Under Siege

Alex exhaled deeply in an attempt to calm his nerves; his soul was felt as if it had been stuffed into a furnace. However, when he recalled the Captain's threats against Emily, who still dwelled within the compound, he felt compelled to protect her from this tyrant. After a few moments, Alex broke the silence; the words he spoke slithered past his gritted teeth.

"I will follow your command, but I will never kneel."

Captain Hunter laughed at the result as if he had the foresight to see Alex's decision before he made it. Captain Hunter took some time to recollect his authoritative manner as the expression on his face returned to his usual stoic demeanor.

"Then do as I command"

With that said, the slayers who were under Captain Hunter's influence began to loot the building; only after every usable scrap had been scavenged did they set the building aflame. The fire quickly spread and engulfed the entire building, as well as the lives of the wretched captives who still dwelled within it.

Alex stared at the flames with intense anguish and guilt; there was nothing he could do to help them. If he had known the Captain would behave in this manner, he never would have suggested to his team to await his command regarding the imprisoned women who by now turned to ash.

Alex shifted his glare to Captain Hunter; he would remember this day for the rest of his life and vowed to have his vengeance even if it took a lifetime. Captain Hunter was aware of Alex's menacing gaze but never gave him any attention. To Captain Hunter, Alex was merely a mad dog which he would keep on a tight leash.

It was only after the building had been turned to rubble did the slayers awaken from their trance. Though they remembered what they had done, they felt as if it was their own decision to follow orders rather than being compelled to by the Captain's strange skill.

Upon noticing this, Alex swore that when he returned to the compound, he'd use his level up to investigate this [Aura of Domination] that Captain Hunter had boldly declared its use. For now, he would have to obey his orders and follow his party back to the safe zone.

Meanwhile, back at the compound, Emily clutched her dagger tightly as she hid under a desk in the compound. Outside the main building, gunshots rang, and explosions roared as the sentries fought with their lives against an unknown enemy.

While the slayers were away dealing with the goblin lair, the compound had come under siege by a group of human brigands; they were heavily armed and well-coordinated. Nobody knew where they had come from or why they were targeting the compound. Nevertheless, they had been engaged in a fierce standoff for hours.

Though the sentries attempted to hold on with all their might, they were slowly being pushed back. The non-combatant survivors had taken refuge in the main building, hiding in various areas. Should the line of defense fall, there would be nothing to prevent the brigands from doing as they pleased with these survivors.

Suddenly the battlefield turned quiet. It was the silence that filled Emily with a sense of dread, for she knew if it was quiet, that it meant there was no longer any resistance by the sentries. They had either all perished or fleed for their lives, abandoning the non-combatants to their fate.

Emily began to mutter a prayer under her breath as she hid beneath the Captain's desk in his office. Though she was not religious, she felt that now would be it if there was ever a time to pray.

"Dear God, Allah, Vishnu, Buddha, or whatever deity may be listening. Please protect me from the dangers I am about to face, and please allow Alex and the other slayers to return swiftly so that they may exact vengeance upon them."

However, as soon as she finished her prayer, the door to the main building was kicked open by a group of heavily armed men. Leading the charge was a tall man with long hair and many tattoos. If Alex and his party were here, they would have recognized the man as one of the prisoners they had dragged from the hardware store. How he had escaped the terrifying monster that butchered Gunnar was unknown.

The man had a wicked smile on his face as he leads his men into the building. His voice echoed across the silent building so that all within the vicinity could hear.

"I'll give you one chance to come out and surrender. If we have to come and find you, things will get ugly."

However, much to his dismay, after making such a decree, not a sound could be heard throughout the entire building. He clicked his tongue as he gave his order to his minions.

"Tsk, go find them, and bring whatever survivors you may find to me."

Wicked grins began to spread across his minion's faces as excitement appeared in their eyes.

"Yes, boss!"

with that, they began tearing up the building looking for survivors. Screams could be heard across the building as time passed, as the non-combatants were dragged into the center of the building. The minions took their time looking through every floor, violently gathering those who had been hiding from them.

While the minions were gathering the survivors, the leader of the brigands entered the Captain's office and sniffed around. He could smell the scent of a woman nearby as a malevolent smirk spread across his face.

"Come out already; I know you're in here; there is no escape!"

Much to the appall of Emily, she had been found; as such, she no longer dared to hide beneath the desk any longer. She crawled out from under the desk with her hands behind her back, concealing the dagger she clutched within her hands.

A lustful gaze fell upon Emily as the man glanced upon her figure and licked her lips. He recklessly approached Emily, too enthralled ber her appearance to bother being cautious.

"Aren't you a pretty little thing? What's your name, girl?"

However, Emily refused to reply, which made the man frown as he approached her more rapidly. When he got within range, Emily spits upon his face, which made the man laugh.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy breaking you..."

However, before he could finish his sentence, Emily had attempted to stab the man in the heart with her dagger. Sensing immediate danger, the man grabbed ahold of her arm tightly and disarmed her before spinning her around and putting her in a headlock as he whispered in her ear.

"You've got some fight in you, huh? But I like that! You're coming with me, sweetheart."

He violently grabbed ahold of her and moved her to where the other survivors were. A stream of tears began to fall from her eyes as she muttered under her breath in a voice so low only she could hear.

"Alex... save me!"

With all of the survivors gathered, a large, bulky man with a dull expression approached the boss.

"So, what are we going to do with this place?"

The long-haired man smiled as he said with complete satisfaction

"Leave it..."

Though the bulky man was confused why they would leave evidence of the siege, he did not argue with the boss; he was in no position to question the boss's schemes. With that, the brigands departed from the compound, leaving behind a broken and bloodied siege for the slayers to return to.