Might be the pain or the fear—my focus wavered. A fundamental rule of battle is to keep a vigilant watch on your surroundings, a rule I had momentarily overlooked. The oversight left me vulnerable, and in the chaos, an NPC took advantage of my distraction.
An NPC had stealthily approached from behind. If it hadn't been for Karun's signal, I might have been caught completely off-guard. As soon as I understood Karun's signal, my heart sank into my stomach. Close-range combat was never my strength; I always excelled at long-range attacks. Confronting an enemy up close had always been a challenge for me. Karun, on the other hand, thrived in close-quarters combat. Given the dire circumstances, I had no choice but to turn and face the threat. I moved with the mechanical clumsiness of a rusted robot.
What I saw next was enough to freeze my blood. Karun's voice crackled through the comms, urging me to shoot. But I was paralyzed, overwhelmed by the sight before me. The rising sun, which usually signaled a peaceful morning, now illuminated a nightmare I'd never forget.
The assassin that had snuck up on me was Nivin. My cousin. He was supposed to be in the Maldives with his wife. What was he doing here? The sight of him aiming directly at my forehead was too much to process. My mind felt like it short-circuited. He was about to pull the trigger.
I couldn't bring myself to aim my weapon at my own flesh and blood. My hands trembled uncontrollably, causing the gun to slip from my grip and clatter to the ground. I shut my eyes tightly, hoping against hope that this was all some terrible mistake. Nivin was supposed to be enjoying a vacation, not here with a gun aimed at me.
Gibbard's voice roared through the comms, "Kathy, what's going on? Why the silence? Aren't there still 3 assassins left?" My voice quavered as I replied, "Yes, Uncle Gibbard. One of them is my cousin." I continued, my eyes still tightly shut, I heard a shot, but my forehead isn't hurting. I... I opened my eyes to see Nivin bleeding.
Karun must've shot. I looked at my cousin, who was bleeding and glitching in a grotesque display. The emotional weight of the moment hit me hard. My cousin, who was about to become a father, was glitching like a corrupted game file. The realization struck me like a thunderbolt—Nivin wasn't real. He had to be an NPC.
Gibbard's voice was urgent and demanding, "What's happening, Kathy? What's the situation?" I managed to respond, my voice trembling, "This... this NPC looks exactly like my cousin. I think he's just a programmed character." The comms fell silent, followed by gasps of disbelief.
I approached Nivin's glitching body, my heart aching as I realized the truth. Despite his lifelike appearance, he was nothing more than a digital construct. My hesitation had nearly cost me dearly. Gibbard's voice cut through my reverie, "One down, two more to go." I glanced at the virtual map above me and saw one red spot moving toward Karun.
I had to warn Karun. I sprinted through the wreckage of broken automobiles, my heart pounding with each step. The museum's interior was still shrouded in shadows, the early morning light barely penetrating its darkened halls. As I rushed through the debris, I fired at an approaching assassin emerging from the museum's backdoor. My shot was instinctive, fueled by desperation rather than clear vision, because I wasn't sure if this assassin was another NPC modeled after Nivin.
I relayed the information to Gibbard, hoping Karun would be prepared for what was coming. Voices over the comms indicated that the others were now alert. As I neared Karun, who was taking cover behind a red wagon, I heard a gunshot and a scream—a scream that spurred me to run faster. Tears streamed down my face as I pushed myself to reach him, the urgency of the situation driving me forward.