The safe house was quiet—too quiet.
Sebastian stood by the window, scanning the tree line for any movement. His instincts screamed at him, a tension in his gut that had kept him alive for years. The mission was set, the team was ready, but something felt off.
Then he saw it.
A glint in the darkness. A flicker of movement.
His breath caught. "Get down!"
BOOM!
The front wall exploded inward, a shockwave ripping through the room. Dust and debris filled the air as gunfire erupted from the treeline, red tracer rounds streaking through the night.
The safe house was under attack.
An Ambush in the Dark
Marcus was the first to recover, flipping the table for cover as bullets shredded through the walls. "Alaric's people?" he yelled over the gunfire.
Sebastian gritted his teeth, grabbing his rifle. "Who else?"
Dominic pulled Chloe behind a couch, shielding her as another explosion rocked the house. "We need to move! They'll flank us!"
Chloe coughed, her ears ringing. "How did they find us so fast?"
Claudia ducked behind the counter, firing back. "Because Alaric always plans three steps ahead. He was expecting us to make a move."
Sebastian's mind raced. They had underestimated him. Alaric wasn't waiting to be hunted—he was the hunter.
"We need an exit!" Marcus shouted.
"The back!" Claudia yelled. "But we won't make it unless we—"
Before she could finish, the ceiling caved in. A massive armored figure dropped down from above, landing with a thud.
His eyes glowed red in the darkness.
An Ascended.
The First of Many
The room went silent for half a second as the figure straightened, cracking his neck. He was tall, broad-shouldered, his muscles unnatural, enhanced far beyond normal human limits. His skin shimmered, almost metallic under the flickering lights.
He smiled.
Then he moved.
Faster than anyone expected, he lunged for Marcus. Marcus barely dodged, rolling away as the floor splintered under the impact.
"Shit!" Marcus gasped. "This guy's not normal!"
Sebastian raised his rifle and fired—three direct hits to the chest.
The Ascended barely flinched.
Chloe scrambled to her laptop, trying to access any nearby systems. "His heat signature—damn it, he's regenerating too fast!"
Dominic cursed and unloaded an entire magazine. The rounds tore into the enemy, but he kept coming, laughing.
Sebastian exchanged a glance with Claudia. "Tell me there's a weak spot."
She swallowed. "The head. That's the only thing that stops them."
"Perfect," Marcus muttered. "Because that's so easy to hit."
The Ascended charged again.
This time, Sebastian didn't hesitate.
He moved fast, sliding under the attack, drawing his knife in one swift motion. As the enemy passed, Sebastian sliced deep across the back of his knee.
The Ascended staggered, momentarily slowed.
Marcus didn't waste the opportunity—he grabbed a shotgun from the wreckage, aimed, and fired point-blank into the creature's face.
Blood splattered, and the Ascended dropped.
Dead.
But outside, more red eyes flickered in the darkness.
Alaric hadn't sent just one.
He had sent an army.
A Desperate Escape
Sebastian grabbed Chloe's wrist. "We need to move. Now."
Claudia threw a flash grenade toward the incoming enemies, buying them a few seconds.
The team bolted through the back exit, weaving through the dense trees, gunfire echoing behind them.
Dominic shouted, "We can't outrun them forever!"
Chloe tapped furiously at her wrist device. "I might have something—half a mile south, an old storage bunker! We can barricade ourselves in and regroup!"
Sebastian didn't hesitate. "Move!"
They sprinted through the darkness, the sound of heavy footsteps closing in behind them.
This wasn't just a setback.
This was a warning.
Alaric wasn't just ahead of them.
He was in control.
The Endgame Begins
As the team reached the bunker and forced the rusted doors shut, Sebastian turned to Claudia.
"How many more of them are there?"
Claudia's face was grim. "Too many."
Chloe exhaled shakily. "Then we're out of time. If we don't strike first, Alaric wins."
Sebastian clenched his fists.
No more running. No more waiting.
They were taking this fight to Alaric.
And this time, they weren't holding back.