A Hunter's Pride

Fourteen

"Man down!"
I spun around to see a crowd of guardians around someone. A pool of blood flowed out from the surrounding security forces feet. I pushed through the crowd as the security barked orders at the troops. My friend, lay with a large hole in his chest, in a puddle of his own blood.

"Ryan.. No.. " Alessia covered her eyes and I hugged her close, looking out towards the city. I saw the glint of a sniper's scope, and another round fired. X stepped in front of me back handing the incoming bullet away. I u clipped my cloak from my armor and snapped my fingers transmatting into my regular armor.
"He's mine." I sprinted towards the tower railing and leapt off it diving through the sky. I flipped into a landing, surfing on a passenger skiff to the rooftops. The evening skyline illuminated the skyscraper windows with an orange hue as I leapt from the skiff landing on a rooftop below. The assassin, took off at a full sprint, in the opposite direction.

"Stop! Murderer!" I jetted off after him, the rocky paved rooftop scraping against my boots,kicking up dust. He jumped to a small ledge, flipping down onto a rooftop. I did a clear double jump landing feet behind him. He threw a surprise flashbang back knocking me down and blinding me.

Dammit.. I shook my head clearing my vision just in time to see him jump through an open window a few buildings down. "Shade, building scan. I want a hostile count. I'm going in." I sprinted after him, backflipping to a lower roof, rolling back to my feet. I slid under an air duct and rolled down once more to the last rooftop. I then dug my heels into the ground running full speed.
Don't miss!

Oh I won't. I smirked and initiated a boost jump, crashing through the window into a sitting room. Three Mercs dropped their poker cards and were opening fire as I kicked over a round table for cover. I pulled a scatter bomb from my belt tossing it overhead. The man shouted in surprise as it split into multiple grenades blowing them all to pieces.
I vaulted over the table, gun in hand. I capped two more men as they ran in to stop me. I exited the room into a large foyer. I stood on the second floor looking down on several guards below.

"Where are you?! Come out before I decide to make an example of your men!" They all raised their weapons to fire but a hooded figure held up a fist, signaling to stop.

"You wanted me Miller. You got me." he stepped from the shadows and it was another Guardian!

"Kaine?"
"Ah so you do know my name. I'm shocked the mighty Nighthawk himself knows me."

I clenched my fists and slammed one down on the handrail. "Why?!"

"Because you needed a wake up call. Nobody is untouchable. Guards, kill him." He waved me off and the bullets started flying. I vaulted the railing firing both hand cannons wildly, shooting everyone in sight. My guns ran out of ammo, I tossed them into the air, delivering a spinning roundhouse to high kick to two poor guards. I pulled out two more daggers throwing them in either direction, them finding homes in the skulls of two more advancing on me. I caught my guns popping another cartridge into both of them.

I flicked my wrists loading the weapons and jumped skyward summoning my void bow. "Time to clean house." I fired an arrow directly in the center of the room. The energy shot out like dark tendrils, pulling in all of the poor souls nearby. I landed a few feet away, pulling the pin on a grenade, tossing it into the crowd.

Several minutes past and the entire room was in flames. I approached the door Kaine escaped through, kicking it off its flaming hinges. He stood inside, knife in hand, ready to fight. I slowly walked into the room, the flames licking at my heels.

"I don't fear you Miller." he spat at me readying his weapon.

"You will." I blinked across the room, delivering a swift kick to his chest, sending him sprawling into the burning floor. He flipped to his feet leaping at me, jabbing downward with his blade. I caught his wrist, flipping him over me and kicking him again, into a already crumbling wall. He stood shakily, using the wall as support.

I dashed at him, locking in hand to hand combat. He punched at me but I dodged and delivered a right hook to his face. I hopped back giving him a spinning back kick to his helmet, knocking it off. His look was one of fear. I punched him again, causing him to stagger. He needed to die. To suffer. I punched him again, his nose snapping under my fist. He fell to one knee. I kicked his head, and he collapsed to the ground. I wasn't done. I pinned his arms with my knees, brutalizing his face with my hands. With every punch, his bones strained, trying not to break. "You traitor!" crack "murderer!" snap

Blinded by rage, I lifted him up kneeling him in the stomach, his ribs snapping from the pressure. I pushed him into the wall, slamming his head against it. I grabbed him by the throat, my exo-arm giving me the strength boost needed to lift him off his feet.

"Draw your last breath. Speak your last words."

"You're..all....dead " He choked out, coughing blood onto my visor. The heat in the room was almost unbearable but I didn't care. He coughed out a weak laugh, his lungs unable to breathe. I tightened my grip on his throat, my tears welling up in my eyes.
"Rest in pieces traitor."
David don't do this!
I have to shade. I have to.
I finally clenched my fist. His neck bones crushed to powder under my brute strength. I looked into his dead eyes for a moment before I tossed his corpse into the fire. "How's that for a wake up call."

A tribute to death.

I watched as the flames began melting the flesh from his face. His skin bubbling and popping from the heat. I walked to the window and planted an explosive on the wall.

I kicked the window out diving into a free fall. The room exploded behind me. Dust in the wind. Nothing now, but a memory.

I landed in the streets below. Rain pouring down from the skies. I turned around looking into a window. I was afraid of what I saw. I was covered heat to toe in blood. Most of it wasn't even mine. I glanced down to my stomach noticing a bloodied knife sticking out from the armor. All that remained of the traitorous Hunter Kaine. I pulled the knife out, storing it in my pocket.

I slid to a seat, the rain  pooling around me. I yanked my helmet off, my hair plastered to my face from sweat. As I sat in the rain, the blood washing from my armor, I cried. Not only for my friend, but for Kaine. And for me.

For now, I was the murderer.