The alley was a chaotic mess of shadows and blood. August’s breath came in shallow gasps as he pushed Sabrina to the side, his mind racing, calculating every move as the pack of Hunters closed in. They were faster than anything he had ever seen, their movements fluid, predatory. They had no mercy, no hesitation. Every attack, every lunge, was designed to tear flesh from bone.

Sabrina was still on the ground, scrambling to get to her feet when the first Hunter launched itself at her, claws extended. The others followed in a blur of motion, their glowing eyes fixated on their prey.

August’s heart skipped a beat.

"Sabrina!" he shouted, pulling her into his arms just as the Hunter's claws swiped through the space where she had been a second before. It was a miracle they hadn’t been sliced open already.

"Sabrina, get up!" August barked, his voice cracking with urgency.

She scrambled to her feet, her body tense with fear, but there was no time. The pack was too close, closing in faster than they could run. The system’s voice was a constant hum in his ear, but August was too focused on survival to pay attention to the map or the mission alerts.

He had to think quickly.

Sabrina was already struggling, trying to get some distance between herself and the oncoming horde, but the Hunters were too quick. They were relentless. August’s system pinged in his ear again, the interface flashing red with a new alert: New Skill Unlocked: Stealth Kill.

He didn’t have time to process the words.

In an instant, August’s body moved almost on its own. He dropped to one knee, his hand pulling Sabrina to safety as the first Hunter lunged at him. He didn’t hesitate. The system gave him the necessary precision, guiding his movements with pinpoint accuracy. His hands were steady, the skill unlocking just in time.

He reached forward and, in one fluid motion, plunged a knife deep into the Hunter’s throat.

The creature let out a strangled gasp and went limp in his arms, collapsing in a heap before he could even register what had happened. The others didn’t hesitate, seeing one of their own fall. They attacked with more ferocity.

August barely had time to stand before another Hunter was on him, its claws raking at the air. His breath caught in his chest, but instinct took over again. He sidestepped, ducked, and delivered another kill in a single, swift motion.

The Stealth Kill skill felt almost like an extension of his body. Everything slowed down, each movement calculated, every motion deliberate. He could feel the system’s energy thrumming through him, guiding his hands, keeping him alive.

But even with the newly unlocked skill, there were too many of them. And they were closing in faster than he could take them down.

“Go!” Sabrina screamed, pulling on his arm. She was still panicked, but her voice cut through the chaos. “You need to move, August!”

August hesitated for a split second, but it was all the time the Hunters needed. Another one lunged at Sabrina, its claws slashing just inches from her face. Without thinking, August reached for his gun, firing twice. The first bullet missed, but the second hit its mark. The Hunter staggered back, growling in pain, but it wasn’t enough to stop it.

Then, he heard it. The unmistakable sound of Lara’s voice, strained but strong.

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“Cover me!” she yelled.

August turned to see her, weapon raised, her hands steady as she aimed at the incoming wave of Hunters. But as the first of the creatures lunged at her, something went wrong. One of the Hunters latched onto her arm, its teeth sinking into her flesh with terrifying speed.

Lara’s shout cut through the chaos. It was a scream that almost sounded like a growl, but she didn’t falter. She didn’t fall. She swung her gun, firing a shot that hit another Hunter square in the chest.

“Lara!” Cara cried from behind them, rushing forward as Lara stumbled, her eyes wide with pain.

The Hunter on Lara’s arm didn’t let go. It had bitten deep, and August could see the blood oozing from the wound, already dark and thick. She fought, her eyes blazing with fury, but it was clear that the infection had already begun to spread. The bite was more than just a wound now.

She dropped to one knee, her gun still clutched tightly in her hand. She didn’t collapse, not yet. She refused to.

"Go!" Lara shouted, her voice strained with effort. She gritted her teeth, trying to stand, but her legs were giving way. “Keep going. I’ll hold them off!”

August’s heart lurched in his chest as he saw the look in her eyes. She knew. She knew what was happening to her.

“No!” Sabrina yelled, her voice breaking. “Lara, you have to—”

But Lara was already pushing herself back to her feet, ignoring the pain in her arm. She kept firing, keeping the Hunters at bay, but it was becoming harder with every passing second. Her movements were growing slower, more deliberate, and the blood from her arm was now dripping onto the ground in thick, dark splashes.

Sabrina reached for her, but August stopped her.

“We can’t help her, Sabrina!” August snapped, his voice sharp with panic. “We need to go. NOW!”

But Lara wouldn’t listen. She kept firing, taking down more of the approaching Hunters, but her face was growing pale, and the wound on her arm was swelling with each passing moment.

“Lara,” Cara’s voice was barely a whisper. “Lara, please.”

But it was too late.

Lara let out a breathless scream as she fired her last shot into the chest of one of the Hunters. Her gun dropped from her hand, and she collapsed to the ground, her body trembling with the exertion of fighting to the end. Her eyes flickered, but there was no more fight left in her.

Lara was gone.

The group fell silent. The battle for their lives had continued, but now, it felt like a hollow victory. The Hunters had been driven back, but at what cost?

Sabrina collapsed to her knees beside Lara’s body. She reached for her hand, but there was no response.

“We can’t stay here,” August said, his voice thick with emotion, but it was a warning. “We can’t risk it. We have to keep moving.”

He looked down at Lara’s body, the one who had stood by them for so long. The one who had helped them get this far. It felt wrong, abandoning her here, but there was no choice. The system was still sending them directives. The mission to hunt down Marcos, the mission to stop the virus, still hung over them.

But August couldn’t shake the feeling of the loss. They had lost someone today—someone who had trusted them, who had fought with them. And that loss would stay with him forever.

“Help me get her up,” Cara whispered, her voice broken.

August shook his head. “Cara, we can’t. We have to go.”

Sabrina was crying now, her sobs echoing in the silence. August turned his head, but there was nothing he could say to comfort her. There was no time for grief. There was only survival.

With a deep breath, August reached for the map on his system. The destination was clear. They had to keep moving. But in his chest, a new weight had settled. A weight that hadn’t been there before. A weight that told him they were not just fighting for their lives anymore. They were fighting for something bigger. Something that none of them fully understood yet.

“We can’t stop here,” he said again, his voice steady but cold. “We’ll make it right. For Lara.”

Sabrina looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen, but she nodded. The weight of their loss was too much to bear, but they had no choice. They had to keep going.

August led the way, his mind spinning with a thousand thoughts, but only one remained. Survive.

The world outside was unforgiving. But in this moment, in this broken city, survival was all they had left.

And August wasn’t about to let that slip away.