(Third Person).
"Sir!" a female officer cried, spinning from her console. "We are getting reports that civilians are being hit—our own people, by stray bullets from the crossfire!"
Brackham's heart slammed against his ribs. "No… that's impossible! The perimeters were secure!"
"They are not anymore!" she shouted back. "Sir, our people are dying out there, not the vampires we targeted!"
Another explosion shook the control room, rattling the glass walls. One of the feeds went dark, replaced by static.
The mayor's pulse thundered in his ears as he turned to the giant central screen.
On it, a child, no more than eight, was dragged away by a soldier frantically trying to reach safety. A sudden flash erupted, and both vanished in fire.
Brackham froze. For one terrible heartbeat, he couldn't breathe.
"Call it off," he said.
No one heard him.
"CALL IT OFF!" he roared, slamming his hand down on the console. "Cease fire! Now! Tell every damn unit to stand down!"
