Iron bars grated, flashes of fire scattered everywhere, a tumultuous roar filled the room.
"Smell of gunpowder," muttered a man who had been standing there, observing the chaos. He leaned back, seemingly indifferent to the situation. A creaking sound was heard. He sighed softly, looking around.
"Tch."
On one side, the atmosphere seemed comfortable and cool. A man ended his phone call, his face pale and helpless. His worries were far from over.
The iron cell door burst open, the bars successfully breached. Thousands of people flocked out, swarming every corner of the place. A riot ensued. A mysterious man simply walked past, nothing bothering him. The same creaking sound was heard.
"Yoo, hi," he said warmly.
"What do you want?" said a chief warden.
The mysterious man then grabbed the chief warden's collar. He revealed a terrifying, grinning face.
"Crash!"
The chief warden slammed hard against a table.
The mysterious man clicked his tongue.
"This smell reminds me of something."
Soon after, the commotion became uncontrollable; the entire room was filled with a sea of people, but the mysterious man had already left the place.
A strong scent of blood filled the street. At that moment, a green-haired man approached someone. The person was sprawled on the ground, riddled with bullet wounds. Their eyes looked like someone on the verge of death.
The green-haired man expressed his frustration. What was happening? he thought. A thick mist covered the person's body; a strong hiss was heard.
"You're Merthyl?"
A faint voice came from Merthyl's mouth, saying something, but it was unclear as she had no strength left.
The man carried Merthyl to the nearest shelter, still hoping there would be good people to help.
"Hang in there a little longer, Merthyl."
Traces of blood were eroded by the rain that day; a roaring rumble colored every event.
Three hours before reaching the nearest shelter.
The man tried everything to save his precious comrade. He pulled out all his supplies of food and drink, but Merthyl still wouldn't wake up. He tore off his sleeve to cover Merthyl's wound. He kept trying to carry the helpless body. He hoped his comrade Zappardi was safe, but before that, he would save Merthyl.
"Yo."
"Look who it is."
"Why are you following me, Blue Lycann?"
"Damn it, you keep taunting me, Trickster."
"Why do you want to finish me off?"
"Of course I want to."
"But there's no time for that."
"Trickster, who exactly are you?"
"Me? Nobody, just nobody," Trickster said, showing a card.
Shards of ice emerged from the card.
The man dodged the ice fragments.
"Creak."
"Do you want to kill yourself, huh, Blue Lycann?"
Trickster advanced and threw another card. Lightning targeted him, but he managed to face all the attacks.
"I told you I don't like that name."
"This last one will hit you."
"Bam!"
A tremendous boom occurred.
"Good thing I was prepared for that."
"I guess your ability is quite strong."
"What do you mean?"
"Take this. I look forward to another fight like this."
Trickster threw a small bag containing coins towards the man.
The weather improved; the rain began to subside.
Zappardi approached the shelter. His face wasn't good. He walked up.
"Zappardi, where have you been?"
"Sorry, Rico, I couldn't save him."
"Who?"
"Our old comrade, Lewis, I couldn't save him."
"Wait, who is Lewis?"
"That's not important, Zappardi. Did you bring all the necessary tools?"
Zappardi took out everything needed.
Rico began to create something...
He did it step by step. With meticulousness, he worked carefully. He started by sewing threads, attaching screws with a seemingly complex tool.
"Merthyl, hold on..."
Merthyl opened her eyes.
Merthyl woke up and told them everything.
Rico tried to understand the situation.
"That will be very difficult," he thought.
Team Zapper was once again short on members. Zappardi steeled his heart.
What else could they do? The game had to go on.
They would recruit new members tomorrow morning.
The night grew late. Zappardi mused, staring at the fallen stars, thinking they would never return. Rico gently nudged him.
"It's not your fault." That was Rico's way of reassuring the agitated Zappardi.
Dawn broke. Zappardi, while attaching a message to an antique radio, thought the game had just begun.
The three of them walked towards the city across the river. The journey began in silence. Zappardi still managed to joke, teasing Merthyl. Rico tried to be understanding, but he wasn't oblivious; as an observer, he knew something had happened on this road a few days ago.
"Stay alert, everyone," Rico said.
They spent the night in an abandoned supermarket. The place still seemed safe and peaceful; none of the windows were broken, the paint hadn't peeled, the lights didn't flicker, all the shelves were filled with various necessities of life.
"This place seems well-maintained."
"It's just very quiet," Merthyl said.
"Everyone, stay vigilant; this could be a trap," Rico warned.
"Well, what can we do? I also feel bad about looting," Zappardi said.
"But we need it."
"This is our checkpoint," he continued.
"We'll take some necessities, then tomorrow we'll hurry and leave here," Rico declared.
"That's a good idea."
They took enough food and drink, then laid out mats and slept.
The next day, they continued their journey.