Food Security

-Several Weeks Later-

The evening had settled, casting a dim haze over the streets. A crowd of people had formed outside a large warehouse, pleading and begging desperately with hoarse voices.

Many were malnourished, their hollow cheeks and sunken eyes reflecting years of suffering. Some were missing limbs, while others had disfigured features- wounds that spoke of violence, disease, or toxic exposure.

Noland, with the rest of the squad, stood outside the gates with batons as they shoved back the crowd.

"Get back!" Noland shouted through his mask, slamming the baton onto the shoulder of one of the beggars lunging for the gate.

Through his weeks of service- and growing notoriety for being overzealous with the law- Noland now dawned a pitch-black oval mask with peepholes for his protection.

A large rock flew out from the crowd toward him but with an outstretched hand, it disintegrated midair.

Another person, seizing the moment, rushed forward, but Noland reacted quickly, slamming his baton down onto the man's head. The attacker collapsed, and the mob dragged him back to safety, shouting curses and insults.

"How much longer?" Noland growled, snapping his head toward Jack briefly.

Snarling and wheezing, Jack hooked a guy unconscious who tried to pull Jade into the angry mob. Overwhelmed by the chaos, she missed the approaching man with her summoned blades which allowed the man to slip through.

"Any moment," he replied through gritted teeth.

Alice was less forgiving, flames erupting from her palms as she scorched anyone who got within a few feet of her.

Around them, other security guards lined the perimeter while using their batons ruthlessly. Lacking the magical prowess they had, the guards compensated with raw brutality, striking anyone who dared to move closer.

BZZZZT

A loud buzzer pierced the crowd's roar and the gate started to squeal open behind them.

Its front had narrow slits for viewing, while large steam pipes protruded from the back, bellowing clouds of vapor. The metallic clanking of gears echoed with every rotation of its wheels inside its caterpillar tracks, shielded by large metal plates.

Noland and the others grabbed onto exposed handles, hoisting themselves up onto the sides of the vehicle. His eyes scanned the crowd for the most aggressive while his ears perked up, his ears picking up the rhythmic clunks of coal being fed into the engine.

Then, the bloodbath began.

Without slowing, the vehicle plowed through the crowd of desperate bodies that refused to make way. Some tried locking arms in defiance- with the help of others behind- but quickly it turned into a disaster as the mechanical beast crushed those who didn't slip away in time.

Bones snapped, bodies crumbled, and blood splattered in its wake. Noland could hear the screams, the gurgles of agony, and the sickening crunch of the wheels rolling over the flesh.

Their job clinging to the sides wasn't clean either.

On the opposite side, Jack and Jade fought with anyone brave- or desperate- enough to lunge at them. Jack's baton blurred as it cracked against limbs and skulls while Jade's blades cut through people with brutal precision.

Noland was also busy frying outstretched limbs, summoning rocks to send people hurling back, and using the momentum of the train to deliver devastating blows to those who came too close.

Further toward the rear, Alice's flames burned relentlessly, driving the crowd away before they could grab onto the vehicle. Her normally compassionate demeanor shown toward Jade was absent, replaced by cold efficiency.

"Selfish bastards can't think of the others in the city?!" Noland cursed loudly, the crowd starting to thin as he slammed his baton into another man's face, sending teeth flying.

"It's not just about the food," Alice called out, her flames forcing more people back. "Some believe we're evil, remember?"

"Tsk," Noland snarled under his mask, summoning another large rock that shot forward, knocking a snarling man several feet back.

For several more minutes, the brutal clash continued. But eventually, the crowd- malnourished and exhausted- couldn't keep up. The vehicle pushed forward, leaving chaos and a massacre in its wake.

The vehicle, about ten to fifteen feet long including the front and steam engine, rumbled slowly through the empty streets. The only reason they had escaped the mob was their overwhelming brutality- and the fact that the starving crowd simply didn't have the strength to pursue them for long.

But Noland knew that wouldn't always be the case. They were lucky there were no magic users amongst them.

This supply shipment was moving from a warehouse bordering the Chemical Sea toward the middle districts for processing.

Due to the overwhelming pollution and toxic chemicals, the north side didn't want any of these facilities dotting their cleaner, more lavish lifestyles. The elites wanted the benefits, and the control, but without knowing or smelling the cost.

Noland's ears were filled with nothing except the deafening roar of the steam engine, the rhymical clinking of coal being deposited, and the occasional outcry of alarm from passersby as their vehicle sped through the streets.

The large, metallic vehicle rumbled through the streets, shaking the ground beneath it with each turn of its gears. Anyone paying attention would notice its approach- after all, only government-controlled vehicles of this size were allowed on the streets.

To Noland, anyone still feigning shock or innocence as the vehicle passed was a potential threat.

"Thirty minutes until we reach our mark," Alice shouted over the noise, scanning the surroundings. "Don't let your guard down until-"

An explosion rocked the front of the vehicle, shaking it violently.

Noland tightened his grip on the handle, but the force was too strong and he hurled from the vehicle. He rolled across the pavement, skidding to a painful stop a few feet away from Alice.

The vehicle veered off course, its massive front end crashing into the side of a building with a thunderous impact. Smoke and steam hissed from the wreckage as debris rained down.

Noland's head spun, his vision speckled with white flecks as he struggled to push himself off the ground. His body ached, bruised from the tumble, but the adrenaline numbed most of the pain.

"Ugh, Alice!" Noland called, shaking his head as he tried to focus. "Are you alright?"

Turning his head, Alice lay motionlessly a few meters away with a dark pool of blood forming beneath her head.

With his heart skipping a beat, he froze in shock for a moment, unable to process the visual sight of his comrade. It was a sight he had seen plenty when it came to criminals, and in training, but not in a real situation.

His gaze snapped toward the others. They were struggling to get up—cut, bruised, and disoriented, but alive. He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to stay calm.

"Open it," Muffled voices sent alarm bells ringing through him.

His gaze snapped toward the wreckage. Several figures, masked and wearing red patches, were gathered near the overturned vehicle. Their silhouettes were dark and ominous through the smog and smoke.

Revenants.

Noland's teeth clenched as he rose to his feet, attracting their attention.

The front of the vehicle was completely demolished, its metal frame caved inward, while the cargo unit lay flipped onto its side. One of the rebels tossed away a broken padlock before working with the others to undo the twist locks and access the cargo inside. They moved quickly, experienced hands bypassing security points with ease.

To his side, Jack and Jade were still struggling to recover, their movements sluggish as they tried to shake off the disorientation and pain. He could see blood dripping from their figures. Alice lay motionless, blood still pooling around her head.

Noland exhaled sharply, steadying his breath as his gaze locked onto the Revenants. He formed fists and without further hesitation, kicked off his back foot, charging toward the Revenants.