Ignavus : City of Blood

Act 2 : Gunner Brother

Shanice Gilmore strides at the foremost of the newfounded group for survival game. John Straverman fills the rear for defences against many adversaries that seemingly decided to assault them from the back. Being the most frightened ones amongst them, Elisa stationed herself in-between the two focused menace. She fixated her look towards the posterior side of their companion. Straight and unwavering, the blonde-haired woman denies to observe the flanks for cover.

~boom~

another explosions occurred on the third floor of an apartment building across the left side from where the three persons roam across. It is the third time in a row for them after an hour elapsed. Someone has trifled with their neighbors, it appears, that a female survivor dangling haplessly on the edge of a balcony. Her face indicated of malevolent presence inside the apartment,” Please, don’t kill me?! Help!” screamed the woman, wailing for any support down below.

Yet, nobody wanted to get their hands over someone’s defeat. They are all busy on scavenging what’s left on the street. A gentleman in blue uniform carelessly traverse back and forth before the department store. He was careless of the social disorder before him. For the man now, his own survival means the most rather than dealing with other person’s errands on their plate.

A shadowy figure on the screen has told them about no rule conduct, so his presence was nothing but a symbol of lost cause. Law and order has fallen to the knee of someone powerful behind the curtain of WIC company. No subsequent command from the headquarters that would determine his existence behind the star-adorned emblem. Despite the once-menacing outfit that the man himself has wearing, it is an empty casket before anyone’s demise.

“Look, our Police Officer even desperate to make amends. What a prick, Aldo Meridic.”

Said the ebony woman as they walk past the atrocity on the street. Shanice Gilmore face them all in bland-looking expression and kept her pace steady upon the pedestrian walkway. Because of the sudden announcement from Aldo Meridic, the electricity has been shuttered out since an hour ago and stopped any electric-made automobiles from ever working normally on the street.

It makes them useless to endeavor on the wheels any longer.

“Hey, where would be going, now? Hope you get some ideas.” John Straverman yelled straight at Shanice, from which felt disturbed against his abrupt query,” You don’t have one, really? I thought you’re the man with plans.” Replied the woman rude, but then eventually shakes her own head in disbelief.

“You both lucky I’m a local in this city. We’ll have to supply our hand in equipments, first. That’s where we headed.”

It takes them quite a while to reach the place that Shanice Gilmore had stated. Gads Gilmore & Brothers were the name portrayed on the LED-adorned display across the top, as they could find soaked under the heat of sun. Its ‘G’ letter on the logo was nearly fallen down from its shelter. Swaying against the wind that gusts around in every minute, there was seemingly no further attention to the banner at the minimum for immediate service afterwards. Other letters on the board were also nearing its own death and having themselves to wait on their turn to swing around.

Due to the eerie feelings professed upon the front yard, Elisa quickly clutched herself on the side of her husband’s shoulder,“I’m afraid, honey.” said the blonde-haired woman repeatedly. John Straverman could feel a massive tremble from her grip. He knows that her wife was never built for survival, and no portions of speech would prove as a cue for her to subside,” Me too, babe, me too.” Said the man, kissing her wife on the forehead to slightly ease off the fear.

“I’ll pry on a little.”

Shanice murmured towards her two companions, then peeked into the room soon after. She treads over the shreds of glass derived off its shattered main entrance. It takes her a few minutes to observe the inner landscape of the gun shop. John Straverman, on the other hand, was charged on being the watchdog upon the street. Nobody are worth a hassle at the moment for the black-haired man to worry about. They were running past the three of them as if nobody has ever there from the beginning.

But then, he still has to be alerted upon many potential attackers who would have wanted to take a shot on their vulnerable state. John Straverman comprehends with this issue fairly well, for the black-haired man to conceal his wife at the backside of his torso,” How’s it? Can we go through?” asked the man towards his busy companion at the front.

After roaming across its wardrobe in complete fashion, the woman retracted herself away from the door,”It’s safe. Found two stranger’s remains inside, but it’s not my brother at all.” Informed the woman as she returned.

A complete tear-down scenery inside the room, indeed, as the curly-haired woman ordered the Straverman family to crouch down still. John Straverman has to pull his wife away from the gravely sight of two calamitous survivors at the middle of the room. They both were brandished with old-fashioned revolver across their now-cold right arms. Someone has burst down a full-c****d shrapnels out of a shotgun straight in point-blank fashion.

”Most akin-minded people like us would want a share of an ammo. My brother should have think of that beforehand.” Whispered Shanice towards the other two on their group, which gulping themselves against the sight of blood before them,” We don’t have to worry about someone pursuing us, though. I think everyone knows that it will be wise not to kill anyone right now, only for means to defend.”

John Straverman ventures around the corner to locate any useful weaponry inside the display case. Yet, most of the hot-headed stuff were either taken away or broken down by extreme force. There are brand-new machine gun that could spurt more than a hundred bullets in a second. One needs to consider hefty cost to operate one of them and usually hard to carry around, that is the main reason for them to become deserted in this type of survival battle.

Because of how unusable they are in the era of peace, no industries taken their interest to develop small-time weapons that could annihilate other humans in seconds. Alien sightings were quite common nowadays, so they tend to manufacture high-caliber weaponry to capture or defending humanity against the threat from space.

For that sole reason, no innovation of human-scale weaponry could be found scattering on the road. They mass-produced the once-obsolete firearms and sell it out in lower price than usual. One could even afford a full-size assault rifle on the price of a hundred dollars in bargaining sale these days. There are discounts into play for the gun collectors in every store across the street, and it could plunge down the whole value even more in the process.

Similar to her companion, Shanice also engrossed in finding a useful merchandise for their self-defence occasion. She was looking for sub-machine gun form of armament that would have no recoil and friendly to use in woman’s arm. Instead of discovering them out in the display case, all that the woman could find is none other than a revolver and pistols inside, ” I know Gads have them somewhere. All of these are just firecrackers for us.” Commented the woman as she thrown away several pistols to find some other ones underneath.

“Or, your brother has them stashed somewhere? Could ask them for some if they are still alive.”

Shanice eyes shifted bright after John Straverman’s suggestions. She wipes the dust on her chest, pondering over her brother’s whereabouts and their storage to scavenge,”I think we can try to locate them inside. Follow me.” The woman directed the two of them forward to a brown-tinted door a few meters away behind the display case and near the cupboard on their left. It has been carved meticulously to form a gun-shaped structure.

Above them, a picture of one man smiling greeted them up front in refined shape of white teeth,”That’s my brother, if you wanna know about him. His name is Gads Gilmore.” Shanice explained in brief. The black-haired man and his wife responded with a nod.

~clack-clack~

“Ugh, this door is the most problematic issue in his business other than his wife. I wanna shot the doorknob, but it’ll surely ricochet to us somehow.” Said the woman in her struggle against the locked-up door,” Or maybe...”

John Straverman shook his head in advance,” There’s no maybe or unless. We could die because of mere recklessness if you trynna break the door with pistols or anything like it.” He intterupted mid-way before the woman could lay another resort of her own assumption,” Fine, I’ll barge in with my kick, or you can do it for us, my man.” Retorted Shanice against the man’s refusal.

“My pleasure.”

The black-haired man prepared himself before the sturdy-looking wooden frame that blocked them away from the reality it preserved. He does a number of leg-related warm up in order to prevent unintended injury upon his bumping attempt to the door before them. Elisa withdraws herself back to stand beside Shanice Gilmore, waiting for her man to knock them down as promised,” You can do it, honey! You’re strong, I know it.” Said the woman as she walked out from the way.

“Let’s go!”

John Straverman struck a leg directly to the bottom sides of the door, blasted them out completely as the man enters. Burnt-up cigarettes were piling up above the ashtray. A silhouette of someone could be seen under the shadowy area of the room, working on something that was vague for their eyes to notice,” Gads? It’s me, Shanice. Have you listen to the-“

~clack-clack~

A bold tone of shotgun in its reload motion. No words coming up from the mouth of such person, only sluggish movements and creaking sounds of near-dilapidated floor,”Gads? Please, quit it. I know it’s just you.”

“HA-HA-HA-HA!”

Laughter emanates from the way such person emerges,” How do you know it’s me, eh? I’m doing my best to surprise you all, but it seems all but naught for you guys.”