Jai slipped out of the broken window of the school gymnasium, careful not to make a sound as glass crunched beneath his soles. The air outside was thick with gunpowder and smoke, a stinging fog that blurred shapes and made the night feel even more suffocating. He crouched low and moved quickly, heart hammering as he dove behind a dense bushel of overgrown shrubs.
Through the foliage, he caught sight of the militants. Lined up with rifles drawn, their fingers rested on triggers as they fired on anyone who emerged from the broken shell of the school in panic. There was no hesitation. Just cold, mechanical violence.
Jai's breath hitched. He pressed himself deeper into the shadows, fists tightening against the earth. Why… why are they doing this?
Then movement to his right caught his eye.
His breath stilled.
There, leaning back casually against a shattered concrete wall, was Shao.
Calm. Composed. As if they weren't surrounded by trained killers.
