Ambush
#18 of Writing Prompts
It's that time of the week again, so I bring another writing prompt for your pleasure. This time the Writing prompt is Those three little words...
It CANNOT be "I love you" (or I _____ you)
I hope you can enjoy it. Tell me how you feel about it in the comments.
A group of shadows moved through the night, staying far away from the neon lights that pushed away the night. They moved with purpose towards a rundown block. Graffiti and rats surrounded them as they dove deeper into the maze of alleys and buildings. Once, the block may have been part of the industry that pushed the world, but now the broken machinery was the only sight of technology to be had. Even the ever present vigilance of the Overwatch was absent in these places; a discrete declaration of the lack of worth of this block. To live in this place was to not be a person at all as far as the State was concerned. At least, until the downtrodden came out of their sewers to bother their betters. Their sight alone was an affront worthy of throwing them into oblivion, to rob a person deserved
The group all came to a stop at the sign of their captain, the broad shouldered rhino visage twisted into a cruel smile. In front of his eyes orange and red figures moved in lazy patterns, telling the old soldier they were close to their target. With a brusque signal he bade two of his soldiers to scout ahead, the doe and the wolf acknowledging their orders with a quick nod. They melded into the night, keeping close to the walls while they searched for a way inside the closest buildings. The steel door was shut tight, the hydraulic mechanism stuck after many years of disuse. The doe's fingers nimbly took out the control panel, sparks flying in the air as she tinkered with the cables. With a loud whizzing of air a the door moved slightly, barely enough for the pair to force it open the rest of the way.
They skulked inside the building without trouble, dust going up with each step in the abandoned structure. Only a few lights remained in working order, their half powered light casting a ghastly glow to the A portion of their googles showing the old schematics of the building. In no time, the pair went up the stairs, following the arrows that lead them to a lone window on the fourth floor. The wolf took a small cylinder from his belt , the gray tube elongating with a twist before he put it in front of his eye. Slow movements took him to the window, his mauled ears standing as tall as they could while he used the small device to glance at their objective: The rectangular building down the street. It didn't look like the fortress they had been told of. More than half the windows were broken, lights twinkled on and off in the few rooms that even had it and more than a few walls had broken down. However, the wolf's eye caught on the inconsistencies that uncovered the lie. The broken down walls rendered all their schematics useless, there was no way to know which one were still standing. On top of that, the walls led to darkened rooms, perfect places to lay traps or an ambush. The scintillating lights didn't allow intruders to get used to the darkness, making their shots less accurate, even with proper equipment. Groups of gang members patrolled the streets at irregular times, always keeping an eye on each other; the wolf had no doubt they would jump for cover at the first sign of trouble, probably radio any irregularities to their boss. With a slight growl the wolf admitted infiltrating the place wouldn't be easy.
The wolf turned to his partner, whispering his findings to the doe specialist. The cervine took out the box attached to her back and with a hard yank pulled out a series of dark purple marbles barely the size of a finger, reddish flashing from them with a flick of the doe's wrist. The wolf threw open the window with a grunt, the doe the marbles out the window a few second later. The round forms flashed red twice before their forms shifted. Thin gelatinous winds bursting from their sides, thin legs breaking out of the sphere while a thin antenna formed on top. The group of drones scattered, infiltrating the building through separate windows. Meanwhile, the doe had a translucent film on her hand, green lines and dots appearing on her screen with vertiginous speed, tracing the building's layout on real time. Height, width, obstacles, traps, sensors, her little drones took note of everything they could find. Tense minutes passed as the drones mapped the building, cold sweat running down the back of both soldiers. The weight of their mission eating at them. The wolf checking on the patrolling groups every few seconds while the doe never parted her eyes from the screen, almost forgetting to blink.
A gasp broke out the silence, the doe staring wide eyed at the screen. The wolf's ears turned to her, the younger fur's training his gun towards the entrance, fear dancing in his eyes. The doe fumbled with her film, fingers flying to the scream in swift motions. Windows opening and closing while she searched their contents with desperation. The whole array of the building was unfolding before her eyes. Enemies, weaknesses, strengths, communications, all of it led to a single conclusion that brought her heart to her throat.
"She's dead," the doe said with a trembling voice, her voice breaking at the end, "she's already dead"
"What do you mean? The council just sent us" replied the wolf, frantic eyes searching outside for enemies.
"I don't know why, but everyone above the third floor is dead." She turned her screen around, the live feed of several drones showing the maimed bodies of their target and her bodyguards. Blood dropping from the roof in thick drops while pools of it covered the floor. Similar scenes could be seen in other rooms. But one thing stood out like a sure thumb to the wolf. The walls were covered in blood, spatters adorning the ugly green wallpaper, yet, there were no scorch marks from lasers, no bullet holes. No one had died with a weapon on their hand and they all had a luck of surprise on their faces, not pain, surprise.
The scouts shared a look, their hairs standing on end. Instinct telling them to run, hands slowly going to their guns. Then, they heard it. A scream that shook their very souls, cutting through their courage like a knife through cloth. A figure burst through from one the windows on the opposite building. The sound of gunfire rang through the night. The soldiers' googles shined with urgency, their captain asking for a report. Explosions followed mere seconds later. The live feed on the film broke off into static, the drone counters shifting to a bold red 0 at the bottom of the screen. With slight tremors going through his hands the wolf uses his telescope to look for the strange shape. Claws and gore meet his eyes when he caught the beast shredding through the gang members. Bullets and laser useless against the beast as it weaves around them, twisting the guns in the furs faces before he kills them, their cries echoing in the sky.
A blood red eye glances in the wolf's direction, the telescope falling from the lupine hands. A quick message is sent to their captain seconds before a dead body shatters the window. The dog's face is almost unrecognizable, a gory mess of blood and torn muscles, but one set of wounds stand out, forming a single word.
"Run."