FREE FIRE

Chapter2-THE CIRCLE CLOSES

The jeep skidded to a halt near Bimasakti’s low-rise buildings. The safe zone was tightening, forcing squads closer together. Arjun’s squad took cover in a two-story house, fortifying it with gloo walls. Meera climbed to the roof, her scope glinting as she scanned for enemies. Sanjay guarded the stairs, his shotgun ready. Ravi and Arjun looted the rooms, finding a Vector and a few frags.“Ten squads left,” Ravi said, checking the kill feed. “We’re in the top 20.”Arjun’s stomach twisted. The Syndicate’s rules were brutal: only the last squad standing would get the prize. No second place, no mercy. He thought of the rumors about the Syndicate—how they rigged matches, how they punished cheaters with more than just bans. But he pushed the fear aside. Focus. Survive.A flare g*n’s red streak lit the sky nearby. Someone was calling an airdrop. Ravi’s eyes gleamed. “That’s our chance for better gear. Let’s move.”They crept toward the airdrop’s landing zone, a clearing near Katulistiwa. The crate parachuted down, its beacon pulsing. But as they approached, another squad ambushed them from the trees. Bullets tore through the air, and Sanjay took a headshot, his avatar collapsing instantly.“No!” Arjun shouted, tossing a gloo wall to block the gunfire. Meera returned fire, her AWM dropping one enemy, but the others kept coming. Ravi lobbed a grenade, scattering them, and Arjun revived Sanjay just in time. They grabbed the airdrop—SCAR, level-3 armor, a Groza—and retreated, hearts pounding.But the victory was short-lived. The circle shrank again, forcing them toward Peak, a death trap of open fields and sniper perches. As they ran, Arjun noticed something odd on the minimap: a squad moving unnaturally fast, their icons blinking in and out. Hackers.“Ravi, you see that?” Arjun asked.Ravi cursed. “Speed hacks. Syndicate’s probably in on it. Stay low.”They reached Peak and took cover in a ditch. Meera spotted the hacker squad on a hill, their movements jerky, weapons firing impossibly fast. One of them wielded an M1887, downing players with single shots. Arjun’s squad held their ground, but the hackers were relentless, wiping out two other squads in seconds.“We can’t fight them head-on,” Meera said. “We need to outsmart them.”Ravi nodded. “Let’s bait them. Arjun, Sanjay, flank left. Meera, cover us. I’ll draw their fire.”It was a risky plan, but they had no choice. Arjun and Sanjay crawled through the grass, their avatars blending with the terrain. Ravi tossed a decoy grenade, making it seem like they were rushing the hill. The hackers took the bait, unloading their ammo. Meera’s sniper cracked, dropping one. Arjun and Sanjay flanked, unloading their Groza and Vector into the hackers’ backs. The enemy squad fell, their hacked accounts banned mid-match by the game’s anti-cheat system.But the cost was high. Ravi’s health was critical, and their medkits were gone. The circle was now a tiny speck on the map, and only three squads remained.