The dust swirled from the cracked pillar as the siren echoed throughout the chamber.
Still in the shattered memories, Arkam lay half buried in debris, the blood pooling below him.
A sound echoed—TAK TAK, the steps closed in. Kashan loomed over him.
Kashan squinted down at Arkam, jaw taut, pulse quick. 'Hmm, should I kill him or take him?'
He bent down to grab his arm.
Arkam's reddish eyes opened, and his body numbed.
As Kashan reached, Arkam yanked out a green-tinted knife and drove it into his palm.
Kashan staggered back, howling. "Ahhh!"
'He used my knife.' He pulled the knife out, and blood surged from his hand.
Kashan's blood boiled as a vein bulged from his temple. "Tsk." Kashan hurled the knife at Arkam, cutting through the air.
Arkam tilted his head to the right, dodging the knife. It pierced the pillar behind him.
Kashan grinned. "I'll bury you here."
Arkam's jaw tightened. "Yeah… devil for that, you've to try harder." He pulled himself up from the ground, supported by a cracked pillar.
Kashan gritted his teeth and rushed in.
Arkam lunged at Kashan, swinging his fist.
Kashan dodged to his right, kicking at Arkam's midsection and grabbing his coat.
'I'll end this here.'
The kick folded Arkam, gasping for air. He grabbed Kashan's abdomen. The GEAR flared with a blue tint.
Arkam rushed toward the chamber's exit. Holding onto Kashan's waist as a living shield.
Kashan's brows furrowed in confusion. 'The hell? He's crazy…' His gaze lingered on Arkam GEAR, and a steam hissed from it.
"…Are you really going to overheat it? How desperate." Kashan kicked for footing, but raw force robbed his balance.
Arkam grinned, "I am."
Kashan felt the hard concrete against his spine as he slammed against the wall next to the exit.
The debris burst around. Both men tumbled with the collapsing stone, crashing down the staircase of the third level.
Arkam grabbed Kashan.
Kashan's eyes widened, followed by a frown; he couldn't resist before Arkam pulled him forward.
Arkam twisted, using Kashan as a shield to break the fall as they both crashed down.
The impact kicked up a cloud of dust. Arkam lay on the ground, his chest heaving.
He coughed with every breath. But the sting of blood came; many bodies from the last fight lay there. Arkam stood up, pushing his hair back.
He searched for Kashan, but he wasn't there. Strolling towards where Kara was, 'I hope he doesn't find Kar–'
Kashan slammed his from behind. "First rule, Arkam… Never lose your enemy." He towed Arkma by his coat.
Arkam sneered.
Kashan frowned. Pounding Arkam's face, again and again.
Bang—Arkam fired, Kashan jerked aside. The bullet blasted the ceiling as the debris rained down.
Arkam pushed Kashan towards the falling debris. 'Now, he can't go towards Kara.'
Arkam brushed the dust off his clothes as he navigated the rubble-filled corridor, deactivating his GEAR. A wall of debris jammed the other side. Arkam and Kashan were alone in the dust-filled section.
Crimson light bathed the corpse and rubble.
The sirens howled. Arkam pulled his knives and hid in one of the many rooms, the shadows enveloped him whole. Waiting for his prey.
The assault of rubble battered Kashan. 'I can't feel my hands… I have to end this quickly.' He explored around. The reddish dust settled down. A wall that jammed the area. "Tsk, a wall. That bastard."
Many bodies, some without limbs and some without heads. "What a mess… Damn psycho." He jutted around.
Tak-Tak-Tak, the sound echoed from a room. Kashan immediately pulled his knives. He narrowed his eyes, gripping the hilts tightly.
A crate hurtled at him. He slashed it in half. 'Bastard using my tactic.'
He gritted his teeth, hustling towards the room that the crate came from, then halted before a step short. 'He's waiting.'
Kashan grinned, backing off. "No, shadows are your territories." He guarded up, ready for anything.
His GEAR hissed, heat burning his back. "Damn prototype… fuck!" He deactivated it.
Arkam lunged from his side and drove his knife into Kashan's abdomen.
"Urgh!" He tried to back off, but Arkam grabbed Kashan's Arm and kicked at the knife.
The knife drove deeper. Kasha retaliated with a swing of his blade, but Arkam ducked.
Arkam jumped into another room, hiding in the abyss. He took the cover of a crate in the room. "I can't see anything or move properly."
He threw another crate at Kashan, who tried to stand straight. "GEAR will cool in 10 minutes. I need to hold him."
He rushed again, but Kashan pulled his gun. 'Fuck.'
Bang—the bullet blurred, slicing through the air.
It pierced Arkam's neck. He tightened his jaw, slicing Kashan's gun while landing behind Kashan.
Kashan turned back, his knife slicing through the air—
Arkam jammed his hand, blocking it. He drove his knife towards Kashan's chest.
Kashan caught his arm in mid-air. "Standstill."
"No… we aren't." Smacking his head at Kashan's nose.
Kashan stumbled back, his nose bled crimson.
Before he could balance himself, Arkam punched him in the jaw.
Kashan slammed on the ground, his eyes rolled back. The cold floor and the sharp edges of rubble woke him.
Arkam twisted the blade in his palm, pinning Kashan's hand to the floorboards.
He launched himself onto Kashan's chest, straddling him. A brutal assault of fists followed, each punch a sickening thud. Crimson sprayed, splattering Arkam's face.
Kashan, with a sicking gurgle, chuckled. "Sigh, how much resentment…cough, you have for me," he spat the blood by coughs.
Arkam's nose wrinkled, getting close to Kashan's ear. "Enough to make me kill you three times over."
Arkam stood up, gazing at Kashan's bloodshot eyes. He pulled his gun. 'It's fully charged.' He pointed at Kashan's flesh-torn forehead.
Arkam put his finger on the trigger, ready to pull."Where is the antidote? And as an old comrade, any last words?"
A wide smirk spread on his face. "Kill me, you die! Kill me, they all explode! I'm a damn strategist and The Devil."
Arkam narrowed his eyes, "What?"
Arkam frowned, his head shook. "Heh," he chukled, "Yo… You made your allies bomb. How far have you fallen?" He rubbed his temple, his hand through his crimson bathed hair.
He sneered. "You already know… for the result."
Arkam ground his teeth. He hissed through his teeth. A vein at his temple pulsed. His fists trembled with a violence he struggled to contain.
He pounded Kahsan's face, knocking some of his teeth out.
Kashan lay on the ground. "Now let me go, and you'll get the antidote." A sly grin spread on his face, pushing himself—
Arkam stepped on him. "I never said to move." He grabbed Kashan's jacket and lifted him. Pushing him towards the staircase.
"Oh, Arkam, you're too rough." Kashan towards Arkam.
Bang—he shot Kashan's leg. "I don't have time to play."
Fuck! Okay-Okay, I'll get you the…" Kashan turned around, yanking his gun.
Arkam shot the gun from his hand. "Move!"
He stepped on the stairs.
Arkam and Kashan were both in the chamber, where the big table resided.
"This is the antidote." Kashan handed a syringe that was metallic and thick, a strip of glass where various numbers were used to calculate the amount. Need to side the siring a greenish liquid that was filled 2cl.
Arkam narrowed his eyes. "You take it first."
Kashan frowned. "I… I only have one, if I take it, you'll have nothing."
He sighed. "Kashan, I know you already have back-ups, now take it." He leveled his gun towards Kashan.
"Sigh, you already saw through me, though it's really the antidote…" He used the syringe, pushing all the greenish liquid into his veins. "…See no tricks, and you know, why do I want a great puppet to die, right?" He extended his arm with another syringe.
Pow—Arkam cracked his neck after using the syringe. He saw Kashan leave the chamber. "Oi, where is the exit?"
Kashan turned back. "Why do I have to tell you?" He grinned.
"Huh? I still take you as a captive."
"You can't. You know, I'll do more damage if I go with you. But I'll tell you the exit…" Kashan pointed his finger towards Arkam.
Arkam frowned, turned around, and looked at a rusted door.
"…That's the exit. If you go straight, there'll be a staircase climb, and you'll find the exit door."
"Then where are you going, if that's exit?"
"A different exit, don't want to come with you."
Kashan left through another door, leaving Arkam alone with his thoughts. 'I should check on Kara.'
Arkam destroyed the wall of rubble from the fight by the GEAR that had cooled down. Staring at the door where Kara was, sighed heavily. "I'm coming in."
He went inside, and Kara was slumbering on a crate. He chuckled. 'How can she sleep in this much chaos, though I'm thankful.'