“Until the… situation is contained. The Tostoya-Capell group recommends that District 4 necessitates the wartime quarantine measure.”

Murmurs filled the gloomy sterilised hall, the sound of the politik machine revving. 110 seats of differing builds spiralled outwards from a podium like a shell of the conch, party lines distinct and varied, if counted and summed; more than 15 whose job kept this city from falling. Supposedly.

“Whose toimivalta [jurisdiction] does it fall under again?” Ah. The new dove. The lass was late for her first day, but he didn’t begrudge the young Ulko-Suomi legacy this considering there were worse crimes and worse people sitting in this hall.

“None as far as I’m aware. Although some small charities have applied for legal custodianship.”

“The Greenies need the enemmistö [majority vote] against the H-3 highway project next quarter. They’d vote with Tostoya-Capell and the Populists” The young Finn remarked, light blue eyes glued onto the GGP party. When Falconi was her age, he remembered hating the bags of bones that sat on seats such as these. Now he sat on one.

Sigh

Children. Playing the bloody games of old bastards and hags.

He felt tired.

Falconi sunk deeper into the plain wooden chair. Ignoring the bombardment of bribes, plain and simple, that flooded his inbox. He could see them blatantly doing so in the open without a care in the world.

“Kate Trade sincerely wishes to let the GGP know that you are all goat-herders and we believe your nobilitas is cheaper than processed wine. Once again, we opine that all seats in this council be dismissed.” The twins merely stood proud as threats rain upon them from parties opposing and allied.

Ah… the Kate twins… the spiritual anarchists.

How many lives were sacrificed to keep this city alive? How many more will die from their stupidity? Sasaki… Mai… was this the right choice?

The shouts were getting louder. Falconi has been in enough conflicts to know that sooner or later someone is going to do something stupid like last May when a brawl happened.

Sigh.

This chair… it was as much a duty, an honour… and a curse. Nevertheless, he would keep this city together- high heaven or hell.

“For this emergency council… all in favour of the Wartime Quarantine cast your votes!”

----------------------------------------

Splash Splash.

My footfalls fell hard on concrete. Streets already in disrepair leaving large puddles concealing potholes and bullet casings. The harsh glow of red and blue neon-lights illuminated the way in the monsoon with faint gunshots and barking dogs playing orchestra for the night while lattices of golden pneuma swayed ever so gently like clouds in the night.

Everywhere, Shops, Bars- once the life of the night, stood still this night. Their windows shut, glazed over in anti-ballistic films and RIOT barricades.

For every block, my eyes scanned the street noting how disrupted the flow of pneuma felt. My heart raced but my head tried to be as cool as ice. I could’ve stayed in the Pagoda with the huddled masses. Maybe even should’ve, but Auntie Kon looked out for me and I didn’t plan on letting them stay alone, I managed to tell them I was coming asap before the seemingly connections cut. Maybe she’d even scold me but I didn’t care. Was it sub-optimal? Yeah. But I had to.

“Through here.” Camille led the way, arena gear sans weapons equipped, her pseudo-power armour gleamed against the harsh neon. The rain was the least of her concern. “We cut through this alleyway that will let us avoid the main streets.”

I could only nod as I followed her. Navigation was still down. Checking, it was official, communication was cut, no more N-IO N-comm calls.

Alright. Calm down and focus. I mentally slapped myself. We were close, just a few more blocks.

Then… before we even got out the alley, before I even smelled the stench of blood and fresh cadaver. I felt it. Whereas the ‘pixies’ felt sweet and sinister. This felt… primitive, bloodthirsty… Primal.

“We need to keep moving.” Camille tugged on the sleeve of my raincoat. I stood still. Tracing my eyes to the scene. Terror described the scene. This was once a street for street food. Now carcasses littered the street, dismembered, crudely ripped apart with singed limbs and cybernetics fusing to plastic. Thick blood diluting into rain water.

The smell was worse. Much worse.

Yet. What terrified me the most, was the tugging at the back of my head. The gut instinct of wrongness. Fight, Flight, Freeze kicked in.

“-y!”

Not the alleys. Eyes found no trace. Corner? No. Behind-Eastward? No.

I looked everywhere, my head snapping left right like a frightened rabbit, the sound rain drowning out as my heartbeat thumped louder and louder.

“Huy!”

I looked up.

Empty eyes stared back.

In shock I stumbled backwards, slipping. Strong hands caught me. “Easy there.” I turned to the voice, Alvarez sensei and an older man looked at me, confused. Around them young men and women in Lotus Claw colours started to filter in from alleyways, in their hands low-calibre guns and makeshift weapons.

“Camille what do you see?” I pointed at the floating mass of fins and eyes. Having to almost shout it as the rain picked up.

“What do you mean?”

The thing, thin and long, angled ever downwards, hovering, eyes scanning left and right like a Barracuda searching for prey.

I pointed. “That thing!” I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. I swallowed my bile as I started to back away, it was unlikely that pepper spray nor shock-gloves were going to help. “Can’t you see it?!” I harshly sounded out. Making sure to not be loud lest it descend like the sword of damocles hanging over our heads.

They were silent, Sensei was starting to look at me as if I was crazy.

“The rain’s being blocked… there's something there…” Camille mumbled her words, almost drowned out by the rain.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!” A woman fell over on her back, dropping her club. “WHAT THE FU-”

In a blur of black and silver. She was gone. Only stumps of chromed legs and a sickening splatter of fresh blood marked where she was.

“S-s-sniper!”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Where was that shot from? I couldn’t hear it!”

“T-that a Corp Ninja?!”

My eyes met Camille’s. She saw what I saw.

Like flies, people started dying left and right. We were being completely slaughtered wholesale. Those who ran died first, snatched into the air, thrown and ripped apart by serrated teeths. Blood painted the neon red. Screams permanently etched onto their faces.

The older man stood on a rusted transformer. “On me!” He yelled, his Lotus claw ‘guards’ firing wildly at every seeming movement.

As if in a trance, it was only by Camille throwing me to the man that got me to snap out. Mud splattering my face as I landed face first in the impromptu circle taking shape. As gracefully as she threw me, I got onto my feet, mind racing 100km per second.

Screams. Crying. Dying.

I saw unlucky men and women picked off one by one, never being able to react in time. If it wasn’t that those who ran died first, everyone here would’ve scattered… and all the while, the horror swam like an eel through the air impossibly, pneuma, ferocious- yet simple and primal rolling off like waves.

Where once was fear, now, it was pure horror.

“Can you see Camille?” The rain slowly wiped away at the mud. I adjusted the coat again, hands shaking, horns making it difficult.

“Abit. I see how the rain is being hindered by something… in the air. Like stealth-ware.” Her voice calm, expression undecipherable, visor-now down, obscuring much.

I received a small pat on the back.

It was only by close proximity did I notice how older the older man really was. Within the 60s was my guess.

“What do you mean? The rain is falling fine.” He stated matter-of-factly, yet, grim and determined. Sensei ran between the lines in and out throwing anyone lucky enough to be close inside the forming ring.

Fuck.

“Ok. I can see it, me and Camille. It’s not Human- more an animal but it's big and it’s fast.”

He only nodded, eyes still scanning the street.

Calm. Focus. Survive.

“We’ll try to point where it is and maybe you can shoot it. That’s all I can think of right now.”

If I panic. I die.

“Sounds good.” He nodded once again, and had the message relayed.

“Trash truck. Heading to light pole! Ground level!”

Bang Bang Bang!

Our shots barely glanced off the fish-like thing’s tapered end before it went back to the sky again, angling for other stragglers.

Once again, I felt it before I saw it. How the air stirred and its fins went stiff, head turning to its next target. A smaller group of stragglers. It dove like a torpedo.

“‘Nonson’ sign to blue transformer! ” Camille called before I could, watching for blindspots.

“Bar to white car to tree!!”

“Powerline next to the food stand! Ground level!”

And on and on it went. Me and Camille giving direction and trajectory, the Lotus Claws shooting at it. Sometimes it worked, shots would hit and some form of blood would spill. Sometimes we’d buy just enough time for Sensei to haul another straggler into our lines… yet, we weren’t trained and it showed… frequently we were too late or missed and another person went down screaming. For that, each failure stung.

Calm. Focus. Survive.

“I’m beginning to see it.” The old man whispered to me, hands shaking. I didn’t comment on it.

“Me too.” Sensei gravely nodded. “This is all we’ve got Oyabun, and we’re running out of ammo.”

It was hovering in the sky, once again angling downwards, but at the same time there were no more easy pickings. We’ve managed to force the thing to a standstill. At least that’s what I hoped, that we weren’t worth the risk.

Camille kept her eyes glued on it, being able to see clearer quite a while ago.

“We need to retreat. Pull back.”

“Sir-” A woman with bright pink hair tried to interrupt.

“I’m sorry for your loss Kimiko but your children need you. We will give your husband rest.” The situation was untenable, sooner or later we would give. “The way we came from!” He bellowed. “Those who can see! direct those who can’t. We leave none behind!”. At that, morale seemed to improve somewhat. We had a plan and if executed well, we’d all survive.

“It’s coming!” Camille yelled, signalling the start of the end.

It dove to ground level quite a ways away, but that didn’t mean it was no threat. Faster than its mass suggested, it shot at us like an arrow, the jutting lower jaw bared, rows of serrated teeth meant for ripping on display, clacking like wooden sandals.

Clack clack clak!

“At us! From the bar!” I added without a moment's hesitation, fear, horror and adrenaline adding to clarity of thought. Failure was not allowed. Our lives were on the line.

A hail of lead dissuaded a frontal lunge by the horror. Yet it still remained, though eyeless. I can feel how it probed and waited for any signs of weakness and misstep like a predator.

The Oyabun seemed to know this too, he along with Sensei continually walked up and down the circle, making sure no one was left out of step as we slowly marched backwards in a circle. Barking encouragement loudly, lest rain silenced them.

“We’re almost there!”

All the while Camille and I made sure to never miss a single call and it was getting slowly easier as more and more were starting to see and able to react on their own volition, and as we neared the exit of the street, the attacks were reducing slowly. Regardless, the threat was still there.

As if not bad enough, the situation was increasingly desperate as ammo started to slowly run out and we started to rack up more injuries as the gunfire whittled and sputtered. I contemplated prying a pistol from a mangled corpse but perished the thought. I needed to focus.

“One more step!” We would round the corner here.

Finally, as if the weather itself took part, the rain lessened and the attacks yielded, though the motive was still unknown, it seemed content to leave us be. Yet even then, like a statue, Camille still eyed the hovering barracuda-like beast distantly, I couldn’t see her expression clearly under the helmet.

Oh. We made it.

…the worst was… over.

Oh.

I fought to control the shaking. I-I was fine. I was alive. Try as I might, replaying the events in my head over and over. I could’ve died. Fuck! I was milimetres away from death. What the fuck was today? I knew it was trouble! I should’ve ran- no that would’ve just made it worse. Fuck.

I found myself sitting on the curb, uncaring as the rain showered my scalp, hood having ripped off somehow.

Some cried. Some stared blankly, eyes glazed over. I… I found it hard to remember… Everything was a blur. I thought we had all made it out? Now with time to just breathe? It hadn’t been the case. We took losses and out of those who managed to form with us… only about a half remained. I noted the pink haired woman wasn’t here.

I could feel a lump in my throat. Why couldn’t I do anything? I palmed my face, blood, whose I don’t know, mixed with the rain and mud.

----------------------------------------

We walked in silence. The rain had passed a while ago. Without a thought, I pushed the door open.

“What do yo-!” Auntie Kon stopped her words midway. Her expression once livid softened to an eerie look of understanding. “Sit, I’ll get the med-kit. Yana, behind the counter, third cabinet to the right. Sebastian, Towels.”

Camille went to take off her armour, silent as ever. I plopped myself on a felt seat, wincing internally as the material got dirty because of me.

Auntie Kon came back with a box of medical equipment and bandages. If she had any reservations she didn’t say it.

“I’m not hurt.” I hadn’t bothered to check.

“Silly boy.” She huffed. Wiping away the blood, revealing a nasty cut on my forearm. I noticed how she almost shook at the sight of the wound.“Bio-ware?”

“TT-Song. Golden Years Enterprise Suite. Regenerator & Detector.”

She only gave a thoughtful hum. Without another word she began prepping, tools laid out in order. Yana came back with a bottle of Rum.

“What’s… the alcohol for?” I asked, finding it difficult to find the right words. I didn’t know why.

“Later… more for me than for you.” She opened her mouth as if wanting to say something, but as if the word visibility choked her, Auntie Kon couldn’t say it. “Reminds me of how you first came… here.” She joked instead, chuckling slightly. I didn’t comment on how she almost choked up at the end.

I could only tuck my head, trying to hide the expression of guilt and shame on my face. Barely... just barely, managing to sound out the words in a whisper. “I’m sorry.”

“Silly boy.”