Kauss didn't realize how long both Helona and him had been hugging for. They never wanted to let the other go, afraid that once they released each other they'll float away from each other. The moment was soft and fragile to the point where anything could break them. The city took it's toll on their minds. If they managed to leave, they'd never truly erase the scars that had been implanted in their psyche.
They drew back and stared at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time. Helona smiled and held Kauss' hand as they strolled down the hill to go and pack up their belongings. The days of despair could finally drift away, if only for a short moment. In that short amount of time they knew what it meant to be truly happy. Kauss didn't want to go up the tower, but if it was with her, and if they could keep each other alive, then what better thing could he ask for
Reality set in quickly, however. Multiple instances of gunfire rang in the air. It was so loud and jarring that they had to quickly cover their ears afraid that they could go deaf from the loudness of it. Screams erupted seconds later. From the top of the hill, Kauss saw people running away from the mansion and despair began to seep in again. He cursed the world for taking a joyous time away from him so quickly.
"What's going on?" Helona shouted.
The gunfire quieted, but the screams had yet to stop. Kauss looked at the mansion, and he began to worry if the worst had happened. Out of all the times, why did it have to happen now?
"I don't know." Kauss said as he ran down the hill.
If they were going to start shit might as well be now, Kauss thought. That way they were all together as they stopped the rebellion then climb the tower as one group. He held hope that Killian was still alive after all that, but from the amount of gunfire his hopes dwindled with every second that passed. Even the enormous brute forcee that Killian possessed was no match for a firing squad.
Helona caught up behind Kauss as they ran back toward the city. Her mind was away in thought with everything that had happened. She knew the rebellion was going to strike soon, but she didn't expect it to be today. She thought back to the time when she had that gunner hostage. If she only tortured him then she may have been able to prevent everything. She ran faster and faster until she was outspeeding Kauss. She had to fix this mess before things got worse.
They came across the first civilian moments after entering the city. Helona took out her gun and yelled for her to freeze where she stood. The woman yelped and held her hands up while closing her eyes. She expected for her life to be over after what she had witnessed at the mansion.
"What happened?" Helona ordered her to answer.
"A bunch of Owerneckers fired at the civilians." The woman managed to squeak out.
Helona calmed down and took a deep breath. It sounded like everything was under control and there was nothing to worry about. If the Owerneckers were the ones firing that meant that they smoked out the rebels. They could move on with the day.
"That's not the exact truth."
Someone walked up from behind the woman. He was wearing an Owernecker jacket and carried two separate pistols within his holster. The woman saw the man and began screaming while running away, afraid for her life. She should be, but not at the moment.
Helona knew the man right away since they were partners for a few assignments for the Owerneckers. His name was Relet, and he and another Owernecker was with her the day she met Kauss at the strip bar a year ago. A scar cut down the side of his cheek on the right side of his face. He got it the day he tried to take the twelfth main man's position.
"What do you mean?" Kauss said catching up to Helona.
"You should come and see for yourself."
He looked back and forth, making sure no one saw them, then pointed to an alleyway. Both Helona and Kauss stared at each other. They knew better than to trust someone right away when they say to go in an alley. Even if someone was a friend, betrayel was a common trait among people. They needed to know what was happening though, so they reluctantly followed him making sure to keep one hand on their guns.
Surprisingly they weren't ambushed the second they stepped in the alley. Helona kept her eyes behind them as Kauss watched their front. The second they saw someone, wether good intentions or not, they were going to fire in fear of being struck down first.
"There's a few things you need to know first." Relet said as they walked down the alley. "Some of the Owerneckers are rebeling against the boss."
Kauss and Helona, shocked as they were, kept their minds and heads straight. If they gave a single hint of weakness it could mean their death.
"They killed anyone that wasn't apart of them. I managed to survive since I was too busy chasing rebels to get caught up in the mess. I was dragging a body back when I saw everything go down, as well as the person leading the rebellion."
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"And who is it?" Kauss asked.
"Fucking Galler." Relet said with satisfaction. "I knew that he'd betray us. Have you heard the man's voice? I had a bet with someone about it, but sadly he has a hole in his head now."
"Get to the point." Helona said wanting him to move along.
"Well Galler betrayed us and the mansion is filled with dead bodies and traitors. The boss and twelve main men were taken to the basement. We're heading down the alley, so we can get to the side entrances quicker without being spotted. You happy now?"
Relet dug in his pocket and Kauss tightened the grip on his gun. If everything he told them was true then how could they trust him. He could be leading them to a death trap and they wouldn't know it until the last minute. He took his hand out and in it he held three silencers.
"Catch."
Relet tossed two silencers to Kauss and he used his free hand to catch them both. He made sure to keep his head straight while catching them. He never even blinked until he had them in his hand. He took one silencer and passed it back to Helona who took it being just as cautious as he was.
"We're nearly there. Hurry up and put the silencers on before we get there. We got a stealth assignment today."
They screwed on the silencers as they marched on. Relet turned a right and Kauss followed. He could see the opening a bit away from where they stood. The mansion had three separate entrances, one in the front, and one on each side. From the look of where they were and where they came from, Kauss guessed they were nearing the right side of the mansion. They were closer to the basement from this side, and if they could get in it would only take a second to find the door that led down into it.
Relet attached his silencer as they walked down the alley. Every few steps they walked they would pass an intersection that led into another alley. Kauss' heart throbbed with such intensity he was afraid he was having a heart attack. If it weren't for the lack of pain he would have been sure it was one. Any moment someone could be waiting for them down another alley and they'd be powerless to stop a bullet from hitting the side of their heads.
Somehow they made it through the alley unscathed, but they had to stop before heading out of the cover of shadows. Two Owerneckers stood outside the door, possibly acting as the gurards. Helona cursed herself for taking off her jacket. All she had now was a white tank top which wasn't the best to wear in a situation like this.
"Kauss, you ready?" Relet asked.
"As long as you actually aren't against us, sure."
"Naw man. If I was why aren't y'all dead now?"
Kauss shrugged as he aimed his pistol at the right guard's head. He let Relet know who he was going for, and he nodded as he targeted the left guard. Kauss took a deep breath as he steadied his arms. He wasn't the most accurate with a gun, especially from as far off as he was, but he couldn't fuck it up or else they were busted. Relet let Kauss know it was on his mark.
Kauss counted down in his head. When his internal timer went to zero, he fired. He didn't hit the guard in the head, but he hit the next best part, his throat. The other guard couldn't even react since it went by so fast. Relet made sure not to miss and the other guard was dead before he could call for help. The guard that Kauss hit could only make small, quiet gasping sounds as he clutched his throat. He was bleeding out rapidly and would die within an hour.
Kauss and the others approached the doors. Helona and Relet kept watch while Kauss finished the job. He stood over the guard and shot him in the head, ending his misery.
"Could've gone better, but could've gone worse as well." Relet whispered approaching the mansion windows.
Helona caught up to Kauss as she inspected the bodies. She noticed something interesting right away as she approached them. She crouched down and touched the guard's hands. They were both wearing black leathery gloves, most likely to signal which side they were on. That way they wouldn't shoot any of their fellow traitors when the big event happened.
She took the gloves off of the guards as well as confiscated one of the jackets. She put on the jacket that was a size too big for her, and put on the gloves after. If push comes to shove she could always pretend to be one of them if she got caught. Whatever happened afterward she would need to figure out, but that was the best she could do at the moment.
"Hey," Relet whispered as he came to them. "There's two more guards at the basement door, but luckily no one else. There could be more down there, but for now we just need to kill those two."
Helona tossed the other pair of gloves to Relet. He caught them and looked at them wondering what he was meant to do.
"Put them on. You'll look like one of them."
He nodded as they approached the door. Helona took off the remaining guards jacket and held it out to Kauss. He ignored her attempt to even make him wear such a thing, even for a dangerous mission. He would rather die than be seen wearing one of the jackets. She sighed and threw it to the ground not wanting it to weigh her down.
Relet stepped next to the door and Helona huddled on the other end. Kauss stood beside Helona since there was no other place to hide, and if it came down to it he'd protect her before anyone else. Relet held up three fingers signaling they were going at three seconds. Helona gripped her gun tighter as Relet grabbed the door handle.
"One," Relet whispered. "Two," Helona held her arms steady beside her. "Three."
Relet opened the door and the two guards looked toward them. They didn't have time to alert the others. They had holes in their heads the exact moment the door opened. Kauss and the others entered the mansion and shut the door behind them. Kauss and Helona quietly approached the bodies in front of the basement door. There was nowhere to hide since it was all one long hallway, and they didn't want to open a room door to hide in just in case they entered an occupied room. If they got caught, they'd have to manage to shoot their way out.
"Grab the guards and we'll bring them along with us." Helona ordered. "We can't just have them in the open."
"What about the blood?" Kauss asked.
"Leave it. It'll blend in with the rest of the blood anyways."
The floor was covered in blood stains from the massacre earlier on. They haven't began cleaning yet, and Kauss hoped they wouldn't realize how fresh the guard's blood stains were compared to the rest.
Helona and Kauss each grabbed a body as Relet carefully peeked into the basement door. He saw no one down the stairs, so he opened the door gently just in case if someone heard. Kauss dragged the guard's body into the basement and Helona followed. Once they entered, Relet closed the door, and they began making their way to the prisoners held deep within the basement.