Fuck.

My mind raced with a million different solutions to this scenario. I could leave the kids here and start over somewhere else. But, if the military police were coming now, I would probably run into them while trying to flee. I wanted to escort the kids out, but I feared that we'd be sitting ducks with too big of a group.

The radio's light illuminated us in a sickly green, and it beeped steadily. We were out of time, and whoever planted the radio was coming for it.

Kay ran over to me, “Sy, what is-“

I quickly slapped my hand across Kay’s mouth before gesturing for him to remain silent. I ushered Bonnie and Lucas toward us so that all the kids were gathered around my legs.

"We know you're down here! Just call out your names, and we can get you to the surface!"

I knew it. The voices called out to us just as flashlights illuminated the far end of the tunnel. I could hear boots pounding the stone, coming toward us fast.

I knelt down, softly addressing the kids, “everyone, listen to me. I’ve prepared you for this. Follow the tunnel to our next meeting spot, and I’ll meet you there afterward.”

Palm shook her head while frantically clawing my shoulder.

“Sylas, no, we need you to come with us!” she protested.

“It’s alright; I’ll be right behind you once I deal with this. Everyone follow

Palm and listen to whatever she tells you.”

I shook the kids off me, and they reluctantly followed my orders. I smashed the radio on the floor, crunching the bits of plastic and wiring beneath my shoe.

“Damn those kids,” I muttered under my breath.

I didn't have long, and the kids needed time to getaway. I had to do something to distract or detain these intruders.

“Signal just went out; they must’ve destroyed the radio, but they must be up ahead in this opening on the map.”

A map? How had they gotten a map of this old sewer system?

I put my back up against the darkest part of the wall I could see, far from the only other light source in the room, the sewer grate above. I was hidden, and I watched as the group finally turned the corner, passing by me to the remains of the radio. Their flashlights illuminated the space, revealing nothing but stone and concrete.

Good. I guess the kids managed to get ahead. There were four men, heavily armed, but not blues, to my surprise. These men wore olive overcoats, their faces covered with masks. They stumbled upon the remains of the radio and sifted through the wreckage before pulling out a single component.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Thought so. The silo receptor is active. I guess we were right about the kids.”

I felt my skin tighten, and my stomach churn. Kids? So it was a plant? How did they even know to look here? The man examining the radio pressed his fingers to his right ear.

“Team 2, targets confirmed. One of the kids is an unconfirmed category 1 Cambion.”

I heard a slight crackle in the air, then someone responds.

"Acknowledged. Shoot-to-kill authorization granted. Please proceed with caution."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I sat on bated breath, hoping for some reason that these men would just leave. My heart twitched behind my swollen lungs as a building pressure mounted behind my eyes.

Would they really kill some random kids over suspicions? Cambions are dangerous mutants, but I’d been with the kids long enough to know none of them were out of the ordinary.

All my misguided thoughts of leaving the children dissipated; I couldn't let them die just to save myself. Additionally, Cambions were supposed to be eccentric-looking, with odd hair and eye colors. Are they so similar to humans that I couldn’t tell them apart? No. No way. They were planning to kill these kids just on a hunch with no evidence.

“Team 1…copy. We are entering the sewer at Lebroad street now. Weapons are hot, preparing to engage category 1 if spotted.”

Let’s see, Palm has smokey blue eyes. Kay has a set of hazel, and the twins each have dark green eyes. There’s no way any of them wear contacts, and none of them fit the physical description of a Cambion. What is this all about? It doesn’t matter…I must do something, or they’ll be found soon.

I stepped out of the shadows. I didn’t mean to, but I did it anyway. While in the middle of thinking of a way out, my body decided that this was the way. The men in front of me heard my step crunch small rocks beneath my foot.

“Who’s there!?” they shouted.

Their spotlights illuminated me, leaving everything else in darkness. I shielded my eyes with my arm.

“Don’t take a step closer!”

I stopped as they commanded. Through my obscured vision, I saw weapons raised at me. They were handguns, but they could still do a person in quickly.

“Can I help you guys out?”

“No! You can stay right there and tell us who you are!”

“Is that all? My name is Sylas. That’s all you came for, right? I can show you the way out.”

They weren't thrilled with my attempts to joke and scowled at me together.

“Do you guys practice that? You’re all in unison; it’s pretty entertaining!”

I smiled widely and threw my hands in my pockets, then took a small step toward them.

Bang.

I was struck in the shoulder with something fast but so heavy, it lurched my body back toward the wall. I fell to the ground, gripping my left shoulder. My vision bounced and became fuzzy for fleeting moments, and I removed my hand to see it covered in blood. I felt intense heat scorching across my skin. My whole left arm was on fire, and I couldn't feel anything above my elbow.

“We told you not another step. The next one will kill you.”

One man took the lead and stood over me, pointing his weapon down at my head. The pain was excruciating. I felt the blood from the wound engulf my torso, dyeing my dirty white shirt a shade of deep crimson.

“Whret he clihdern ouy wree whti?”

What did he say? I could see his mouth moving, but his words were muffled. My ears rang, and it sounded as if walls themselves were screeching at me. My vision was fading, the image of the men dipping in and out of the blackness. The grip I had on my shoulder became increasingly weaker as my willpower became limp. I slowly inched myself up against the wall.

Shit, why did I step forward? I could’ve stayed in the dark and waited for them to leave. But then the kids wouldn’t have had a chance. But who am I kidding? What would I accomplish by getting killed? At least if I had stayed out of sight, someone would survive this.

Shit.

Shit.

I felt blood seep from the corners of my damp lips. Why was this man standing over me? Was he watching me die for fun? My ears ceased ringing for just long enough to hear something.

“Just kill him already. We need to get going," one of the men shouted from the back.

“We don’t know who the Cambion is, and we didn’t know about this guy.

I’m waiting to see if his Crown triggers.”

Crown? What are these guys going on about?

Shit.

Not like it matters, I can feel myself slipping—stupid Sylas. Always looking out for others, and for what? Where has it ever gotten you?

Shit.

The pain was unbearable. The only alleviation I felt was the numbness overtaking my body. Past my assailants, I saw the light from the sewer grate disappear as a vehicle passed over top. Gravel from the ceiling crumbled down onto my face, gripping loosely to the blood and grime I was wearing.

Shit.

I felt those were my final moments as my hearing utterly disappeared. The heat swallowed me, and I was drowning in my own blood. I watched the man above me; his hand was steady, with no shake at all as he aimed down on me. His finger slowly moved from the side of the weapon to the trigger. A gun's trigger is ironically delicate, delivering death with less effort than it takes to snap your fingers.

My face was damp. Blood, sweat, and tears all felt the same at that moment. My arm fell limp to my side. I tried to squeeze my hand but lacked the strength to do so.

Shit.

As the numbness began to overtake me, I felt oddly tranquil. With no feeling in my body, all I could do was watch particles dance around me, illuminated by the flashlights of my killers. Was it particles of dust that carelessly hopped in front of my face, teasing me? No, I don't think it was. The man pressed down gently on the trigger, and the last thing I saw before closing my eyes was the flash of the barrel.