Page 184 of Axis of Fire

Because I had absolutely no idea how we would've dealt with guns.

“Turn the lights back on!” Ethan shouted somewhere in the darkness.

The mages immediately gained the advantage.

They could see far better than the others.

But my friends were holding their ground surprisingly well.

One massive guy lunged out of the darkness, swinging a dagger wildly.

I moved before he could finish the strike.

The blade flew from his hand.

A kick to the stomach.

Another to the jaw.

The combination I always fell back on.

Around us, everything was dissolving into chaos.

Blood splattered across the pavement.

People shouted.

Someone screamed.

Metal clanged against concrete.

And then another sound cut through the noise.

Sirens.

Distant.

But getting closer.

This time, Ethan was the one who froze.

“Shit! The cops!” someone from Ethan’s group yelled.

“We need to go,” I heard Dwayne’s voice through the chaos.

Quiet.

Steady.

“I called them beforehand.”

I’d recognize that voice anywhere.

Even in the middle of a fight.

“We need to make sure those assholes don’t get away,” Gwendolyn said somewhere nearby.

It felt strange hearing them so clearly.