Then, a loud, metallic CLANG rung out into the warehouse, shrill and shallow, the sounds of metal breaking. Repeated yells flushed out into the warehouse.
“GO!” Was the most common word, spouted time and time again, James’s eyes grew wide, a flush of color sprinting past his eyes, his body twitched and his finger slammed against the trigger, his throat opening into a wild, anxious cry. The shotgun stock kicked harsh against his shoulder and he stumbled back, “FUCK, FUCK!” James yelled out.
The yells of both criminal and operatives filled the warehouse. “WE’VE GOT 2!” A harsh yelling man yelled, and James anxiously stumbled back, letting out a nervous cry, before he cocked his shotgun back, his back slamming up against the metal of the next shelf rung, he turned and kicked one of the cardboard boxes out from the shelf, before diving under the shelf, rushing underneath it to escape.
“WE’VE GOT--THEY’RE IN!” James’ voice echoed through the warehouse, a firey roar with a dangerous bark, paired with an anxious cry. A war cry, evident to only James.
Laina’s skin grew cold, her hairs raising, her rifle quickly raised by it’s self, digging stock into her shoulder as she found her barrel circling over the end of the first shelf, watching, waiting, her joints growing stiff.
“Oh FUCK!” Smith grunted out, he spun his head around to the visage of the military personnel, head to toe in ballistic gear, guns at the ready. “E-1!” A harsher, shriller military voice cried before Smith dashed off to the 2nd shelf, his feet slamming quick and hard onto the concrete, his sneakers slipping, he shoved his head down, feeling the wind breeze against his body as he shoulder charged into the end of the 2nd shelf, a loud metallic BANG entering the ware house.
Sam snapped her head back to Smith as he started to dash, the loud, aggressive bang of gunshots snapping through the air, the gunshots were loud and harsh, exploding around the warehouse and snapping into their ears, Sam could feel the bones in her skull come alive, as if rattling those gunshots in her head.
Her eyes widened, her arms stuck in the shelf, her face twisted in a frown of horror. She opened her mouth into a shrill, high scream as she tried to wrench her arms out, yanking at the metal, feeling her arms bang up against the poles, her eyes widened and her face went red hot, feeling the wind strike against her, trying to cool her. She yanked her arms again, banging her gun side ways against the shelf as she wiggled her arms out.
“FUCK FUCK, COME ON---COME ONNN!” James yelled in a panic, with a loud stomp on the concrete echoing out across the warehouse.
Laina’s ears grew stiff, and her eyes felt frozen in place as she dug her teeth down into the side of her tongue, her eyes swapping from Sam, back to the 1st shelf, watching her poor blonde struggle.
Smith shoved himself into the 2nd row of shelves, just around the corner, back to the metal poling, he glared to Sam, gun at the ready. “OH YOU’RE FUCKING KIDDING ME!” He yelled out, as fierce and deep as a lions roar.
“ALL T, 3, WE HAVE 3!” Another military voice yelled.
“Fuck! I missed the bastard!” Another shouted.
Sam nervously whined to herself, before planting her feet and throwing herself back, compacting her arms, she let out a nervous shout as she felt herself drop to the floor, her arm grazing along the sharp metal siding, before she fell to the hard concrete floor, her back planted straight onto the floor with a loud THUD, her head throwing it's self back in the action, she quickly pulled herself onto her knee’s, yanking her head up with her gun in hands.
“GOT E-2!” Another operative yelled.
A man dressed in dark brown and murky green shoved himself around the corner of the first shelving. He stood tall and menacing, maneuvering from a full sprint into dropping down to a kneel, raising his gun straight up, aligning the gun’s barrel with the blonde on the floors chest. A dark grey helmet strapped to his head, a thin cloth balaclava over his face, a set of green eyes staring at Sam. Gloved fingers held his gun still, with his finger on the trigger.
Sam glared at the man straight ahead, her eyes grew wide and she yanked her gun in front of her, before one massive, loud CAW entered the warehouse. A vicious snap of bullet, a rippling crack like sound bouncing along the warehouse. And the man was thrown to the floor, a fierce gush of blood spraying into the air from his head, his head slammed into the pavement, his body following, drooping morbidly as it laid sprawled along the concrete, his gun dropped from his hand and clattered along the floor.
“WOAH!” “SHIT!” “GOD!” “FUCK!” the remaining operatives yelled out in one shocking remark. Sam hurried herself to her feet, stumbling around the set of oddly placed shelves and quickly scuttering behind them, her breaths heavy and panting.
Laina’s gun let out a faint, transparent set of grey smoke out from the barrel, and Laina let out a coarse shuddering exhale, her trigger hand moving up to the gun to pull back the bolt, and click it back into place, like routine, loading the next bullet, her sights crossed on the man’s dead body, slumped against the floor, a trickling, small puddle of red growing onto the floor.
“...Fuuck…” She quietly whispered among herself.
“WOOO! FEEL THAT YOU FUCKS?” James yelled out loud from behind the 2nd shelf, anxiously peeking out around his cover, watching the open fire exit, his hands lowered, gun half ready, aimed by his hip as he let out a loud, cocky laugh.
Smith growled out underneath his breath, staring out through the cracks between the card board boxes, trying to find them.
“THEY’RE BEHIND THE FIRST SHELF, THEY’RE FUCKIN PUSSIES!” James yelled out, before letting out a sadistic, exaggerated chuckle, the unnerving cackle bouncing along the warehouse walls.
Sam gulped, swallowing her harsh breaths and jammed her gun in the shelf again, this time, from behind the shelf, watching the set of 1st shelves.
The quiet, metallic ‘tink’ of a bullet casing rattled into the air, the casing from Laina’s rifle slowly dropping itself down the long set of stairs…
And Smith grew another squint, pulling himself back behind the metal pole from the shelving, granting himself cover once more.
The quiet rustling of ballistic uniforms echoed from behind the 1st shelf, the quiet set of slow footsteps, pacing themselves around, quiet whispers bounding from ear to ear.
Then, the power dynamic was rebalanced.
The two factions had no idea of each other's strength, or arms, with one faction down a unit. And suddenly, the two were reminded of one gruesome factor in these trifling terms of combat.
One lapse of critical thinking would be their end.
And James started tapping his foot again, slamming his toes on the concrete again and again.
“HUH, HUH! COME ON, FUCKING DO SOMETHING!” He snapped out, a frown growing over his face, his hairs rising, he shook his head again and again. He knew this isn’t what he was made for. He was never good at thinking, a good case of it could leave him out smarted. All he knew was to act fast.
Then, a voice out of the Milatas, shouted back. “YEAH? PUSH BACK RETARD!” Young, and naive. Cocky and high. James heard the retort and a grin crossed his face, a quiet scoff underneath his breath.
Laina waited patiently, staring at the mans dead body, sights crossed, watching that pool of blood slowly grow, watching the black of his uniform slowly tint red. Hearing those echoing yells from James. “GO ON, TRY IT DICK HEAD!” He yelled, echoing all the way from there, to her peaceful little sniper spot.
Sam stared past the body, watching the ending of the 1st shelf, her eyes locked onto the body, deciphering more and more of the morbid view of death as she glared, unable to look away from death’s solid grasp.
It laid there limp, without a single move, his helmet strapped tightly on, now shoved ajar from the bullet, 2 chunks of hair and flesh scattered along the outside, bordering just around his neck. She could only imagine how the Milatas must feel now.
Her skin never seemed to lack heat, her skin constantly burning, tingling and itching in moments like this. Brushed firmly with death, though in her favour.
“YEAH? TELL YOUR PUSSY SNIPER TO FUCK OFF!” The young voice yelled again, the banter only served as a temporary break to humanize each other, used to insult instead.
“WE DON’T EVEN FUCKIN’ NEED HER, COME ON, GET ME PUSSY THAT’S A FUCKING DEMAND!” James voice grew more jovial and cocky, confident in his brags, and soon the crew was reminded of the sadistic way James hunted, luring them in like prey.
“KISS MY ASS!” The Milatas yelled back. The warehouse started to grow impatient, both at a loss. Any move made on either side might be a mistake.
And James went quiet, his face locked into a down turned frown, he raised his gun. He looked down to the concrete, and licked over his lips nervously, before he turned sideways, planting one left past the next, as he quietly started to move outside of his cover, and along to the 1st shelf.
Entering into the no man's land between the two shelves, his head went side to side, up and down, trying to look past those cardboard boxes, before he stopped dead in the middle of shelf 1 and 2, feeling the wind gush from the fire exit, he frowned, and raised his shotgun to the set of cardboard boxes.
He aimed against those cardboard boxes, before his finger slowly steadied against the trigger and clicked it back, such a slow movement, combated by the loud BANG that followed, the harsh snap of the stock against his shoulder, and the kick back into his wrist. The loud “OUH!” that followed from one of the men, and the sadistic giggle that followed from James. “SURE BUDDY!” He yelled after.
The yelling voices contrasted with an even bigger boom from the shotgun, with the pained grunt after, a shudder ran down Sam’s back.
“OH FUCK-” “GET HIM!” 2 voices yelled after, and James quickly turned around, looking to his former cover and sprinting to his spot before.
Then, a loud spray of gunshots, and a pained, high, “OOOH!” from James. A loud thud as James skidded onto the floor, and a metallic ‘BANG’ as something hit metal.
Eyes of the crew went wide all around.
“JAMES!?” Sam yelled out, and Smith snapped, turning to the set of shelves James was at, his head snapping left and right, trying to look through the cardboard.
“HAHA, EAT SHIT DICK HEAD!” The young voice yelled out.
Laina’s eyes widened, and she sat up off of her set of stairs, raising her rifle up high along the shelves, scanning through the cardboard boxes, before looking down the stairs, and starting to make a hurried descent down, head snapping from shelf, to stairs, trying to find James.
Smith could hear pained, rapid breaths through gritted teeth, from James’ shelf, before the slow sounds of his gun cocking. Then, with one set of footsteps. And one more bang rippled through the warehouse once more, and a loud THUNK on the concrete.
“FUCK...OFF!” James yelled in between pants. He laid on the concrete floor, back on the floor, shotgun held in his hands. He could feel his back ache, stinging pain, rapid shocks of thumping pain that riddled against his system. Three spots in particular along his back, every thump of his heart, he could feel his nerves kick, a searing red hot tingling following soon after the pain.
James let out repeated, grunting pants, sliding his guns foregrip back, loading the next bullet with another cock of his gun.
“JAAAMES!” Sam yelled back out from her shelf. “WHERE ARE YOU!” She yelled again, pulling her gun free from the shelf, easier from this end as she peered through her cover to look along the shelving.
Laina jumped from the last stair onto the concrete with a loud skid, before she looked along the set of shelves, and held her gun with her forehand, giving a slight jog to the set of metal desks and computers, all the way at the end of the shelves.
“SEC--ARGH, FUCK THESE SHELVES!” James yelled out, and Smith looked to where the sound was coming from, before looking back to the 1st set of shelves, holding his gun down, he ran up to the mans body, pushing himself up against the shelving for cover, before he held his gun up and peered down the line of 1st shelves.
Huddling along the cardboard boxes were 2 men in a kneeled position, one faced the fire exit, gun held at the ready to spray at James, while the other kneeled in the middle, head huddled between cardboard boxes, trying to spy on the MERCs.
Along the floor was another man, huddled and on the floor, his gun beside him, he held his hands along his chest, a trickle of red, dirty blood on the floor.
Hearing Smith, the man between the cardboard boxes quickly set to yank his head out. Smith yanked his gun up, quickly aligning the barrel with the poor mans head, just as he turned to face Smith.
1, 4, 6, 8...Sets of gun shots rattled out into the building, 8 shells flying out of Smiths gun in no time. The mans face was no longer, after the first few the man grew limp, a squirt of blood spewing out from around the entrance of the bullet, before the next few only seemed to push out more, a geyser of the red, life liquid danced out from the mans face, his nose and upper jaw quickly caved in, before Smith quickly shoved his gun up to the next man, his gun rattling in his hands, the shots snapped out beside the man, before Smith pulled back into his cover.
“AH!--AHHHH, OH GOD!” One of the men yelled, and Sam peered around her cover, before she sprinted out to the 3rd set of shelves, running along them, “JAMES! JAMES!” She yelled out, again and again, her voice bouncing along the wall.
Laina settled at the ending desk, being able to peer down the line and view the fire escape from here, she could spy James on the floor, in between the 1st shelf and the 2nd shelf, laying on his back, his shotgun ready and cast up. Just 2 meters from his feet, at the start of the 1st shelf was another dead body. Laid out and limp like a starfish, with another pool of that essential blood hanging beneath him.
She settled her rifles barrel on the end of the 1st shelf, above James, watching and waiting, with her arms starting to ache as she held them up.
“ONE LEFT!” Smith yelled out from behind his set of cover, voice brutish and loud.
James grunted beneath his breath, “HERE!” he shouted out to Sam.
Sam pointed her head along the end of the 3rd shelf to look at the fire exit, spying James on the floor, and the dead man just meters away from his feet, his face a mess of blood red mush, her fingers and feet tingled just from the sigh, before she quickly turned her head to James, taking a quick few set of ushered steps out to James.
Laina watched Sam move in front of James, moving in front of her view. Laina’s breath pushed past her lips, and she stepped to the side a few times, moving her head and gun off to the side, enabling herself to see past Sam.
Sam bent down, her hands quickly finding the collar of James’ hoodie, before she started to drag him back to the shelves, she heard just 2 loud footsteps from the shelf in front of her, before a loud CAW, with a snapping whistle of air following after.
“GUH!” A loud grunt echoed into the warehouse.
Laina let out a shuddering exhale again, watching the man in her sights drop down, falling onto his back, before her hand grabbed the bolt and pulled it back, loading the next bullet, feeling the stinging sensation in her shoulder.
Smith shoved himself out around the corner again, gun raised, viewing the new scene; A line of men, draped out and cast along the floor, bodies limp, with pools of thin, gushing blood painting underneath them.
Smith frowned, and took a few steps back, trampling onto the wrist of the dead man behind him.
“WE’RE DONE.” He yelled out.