"So, why'd you jump from the floor above back when I found you f—" Zyra started to ask, but the sound of blaring sirens cut her off. She turned sharply toward the window, her body tensing as the flashing red lights began to reflect off the walls of the little shop. The sirens were getting closer, too close.
"Sera..." Zyra's voice was low, controlled, but her eyes flashed with something between exasperation and panic. "You didn't happen to do anything stupid, right? RIGHT?!"
Sera smiled innocently, closing her eyes and placing a finger on her cheek, sticking her tongue out like a kid who just got caught stealing candy. "Ah... I may or may not have killed my employer and his associates... hehe."
Zyra's eyes narrowed, her entire expression hardening in an instant. Without warning, she smacked Sera across the head.
"ACK!" Sera cried out, rubbing the spot where Zyra had hit her, a single tear welling up in her eye. "What the hell?! Why'd you hit me?!"
Zyra stared her down, her jaw tight. "Because now we're both in this shitstorm, that's why."
Before Sera could respond, the flashing lights grew brighter, bathing the shop in an eerie red glow. The unmistakable sound of screeching tires pierced the night as several patrol cars skidded to a stop right outside the window. Red and blue beams cut through the shop's interior, sweeping across the walls as guards surrounded the building.
"WE HAVE THE PLACE SURROUNDED! COME OUT QUIETLY AND WITHOUT ANY SUDDEN MOVEMENTS!"
Sera and Zyra stood frozen for a moment, staring at the flashing lights outside the window. The heavy footsteps of guards echoed all around the building, their shadows stretching long across the walls of the shop.
Sera sighed dramatically. "Well, shit."
Zyra raked her fingers through her hair, pacing quickly as she muttered under her breath. "What the hell do we do now? We're trapped here. There's no way we're getting out without getting caught!"
Sera, on the other hand, was far calmer. She rubbed the back of her head, still sore from Zyra's smack, and cast a lazy glance toward the back of the shop. "Blowing shit up might help."
Zyra blinked. "What?"
Sera grinned, her eyes flashing with mischief. "Oh, come on, Zyra. You know I'm not about to let them take me to some hole in the ground." She turned to face the wall next to them, tapping her fingers against wrist as her oripathy began to flare around her hands. "I think we should run. Fast."
Zyra barely had time to respond before Sera was already in motion, her hands glowing brighter as she activated her skill: Boom Boom. She crouched low, her fingers tracing lines along the wall, marking key points as she planted small charges of Originium energy. The glowing marks pulsed faintly against the wall, building in intensity as the energy gathered.
"Sera, what the hell are you—"
"Hold on tight!" Sera interrupted, her eyes sparkling with mischief. With a flick of her wrist, she triggered the charges, and the wall erupted in a violent explosion.
BOOM!
The force of the blast shook the entire shop, blowing debris in all directions. The sound was deafening, a shockwave of pressure crashing through the space. Sera and Zyra instinctively dove behind the counter on the opposite side of the room, shielding themselves from the blast. Even with the cover, they were disoriented, ears ringing as dust and smoke filled the air.
Sera coughed, her vision spinning as she tried to regain her bearings. "Shit... that was a little louder than I thought." Her voice was muffled, distorted by the ringing in her ears.
Zyra, eyes wide with shock, grabbed Sera by the collar. "ARE YOU INSANE?!"
Sera just laughed, still catching her breath. "Relax, Zy. We're not dead yet."
The smoke from the explosion hadn't fully cleared, but Sera wasn't waiting for the guards to regain their wits. She grabbed Zyra's hand and pulled her toward the back of the shop. There was a small door hidden in the shadows, probably a service exit that the guards hadn't thought to cover yet.
Sera kicked it open with a swift boot, and they both stumbled through into the narrow alley behind the shop. Their ears still rang from the explosion, and the disorienting shock was making it hard to think straight, but they had no time to stop. The sirens were getting louder again, and Sera could hear the guards shouting orders.
"THEY'RE ESCAPING THROUGH THE BACK!"
"RUN!" Sera yelled, gripping Zyra's arm as they bolted down the alleyway. Their footsteps echoed off the walls as they weaved between piles of trash and discarded crates. Sera's head pounded, her body still recovering from the blast, but the adrenaline was keeping her upright. Zyra was right beside her, moving just as fast.
Behind them, the guards were closing in, their footsteps growing louder and more frantic. Sera gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to get caught—not now, not after everything.
They rounded a corner, narrowly avoiding a spotlight that swept the alleyway behind them. The backstreets of the city were like a maze, twisting and turning in every direction. It was their only advantage—the guards would have a harder time tracking them through the alleys. But Sera knew they wouldn't have long before the city's security grid kicked in.
"Sera," Zyra panted, her voice barely audible over the sound of their pounding footsteps, "if we don't lose them in the next few minutes, we're screwed!"
Sera shot her a grin, her eyes semi-nervous. "Then let's make sure we don't get caught, huh?"
They darted into a narrow passage, the darkness swallowing them whole as they disappeared into the night. Behind them, the guards fanned out, searching, but the blast had given them just enough chaos to make their escape.
For now.