FREE FIRE

Chapter3-BONDS AND BETRAYALS

The final circle was at Factory, a maze of rusted containers and narrow alleys. Arjun’s squad fortified a rooftop, their ammo low, their nerves frayed. Sanjay was quiet, his usual bravado gone. Meera’s hands shook as she reloaded her M14. Ravi’s voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed his fear.“We’ve come too far to lose,” Ravi said. “For Priya, for all of us.”Arjun nodded, thinking of his sister’s smile, her frail hand squeezing his before he left for the tournament. He couldn’t fail her.Footsteps echoed below. Another squad was closing in. Meera peeked over the edge and fired, her bullet grazing an enemy in a dragon skin. The enemy squad retaliated with a barrage of frags, forcing Arjun’s team to scatter. Sanjay leaped off the roof, his shotgun blasting, and took down one opponent before being gunned down by an UMP.“Sanjay!” Arjun yelled, but there was no time to revive him. The enemy squad pushed forward, their leader wielding a flamethrower—a rare weapon Arjun had only seen in elite matches. Meera sniped the flamethrower user, but not before he set the rooftop ablaze. Ravi and Arjun jumped to the ground, landing hard, their health bars flashing red.It was chaos. The third squad joined the fight, turning Factory into a slaughterhouse. Bullets flew, explosions rocked the map, and the kill feed lit up with names. Arjun’s squad fought like demons, their teamwork honed from months of practice. Meera’s sniper picked off stragglers, Ravi’s grenades flushed out campers, and Arjun’s AK47 held the line.But the odds were against them. Meera took a shotgun blast to the chest, her avatar crumpling. Ravi screamed her name, but she was gone. Only Arjun and Ravi remained, facing four enemies from the last squad. The circle was a pinpoint now, leaving no room to hide.“Arjun, we can’t win this,” Ravi said, his voice breaking. “But we can try.”Arjun’s eyes stung with tears. He thought of Priya, of his mother’s weary face, of the debt collectors who’d taken their home. He couldn’t give up. “We fight,” he said.They made their last stand in a container, back-to-back. Ravi tossed their final gloo wall, giving them a moment’s cover. Arjun peeked out, firing his AK47, and downed one enemy. But the others were too strong, their level-3 armor absorbing his bullets. A grenade rolled toward them, and Ravi pushed Arjun out of the way, taking the blast himself.“Ravi!” Arjun screamed, but his friend’s avatar was still, his health bar empty.Alone, Arjun faced the final three enemies. His ammo was nearly gone, his health critical. He thought of Priya’s red bandana, tied to his wrist in real life, and charged forward, firing wildly. He downed one enemy, then another, his screen shaking with recoil. But the last opponent, a player in a golden skull mask, was too fast. A single M1887 shot ended it.Arjun’s screen went black. “Defeated. Rank: 2/50.”