"Augh! Cough, cough!" My body jolted awake, and I instinctively began to remove the rubble pressing down on me. My head throbbed painfully as memories of the explosion flooded back. Piper, Alex—where are they? The thought hit me like a wave. "Fuck, the tank!"
Pushing the debris aside, I forced myself to steady my breath. I needed to assess my surroundings. As I got down to search for any signs of movement, all I could hear was the echo of silence at first, my heart pounding in my ears. Desperation clung to me as I recalled the last moments spent in the alley. I had heard Alex yelling at Piper about reaching the safe house. That thought propelled me forward; I stumbled through the twisting alleys toward the safe house, driven by sheer determination.
As I drew closer, a cacophony of gunfire shattered the stillness around me, each crack ringing like a death knell. My heart raced at the sound, and deep worry gnawed at me. I had to find them; they could be in serious trouble.
Then, chaos erupted before my eyes. I spotted the unmistakable insignia of "The Iron Legion" emblazoned on the uniforms of the enemies scattered throughout the area. My heart sank as I surveyed the scene—one of their soldiers lay dead nearby, and I seized the opportunity to grab the 1911 pistol clutched in his lifeless hand. "Okay, I'll take this," I muttered under my breath.
I looked around and saw a patrol of Legionnaires rushing towards a church, clearly attempting to regroup.