Standstill (Erityian Tribes Novella, #3)

07 : Terror in the City

The explosion two days ago caused widespread apprehension because of its huge media coverage and the nature of the incident. Some voiced out their concerns in social media and thought it might not end here.

We already got the information regarding our suspects but most of them had alibis at the time of the explosion. Only four people didn't have any proof regarding their whereabouts during the incident and we were still monitoring them in case something strange happened.

"What's your status, Reina?" tanong ni Hayate sa kabilang linya.

I adjusted my earpiece and looked through my binoculars. "Still no sign of the suspects."

"Kana? How about you?"

"No signs of them here, too," she replied.

"Okay. We'll contact you once we narrowed down the probable source or supplier of the culprit."

Hayate ended the call and I stared at the facility that was reduced to ruins. There were police officers and investigators roaming around the area, which was declared off-limits, so I opted to watch and observe from a distance.

Nandito ako ngayon sa rooftop ng building na ilang metro ang layo mula sa facility. We surmised that they might either return at the crime scene or go to the hospital where the victims are. Kana and I went to the crime scene and hospital, respectively, to see whether some of the suspects would show up.

Tumayo naman muna ako at tinanaw ang paligid. The streets beyond this area were crowded with humdrums and busy establishments. I didn't know weekends could be this hectic outside our world.

The sun was already setting and it would get harder to monitor the area once it gets dark. I was about to change places but I halted when I noticed a growing commotion in the next street. Everything happened so fast and the next thing I knew, people were already screaming and running away from an explosion.

"Shit!" I cursed as I ran from the rooftops of the buildings.

"What happened there?" asked Kana.

"Reina? What happened?" tanong naman ni Hayate. "There's a sudden increase in heat signature in that area."

"Another explosion!"

I was about to jump off a building when my skin suddenly tingled. Before I could stop my momentum, a gaping hole of darkness appeared right in front of me, along with a Shinigami who almost decapitated me with his sword. Fortunately, my instincts took over me and evaded the attack. Within a splitsecond, I thrust one of my twin swords through his right leg but he was fast and it only grazed him.

Stepping back to reset my plan of attack, I saw the Shinigami who ambushed me. I drew both of my swords and took a defensive stance. Just when I was about to ask who he was, I realized he was one of the Reapers who attacked us before. I remembered how Kana propelled his sickle right into his comrade's chest. If he was alone, the other one he had rescued must have been in a critical situation or already dead.

With a series of short and long tap signals, I sent a message to Hayate by tapping my earpiece to inform them of what was happening in this area.

Dit dah dit – dit – dit dah – dit dah dah dit – dit – dit dah dit

"What do you want?" I asked.

"The heir," he said. "And your death."

Before I could react to his answer, he swung his Claymore, a medieval type of sword, at my direction but I fended it off with my twin swords. However, I didn't expect the weight of his attack. He hit them so hard that the impact made my whole body buckle.