BANG.
The goon on my right goes down, the shot piercing through the middle of his temple.
I cross my arms to aim at the goon on my left.
BANG.
The second man goes down before the remaining three can begin their own firearm assault. I dart to the side to ensure Cas isn’t in their line of fire as gunshots begin to rain around me.
“Don’t fucking shoot me!” Lazzaro screeches at them as I keep us weaving through the onslaught toward my next victim.
When they don’t listen, he switches to a new tactic. He bites down on my arm hard enough to draw blood.
I curse, throwing him into one of the other attackers, toppling them both over while I round on another.
The man before me has no time to point his gun before I disarm him. My elbow snaps his forearm as my free hand snatches the knife from my belt. The pistol drops to the floor, and I kick it away.
BANG, BANG.
The third assailant opens fire, and I barely have enough time to maneuver my disarmed friend into the spray of bullets before they pound into his back. Blood dribbles from his mouth, his eyes wide with shock.
I wait to reload until I have dropped my cover and thrown my knife at the third assailant.
He reaches up to bash it away, but he’s too late. The blade buries itself in his neck, and he falls to his knees, spluttering out the blood now gurgling in his throat.
I turn back just in time to find Lazzaro and his final goon getting to their feet. Lazzaro is seemingly unarmed, but the goon is scrambling for his gun again.
I draw mine once more, but the hollowclickthat sounds as I pull the trigger has me throwing it to one side.
Claudio rushes me as I approach in an attempt to tackle me. But a knee to the chest and a blow to the head have him dropping to the floor a second later.
But a second is all the goon needs.
BANG.
Cas screams.
That same bruising pain winds me as the bullet lodges itself in my vest once more. I can almost hear my ribs cracking on impact as I stagger back a few paces.
I can’t take another shot. This knowledge launches me forward faster than I’ve ever moved before.
The goon steps backward as his gun clicks to indicate that it's empty. His shaking fingers attempt to reload before I launch myself at him. But it’s no use.
I’m on him in an instant, arms wrapping themselves around his neck as I squeeze, ignoring the way his body thrashes against mine. I take in a breath and then twist.
SNAP.
His body slumps in my arms.
My chest heaves as I try to rally my strength to take down my final opponent.
Click.
Cold metal presses into my temple.
“Easy there, big boy,” Lazzaro sneers as he jams the barrel of his gun into my head.
I stay entirely still. I’m half kneeling as I cradle the final goon in my arms.
