The streets were filled with chaos as looters broke into stores and looted anything that seemed to be of value. The streets were full of people running for their lives as they tried to escape the madness, trying their hardest not to trip over others or bump into them.
A woman's scream caught the attention of a group of men who were chasing after her. They ran as fast as they could toward where the sound came from. When they got there, they saw a young woman pinned down to the ground by three men with guns pointed in her direction. She had been trying to rob her.
A man got in front of them with a large red blade glistening by the nearby street light. As he drew closer, his comrades backed away slightly. He raised his weapon up high above his head, preparing to strike down the thieves. His companions all took cover behind some crates. Just before he could reach the girl, she began screaming.
"Help! Help me! Please!" She begged.
"You are okay now...I got you..." said the man with a calm voice. He kneeled next to the girl and started examining her injuries.
There was no sign of the knife wound on the top of her head or any bruises. Her clothes looked fine. "Do you remember what happened?" He asked calmly. She shook her head violently from side to side. Tears ran down her cheeks.
He smiled and nodded at her. "It's alright now... You're safe..."
She stared back at him with tears still pouring out of her eyes. He stood up, brushed off his pants, and pulled her gently up along with him.
"Wh-who are you?" She asked.
He gazed at her with hollow eyes, . "My name is Lance. I found you here. Do you know where you are?"
She looked around, but there wasn't much to see. The streets were so busy that the whole area felt crowded with people. The sounds of cars and motorcycles blended together and made it difficult to hear each other.
"On second thought..." Lance said.
Taking his sword he cut her throat. A stream of blood spurted everywhere until the blade touched the ground. It made a sickening noise that caused everyone in the vicinity to look up. Thomas held up his bloody hand. The crowd slowly turned in his direction with wide eyes.
"What have we here?!" An unfamiliar voice shouted. Everyone turned to face this new arrival. In his hand was a gun with its barrel aimed at Lance's chest.
"You!" Lance screamed as he unsheathed his blade. Before he had the chance to attack, however, The man pushed him away, keeping himself between Lance and the unknown assailant.
"Your head would a pretty penny too if someone wanted to sell it," the newcomer threatened. Lance clenched his fists in anger. This guy was getting on his nerves. He didn't even want to hear another word about money when he'd be dead in the first place.
"What is your name?" Lance questioned.
The guy grinned menacingly, showing off his teeth. His expression reminded Lance of a cat playing with a mouse.
"Well...I guess I'll just introduce myself then."
Lance glared and prepared to strike the stranger while he still had time. However, his opponent had already moved out of reach, making Lance miss his shot.
"Let us begin again. My name is James, at your service." James extended his arm to shake Lance's hand.
"Nice meeting you James. If you don't mind me asking, why are you wearing a mask?"
"Don't worry. It doesn't mean anything bad. Besides I'm sure it will come off sooner or later." He gestured to a small black patch covering the bottom half of his face.
"Why don't you join my crew?" James said. "We're in charge of collecting bounties from the criminals."
"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll pass. But maybe I'll stop by sometime soon to meet you guys."
James shrugged and said, "Maybe. Or else we can always drop you off at a nice spot where a few friendly mercs will take care of you."
He paused, seeming to realize something important. His mind went to Shiro thinking it was best he no longer from this point forward.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot..." He placed a hand under his chin in an exaggerated manner.
"Your Daddy is that man on the car right now." He chuckled. "That big scary looking one."
His smile vanished once he heard this, causing James to burst out laughing and throw his head back in amusement.
Lance sighed as he watched the thief's face grow angry and frustrated. He knew he had messed up, but there was nothing he could do about it.
He gave James a passing glance before standing and kicking the womans head by James feet as hard as he could. Blood gushed out of both sides of her head as she body fell and rolled onto the ground.
James let out a deep sigh examing her features gawking up at Lance with a smile still on his face.
"Good riddance." James muttered sarcastically.
They headed in the opposite direction.Stomped his foot getting James attention again.
"Where are you going?" Lance questioned.
"To take care of my men why?"
Lance snickered at the idea. James may not seem like much, but he was definitely more than capable of taking care of his own men. Not to mention he was incredibly skilled with a gun. The two stopped to talk about the plan that Lance had hatched up.
"Looks like I have a job for you, James."