— So, is there a side door? — Gabriel asked, with his mouth full of roasted potatoes.
They had prepared a small hidden campfire, doing their best to keep the light from escaping. Everyone had already rested, and midnight was approaching. Michel recounted the recent discoveries, with additions from Samuel.
— It doesn't seem to be very well protected, — Samuel pointed out.
— Strange, — Naomi said. — If this is really where the drug is being made, the security should be tight.
— Just like the extraction point for the raw material, — Livya added, before saying, — Except that place didn't even need guards.
— With five people, we could take the place, — Bia affirmed, her eyes gleaming with excitement behind her steaming potato.
— But there are six of us, — Livya corrected, taking a moment to realize she had been excluded. — I'm going to participate!
— No, you're not, — Michel said sharply. — Your head must still hurt from the faces you're making, and you're not physically fit for this. You'd just get in the way.
— I understand, — Livya murmured, lowering her head.
— Anyway, — Gabriel said, trying to diffuse the tension. — Any idea how we could get in?
The two Corvos who had discovered the place exchanged a long look and soon got lost in their thoughts. While they waited for them to act, Bia grabbed another potato roasting around the fire. In the background, crickets chirped alongside the eerie sounds of owls. Strangely, the place seemed more alive at night.
— We could form a circular formation to take out the guards, — Samuel began, formulating an attack plan. — If everything goes well, we'll enter through the side door. The problem comes after that.
— We don't know anything about the inside, — Michel pointed out. — The best course would be to split up and take them down. If we're lucky, Big Brother and that Little Sister will be among them. Of course, if we're spotted.
— We'd have to do it the old-fashioned way, — Bia said with a morbid grin, patting her knife.
— If necessary, — Samuel added indifferently. — Normally, we'd stay longer to observe the place.
— Normally, yes, — Naomi said. — But more people die from the S.L. every day. Time is a luxury we don't have.
Everyone knew that. With no reason to continue planning, they began to pack up the camp, tossing sand on the fire to create as little smoke as possible, and took the last remaining potatoes, sharing them among themselves.
Naomi returned their sharpened weapons, tossing a whetstone to Gabriel, who caught it mid-air and stowed it away. After one final check of their equipment, the group started their nocturnal journey, leaving Livya behind to watch over the vehicle.
It was an exceptionally clear night. The moon seemed larger than usual, a silver circle in the sky. The group followed the path they knew, which led them through the remains of the city.
Even though he was used to doing these things, Gabriel still felt a knot in his stomach, and he wasn't alone. He could see it on his companions' faces—it was a kill-or-be-killed situation.
They passed near the remnants of the subway, where a few solitary figures with eight legs wandered, trying to find their way back to the depths. The guides led them through paths that would benefit them in case they encountered patrols or vehicles, but nothing happened throughout the entire journey.
Something glimmered on the horizon, and from the crackling of the fire, it was clear what was responsible. Bonfires had been lit around the warehouse, and by the amount of light, there were many.
They then began their circular formation, spreading out in a fan shape to form a complete circle around the building. Gabriel moved to the right alongside Michel, who crouched in front, surveying the target.
There were tall walls, too high to scale with just hands, and a similarly tall gate. A few people patrolled the area, but they didn't seem alert. It was almost as if they were indifferent.
— Strange, — Gabriel murmured to himself.
Once in a good position, Gabriel stopped, waiting for the rest of the circle to form. He could see Michel for a while, but soon the darkness swallowed him, leaving Gabriel alone with only the sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. He continued to watch, realizing he would have to deal with two guards. Slowly, he drew two throwing knives, one in each hand, and waited for the signal.
The two guards leaned against the wall, chatting casually. They had no idea what was about to happen to them. Gabriel felt sweat trickling down his body, despite the cold night. Then the first signal came, a flash from the direction Michel had gone earlier. Gabriel did the same, using one of the knives to signal to Naomi, who had come from behind.
Once he received the second signal, he could attack. The seconds dragged on, and then the new signal came. He repeated the motion, signaling again to Naomi, and counted to five in his head. When he reached zero, he moved.
He could clearly see the targets. He threw the first knife, hitting one guard in the throat. The man clutched his neck, collapsing. The other, confused for a moment, went to help his friend, but a second knife struck him directly in the throat.
Gabriel waited for them to stop writhing in agony, which didn't take long. After making sure they were dead, he crept out from his hiding spot and approached the bodies. He crouched, checked their pulses just to be sure, retrieved his knives, and cleaned them on the dead men's clothes.
It didn't take long for Naomi, Bia, and Samuel to appear. Naomi gave Gabriel a nod of approval. Now together, they moved toward where Michel was, finding him standing over a woman with a chest wound, lying dead on the ground.
They had completed the first part of the plan without any problems and moved on to the next. The door was just a few meters away from the Corvos, who flanked it on both sides. Naomi reached for the handle, which opened easily with a gentle push, just enough for them to enter one at a time. Everyone kept their weapons ready in case someone appeared. Luckily, no such problem arose.
Naomi was the first to enter, followed by Bia and Michel, who turned to the right. Samuel went left, leaving Gabriel to enter last and close the door slowly behind him.
Fortunately, they weren't in an open area, as containers and wooden crates were scattered everywhere. Gabriel quickly hid behind a stack of crates, sheathing one of his throwing knives and drawing the regular one strapped to his thigh. He crept slowly, listening to the conversations and sounds around the warehouse, which felt more like a factory.
Samuel appeared suddenly, holding a man by the mouth and driving his knife deep into his back. Gabriel watched the gruesome scene until Samuel let the lifeless body fall, signaling to him.
Pulling his knife free without cleaning it, Samuel resumed his hunt, leaving Gabriel alone again. Wasting no time, Gabriel moved, pressing himself against a red container. Ahead, a bonfire illuminated the shadows of two people. He approached, staying close to the metal, and as he neared the edge, he used his throwing knife to get a sense of where each person was positioned. Using the blade as a mirror, he saw one standing directly in front of him and the other about two meters away.
He took a deep breath, sheathing the throwing knife and making his move.
He suddenly turned and grabbed the nearest target by the neck, slicing a long cut across their throat. Before the other could react, Gabriel let go of the first man and threw his knife, piercing the second man's heart and dropping him instantly.
He hurried to hide the bodies but saw a woman out of the corner of his eye—she had spotted him. His blood ran cold for a brief moment. She was about to scream when, from between the crates, a figure appeared and kicked her legs out from under her, causing her to fall. Bia, with a morbid smile, held two knives and plunged both into the woman's ribs and throat, silencing her instantly.
Bia smiled at Gabriel as she dragged the woman's body behind the crates. Wasting no time, Gabriel did the same, recovering his knife.
He scanned the area and saw that the bonfire was next to a small staircase running along the wall of the warehouse. At the top of its seven steps, there was a door. Above, glass windows lined a corridor. Gabriel climbed the stairs, opened the door, and was immediately met with a pair of startled blue eyes.
The woman before him didn't have time to react as Gabriel plunged the blade beneath her chin, driving the steel into her brain. This time, his hand trembled from the surprise, and the weight of the dead woman leaning against him didn't help. He laid her down near the corridor. As he cleaned his weapon, a shout rang out.
— We're being invaded! — a man's voice yelled from somewhere.
Gabriel immediately knew someone had been spotted, and the whole place came alive. The corridor he was in had two more doors, which burst open. From the nearest one, a man appeared holding one of those strange nail guns.
He aimed for Gabriel's chest, but the Corvo ducked reflexively, hearing the weapon's crack as the nail flew just centimeters above his head. Gabriel drew another throwing knife and hit the man's hand, causing him to drop the weapon along with a finger. Gabriel rushed forward and drove his knife into the man's stomach.
The others who came through the second door began shooting at Gabriel, who used the dying man as a shield, feeling the impact of the nails hitting his body.
Letting go of the knife still lodged in the man's belly, Gabriel charged toward the three attackers. Drawing his short sword, he stabbed the first in the stomach, who immediately doubled over. The second, behind him, had just enough time to pull a knife and aim a blow at Gabriel's eyes, but Gabriel moved faster. He spun his entire body to the left, causing the blade to release from the first man, spraying blood in an arc across the walls. The blade struck the second attacker's throat with precision.
Gabriel had just enough time to raise his right arm to block the third man's attack.
Gabriel felt his entire arm go numb for a brief moment, followed by a sharp pain. With tears in his eyes, he managed to kick the other man. The attacker fell backward, and with a thrust aimed at the fallen man's chest, the Corvo eliminated the last remaining opponent.
He clutched his arm but was relieved to realize it wasn't broken. A bump was forming where he had taken the hit. The sounds of fighting came from all sides, mixed with shouting. Until that moment, he hadn't noticed any of it, as he was in the battle trance. He sprinted down the hallway until he reached a door at the end. He threw it open, but something pushed it back, slamming into his face, making him stagger back with a bleeding nose and dropping his weapon.
A man appeared holding a knife and attacked. Still disoriented, Gabriel managed to block the strike and wrestled with his aggressor, who was stronger, pinning him against the wall. He felt his arms losing strength, so he raised one leg and brought his heel down like a stake against the man's foot.
The sound of bones cracking and the howl of pain made Gabriel feel some satisfaction, as the man hopped away on one foot. Feeling the blood from his nose fill his mouth with the taste of iron, Gabriel landed a left hook to the man's chin, causing him to collapse heavily. He finished him off by stomping on his neck.
"No!!!" screamed a woman from inside the room. Unlike the man who had attacked with a knife, she was holding one of those strange nail guns.
Still dazed, Gabriel ducked again, reaching for the weapon the dead man had attached to his belt. He grabbed it and threw himself against the wall just as the woman fired. The nail struck the floor with an ear-splitting sound that echoed down the hallway. Gabriel then fired the nail gun one-handed. The recoil was so strong it sent the weapon flying from his hand, but it did its job. A nail protruded from the woman's forehead, and she collapsed to the ground.
"What kind of recoil is that!?" Gabriel shouted to himself, his ears ringing.
With his hand still numb from the impact, he entered the room, which resembled a dining hall, and exited through the opposite door. He had retrieved his weapon again. He came out into a corridor overlooking the center of the warehouse, a lower area filled with various objects, though he didn't have time to focus on them. He saw Naomi below, fighting three people, with four others already lying dead.
To his left, a door burst open suddenly. Michel emerged, impaling a man through the chest and pinning him against the railing of the walkway.
Michel pulled away from the man, who fell, bleeding out, and saw his comrade. He nodded to Gabriel before heading back the way he came.
Gabriel was surprised but quickly turned his attention to the footsteps coming from his right. Three more men appeared, with the first one aiming at him. Gabriel barely had time to throw himself against the wall, dodging the nail that grazed his ribs, leaving a shallow but long cut.
Rage filled him as he felt the blood dripping from the wound, and the smug look on the trio's faces only fueled his anger.
"You call that a weapon?" Gabriel growled, burning with fury. "This is a real weapon." He pulled his Magnum from its holster as he spoke.
They didn't have time to react. He pulled the trigger, blowing open the first man's stomach, then fired again, tearing off the second man's shoulder along with his arm and part of his chest.
The last man fell to his knees, wetting himself, his eyes wide with terror. Gabriel pulled the trigger one last time, blowing the man's head off.
He lowered the smoking gun and turned his attention back to Naomi, but she had already handled everything. And from the eerie silence settling over the place, it seemed the others had too.
He followed the walkway to a staircase that led to the same area as his partner. It didn't take long for him to catch up to her. Naomi didn't have a single scratch and stood there, watching him approach with a smirk.
"You got roughed up," she said.
"Glad you're okay too," Gabriel retorted, annoyed.
"Are you going to need stitches again?" Bia asked as she arrived from an interior passage.
She had a split lower lip and a cut on her right forearm.
"Well, I won't be the only one," Gabriel replied acidly.
Michel appeared next, sporting a black eye and two broken fingers. Samuel was the last to arrive, limping on his right leg with a cut on his cheek.
"In the end, it all worked out!" Naomi said, satisfied.
"I'm still amazed you never get hurt," Bia muttered, still full of adrenaline.
"I'll go fetch Livya," Michel said. "But first, who got spotted?"
They exchanged speculative glances. There was no reason to be angry at each other, but they were going to tease whoever was responsible. Naomi then frowned and said:
"It was me."
"Damn it, Naomi!" Samuel cursed.