I've got a job to accomplish.

“Wait!,” He yelled and rushed after me just as I was about to close the door behind me.

“What is it?,” I scowled at him, “We don’t have much time, someone might die.”

“I know, but you’re going to secure Elise right?,” he asked as he put his hand on his back pocket, “You might need this.”

He handed me a card that looks like an ATM card, it had a magnetic strip on it as well. After seeing that, I recognized it almost instantly.

“It’s the key for the chem. lab, isn’t it?” I put the card in my pocket. After that, I sighed. “I was planning to destroy the mechanism, but I guess this is easier, isn’t it? But I thought that only Elise and the principal had one because it was dangerous for it to be publicly open?”

I narrowed my eyes and looked straight into his. “What were you doing with one?”

“Well, I am the principal’s son, and my dad doesn’t even go there. So I just took it.” He shrugged, “Hurry up, I’ll try to do my best here.”

As I thought, Elliott really was a good guy.

“Oh, thanks.” I said and waved at him, I ran towards the stairs.

The school is heavily guarded and barricaded, so just what could have possibly allowed invaders to infiltrate? There would be approximately 50 guards all around this school at any given time, 100 staffs and teachers and just about a thousand students. How could they invade this place without someone noticing at least until the first blast?

I peek outside a window on the corridor, this one pointed towards the front entrance of the school. Outside the school were media and policemen surrounding the whole place, traces of an explosion could be seen on a crater on the lawn. Mangled and full of holes, corpses littered the ground.

Just above the building in the front of the school, there was a glint of light. I look towards it and recognize faint figures of a two people lying down; I guess they're snipers. That guy probably noticed my figure looking over the window. I hope he recognized my face though…

Right after looking at him, blinks of light came from their direction.

AH! It’s morse code. After a minutes, they were able to convey: “ARE YOU OKAY”

Since he could probably see me through his scope, I just nodded at him (or maybe her). After that message, I walked onwards again towards the stairs. It’s located right up this corridor and after turning left at a corner, I would reach it.

As I was about to walk around the corner, I heard voices and footsteps in that direction. I quickly halted and put my back against the wall.

“Carl, the boss says they still ain't done with preppin' yet. We’ll probably stay 'ere to guard til they do.” A raspy voice came around the corner; they’re walking towards this bend and they’re getting closer.

“Leo, I know, but it’s too boring just to idly be watchdogs here. Come on, let’s have some fun~. We can think of an excuse later.” Getting closer.

“But what if someon—“The raspy voice—Leo tried to make an excuse but he got interrupted.

“Don’t worry, I understand that the defense force is helluva lot strong but they won’t act if we have the kid.”

“But still…”Leo was still trying to make an excuse. They’re probably about 3 meters away.

“Oh shut up, come with me, and let’s have some fun with some students”

Right as they were coming around the corner, I hit one man's head with the stock of my rifle, I shot the other in the chest with a spray of bullets.

“Who are you?!” Ah!, this one is Leo. He held his bleeding nose with one hand and the other was searching for his gun.

“Just a student” I said, just before taking aim, his head splattering.

I ran towards the stairs and hurried up towards the chem. lab. I encountered around 5 other terrorists; I disposed of them like the ones before, all of them had the same weapons so it was possible to change weapons or reload. After the 3rd one, I switched to knives and hand to hand combat to preserve ammo. They might have ammo, but of course they already used some when fighting off guards and me. The same goes with my own bullets, they're slowly getting depleted from all the gunfights.

There were no used classrooms in the third floor; a third of it is used by the chem. Lab, another third by faculty/staff rooms, and the last third by empty classrooms.

As I came closer the entrance to the lab, I see 4 guards stationed.

“Stop! Who are you?” One aimed their gun on me and the others followed suit.

Shit. They saw me... putting my hands up in a surrendering gesture, I walked towards them.

“Sorry, who are you guys? I’m just a student here.” I said, smiling wryly and looking at them with fake curiosity.

“Yeah, you’re not fooling us with all the knife, blood, and Kevlar vest thing you’ve got going there.” Another guy said as he scowled and took aim at me.

“Well, I have cooking class, my girlfriend is on her period, and I just picked this up on the way here.” I shrugged my shoulders at his retort.

“Yeah, right.” He snickered, He then proceeded to pull the trigger but before he did, to simplify, his head and chest of the guy beside him went, BOOM! Splat!.

You see, this place was in the sights of the snipers from earlier. They followed my path and was giving support fire. What good guys, though they were probably just under orders…

Taking the opportunity that they were in a daze, I grabbed the rifle I had and shot a torrent of lead. Coming out of the daze, the other two returned fire. I ran to the side of the walls, behind a beam, to get cover. I was able to dispatch one guy when I ran out of bullets, the other guy noticed the silence coming from my side and stopped shooting, trying to confirm if I was eliminated or incapacitated. He went nearer and nearer towards the beam I was standing behind, I could hear his footsteps gradually going nearer. Not waiting for him to come any closer, I ran out of my cover and towards him, he aimed his gun in a hurry and started shooting me once again. I ran in a zigzag line to avoid getting locked on. I was able to come near him, with only minor grazes from bullets. The guy dropped his gun intentionally and started to grapple me, probably forgetting the fact the that I had knives...I stabbed him at the back.

The body had spasms and slumped down the floor. I was going to run to the door when an all too familiar click from cocking a pistol was heard behind me.

A man stood there, holding a black pistol. I thought I already brought him down; he’s clutching his shoulder while aiming at me. “End of the line. You piece of shit.” The man snickered at me. A gunshot resonated. And he fell down… with his head splattered.

I look beyond the window and towards the pair of snipers. I smiled at them and mouthed ‘thank you’. Now, I owe them for saving my life.

I grabbed one rifle and went towards the chem. Lab’s door, it was broken apart and pieces of it littered the floor. This is probably where the explosive sound came from earlier.

AH! I need to hurry. I ran towards the room and came to another room.

As entered, I see rubbles of concrete and bullet holes in the walls; a couple of corpses of guards were lying down.

Right when I was going to a corner, someone rammed me to the wall, I lost my breath and the gun slipped out of my hands. I kicked him away to create distance. That’s when I saw his face.

“So it was really you, huh,” I snarled at him and lowered my stance, “Why? Why did you do this?”

“Haha kid, it’s just business,” He – the guards captain, Peter Myers, grinned at me and readied his stance as well.

“So that’s how they got in so easily, huh? The grunts, it also explains why they were so weak though.” We both circled each other, looking for openings.

This guy was trained military, unlike the goons, he wasn’t weak. The goons had probably been trained for just over a week, way below a standard training exercise; they were essentially just salary men with guns and bullet proof vest. Fights with inexperienced persons are terribly easy, but fight with trained men will take minutes. I don’t have that much endurance.

“Oh, you’re pretty quick on the uptake,” He scowled, still trying to circle me, “Yeah, I didn’t have time to train them just as you think, but I did have enough money to gear them up, and with laxatives given to the guards and most of the staff out for vacation, it was easy as pie, I didn’t account for you to be this good though.”

“Well, people underestimating me often gets me an edge over them.” I shifted my stance and punched him in the chest; we were less than a couple of meters apart.

He blocked the attack, and counterattacked by punching me in the face. I dodged by ducking and tried to punch him in the stomach, the punch went through but he kneed my face. We both pushed away from each other.

He spat blood, and I wiped blood from my nose. After that, we circled each other again, he started by punching me at the temple, I dodged be sidestepping to his dead side and grabbed his outreached hand, I then proceeded to kick his side. I then twisted his hand and broke it, it made a crude snapping sound. He fell down the floor and I punched his temple to make him unconscious. We need him alive for questioning.

I ran to a door at the side of the room; this is probably where Elise is being held at. I opened it and found a girl tied up in a chair and had duct tape over her mouth, Yup, this is definitely her.

I ran to her and untied her bindings, purposely letting the duct tape be removed last. And when it was removed…

“You fucking moron! Where the hell have you been?! I got beaten and tied up and you just arrive now!?” she bellowed, still trying to get the ropes on her legs.

“You’re welcome.” I said, uninterested, “At least be thankful for being saved.”

“Like hell I will!” She screamed at me, she finally untied the bindings at her legs and stood up, “Goddamnit, Zack! Be a little faster next time, I could have died!”

“I sincerely hope there won’t be a next time,” I looked at the wound on my shoulder and smiled wryly, “Besides, they would never have killed you, you’re their bargaining chip.”

“Ughh, who cares, just get me out of here,” She sat back at the chair, she put her elbow on her thigh and her chin on her hand. She seriously lacks a sense of danger.

“Wait a minute, I need to report to my superiors.” I dialed the number earlier and put the phone to my ears, “Can anyone hear me?”

> Voice from the line seems to be the same officer from earlier, fortunately or unfortunately, it wasn’t my dad.

“Affirmative, sir. You guys take the lead form here on out,” I confirmed.

>

“I don’t know their entire amount, but I’ve killed ten of them and incapacitated the ringleader, turns out it was Myers.”

>

“Copy that, Third floor, Chem. Lab. Oh, by the way sir,” I had to confirm something.

>

“Who were the snipers stationed at the building at the front side of the school? I have to give them my thanks,” I smiled when remembering that pair. They saved my life a couple of times.

>

“So they weren’t part of the defense force?”

>

“No problem, but if you do find them, tell him my thanks.”

>

“Thanks, Zack out,” I terminated the line and looked at Elise, “They said we wait here until they extract us.”

“So we have to wait here??” She bellowed.

“You heard me. Don’t worry, They’ll be fas—“

BANG, BANG, BANG

Dry gunshots resounded and interrupted me, A warm feeling was transmitted from my abdomen. I turn around to find Myers limply holding the rifle I dropped with his remaining hand.

“Zack!” Elise called out to me.

“Haha, I ain’t goin down with just that much, kid.” Myers snarled.

“Go to hell.” I got my knife from my vest and threw it to his face. It landed squarely in his eye and it was a critical hit.

I had been careless, I should have restrained him, I even forgot the gun… shit. This is where my inexperience shows...

The ground seemed to sway below me and I fell to my knees.

“Zack! Oh ,oh my god, oh my god, you’re bleeding what am I gonna do?!” She went near me, held my back and looked at my wounds. One bullet scraped my side, one hit my abdomen and one hit me at the thigh, it struck my femoral artery.

“Call… call the previous number. Tell them I may not… make it…” I struggled to say my words and I feel my body going cold and limp. I’m losing a lot of blood. Elise tried to call out to me but I’m literally am not hearing any of it, I slumped to the floor.

My body feels cold but my back is warm, ‘it’s probably because of my blood’ I thought. Everything is becoming a blur and my eyelids are becoming heavy. Damn it, damn it. It’s scary, I don’t want to die, please…

But then, everything went dark.

And that day, I died.