Chapter 33: A Storm Unleashed.

Hours had passed since the storm had begun to die down, leaving Green Arbor blanketed in a thick layer of snow. The world outside was silent, the fierce winds now a distant memory, replaced by an eerie calm. Ava, Talon, and Holts trudged through the snow-covered paths, their breaths misting in the cold air as they geared up for the day ahead. The weight of their uneasy alliance settled heavily over them.

Holts, ever the provocateur, let out a chuckle. "Feels just like one of our old road trips, eh?" he quipped, breaking the tense silence.

Talon threw him a sharp glance, his words dripping with sarcasm. “Yeah, because we always went heavily armed on those. The rabbits were fierce back then.”

Holts attempted an awkward smile, trying to mend the tension. “I’m sorry about Sarah,” he offered, though the sincerity of the apology felt hollow.

Talon’s face tightened, his jaw clenching. “Yeah, just my luck,” he muttered, glancing briefly at Ava. “Meet someone nice, then you turn up and ruin it. Now she’s off to help Jess load supplies for the medical center. I made sure she was busy, so she wouldn’t get caught up in this mess," Talon whispered to Ava.

Ava gave Talon a sidelong glance, her lips curling into a small, approving smile. "Sneaky. Well done," she said softly.

Holts, smirking, shot back, "How quaint your troubles seem compared to what we’re facing."

Their banter was cut short as Talon’s body tensed. His eyes scanned the tree line, instincts flaring. “Something’s not right,” he muttered under his breath, dropping his gear and tightening his grip on his rifle. Ava’s hand immediately flew to her pistol, her gaze narrowing as she locked onto Holts. “Did they follow you?”

Holts' eyes flicked nervously to the trees, uncertainty coloring his voice. “I don’t know… I don’t think so.”

Before anyone could process further, a guttural roar ripped through the quiet. Shadows moved swiftly between the trees, figures charging toward them with terrifying speed.

Ava and Talon sprang into action, weapons drawn and ready. Ava fired three quick shots, the first dropping one attacker instantly. She dove into a snowbank, rolling to her feet with cat-like grace as Talon opened fire, his rifle barking sharply. His bullets tore through the air, each one finding its target with ruthless precision. One assailant fell, clutching his chest as crimson stained the snow, while another spun from a shot to the leg, crumpling to the ground.

But the attackers kept coming.

Ava didn’t hesitate, rushing toward a third attacker. Her fist collided with his jaw, a sickening crack echoing in the cold air as she followed up with a swift knee to his stomach, doubling him over. Without mercy, she slammed his head into the ground, knocking him unconscious. She moved like a whirlwind of violence, every motion efficient, every strike brutal.

Talon, meanwhile, took down another attacker with a perfectly placed shot to the shoulder, sending the man crashing into the snow. Talon rushed forward, pinning the man under his boot. "Who sent you?" he growled, pressing down harder, the man’s pained groan mingling with the crunch of snow beneath them.

"Okay, okay!" the man gasped, pain lacing his voice. "We were paid to attack so Holts could escape!"

Ava’s eyes darted around. “Escape from what? We weren’t holding him.”

The man grimaced, his breath ragged. “That’s just what we were told. I don’t know any more.”

Suddenly, the distant crack of gunfire split the air, followed by a woman’s scream. Ava and Talon’s eyes locked for a split second before they sprinted toward the source, their hearts pounding with the fear of what they might find.

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As they neared the north gate, a vehicle roared to life and sped away, its tires kicking up a spray of snow as it vanished into the distance. Ava raised her pistol, firing several rounds after it, but the shots were futile—the vehicle was gone.

“What the hell just happened?” An ADF guard called out as he and several others rushed toward them, weapons at the ready.

“We don’t know yet,” Ava responded breathlessly. “Fan out, send men into the woods and follow the tracks from that vehicle. And bring the ones we injured —they might know more.”

As orders were barked and soldiers scrambled into action, Talon’s eyes landed on a figure crumpled in the snow, barely moving.

His heart stopped.

“No… no, no…” Talon whispered, rushing forward as his worst fears materialized before him. Sarah lay on the ground, blood staining the snow beneath her, her breath shallow and labored. Talon fell to his knees beside her, cradling her gently. “Sarah, no…”

Tears blurred his vision as he tried to take in the sight before him, his mind unable to fully comprehend the horror of it all.

Talon knelt in the snow, cradling Sarah’s head in his lap, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he fought back the overwhelming wave of emotion threatening to break through. The snow around them was stained red, Sarah’s blood seeping into the white ground, stark against the cold purity of winter’s blanket. Ava rushed to his side, quickly assessing the wound, her hands moving with practiced precision as she attempted to stanch the flow of blood.

"Sarah, stay with us," Ava urged, her voice steady but laced with urgency. She pressed her hands against the wound, but the blood kept flowing, and she could feel the warmth of it quickly fading in the icy air.

Sarah, her face pale, managed a weak smile, her breath shaky as her hand reached up to touch Talon’s cheek. “I… I got one in the leg with your gift,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, but her eyes held a flicker of pride.

Talon’s heart twisted painfully at her words. His voice broke as he whispered back, “I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry, Sarah. I should’ve kept you safe. I should’ve been here.”

Tears blurred his vision as Sarah’s hand fell weakly against his chest. "You did," she rasped, her voice fragile like the brittle wind. "You… gave me something I didn’t think I’d ever have again—hope… and love."

Talon pressed his forehead against hers, his tears mingling with the snowflakes that dusted her face. "Don’t go… please, Sarah… I need you," he choked out, his words trembling with fear and desperation.

Ava’s voice, tight with emotion but still holding onto a sliver of hope, cut through the despair. "We’re going to get you through this. Just hang on a little longer. The medics are coming."

Moments later, the medics arrived, dropping to their knees in the snow beside them. They quickly began chest compressions, their hands working rhythmically as they tried to revive her. One medic barked instructions, while the other alternated between compressions and breaths, desperately trying to pull Sarah back from the edge. The cold, stark silence of the night was pierced by the sound of their efforts, but with each passing moment, hope began to slip away.

"Come on, Sarah, don’t give up," one of the medics urged, their breath misting in the frigid air. Ava watched, her heart sinking further with each compression, each passing second filled with a growing sense of dread.

Talon could do nothing but sit helplessly, his hands shaking as he clutched Sarah’s lifeless fingers. "Please…" he whispered again, his voice barely a whisper in the snowstorm.

After what felt like an eternity, one of the medics slowed, their hands faltering as they exchanged a solemn look with the other. "I’m… I’m sorry," the medic said quietly, their voice heavy with regret.

Ava, her heart pounding in her chest, watched in frozen horror as the medics ceased their efforts. One gently placed a blanket over Sarah’s body, covering her still form as the cold air finally claimed her.

Talon’s world collapsed around him in that moment. His shoulders shook with silent sobs as he held Sarah’s body, rocking gently as if trying to comfort her even in death. "No… no, please… no…not like this...please" His voice was hollow, broken beyond repair, as the cold reality settled into his bones.

Ava stood beside him, her face pale and her heart heavy. She placed a hand on his shoulder, offering a silent comfort, but there were no words that could ease the agony in Talon’s heart.

The snow fell quietly around them, the world eerily still as the weight of their loss pressed down on them both. Talon stood, numb, staring at the place where Sarah had been, his mind struggling to grasp the enormity of what had just happened.

"I should’ve done more," he whispered, his voice broken. "I should’ve saved her…"

Ava, her own grief buried beneath her need to be strong for him, shook her head. "There was nothing more you could have done, Talon. This isn’t on you."

But her words felt hollow in the face of his pain, and she knew that no matter what she said, it wouldn’t lessen the weight of his guilt.

Talon turned away from the scene, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "This is Holts… this is all his fault," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "I’m going to make him pay."

Ava, her own rage simmering beneath the surface, nodded in agreement. "We’ll make him pay. For Sarah. For everything."

They stood in the cold, the storm of their grief and anger swirling around them, as the weight of what was to come pressed heavily upon their shoulders.