THE SCARLET PLAGUE

Six months later. In the alley, handcuffs wrapped around the wrist of three Scarlet men and they sat on the ground as the cops talked to one another. A silencer pistol peaked from a dark corner, and a cop turned and saw the gun, causing his heart to stop. He reached for his pistol but the bullet burned through his chest. Alerted by the shot, the other cops turned and reached for their weapons, but many bullets slammed into their foreheads before they could fight back. One remained, and the gunmen fired again. It flew into the cop's hand, causing him to drop his weapon, and a fist soared into his face, making him dash through the dirt.

The cop's vision blurred and the three Scarlets stood without their handcuffs. A few more of them walked beside the three, and they crossed their arms. Somebody grabbed the cop by his shirt, and it was Paul.

Paul threw the cop against the wall and kicked him on the ground. He put his boot over the cop's head and pushed as his face scraped against the rocks and dirt. He swung his boot into the cop's head, and he rolled as blood and dirt covered his face.

Paul walked toward the cop with his knife and squatted. He grabbed his badge and read it. "Astronon police force." He punched the cop in the face and yanked his badge, holding it and pressing his finger against the bead pattern. "Tell me something officer. What does this mean to you?"

The cops said, "To protect and serve the civilians of Astronon from scum bags like you."

Paul fired at his legs and blood gushed out. He laughed and said, "The civilians don't even trust you anymore. And I can see why too." He looked at the Scarlets and pointed his finger at them. "You let these men escape by my hand."

The cop said, "Mark my words Paul. Whatever the Scarlets are planning, it will fail."

Paul grabbed the cop by the collar and smiled with his knife close to his neck. "Injustice is what they speak in the streets. We're going to take advantage of this division, and no cops are going to stand in our way." He slashed the cop's throat and threw the badge in the dirt, stepping on it.

Paul turned to the Scarlets they released and frowned, "You've caused a detour, and I don't much appreciate that."

James, a slender man with black hair, said, "Paul, sir, please forgive us. We mean no offensive to you and are willing to ..." Blood leaked through his shirt, and he stumbled as he held onto his wound. He said, "Why?" He dropped to the ground around the other corpses.

The other two men's heart raced at the sight of their dead comrade.

Paul spat on the ground, glaring at the two, and he looked at everyone. "Let us continue toward the Trioscepter business."

High in the sky, something hummed and the Scarlets looked like ants in between the alley. They moved close toward the back of a Trioscepter building, and the camera zoomed in, observing all the silencer weapons they held in their hands.

Paul lifted his hand.

Everyone except Paul's hands trembled and the humming got louder. A Scarlet said, "Paul, we must return. This building must be guarded heavily too."

A vein bulged on Paul's forehead as he ground his teeth. "No, you fool. We've fallen into a trap. Look!" Small metal guns attached to the walls above squeak as they aimed toward the group of men. The guns surround them from where they came in toward the back of a Trioscepter business. In the sky, a mini black sphere hovered.

In a dark room, a Trioscepter henchman controlled only the guns on the wall and typed on the computer, and the metal guns fired single shots.

Some Scarlet shot their weapons toward the metal guns while others tried to escape. One guy fired, hitting the metal gun and causing it to explode, but the other machines fired back. They ran away as the metal guns killed them one by one and the injured dragged themselves, but multiple hot bullets pierced through their heads and backs.

In the sky and through the camera, dead bodies covered the alley and blood stained their clothing.

Paul and few other rushed away from the metal guns. Paul ran and shot back as a metal gun fired. It exploded, but one of its bullets scraped against Paul's cheek. The hot metal burned and stung him. He ran away from the guns, catching his breath while he held his cheek but turned and saw the remaining men dead on the ground.

Something hummed, and Paul growled as he held his cheek. A black spherical mini-drone hovered in the sky, and he fired several shots at the drone but missed everyone. He turned red and pointed his finger at the drone. "I'll find you. You hear me whoever you are. I'll find you for the chaos you've brought me." His fist clenched, and he kicked the dirt. The drone flew away, and the humming stopped.

It got dark, and Paul's phone rang. It was a video call of a man with cuts and blood covering his face. He sat on a rolling chair at a desk and behind him was a dark hallway. Paul said, "What the hell is going on?"

The man said, "Paul, sir, we're being robbed. Someone's hacked into our systems and is stealing our money from some of our accounts."

"What! What do you mean stealing? Who's doing this to you? Is it the Trioscepters?"

The audio cut off, but the man's lips continued to move. His hands trembled, and he breathed quickly. He turned, and two white spots appeared in the dark hallway. The lights shut off and the video went static.