Chapter 24: The Raid
Dawn was a pale, grudging smear in the sky as they gathered at the subway entrance. The air was cold and carried the damp, metallic taste of the ruins. There were no speeches, no words of encouragement. The silence was heavy with the gravity of what they were about to do.
Eli checked his fire axe, his movements deliberate. Anya tested the balance of her studded bat, her body a coiled spring of nervous energy. Rik hefted his crowbar, his knuckles white. Leyton, the lookout, shifted his weight from foot to foot, his eyes darting toward the rooftops. Kael stood slightly apart, a specter in the grey light, his rebar held loosely at his side. He had already run the calculations. The probability of success was acceptable. The probability of casualties was non-zero.
"Remember the plan," Eli's voice was a low rumble, cutting through the tension. "Fast and quiet. We are in and out. Kael leads."
Kael gave a single, sharp nod and moved out. He was a fluid shadow, his enhanced Agility making his passage nearly silent. The others followed, a tense, clumsy echo of his movements. He led them through the route they had scouted, a path of broken alleys and collapsed interiors that kept them off the main thoroughfares. His internal map was a glowing guide, every potential threat marked and assessed.
They reached the collapsed bakery across from the hardware store without incident. The building was a skeleton of brick and splintered wood, but it offered a clear view of the target. The shattered front doors of the store yawned open like a dark mouth. From within, they could hear the faint, guttural snuffling of the Hounds.
Kael turned to Leyton. "The roof. Go. Signal if you see anything. Anything at all."
Leyton swallowed hard and nodded, scrambling up a precarious pile of rubble to reach a broken fire escape. He moved with a nervous haste that made Kael's jaw tighten. The boy was a liability, but he was the best they had.
"Anya, with me," Kael whispered. "Eli, Rik, cover our approach. Wait for my signal."
He didn't wait for confirmation. He and Anya slipped from the bakery and darted across the street, using the corpses of abandoned cars for cover. They reached the collapsed section of the loading bay wall. It was a jagged hole of twisted metal and shattered concrete, just large enough to crawl through. The darkness inside was absolute, smelling of dust, oil, and the faint, foul musk of corruption.
Kael paused at the entrance, listening. He could hear the Hounds more clearly now. Three distinct patterns of breathing. One was closer, near the front of the store. The other two were deeper inside, likely in the garden center. He glanced at Anya. Her face was a mask of concentration, her bat held ready. She gave him a tight nod.
He slipped through the hole, his body contorting to avoid the sharp edges. Anya followed, her movements just as silent. They were in a back storage area, a canyon of metal shelving stacked with unopened boxes. A single, flickering emergency light cast long, dancing shadows.
Kael pointed toward the front of the store, then at his own eyes. *I'll scout ahead.* He pointed at Anya, then at the ground. *You hold here.*
He moved forward, becoming one with the shadows. The Stalker class sang in his veins. He could feel the faint pull of the [Cracked Canine Tooth] in his pocket, a distant hum, but he ignored it. His focus was absolute. He peered around a corner of shelving.
The first Hound was there, a hulking mass of corrupted muscle and exposed bone, its head lowered as it sniffed at a torn bag of fertilizer. It was less than twenty feet away. Level 2. Health: 110/110.
He retreated back to Anya. "One target, twenty feet, distracted," he breathed, his voice barely audible. "The others are deeper. We take this one, fast and silent."
Anya's eyes widened, but she nodded. This was the moment. The theory was about to become bloody practice.
Kael pointed to a specific aisle. "I'll draw it. You hit it from the side as it passes you. Go for the legs."
He didn't wait. He stepped out from the shelving, making no attempt to hide. The Hound's head snapped up, its milky eyes locking onto him. A low growl rumbled in its chest.
Kael didn't run. He took a step back, luring it. The Hound took the bait, its powerful legs bunching as it charged.
It was a terrifying sight, a wave of fangs and fury. But Kael's mind was cold. He calculated the distance, the speed. He saw the exact moment it entered the aisle where Anya was hidden.
"Now!" he yelled, throwing himself to the side.
Anya erupted from her hiding place, her studded bat swinging in a low, vicious arc. It connected with the Hound's front leg with a sickening crunch of bone.
The creature yelped in pain and surprise, its charge turning into a stumbling, clumsy fall. Its health bar dropped to 85/110.
It wasn't a killing blow, but it was a perfect crippling strike. The plan had worked.
But plans rarely survive contact with the enemy.
From the depths of the store, two answering snarls echoed, followed by the thunder of paws on linoleum. The other two Hounds had heard the commotion. They were coming.
And from outside, a frantic, sharp whistle cut through the air. Leyton's signal. Danger.
Kael's head snapped up. The equation had just become catastrophically complex. They were compromised. The two remaining Hounds were seconds away. And something else was coming.
"Fall back!" Kael roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. "To the entrance! Now!"
The raid was over. Now, it was a fight for survival.