Chapter 2 : The Ambush.

The day had an unsettling quiet. Ava sat in the passenger seat of their lead vehicle, her eyes scanning the rocky landscape of the canyon. The road ahead was narrow, flanked by steep cliffs that felt too close for comfort. Talon, sitting behind her in the back seat, hadn’t stopped shifting in his seat, his unease palpable.

“Something’s off,” Talon muttered, his voice low but carrying an edge of certainty that Ava had learned to trust over the years.

Kess, the driver, glanced at Talon through the rearview mirror. “Is he always like this?”

Ava didn’t take her eyes off the cliffs. “When Talon’s instincts flare up, I listen. You should too.”

The eerie silence persisted, the usual background noises of nature strangely absent. No birds, no wind—just the hum of their vehicle’s engine as it crawled through the tight pass. The tension in the air thickened, weighing heavily on Ava’s chest.

Talon leaned forward, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the ridge above. “We need to stop. Now.”

Before Ava could give the order, a bright flash caught her eye from the cliffside. Time seemed to slow as the realization hit her.

“RPG! Brace!” Ava screamed, throwing her arms up to shield herself.

The explosion came a heartbeat later.

The rocket slammed into their vehicle with a deafening roar, flipping it violently onto its side with a bone-rattling crash. Ava was thrown hard against the door, her head slamming into the window. The world spun, her vision blurred as the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

For a moment, everything was a disorienting blur of smoke, fire, and silence.

Ava blinked through the haze, her senses slowly returning. The vehicle was on its side, the windshield shattered, and smoke poured from the wreckage. Her body screamed in pain as she forced herself to move. Talon groaned weakly behind her, pinned under the debris.

“Kess?!” Ava called out, her voice hoarse as she twisted to check on the driver. Her heart sank—Kess was slumped over the wheel, motionless, blood pooling beneath him. He was gone.

Ava cursed under her breath, her pulse quickening. Talon was alive, but unconscious. His face was smeared with blood from a gash on his forehead, and his breathing was shallow. She needed to get them out—now.

“Talon?” she called out, shaking him slightly, trying to rouse him. “Come on, wake up!”

No response.

Gunfire erupted outside, shouts and screams from the rest of the convoy filling the air. Ava’s heart pounded, her instincts screaming at her to move, to fight. She reached for her rifle, only to find it jammed between the cracked windshield and the dashboard.

“Fuck!” she hissed, her frustration mounting. She kicked the door, but the vehicle was wedged tight against the ground. They were trapped.

The sounds of boots crunching on gravel grew louder—raiders. Ava’s mind raced as she searched for another weapon. Her hands landed on Kess’s emergency rifle, still secured by the seat. She yanked it free and checked the ammo—fully loaded. Good.

“Talon, hang in there,” she whispered, her voice filled with urgency as she struggled to pull him free of the wreckage. Her muscles screamed in protest, but she wouldn’t leave him behind. With a grunt of effort, she dragged him out from under the debris and onto the ground outside the vehicle.

As she pulled Talon clear, she spotted movement in the distance—raiders descending from the cliffs, rifles raised. They were closing in fast.

“Stay with me, Talon,” Ava muttered, positioning herself between him and the oncoming raiders. Her grip tightened on the rifle as she took aim through the haze of smoke and dust. The first raider went down with a clean shot to the chest, then another. But more kept coming.

Bullets whizzed past her, ricocheting off the wreckage. Ava crouched low, her breathing steady despite the chaos around her. She fired again, taking out another raider who was attempting to flank her. The acrid scent of gunpowder filled the air, mixing with the coppery tang of blood.

“Talon, I need you to wake up,” she said through gritted teeth, glancing back at him. His chest rose and fell slowly, but he remained unconscious, his head resting awkwardly on the ground.

Ava fired another round, dropping a raider who was dangerously close. But the enemy was swarming, their numbers overwhelming. They were being pinned down, the convoy in shambles. Another explosion rocked the air as an RPG hit one of the rear vehicles, blocking their retreat.

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“We’re not getting out of here,” Ava muttered to herself, the grim realization sinking in.

As she scanned for another escape route, the sharp crack of a bullet whizzed past her ear. She flinched, rolling to the side just in time to avoid another shot. Pain flared in her arm as a bullet grazed her skin, but she didn’t have time to react. A raider was upon her, his rifle raised.

Ava swung her rifle up just in time to parry the attack, but the force knocked her back into the dirt. The raider grinned, advancing on her with a knife in hand.

Her heart pounded, the world narrowing to the moment before impact. She twisted her body, using the momentum to kick the raider’s legs out from under him. He hit the ground with a grunt, but before he could recover, Ava drove the butt of her rifle into his face, knocking him out cold.

Her vision blurred from the exertion, and she could feel the blood trickling down her arm, but she couldn’t stop now. She had to protect Talon.

From behind, Ava heard the thudding boots of more raiders closing in. She staggered to her feet, lifting her rifle again, but before she could fire, the enemy overwhelmed her. One raider knocked the rifle from her hands, another grabbed her by the arms, forcing her down.

They had her.

Breathing heavily, Ava fought against the restraints, but the raiders had the upper hand. They dragged her toward the rest of the captured Sentinels, her heart sinking as she realized the full weight of their situation.

“Get them on their knees,” the raider leader barked. He was a massive figure, his cold eyes scanning the survivors with malicious glee. The sight of the pile of captured weapons brought a twisted grin to his face.

As Ava and Talon were lined up with the other Sentinels, their fate sealed by the brutal efficiency of their captors, Ava cast one last desperate glance at Talon, who still hadn’t woken.

The sound of gunfire and smoke filled the air as the raiders prepared to move their captives into the unknown.

The canyon echoed with the shuffle of boots and the occasional cough of a wounded Sentinel as the raiders rounded up their captives. Ava knelt on the ground, her breath heavy, her heart pounding from the fight and the sheer chaos that had swallowed them whole. Talon lay nearby, barely conscious, his face pale and streaked with blood. Two Sentinels knelt beside him, doing their best to stabilize him, but the situation looked grim.

Garrick the leader of the raiders, a towering brute with a vicious grin, surveyed the captives. His dark eyes gleamed with malice as he strode toward them, his boots crunching on the gravel. He stopped in front of one Sentinel, a younger man who glared up at him with a defiant, unbroken spirit.

Garrick sneered. “So, you still have some fight in you, huh?” He motioned to one of his men, who handed him a battered Revolver.

Ava's heart clenched as she watched the scene unfold, knowing what was coming next. "No..." she whispered under her breath, but she knew there was nothing she could do. The raiders had them outnumbered and outgunned.

Without a word, the raider leader raised the pistol and shot the defiant Sentinel in the head. The sound of the gunshot reverberated through the canyon, leaving a deafening silence in its wake. The young Sentinel crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Ava bit down on her lip, forcing back the cry that threatened to break free. The others flinched, horror etched into their faces as they watched their comrade fall. The raiders, however, laughed—a cruel, mocking sound that tore at Ava’s nerves.

“That’s what happens when you don’t cooperate,” the leader said with a grin, holstering his weapon. “Anyone else feel brave?”

The Sentinels exchanged glances but remained silent. There was nothing they could say that wouldn’t end in more bloodshed.

Talon stirred weakly, his voice a mere rasp. “Ava...”

Ava glanced at him, her heart tightening. She had to remain calm, had to stay focused. “I’m here, Talon. Just stay with me, okay?”

The Sentinels helping Talon whispered words of encouragement, trying to keep him conscious. "Hold on, brother. We’ve got you," one of them murmured, his hand resting on Talon’s shoulder.

The raiders showed no mercy, shoving the captives into a line. “Get up!” one of the raiders snarled, kicking a Sentinel who had faltered under the weight of his injuries. Another raider struck a different Sentinel across the face with the butt of his rifle, sending him sprawling.

Ava gritted her teeth, fury burning in her chest. Every part of her wanted to fight back, but she knew better. They were too weak, too outnumbered. If she made a move, they’d be slaughtered before they even had a chance to mount a defense.

The raider leader Garrick glanced at her, a twisted smile curling his lips. “I heard about you,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt. “The Sentinels’ shining star. Doesn’t look like you’re shining so bright now, does it?”

Ava kept her gaze locked on the ground, refusing to rise to his bait. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out a way to escape, but there was nothing—no opening, no chance.

The raiders dragged them forward, forcing them to march through the narrow canyon. Every step was agony. Ava stumbled, but forced herself to keep moving, her thoughts focused on Talon, who was being half-carried by the Sentinels on either side of him.

They walked for what felt like hours, the cold canyon air biting at their skin, the weight of their situation pressing down on them. Ava’s body ached, but it was the weight in her chest that was hardest to bear—the knowledge that they were prisoners, their fate unknown.

The raiders continued to laugh and jeer as they marched, occasionally shoving a Sentinel or delivering a swift kick to someone who fell behind. One of the raiders got close to Ava, sneering down at her. "Not so tough now, are you, Sentinel?"

She didn’t answer, her mind too focused on keeping her composure and watching over Talon, whose breathing had grown shallow. Each time he stumbled, her heart lurched in her chest. She wanted to reach him, to help him, but her hands were tied—literally and figuratively.

Night began to fall, and the convoy halted. The raiders made camp, binding the Sentinels with chains and forcing them to the ground. Ava was thrown down beside Talon, who was barely conscious, his skin pale and clammy.

“Talon,” she whispered urgently, her eyes searching his for any sign of awareness. “You need to stay with me. We’re getting out of this. I promise you.”

Talon’s eyelids fluttered, and for a brief moment, he met her gaze. “I’m not going anywhere blondie,” he whispered hoarsely, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Ava’s heart tightened. She could only hope that his words held true.

As the night deepened, Ava lay awake, her mind racing, her body aching, and her heart heavy with the uncertainty of what was to come. The raiders might have them now, but she would find a way to escape—she had to.

For Talon, for the others... and for herself.