Ren rockets upward into the night sky, his breaths ragged, chest heaving. His hands are pressed to his sides, the cold air biting at his face as he soars higher and higher.
The city lights below are a blur of scattered glow.
"I have to get out of their range," his mind racing, pushing himself faster. His eyes are locked on the stars above when a sudden, sharp pain erupts in his leg.
"Ahhh!" he screams, his body jerking from the shock. Blood splattering in the air, and when he looks down, a crimson stain spreads from his thigh.
A bullet hit his leg, he realizes. His leg throbs with a sickening pulse, sending waves of agony through his body. He almost falters and almost loses his focus, but something in him refuses to stop.
"I can't stop, I have to keep going," he thinks, gritting his teeth. His vision swims as the pain intensifies, but he forces himself to push upward.
The city below becomes smaller, the shouts and commotion from the streets fading as he rises higher, out of their range.
Finally, Ren feels safe enough to stop. His hands tremble as he reaches for his leg.
"F-Fuck," he hisses, forcing his telekinesis to work through the haze of pain.
He points to the wound, using telekinesis to pull out the bullet in one brutal motion.
"Fuckkk," His scream is torn from his throat as the metal rips out from his leg, blood streaming from the wound.
He presses his palm to the gash and focuses. "Heal" using healing. The flesh begins to knit itself together, the warmth of his power seeping through him, but the ache refuses to disappear.
He clenches his jaw.
"They shot me," his voice shakes with fury.
"Those fuckers shot me. This hurts like hell..." The throbbing lessens, but the dull ache stays, a reminder of the event.
"How the hell did they even find me? Cameron... did he...? No. They were captives too... but they tracked me somehow. What the hell have I done that gave me away?"
Ren's eyes narrow.
They'll pay for this, he vows silently. They're going to pay. I'm gonna fuck their life, especially that female agent. I know her face, if I find her somewhere, I'm gonna fuck the hell out of her.
But he knows he can't do that right now; he can't go home either. Not when they might track him there.
He turns sharply, veering away from his apartment and flying in the opposite direction, trying to lead them as far from his haven as possible.
He moves through the night, his mind racing.
What did I do anyway? Was it Cameron? No... maybe they tracked him through surveillance or some other tech.
Ren's jaw tightens. If that's the case, I can't risk flying with anyone else again. No more loose ends.
Suddenly, His thoughts are interrupted by a faint rumbling, low at first, but growing louder. He ignores it, pushing himself further away.
I'll find some hotel for the night, he thinks. I'll—
The rumbling intensifies, and Ren glances back over his shoulder, and his heart leaps into his throat.
A light—glaring and blinding—pierces the darkness, growing larger, heading directly for him.
Shit. His pulse quickens. It's a helicopter. "I gotta get away quickly."
With swift motion, he pushes himself forward, going straight at high speed through the air to leave it behind.
But suddenly, a light locks onto him from ahead, a harsh spotlight pinning him in place, exposing his location.
His arms instinctively fly up to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness. The light beam is relentless, cutting through the night and exposing him.
"Fuck! Another one from ahead."
Ren darts to the side, trying to lose the one from ahead. He speeds sideways, hoping to escape its range, but then another light cuts across the sky, sweeping toward him from the opposite direction.
Three helicopters. His heart pounds in his chest as he realizes they're closing in.
"Tsk, do they think they can catch me in the air? The sky is vast, they can never catch me here. I can't outpace them, but I can outmaneuver them."
He plummets downward, streaking toward the narrow alleyways between buildings.
The helicopters follow, their blades slicing through the air like a roaring beast behind him. Ren flies through the streets, weaving between the structures and darting around corners. But they chase after him.
For a moment, he thinks he's lost them—until another light sweeps across the sky, locking onto him once again.
"Fuckkkk, how many are there? If this keeps going on, I'll eventually be caught. I gotta get away quickly."
But just as he thinks that...
Swoosh,
A swift whooshing of bullet whizzes past his ear, sharp and deadly, too close for comfort.
"Oh hell no, not again!"
The men inside the helicopters are now aiming at him, ready to fire him down.
Immediately, Ren flies ahead with a swift motion, zigzagging through the night, trying to dodge the hail of gunfire.
Bullets fly at him from behind, but Ren barely dodges them. Every bullet that misses him sends adrenaline flooding through his veins.
His breathing becomes erratic, the sound of the helicopters' engines drowning out his frantic thoughts.
And the strain of flying nonstop, of trying to evade their endless pursuit, is starting to take its toll as well.
His muscles burn with exertion, every movement becoming sluggish as exhaustion creeps in.
I can't keep this up for long... I need to lose them quickly...
But they're relentless. Every time he shakes one off, another appears, like a never-ending nightmare.
Finally, at the end of their chase, Ren finds himself cornered.
His back is to a tall building, one helicopter hovering just above, blocking his escape. Two more are closing in from opposite sides, their spotlights blazing down on him. There's one in front of him.
There's no way out. He's trapped.
His heart is hammering in his chest as he stares at the approaching helicopters, hearing the metallic click of guns being reloaded.
The men inside are aiming and are ready to fire again.
In that instance, time slows down for him. His senses get heightened to the point he can see it all, feel it all.
Each gun barrel is trained on him, trapping his movements.
His body is exhausted to the point of barely keeping him up in the air.
Then, the air gets filled with the sound of bullets firing and a glint of bullets being chambered.
He's trapped. He's out of options.
"Is this how it ends?"
His hands rise instinctively, moving in a desperate attempt to shield himself.
His eyes closed, bracing for the inevitable impact. The air crackles with tension, thick and suffocating.
This is it... everything I've worked for... gone...
His mind drifts to Lina, her face flashing before him.
I'm sorry... Lina... Can't give... Good life
The sound of gunfire erupts, bullets racing toward him. Ren's breath catches in his throat.
And then—
Everything goes silent.