The boy responsible for managing the grocery store was against the wall, with a hole in his forehead from which pieces of brain and blood were spilling. Naomi, standing in front of the corpse, tried to orient herself amidst the chaos. One moment, she was buying meat for dinner, and the next, a shootout had begun.
Hidden behind the counter with the products, the Corva was shielding herself from the gunfire. She couldn't tell who the attacker was, only that many people were being shot, just like the boy. She crawled until she was at the edge of the counter, peering out. In the center of the street, a skeletal man, with few tufts of hair and wearing only a t-shirt and underwear, was firing at will.
She hated not being able to use firearms, as it would have been possible to end everything quickly. Gaining courage, she ran into an alley, choosing where to go, taking cover until she was close enough. She fired at an empty bar with two bodies lying on the ground, preparing to use one of the walls as cover. That's when the gunfire followed her; the man had finally seen her. She slid on the ground to get against a pillar, the earth rising right behind her.
She had separated from Livya only a few minutes ago, which gave Naomi some relief. At least the girl wouldn't be in danger. She bent her knee to retrieve one of her throwing knives strapped to her shin and waited.
She listened intently to the other's movements. Between each shot, the sound of approaching footsteps made the young woman stay alert. Next to the wall, a table made of thick planks caught her attention. She struck the leg of the furniture near her, and it fell forward, creating a shield.
She gripped her knife tighter, throwing herself behind the table. She saw the attacker less than three meters away, made a move before being covered by the wood, and crossed the blade in the air, hitting the barrel of the revolver.
The weapon fell with the impact, firing one last random shot. Naomi barely hit the ground and forced her body to rise again, heading toward the man before he could grab the weapon once more. She leaped over the fallen table and advanced, delivering a diagonal strike.
The man was surprised by the counterattack but had enough time to pull a short sword, which he placed in the path of her katana. The impact of the steel made him take a few steps back, regaining his balance.
Naomi felt her hands vibrate slightly from the strike and stepped on the pistol, dragging it behind her. Her opponent simply stared at her with deep, almost lifeless eyes, sending chills down her spine.
"What do you want?" Naomi asked. "Why did you attack me?"
But no answer came from him, and he advanced, ignoring her. He struck her forcefully, despite his skinny, almost skeletal arms. The Corva stopped the attack with ease, but another one came, aiming for her abdomen. She lowered her weapon, and the tip of his sword was redirected to the ground.
Taking advantage of the man's imbalance, Naomi moved forward with her knee, hitting his face and feeling his teeth break under the blow. She was about to end the fight when the enemy swung his sword, targeting her thigh.
Naomi was about to bring her blade down to pierce his neck but changed her attack mid-air, driving the tip of the katana into the ground, preventing him from completing his strike. She jumped back, putting four paces between them.
Even with several teeth destroyed, the enemy rose with the same expression, indifferent to the blood pouring from his shattered mouth. Something wasn't right, and Naomi knew it. Not only because everything was happening so suddenly, but the man's fighting style reminded her of the Crows.
Holding the katana with both hands, Naomi was ready to finish it with her next move. She advanced, only to be met with an overhead slash. But twisting her body, she managed to slip past the sword, stopping behind the man. Without giving him time to react, she turned, pulling her weapon along and stabbing it into his back. She felt the strike pierce through flesh and heart, coming out through his chest.
With the shard of metal protruding from his chest, he tried to escape, but blood exploded from his mouth. His heart was pierced, making him slip lifelessly down the blade, collapsing.
Naomi stared at the body, breathing heavily. The days spent fighting were taking their toll. She shook the katana, wiping off the excess blood, when new gunshots made her turn. Livya was under attack.