Chapter 22: Strays

"I'm just here to look for some lost items, not to harm anyone." His arms were still tucked behind his neck with both his elbows pointing outwards. He was kneeling down at the moment.

He closed his eyes.

"If you let me go, I will give you everything I have and be on my way. I promise I will not leave this spot for ten minutes to give you a headstart." 

He needed the little time. Just a little more. He felt the cold barrel behind his neck tremble slightly. This could very well be his lucky day after all. But he had to be very sure what kinds of people he was up against. He needed a little more time.

"Take the guns. I have ammunition and med kits in my waist pouches. Take them and go." Nobody tried to do anything. The slight tremble of the barrel behind him was still present. Crucist got the time he needed.

He opened his eyes. What little light around him gushed into his pupils and flooded him with temporary sight before it adjusted. He could see a figure, no more than 5 foot tall, standing before him with a handgun held out towards him.

'A kid?!' he thought to himself. Quickly he ducked and rolled leftwards through the doorway back into the room he exited just moments ago. Just as he thought, no shots were fired. As inexperienced as they seemed, they were smart enough to realize they were standing in each other's line of fire. Both stumbled towards the doorway, with their guns held out as far as their arms can reach. Silently Crucist crawled up behind the wall just next to the doorway waiting.

A handgun was seen passing the doorway. Amateurs. They're doing this all wrong, he thought. Keeping the firearm too far away from the body in such a tight environment creates a very cumbersome distance between the user and it's weapon, which also slows the user's reaction time and accuracy. 

Crucist's right hand went straight for the wrist, thumb and middle finger pinching the nerve point that would incapacitate the person's arm completely without much effort. At the same time his left hand reached out below to fetch the falling handgun. Maintaining grip of the wrist Crucist pulled the person towards him, twisted his arm around the neck with his back directly against Crucist. The handgun now against the kid's left temple and both of them facing the doorway awaiting his accomplice to show himself. 

It wasn't very effective. The kid's inferior height and body mass left Crucist still exposed to gunshot in too many corners, should his accomplice decide to take the chance. He walked in, exiting the darkness behind him... Or her. A girl?! Barely taller than the boy he was holding as his shield. Her hair short and dressed in shorts and an over-sized T-shirt, but no mistake it was the face of a little girl. 

"What the fuck is this?" Crucist thought to himself, but somehow the words escaped his mouth in a whisper. Although it wasn't the best time to be prim and proper in front of children he couldn't help but feel a slight guilt for spilling the words out. 

The girl inched closer, still unyielding. Her hands trembling more now, the gun still pointed dead at Crucist. 

"Lady, I'm not here to harm anyone. You put down your gun, and I will let your friend go." 

She inched closer. Crucist started to panic. But he tried very hard not to let the two see it. What is worse than a person with a gun is a person with a gun, and her hands trembling. 

"Let. Him. Go." her voice was soft and rusty but stern, as if haven't been used in a while. She was barely 5 feet tall, clothes dirty and torn in some edges. Her face was visible now, covered with dirt and grease. 

"Listen. I'm not here to harm anyone. I'm with the United World's Committee Omega Squad. I'm here to rescue some people stranded a couple of weeks ago here in Boston."

That didn't seem to calm her nerve. What ever happened to the days when army uniform and ranks instill sense of security? And why hasn't anyone thought of this before, the fact that there could be surviving civilians in the city?

"That was what they said, too." His eyes widened suddenly. 

"Who they?"

He wasn't sure if she was referring to the same people. Could be from the team who's marksman Night Cat killed a few hours ago. 

"You met them?"

No response from the girl. She was standing still now. And Crucist could already see the weight of the gun building acid 

"One of them tried to kill my team member, and we took him down."

"They will come for you. All of them, like they did your friends."
"Our friends?" 

He didn't know what to make of the words he had just heard. The people they were sent to rescue were not casualties of the monsters created from this disaster? Who are these other groups of marines? What are they here to do? What is this girl talking about? 

"We don't want to have anything to do with you and your marine shit." The boy he was holding finally spoke. Crucist looked down at him, and it suddenly dawned to him that he was using a child as a shield against another child. So much for instilling a sense of security. Slowly Crucist release the boy and he walked away towards his accomplice, massaging and flicking his right wrist to try to ease the discomfort.  

"As you promised, don't follow us." The boy said, then he grabbed the girl by her arm and fled the scene. None of the guns and ammunition were taken. Crucist was left alone in the room, flabbergasted and unable to make sense of what he had just heard.