizzes through the air, aiming for his exposed side.

At the last second, he twists, catching the blade with his bare hand. Blood drips down his fingers, but his grip is steady as he flips the knife, throwing it right back at me.

I barely duck in time.

Kuina rushes in from behind, her fists striking out, aiming for his ribs.

He moves fluidly, blocking her first blow, dodging the second. Her foot lashes out in a spinning kick—he ducks under it, sweeping her legs out from beneath her.

She hits the ground hard.
He raises his gun to finish her—
An arrow whizzes past his face, forcing him to pull back.
Heiya, from above, nocks another arrow.
Before she can fire, he lifts his gun—

A gunshot.

Ann fires from the opposite direction, forcing him to take cover.

He moves, quick and precise, vanishing into the maze of alleys.