FRAGILE : A Lovestory

Invasion - 20

Trigger warning : Depiction of strong language, abuse, sexual assault, violence.

Christian's POV :

"Long time no see, Christian!" The voice on the other end was familiar, he let out an evil laugh that ignited my fury.

The thought of him laying a finger on her was unbearable - if he so much as touched a strand of her hair, I would make sure he paid dearly.

"YOU!-" My words were cut short as the lights plunged into darkness, the call terminating abruptly. I checked my mobile, only to find that the internet and signal had also been severed. This was clearly part of a calculated plan.

"What the hell!" Fred exclaimed, massaging his temples in frustration. Ray's voice was laced with concern as he asked, "Who was it? What happened, Christian?"

I took a moment to process the situation before responding, "Someone has took over the mansion. They're holding Ella captive." Given the perpetrator's apparent confidence, it was likely that something was about to unfold.

"Be alert!" I warned, drawing my gun and cocking it. "This power cut must be a trap!" I replenished my ammunition and carried extra bullets.

Suddenly, One of our men burst in, out of breath.

"Sir, we're under attack! Our team's being overrun!" He gasped for air, his eyes wide with urgency.

Ray's expression turned grim. "They must have cut the power to disable the alarms," he said, his voice low and calculated. I agreed, and we moved out into the dark hallways, torches mounted above our revolvers casting flickering shadows on the walls.

I signaled to Ray and Fred, indicating that I'd take point while they covered our six. They nodded, backing away slowly as we advanced.

[• 'Covering my six' means to watch your back or to ensure that someone is keeping an eye on the potential threats coming from behind. The term 'six' is a six o'clock position on a clock, that indicates directly behind your back.]

A figure emerged from the darkness of a nearby room, he was armed but hesitant to fire. Close quarters made gunplay too risky for him, so he kept his gun in and chose to fight 1v1.

I took him down swiftly, but the scuffle drew more hostiles. We were surrounded, but our training kicked in. I neutralized the threats in front of me while Ray and Fred handled those behind us.

We pushed forward, clearing a path through the deserted hallways until we reached the main hall. It was empty, a surreal calm after the chaos we'd just navigated. Almost all of our man survived, we met and regrouped as we went ahead.

That was when the next wave hit us, bullets flying wildly. We dove for cover, returning fire with precision.

The firefight was intense but brief; our tight grouping took down the attackers quickly.

However, a sniper managed to zero in on me, and I felt a searing pain in my right arm. Ray and Fred sprang into action, taking out the sniper with swift efficiency.

Fred was a wearing a proud smirk, despite the chaos. I chuckled, wincing as I clutched my wounded arm.

Before we could catch our breath, another group of armed men stormed in. Ray and Fred shielded me, refusing to let me engage. But my mind was elsewhere - on Ella.

Is that really him?

They got us that easily?

I started to doubt our security. And The fear of losing her outweighed the danger I faced. I had to keep pushing, no matter what.