Ignavus : City of Blood

Act 8 : Knock Between the Eyes

A pack of nourishment stockpiled within the brown-colored backpack for their apparent travel to the north. Elisa and Shanice have carried some, as well, but rather lesser in amount compared to the men of their small club. They have spent two hours in reduced vigilance inside the convenience store and spoiling themselves with numerous edibles around. No electricity for them to heat the raw meatloaves and noodles, so Gads used the fire pit outside for cooking some of them instead.

Next hours filled with shifted sleeping schedules. Each of them filed five-hours worth of slumber and took their turns soon after awakened,”Wake up, ladies!” yelled the curly-haired woman as she sealed the last shift. Their leader reduced her tone slightly to prevent being found out, barely loud enough for disrupting others from sleeping soundly on the floor’s embrace. And now, the quartet continue their voyage for a car ride. No impending revenge from any other thugs after their intense m******e against the six young felon of the convenience store. Despite so, their vision remains watchful towards the street and goes observant against any minor struggles in front of them. Three hours before beautiful sunrise, they have departed early for mitigating against any conceivable adversaries burrowed under the junkyard’s soil.

“Four hundred meters more and we’re allowed to roam around the trash. Stay alerted, guys.“

Gads Gilmore announced.

The bearded man acted as the man in charge for directions this time around. Shanice trusted his instinct and perception of the lane they required to traverse. Other than that, he claimed of knowledge about their desired destination, so the curly-haired woman accepts his proposal and passing the leadership baton for awhile.

“Whoa, look at those trash mountain!” John Straverman went ecstatic whilst steering his look upon the mound of dirt before them, heaps of electronic garbage that gradually developed into dust upon their fellow metal scraps down under.

His wife sparks a tiny fraction of happiness, too, emerged below the lips that shuttered close against the tide. Her face instilled a bland impression instead of loosen-up beam in front of their apparent destiny. Elisa wrapped an hour lesser in slumber than the rest of her team. A number of times the blonde-haired woman woken up by force of nightmare, shuddered against countless terror derived off her sleep. John has tried to console his wife, indeed, even hugged the woman and landed a kiss on her cheek.

Yet, the pressure of their indescribable future haunted her still.

He noticed several old-rubber tires and a number of dilapidated machines across the summit. Thoughts ablaze against them in spite of his own struggle in two days straight. John grew from his elated self to be slightly reserved soon after, mounting both hands above the forehead in distress,” I can’t see a future here somewhat. Are you sure there’s a fully-operational ride in this place? Just a little concern from my side.” Asked the black-haired man in concern.

Against his insinuation, however, the bearded man choose to engage with his own business before the tracker at hand,”Wait a second, I’m gonna locate how many enemies we have to face after hitting the fence.” He replied without looking forward, keeping himself intact ahead of the red dots perceived down within.

“How many of them can you see, Gads?”

Implying Shanice’s query, the bearded man crammed five fingers over one of his hands,”About ten from the trackers are all I can find. Lucky for us, they’re not grouping close to each other, so we can take’em on without killing any longer.”

The leader shrugged a bit against his assured look,”Really? My counter said I have six on my tally, so I suppose I won’t be tempted to concede another.” She smirked, then glancing towards John Straverman afterwards,” This is the group teamwork you wanted, right? Someone has to bear the burden for the others.”

“You’re the one who plunge forward, Shanice. I have told Gads to go forth instead of you again as the killer.” John retorted. His head goes tilted slightly to the left and leering before the woman in mild infuriation,” For what I have told you back then, it’s all merely a part of our whole plan if it all goes in order. You can blame yourself up for being a blood-boiling machine.”

Before the sudden pouting motion from the black-haired man, their leader reverted his menacing gaze with a mild grin over her lips,” At least we’re here, alright? Pardon me if I mentioned that earlier.” Said Shanice to ease off the tension in-between,”We’re doing this your way now.”

“We have company! Hide, guys, hide!”

Gads Gilmore quickly pulled his sister to conceal themselves behind the pile of rubble on their right. John and Alice do the similar and concealed below the pile of crumbled paper and wooden planks across the left. They never sure if Gads’ impending call served a purpose until four armed officers got past them in their leisure walk ahead.

‘Kriek’

The reinforced door opened once the quartet goes near. No one could be seen working on the mechanism from the other side. It folds back in automated fashion after four of them entered, sluggishly returning to its seemingly indestructible state shortly after.

~tap-tap-tap~

“I’m going inside. I’ll whack them out unconscious, John, don’t worry about me too much.”

Their leader puts forth fearless attitude and rushing into the door before it is completely closed. Her blistering pace saves a tight spot for her to squeeze up within. Gads Gilmore, on the other hand, kept himself behind the eventual shelter and observing the monitor thoroughly, looking after his sister by the invisible drone that the man had deployed,”Come here, both of you. Cover my back, please.” Tasked the bearded man towards the idling member of their group. Without further ado, John and Elisa quickly left their own hiding place and approaching their remaining ally beyond the junkyard, took a close-knitted corner to observe across the southern areas from where they have seated on.

“What did I say about being reckless? Knock it off, already.” Complained the man within his whispering voice. John’s vision sparks fury amidst their successful breach,”Tell me, what’s her plan now?”

Against his looming burst of query, Gads shrugged a bit,”You see, I can’t even do anything to convince her. It’s probably our sole chance to get in.” He defended.

John fell into skepticism and groaned in front of his reason. Who knows what would be happening inside and how much victims that their cold-blooded female warrior wanted to slay afterwards. The black-haired man relished to preserve their body count, but the survival game provides no rules other than killing lesser than the opponent instead. No sort of board emerges above their arena to display standings and current top-ranked criminal amongst hundred thousands worth of participants in the city.

In either way or another, they have no clue whether killing rate of their team has exceeded others at the moment. But then, everything has already been in place amidst his vocal protest. John Straverman could prove nothing of his own theory without hoping for the best to their sole leader at present.

“Hey, Elisa. Are you okay?”

Gads Gilmore noticed of John’s wife demeanor. No words blurted from her position ever since the struggle against six thugs of PangaeaMart and appeared even worse as the time goes by. Shreds of black immersed below her half-witted vision, fabricated tiresome behavior in spite of no-fatigue movement she performed, ” Elisa, you can rest if you have to. John will do the job for me.” Followed the bearded man before the blonde-haired woman could ever reply.

It bears a few seconds for Elisa to capture Gads’ evident attention. Her awareness stuttered against the flow and stumbled upon blank space ahead. After that, such impending struggle towards herself slowly ceased out from existence, luring the woman back in consciousness once again,”Huh? Please, don’t be. I’m still awake, Mr. Gilmore.” Said Elisa before the bearded man, equipping herself with silenced pistol for means of assault afterwards.

“So be it. Please be aware of your own limit, Mrs. Straverman.”

~bzzt-bzzt~

“I see one bogey inside the watchtower, one more below my feet. Any other way to circle them around?”

Gads Gilmore quickly delves into his gadget in response of Shanice’s request. He swipes crossways throughout the garbage mountain for early detection of their opponent’s vicinity. They were scattering around the junkyard and putting a good distance amongst one another.Each to their own safety, for the red dots to stride in patrol back and forth within their own territory,”I can draw the pointers for you. Put on the glasses, Shanice.” The bearded man instructed towards the radio.

“Roger that.”

Both eyes were closed for fitting the goggles onto the face. Shanice crawled on the dirt, waiting an opponent to pass beyond her presence under the above-ground pathways,”I’ve put them in. Awaiting the sketch from you, now.” Said the curly-haired woman in subsequent manner,”Remind me to take a bath. My hair stinks.”

“Okay, sending the path to your device, now.” The bearded man replied.

~zuu~

A blue-tinted direction suddenly emerged into her goggles, displaying the shortcut that Shanice should abide. Her finish line has established within the control room across the southwest in five meters above the towering structure ahead. In attempt to seize their way past studded steel reinforcement wall, Shanice has to knock out ten personnel of the junkyard at once.

“Pray for me, guys.” She whispered,”I’m moving forward, now.”

Shanice gradually creeping towards the southeastern side of the junkyard in faster motion. Under the safety of the above-ground platform and his low-level awareness, the curly-haired woman could manifest her speed and racking up position in front of the guard straight away. So far, the man upstairs was unaware of such movement and keeping himself forward, doing the job as it should be and viewing his surroundings in mild cognizance. A few meters before him stood a pile of boxes. He needs to move sideways after descending down the stairs there, giving the woman a space to use underneath, which has become the suggested plan from the beginning by their tactician outside.

“In two seconds from now, the other guards over the western area will turn sideways, that’s the window for you to take him out.”

Per Gads Gilmore’s information, Shanice nodded in silence. A knife furnished on her left palm whilst sluggishly skulking under the lazy feet of the guard above,” Don’t forget, sis. No killing.” Mentioned the bearded man over the radio. His sudden reminder instilled her memories straight after, for the curly-haired woman to holster back the knife without hesitation,”My instinct sucks.” Mumbled the woman, murmured to herself as she goes humiliated down under.

~clang-clang~

First step down the stairs, then the other leg follows in slothful fashion. He takes a slow-moving stroll to descend instead of being aggressive and taken two steps downward. It feels like a vacation for the man, indeed, as he puffed the smoke mid-ways to the bottom ground whilst covering the steel-made staircase in a whole. Lingering down the path of his own duty and working in almost no watchful observation. Truly, a masterful dedication of the person-in-charge against the unseeable threat beneath.

“Time to go.”

Once the guard hits the rock, Shanice Gilmore rapidly locked his movement and locking both legs at once. Her military training drives the sense to aim for the sweet spot on the nape. She applies moderate power onto the surface to knock him out without killing the man. As far as the training goes, it was supposedly done for murdering people under the veil, but the woman somehow could muster enough force only for stunned him a little instead.

“One down, nine more to go.”

The first experience on settling someone unconscious without impending bloodshed brought her into awe. Stints of vigor inspired the curly-haired woman to move around the block in heightened spirit. One simple struck towards the back could injure someone, but her extremely-reduced intake would barely made a notch on their entire life hereafter.

~Tak!~

Shanice pulls the second victim to be concealed under the shadow of the bridge. The third one was fortunate enough to be dragged inside a toilet, sleeping in more comfort than the junkyard’s dirt outside. Fourth and the fifth member were knocked out in almost the same time due to their close-distance chatter. She slammed the sixth and seventh guards close-knitted to one of the garbage mountain. To the eighth, ninth, and tenth member of the group, they were regrouped inside the control room altogether after being picked off one by one along the way up top.

A heavy breathing before the switch later, Shanice has cleaned them all in under ten minutes. Nobody was left awake in her advance to the finish line. Only the switch were spectating her inside, leaving the woman to speak on the radio receiver subsequently,“Ready when you are. I’ll open the gate.” Informed the leader to her subordinates beyond the border.