As the wooden door shattered, splinters flew across the room, embedding themselves in the Woden crates across the room.

Immediately, both sides opened fire, and for a few seconds, the air was filled with gunfire. On Sky's left, the barrier exploded with the same force as the door. Some of the crates split into pieces, the contents spilling across the floor and flying through the air. Others were blown away, skidding across the floor and crashing into walls or shelves.

Mixed with the wooden shrapnel flying through the air were chunks of flesh and streams of blood belonging to the gunman who had hidden behind that section.

After the first exchange, a few intruders took cover behind the end of the shelves; the rest pulled back behind the wall, waiting outside the warehouse. As this happened, the air filled with foul-smelling smoke that burned the nose and obscured sight. Taking this chance, Talon drew his knives and rushed forward, diving behind the left shelves.

A few screams later, and he rushed back knives in both hands wet with blood. Seeing the barricade was no longer safe, the vipers began to pull back, hiding themselves amidst the shelves. Sky followed, ducking into a space between two barrels on the left side, close to the door where Even was.

Once the smoke settled down, figures started to enter the building and take cover behind the barricade and shelves. At first, it was about five. But the number kept increasing first to 10 then to 20. Sky stopped counting when he passed 30 and lay low waiting for the last of them to enter.

After gaining cover, they sent a few of their men deeper into the warehouse, getting closer to Sky and the others hiding within the shelves.

One of the vipers took the opportunity to poke his head out from his hiding spot, getting off a clean shot at the first approaching man, with a bang followed by a splatter of blood. The first man went down.

However, that was all he was able to do before a large member of the dogs came out holding a massive spear, glowing an eerie orange. The man then thrust the spear outward towards the viper. The shelving unit and the man disintegrated into a cloud of mist, followed by a loud bang.

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Sky shook in terror. Although the vipers had used enhanced weapons, theirs carried an insidious poison. Which, although heavily lethal, had the same level of brutality as a gun or knife. This spear carrying some sort of unknown, explosive ability, was brutal and instant, ripping apart anything in its path.

Although a few others may have been carrying enhanced bullets in their revolvers, this spear was by far the most dangerous obstacle to their survival. It wasn’t just Sky who recognized this, and at the exact moment he thought of this, two others jumped out to take down the spearman.

As the spearman ducked for cover, Sam and Duke emerged from their hiding spots on either side of the warehouse. With their silver and gold revolvers already drawn, the triggers were pulled at the exact same time.

The dog's spearman was hit in both the left shoulder and the right leg. The shoulder exploded into flames, and the charring flesh was smelt across the building. However, using his right arm, he brought up his spear and chopped down his leg, severing it and stopping the spreading poison.

Quickly, enemy members rushed to help him while others returned fire. Sam was able to duck to his right, getting behind cover in the nick of time as a bullet struck the floor behind him, creating a small fireball where it landed.

Duke, instead, dove to his left as his torso exploded. Looking back over the barrels, Sky could see the spearman, his right arm raised, pointing the spear towards where Duke had been. The spear then slipped from his hand, clattering to the stone floor as he collapsed.

Turning back to look at where Duke had been, his head, shoulders and arms lay on the ground, separated from his legs by a pile of innards, organs and flesh all mashed together. The face twisted in agony, and his eyes, devoid of any life, seemed to glare at Sky.

Anger and regret weld up inside of him as he saw the corpse lying on the ground, along with a feeling of helplessness. Mere minutes ago, he had been helping to rescue his brother. Now he lay dead. If an elite from the Vipers could not survive this, how was Sky supposed to make it out alive?

The dogs continued their scanning through the warehouse, but nobody made a move this time. Even though the spearman had been taken down, it had cost too much. They had already been outnumbered from the start. But now, the odds were impossible. Only 12 of them left, including Sky, Evan, and the wounded viper. Against almost 30 dogs, some of whom were armed with enhanced weapons,

As the dogs continued their search, from his hiding spot, Sky saw as one of the vipers was located. Gunfire was quickly exchanged, but all that the man managed to do was wound one of the hunters before they promptly ended his life.

Closer and closer, checking the shelves as they went, Sky shuttered and crawled back further behind the barrels. He hoped they might miss him if he shrunk back far enough and that they wouldn't kill Even when they found him. They had kept him alive as a hostage for a reason, and although Sky didn’t quite understand why, he assumed that they wouldn’t kill him until they got what they wanted.

His best bet was to stay hidden until the mysterious friends arrived, then use the ensuing chaos as a distraction to get his brother and escape. With these thoughts, he climbed further back into the shelving unit, slipping into a small crevice behind it.

Crouched in the small hole, he prayed for anyone, anything, to save him and his brother. And his prayers were answered by a voice yelling a straightforward comand at the door.

“Charge.”