The cockpit door screamed as Velnix tore it apart, claws shredding through steel hinges like paper. Sparks spat across the cramped hall, the shriek of bending metal piercing above the engine roar. The pilot spun in his chair, a scrawny thug with a shaved head and wild, twitching eyes. His hands flew to the controls.
"Jesus fuck!" he barked, slamming the autopilot switch. The plane steadied for half a second, humming through the storm like a wounded animal.
Kai shoved through the shredded doorway with Matt on his heels. The cockpit was a cage of glowing screens, blinking red warnings, and tangled levers. Gauges jittered, dials spun. The air stank of sweat and burning wires.
Kai grabbed the pilot by the collar and ripped him out of the seat. "Out." His voice came low and sharp.
Matt slammed the man against the bulkhead, forearm pinning him hard. "You called HQ, didn't you?" He jerked his chin toward the comms panel, where a tiny red light blinked steady.
The pilot grinned, teeth yellow. "Red Circle's waiting. You're toast."
Kai dropped into the seat, glaring at the mess of controls. None of it made sense—dials flickering, the yoke twitching against his grip like it wanted to buck him off. He scanned the windshield. Beyond the rain-streaked glass, a crimson glow pulsed faintly on the horizon.
"Red Circle HQ," Kai muttered. His fingers clenched tighter around the yoke. "Then we'll pay them a visit." He shoved the control forward. The plane lurched violently, alarms shrieking as cargo thundered in the hold.
The pilot cackled. "Clueless, huh? This bird wasn't headed for the tower. We were lining up on an underworld rift—air portal to Zone Alpha. Smooth exit, clean sky. You just tossed it away. Now you're gonna crash."
Kai's eye cut toward him, sharp as broken glass. "No rifts. No escape. We do this our way." He forced the throttle forward, the frame rattling as if the plane itself resisted him.
Then Velnix's low growl filled the cockpit. The guardian crouched, talons pointing at something beneath the co-pilot's seat. Kai followed his gesture. A black box, taped into place. Its red numbers glowed: 59:41.
A bomb.
Matt's knuckles whitened around the pilot's throat. "You rigged this thing?"
The pilot's grin widened. "Insurance policy. You've got an hour. Tops."
Kai's pulse hammered. His grip tightened on the yoke. "We're not dying here."
The timer ticked down: 57:08.
---
Navigating the Storm
The sky swallowed them whole. Storm clouds wrapped the plane in black curtains, lightning strobing against the windshield in violent flashes. Every strike lit the cockpit like an autopsy table, exposing sweat on Kai's brow, the tremble in his hands.
The GPS sputtered, jagged green lines showing a broken path toward the crimson glow. But a new alarm screamed: WIND SHEAR WARNING.
"Stay straight," Kai hissed, jerking the yoke. The plane veered left, engines screaming, then right as he overcorrected. His stomach lurched with each tilt, his arms burning. "Come on. Come on."
Matt glanced at the bomb timer: 49:22. His jaw clenched. "Kai, figure it out fast. We're not bailing with that thing strapped to the hull."
The pilot sneered, blood dripping from his lip where Matt had struck him. "You're no pilot. That rift was your only shot. Red Circle's got tech you can't touch."
"Shut the fuck up." Matt slammed his head back into the wall, the thud swallowed by thunder.
Kai's eyes locked on the crimson glow. "That's our target. Keep it ahead. That's all we need."
The warning lights painted everything in red, a heartbeat rhythm that matched the bomb's relentless ticking. Altitude dropped. Airspeed spiked. Hydraulics screamed.
Velnix anchored himself against the wall, claws carving furrows into steel as the plane shuddered. His presence loomed like a silent metronome, every twitch of his eyes urging Kai to focus.
The timer ticked: 45:16.
Kai's mind split: one half on the yoke, one half imagining the explosion tearing them apart mid-air. Only instinct kept his grip steady.
---
The HQ in Sight
The storm thinned just enough to reveal it: Red Circle HQ. A jagged spire carved into the sky, its surface glowing red like a coal pulled fresh from a firepit. The glow pulsed in sync with the beating storm.
Kai's jaw locked. "We're not landing this." His voice cut through the alarms.
Matt glanced at him, eyes wide but steady. "What's the play?"
"Parachutes."
They tore through the cockpit, sprinting back into the cargo bay. The floor groaned under shifting barrels. A locker creaked open, parachutes spilling out. The bomb timer blinked at them from the wall: 11:03.
Kai locked the autopilot, dragging the yoke to line the nose with the spire's base. The engines screamed louder, forcing the aircraft on a collision course.
The pilot, strapped to a cargo belt, spat blood and laughed. "You're just buying yourself a louder funeral."
Matt drove an elbow into his temple. The man went slack.
Kai slammed the rear hatch release. Metal yawned wide, the storm howling into the bay. The red glow filled the sky ahead, closer and closer.
"Wilderness!" Kai roared over the wind. "Aim for it!"
The timer blinked 09:28. They jumped.
---
Fire in the Sky
Air tore the breath from Kai's lungs. The storm swallowed him whole, spinning his body end over end. He yanked the ripcord. The chute exploded open, jerking him upward with bone-snapping force.
He looked back in time to see the plane dive. The tower rose to meet it.
Impact.
The world split open.
The plane slammed into the spire's base, the bomb detonating on contact. But it wasn't just fire. It was wrong. A green glow surged outward, brilliant and venomous, lighting the clouds from within. The explosion cracked the night apart, shards of glass and steel raining down like a storm of knives.
A shockwave hit Kai mid-air, spinning his chute into chaos. He clung to the straps, teeth clenched, as lightning carved the sky around him.
---
The Descent
"Kai!" Matt's voice crackled over the stolen comm in his ear. "Pull left! You're in the trees!"
Kai fought the cords, chute thrashing in the storm. Below him stretched wilderness—dense forest, jagged stone, rivers flashing silver under lightning. He kicked, pulled, fought until the chute steadied.
Velnix's shadow plummeted past, his massive form tearing through stray branches like a blade. His chute was little more than shreds, but the guardian didn't slow.
The green light behind them still burned, a toxic fire at the horizon.
Kai cursed under his breath, yanking hard on the cords. The treetops rose fast.
Branches shattered around him. His chute tangled. He hit the ground in a spray of mud and bark.
---
Wilderness Landing
The clearing spun. Kai ripped free of the straps, heart hammering, lungs dragging in wet air. His body screamed, but he forced himself upright.
"Holy shit," he rasped. "We actually lived."
Matt landed hard nearby, rolling through the mud before cutting free of his chute. His chest heaved. "Yeah. Barely. But—" He turned, eyes locking on the burning horizon. "We just torched their whole damn HQ."
Kai followed his gaze. The spire's glow pulsed weaker now, flames climbing its jagged surface. Even from miles away, the blast's scar dominated the night sky.
Branches snapped. Velnix emerged from the treeline, his form hulking, claws slick with rain. His eyes locked north. He raised one talon, pointing. His body stilled, a low growl rippling through the clearing.
Something was coming.
---
First Steps in the Wild
Kai staggered to his feet, pistol heavy in his hand. His legs trembled, every nerve still buzzing with adrenaline. The forest stretched in every direction, dark and endless. Rain pattered against leaves, masking the quiet rumble of distant movement.
"We can't stay," Kai said, his voice unsteady. "Red Circle will send hunters. We move."
Matt nodded, knife flashing as he checked its edge. "Lead the way."
Velnix didn't wait. He stepped into the treeline, shoulders brushing branches aside like reeds. His direction was clear: deeper into the wild, away from the burning sky.
Then a sound split the night.
A howl. Long. Low. Not wolf, not human. Something warped. Something hungry.
Kai's stomach knotted. His finger brushed the trigger.
"Let's go," he said. His voice was flat, all the emotion burned away.
They slipped into the forest, shadows closing in, the weight of their actions chasing them with every step.
The wilderness had swallowed them. And somewhere out there, the Red Circle was already hunting.