Chapter 29: Narrow escape
Rushing past the cars, Akira and Reia were almost back where they started, hoping that meant escape. The amateur snipers kept shooting and often missed making it rather easy for an escape.
"To think they would use people that hardly know how to shoot a gun." Akira found it rather odd to use untrained people as they could have been easily killed at any moment.
Akira spoke to himself while moving behind another car to make sure he stayed as low as possible. What he did not notice was that Reia was also there behind the car.
"Shh!" Reia heard Akira so she quickly put her hand over his mouth and pulled him to the ground.
Akira got a small fright, but he did not make a sound and froze in position. Shortly after the sound of running was heard looking for them.
"Get your gun ready, they were a bit more prepared than untrained soldiers." Reia whispered as quietly as she could in Akira's ear. Reia also was able to tell by the rustling of the gear that the rebels were more likely to be trained than amateurs.
Reia took her hand off Akira and pulled out her rifle making sure it was ready to fire.
Akira did the same and made sure he made as little noise as possible to not attract attention.
Stuck near the end of the carpark, Reia and Akira were in a favourable position as they were out of sight of the snipers. It also meant that they would be able to run away if they could avoid the rebels, but it sounded like some were getting closer to the position.
Reia gestured to Akira that once they get close one of them will get up and kill the closet soldier while the other one moves. Then they would switch and so the other person would provide cover fire while the other moved.
However, Akira remembered that the cars were rigged with explosives and quickly gestured to Reia.
"They don't have that many resources to use, now let's hurry before the mutants overrun the carpark." Reia gave up on using gestures since they were running out of time and needed to move.
Akira nodded and decided to be the first to stand up.
Akira pre-aimed and quickly peeked over the car spotting the rebel soldier that was looking between the cars. Firing at the soldier without him noticing, Akira was able to land a lightning bullet killing him instantly.
However, the gunshot attracted more soldiers to their location. Reia then began to move and got behind the next car and quickly took aim. Akira then also moved and seeing that the soldiers were further away decided to go a little further.
'Looks like I overestimated their ability.' Reia expected them to be a bit more efficient with their response.
Changing the magnification on the scope she had, Reia took a few shots at the soldiers. managing to kill a couple more. Reia then ran after Akira who had gone further back, getting close to the shop they were in.
Akira also had gotten closer to the edge if they needed to take a different route and after stopping behind a car heard something in the distance. Screeches and growls of mutants were heard coming through the streets meaning that the mutants will shortly arrive.
Akira took aim and made sure Reia was safe, while quickly looking around to see where specifically the mutants were coming from. Reia caught up and also noticed the noises coming from around them.
"Shit, okay we need to hide and get away from here as quick as we can." Reia disregarded their plan as it would be useless if the mutants come.
"Let's hide in the closest building and try to make our way out while they are distracted." Akira saw a few stores that surrounded the area that they could hide in, but now it was a matter of not getting lost.
"Alright let's go." Reia was more concerned for their safety and wasn't worried as with a bit of time they would be able to make their way back.
Jumping over the side fence Akira and Reia made a break for it towards some of the side shops. Some of the soldiers that were chasing them started to open fire trying to get a hit in before they got away.
"Shit." A bullet skimmed Akira's arm and a lot of pain flowed through his arm feeling a searing sensation in the wound.
"I forgot how much it hurts being hit with essence." Akira held his arm while running trying to ignore the burning feeling in his arm.
"Akira!" Reia who got further ahead opened the door to what looked like a hardware shop. Rushing into the store bullets continued to spray down on the building breaking the glass door and some of the items inside.
Akira and Reia had jumped behind a counter which was across from the door and protected them from any bullets that got through the door.
"Akira are you okay?" Reia, seeing he was hurt, quickly checked his arm to see how bad it was.
"I'm fine, just some essence burn." Akira wasn't bothered by it too much, but the pain made things rather uncomfortable.
"Tsk, still need to cover it." Reia would not tolerate Akira just dealing with it so she pulled out some bandages and wrapped Akira's arm.
The rain of bullets from the outside had calmed down, but the growls of the mutants hadn't and were only getting louder.
"It seems like a horde." Akira did not like their odds, but hopefully, they would be able to sneak their way out.
"Yes, and we need to return before Klein wakes up because I don't trust that witch for a second." Reia did not want to leave Klein in the base for too long and would rather get back sooner than later.
"It is getting dark so let's hope that includes reduced visibility for the mutants, but something tells me that isn't the case." Akira was trying to think of ways to get back the safest and waiting for nighttime sounded like a good idea, but only if it impaired the mutant's vision.
"We don't have much of a choice and I think those soldiers came to give us a bit of company." Reia looked over the counter and saw out the door a few soldiers approaching.
"Tch, don't they have other priorities?" Akira thought they would be distracted by the oncoming horde of mutants.
"I think they knew who we were despite our best attempts at hiding our names." Reia had a suspicion that Raphel was playing with them and actually knew who they were, but wanted to take advantage of the situation.
"She did look a bit crazy, but let's be glad she was stupid enough to let us out of that building." Akira was still hung up on the fact that they were using regular people to fire weapons.
"They probably were all Raphel could use, but let's not worry about it, we have some people to entertain." Reia aimed her rifle at the door, waiting for the rebel soldiers to make their move.
Akira crawled to the end of the counter and looked around the side to get a different angle on the door.
However, before the rebels could come through the door, the wall behind Reia and Akira began to crack.
"Huh?" Reia turned around to look and as she did the wall suddenly burst open.
A silver-haired she-wolf went flying through the wall alongside a giant mutant tiger that tried to bite the she-wolf.
Reia jumped out of the way avoiding the bricks that came from the wall and landed next to Akira.
Quickly looking at the front of the store Reia recognised the person that had come bursting in fighting a giant tiger.
"Lou?"
***
Deep in the mall, there was a breakroom and the Vixen pulled Raphel along and entered the room.
"I brought her Edina." The black-haired vixen threw Raphel to the ground in front of a woman who was sitting down on a sofa.
Edina wore a white shirt and black jeans as if she was on holiday. The shirt was half done up and she had half a glass of wine in her hand twirling it around.
"Raphel." Edina spoke, sounding disappointed.
"Yes." Raphael was now kneeling and was staring at the ground as if she royally fucked up.
"I told you, to kill on sight, not try to lead them into a trap. As I have heard from some of the veterans of the rebels they are the best soldiers the military has to offer. Don't you think your little game of using our soldiers in training to get "experience" and blowing up the car traps at the front was a good one? Now we have a fucking horde to deal with and the two people that abandoned me are going to get away." Edina began to rant and her voice was getting louder and louder.
"I-"
"Who said you can speak!" Edina sat up and was gripping her wine glass tightly.
'How the hell did this bitch get to such a higher position than me in only a couple of days?' Raphael was cursing Edina to herself as she had been with the rebels for much longer than Edina yet she was already a commander within it.
"I see that resentment in your eyes, sorry that I overtook you, but frankly the rebels saw my capabilities unlike you who seems to have a thing for FUCKING UP!" Edina shattered the glass in her hand and Raphel flinched.
*sigh* "Please take her away agent O and send a request to the other leaders to have her punished... severely." Edina smiled while she cleaned the glass off her hand watching Raphel's expression change from hatred to shock.
"Wait no, you can't do that you bitch." Raphel panicked and tried to get up, but the black-haired vixen restrained her before she could move.
Raphel tried to get out of the vixen's hold, but it was futile as she overpowered her.
"Now come with me quietly or I will have to take drastic measures to force you." Agent O was getting annoyed and without waiting for a response covered her hand in lightning.
Raphel instantly stopped moving to stop resisting, but it seemed that Agent O made her decision. Hitting the back of Raphel's neck, Agent O knocked her out and put Raphel over their shoulder.
"So annoying." Agent O mumbled and exited the room while carrying Raphel.
"Now to deal with the oncoming horde, hopefully, that old bastard mobilised our trained soldiers and is getting ready." Edina stood up and stretched out her body.
Edina held out her hand and a red-like essence that resembled blood swirled around. Edina then tightened her fists and blood seeped through because of the cuts from the glass.
'Time to earn my position. I'm sure those bastards that took me in, will be using this as a way to test me on how I deal with the situation.' Edina shortly after being found in the carpark was allowed to prove herself and managed to get a minor leadership role.
With this role, Edina had been tasked with operating one of the many bases the rebel which had created a way to prove herself even further and to develop the skills she newly obtained.
'Heh, thanks to those two I was able to get my own essence and join the rebels, however.'
"I swear I will kill those two damn foxes that left me in that underground carpark." Edina had not forgotten what they said to her and deeply hated them for abandoning her.