My Past Life – Part 25: The Final Showdown Part 4.
The air was heavy with the smell of gunpowder and dust as Joy squeezed the trigger again and again. Bullets flew from her gun, tearing through the enemy lines.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunfire echoed through the ruined building. Scorpio's men fell one by one, but there were still a few left standing. Joy's gun suddenly clicked empty.
Click. Click. Click.
"Shit, I'm out of bullets!" she cursed under her breath. She turned to Sarah, who was crouched behind a broken wall, her face pale with fear.
"Sarah, stay there! Don't move until I tell you to!" Joy ordered. "There are still a few of these bastards left."
Without wasting another second, Joy dove behind the nearest pillar, just as Scorpio's remaining men opened fire.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Bullets slammed into the walls, shattering glass and sending chunks of debris crashing to the ground. Sarah screamed as bullets tore through the air around her, barely missing her.
"Ahhhhhh!" she cried, covering her head as dust and broken pieces of the building rained down.
Meanwhile, at the School Ground…
Joe was breathing heavily, his body aching from the fight. His legs trembled as he struggled to stay on his feet. Blood dripped from his forehead as he stared at Scorpio, who stood across from him, barely showing any signs of exhaustion.
"I'm starting to think this guy really is a monster," Joe muttered, his voice shaky. "What do we do now? We've tried hand-to-hand combat, weapons, even shooting him—and he's still standing!"
Peter wiped blood from his lip and smirked. "Well, he dodged the bullets, but look at him. His breathing is heavy, his movements are slower. We're hurting him. Now come on—we have to finish this!"
Without hesitation, Peter dashed forward, his fist aimed straight for Scorpio's face.
But Scorpio was faster.
"Fools… DIE!" Scorpio roared as his fist connected with Peter's face. The impact was so powerful that Peter was sent flying backward, crashing into one of the school's stone pillars. The force of the hit cracked the pillar like a spiderweb.
Joe saw his chance.
Moving quickly, he appeared behind Scorpio, wrapping his arms around the man's waist. With a grunt of effort, Joe lifted Scorpio off the ground and slammed him down with a brutal suplex. The concrete shattered beneath them as dust exploded into the air.
Scorpio groaned in pain, but before he could recover, Peter was already back on his feet.
"Take this, you bitch!" Peter screamed as he leaped high into the air. With both knees aimed downward, he crashed onto Scorpio's back with all his weight.
CRACK!
The ground beneath them shattered even more, sending chunks of concrete flying. Scorpio coughed violently, blood spraying from his mouth.
Joe crawled out of the small crater, panting. "About damn time…"
Peter turned to him, his expression serious. "Hey, Joe… sit this one out. If you push yourself any harder, you'll die before Scorpio even kills you."
Joe's eyes widened. "What are you saying?! If we don't fight together, we'll lose!"
Peter clenched his fists. "I'm saying… if I fight him alone, we might have a 10% chance of winning."
"Are you out of your mind?!" Joe shouted. "I promised to protect you!"
Peter's gaze hardened. "We're going to die either way if we don't win. So shut up and stay out of this!"
Before Joe could argue, Peter sprinted toward Scorpio, who was slowly getting back up.
"Hey, bastard!" Peter yelled, closing the distance between them.
Scorpio turned, his eyes burning with rage. "You're dead, boy."
Peter grinned. "Not yet!"
With a powerful leap, he drove his knee straight into Scorpio's face.
Scorpio groaned in pain as blood trickled from his mouth and dripped down his face. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and stared at the crimson stain on his fingers. A dark chuckle escaped his throat.
"Huh… seems I'm bleeding," he muttered, his voice rough and strained. "It's been years since I last saw my own blood. You're strong, boy. I won't underestimate you or your friends again."
A few feet away, Peter stood panting heavily, his body aching from the brutal fight. His muscles burned, and his vision blurred slightly from exhaustion. But his eyes remained locked onto Scorpio's, unyielding.
"Just die already, Scorpio," Peter spat, his voice hoarse. "Or let me kill you. I'm getting tired of this fight."
Scorpio threw his head back and laughed—a deep, mocking sound that echoed through the ruined battlefield.
"Hahahaha! Me too, boy. Me too," he admitted, shaking his head. "But before we continue… let me tell you something about Joy."
Peter hesitated, his fists clenched harder. He didn't trust Scorpio, but curiosity gnawed at him.
"Okay," Peter said cautiously, still watching Scorpio's every move.
Scorpio smirked, wiping more blood from his chin. "Joy is much older than you think. She's in her thirties. And before she met you… she only ever loved one person. My brother, Barry. And—"
BANG!
A gunshot rang out, cutting Scorpio off mid-sentence. A bullet tore through his stomach, and he staggered backward, shock flashing across his face. Blood gushed from the wound as he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
"What the—?!" Scorpio gasped, clutching his stomach in disbelief.
"Arghhh! Finally!" Joe screamed, lowering the smoking gun. His hands trembled, but his expression was one of grim satisfaction.
Peter whirled around, his eyes wide with fury. "Why the hell did you do that, Joe?!"
Joe glared back, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "You know why, Peter! You could've lost! He was distracted, and the gun was right there. I had to take the shot!"
"Damn you, Joe!" Peter shouted, slamming his fist into the ground. "I was finally about to hear about Joy's past!"
"You're welcome," Joe muttered sarcastically.
Just then, Joy's voice cut through the tension. "Hey, guys!"
She walked toward them, her clothes torn and her body bruised, but her expression was triumphant. Behind her, the battlefield was littered with the unconscious or defeated bodies of Scorpio's men.
"We cleaned up—well, I cleaned up all of Scorpio's men," she said, smirking. "While this one cried, screamed, and hid." She jerked her thumb at Sarah, who was still trembling in fear.
"Sarah, love!" Joe called out, relief flooding his voice.
Sarah burst into tears and sprinted toward him, throwing her arms around his neck. "I thought we were all going to die! I'm so happy you're alive! I love you!"
Joe hugged her tightly, burying his face in her hair. "Yeah… me too, babe."
Joy rolled her eyes playfully before stumbling over to Peter and collapsing on top of him.
"heyy. Careful, babe… I'm weak," Peter grunted, but he still wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled.
Joy grinned down at him, her eyes sparkling despite the exhaustion. "Bad baby… kiss me," she whispered before pressing her lips against his.
BOOM!
Without warning, Scorpio—somehow still alive—launched himself at them with terrifying speed. His foot slammed into Joy's side with brutal force, sending her flying across the battlefield. She crashed through the wall of a nearby classroom, the impact reducing it to rubble.
"JOY!!!!!!!!" Peter's scream tore through the air, raw and desperate.
"Joy! No, no, no, NO!!!!" Sarah shrieked, frozen in horror.
Joe barely had time to react before Scorpio's fist smashed into his ribs with a sickening crack. Blood sprayed from Joe's mouth as his bones shattered, and he crumpled to the ground—dead before he even hit the dirt.
Scorpio straightened up, his body covered in blood but his eyes burning with dark determination. He turned to Peter, his voice low and deadly.
"Now… I'm serious."
To be continued…