Envy (Criminal Sins 1)

Bullets pitter patter against the outside walls as I rush inside, shooting out the lights as I make my way further and further into the belly of the beast.

Scared men shout orders in the distance and the shrill cries of surprised maids fill the air...

Until the air is sucked out of the world by a huge explosion.

The nearby windows shatter and I’m thrown to the ground.

... What the fuck was that!? We weren’t supposed to use the explosive stuff until later...

A harsh ringing noise fills my ears as I pull myself back onto my feet an continue towards the point where I’m sure Catalina will pass through. In a battle like this, a hostage as valuable as her is only really safe in one spot. The basement.

She’ll struggle, I’m sure, but that will only give me more time to get to her before she’s locked away. Time is precious and I can’t waste a second.

I turn a corner and a pair of guards greet me. Before they can even draw their weapons, I’ve put a dozen bullets in each of them. Somewhere in the distance, another huge explosion goes off. The walls rattle, but there’s no more glass to break. I step over shards and bloody bodies and continue on my way.

“They’re firing fucking missiles at us...” Cyrus’s furious voice comes over the airwaves. I press down on my earpiece to hear him better.

“What did you say?”

“I said, they’re firing fucking missiles at us. Who the fuck do they think they are? The army?”

So that’s what those explosions are...

“Are you guys alright?”

“So far, no casualties, but that’s just because we’ve scattered. They obviously can’t see us, because if they could, we’d all be engulfed in hellfire right now.”

“Do you want to retreat?” I ask.

Cyrus doesn’t hesitate. “We’re not going anywhere until you get your girl.”

“I’ll be quick.”

Cyrus ends the communication with a flurry of curse words. I hear his gun firing just as the transition cuts off. The weight of this mission becomes even heavier with every step I take, but I’ve been through hell before. Nothing is going to stop me from getting to my girl.

I’m coming for you, baby.

Another explosion rattles the wall just as I turn the next corner. This one is close enough to throw me off of my feet again. I fall against the nearest wall... but before I can push myself back onto my feet, a flurry of shadows rush by. The group of shouting guards don’t seem to notice me, and I immediately take aim at their backs as they rush away. Honor be damned, I’m going to kill everyone here.

Suddenly, though, another lone figure rushes past me down the same hall. He’s yelling orders into a radio. I recognize the voice before I recognize the shape.

My heart falls a thousand feet.

“Dante!” I whisper, without thinking.

The dark figure immediately whips around. Another blast explodes somewhere in the distance and the resulting fireball casts a bloom of light through a nearby window.

My little brother is covered in dark blood. His face drops at the sight of me... but his gun rises.

I roll to the side as a bullet whizzes past my ear.

“What the fuck!?” I growl, pouncing to my feet. Before I can say another word, Dante is shooting at me again. My first instinct is to raise my gun as well, but then my brotherly instinct takes over instead. I holster my gun and jump behind the nearest corner.

Bullets collide into the wall as I search my pockets for a stun grenade. “Dante! You asshole! It’s me! Angel!”

The firing doesn’t stop. I peak around the corner just enough to see Dante approaching with his gun out and pointed in my direction.

“What are you doing!?” I shout at him. My mind is no longer cool or collected, it’s racing at a thousand thoughts per second. What is Dante doing here!? Why is he shooting at me!?