Attacking stronghold

The air was cold and heavy, the chill biting into their skin as Zale and Jared huddled beside their beaten-up rental car. Darkness pressed in from all sides, the thick forest swallowing sound and light alike. The mansion loomed in the distance, its silhouette a jagged scar against the moonlit mountain.

They had been watching the compound for the past hour, taking note of guard patrols and the placement of cameras. It was a fortress built on fear and paranoia. But even fortresses had weak points.

"You see that?" Jared whispered, his breath puffing out in the night air. "The guards are heavier around the main entrance. But there's a blind spot in the southwest corner. We could scale the wall there."

Zale nodded, his eyes never leaving the mansion. His mind was running a hundred calculations per second. How to get in. How to avoid the guards. How to make the CEO pay.

"Even if we get in through the blind spot, we'd still have to deal with whatever's inside," Zale said, his voice low and precise. "This place was built to keep people like us out."

Jared grinned, a sharp, reckless glint in his eyes. "Yeah, but he's not expecting us to be this stupid."

Zale raised an eyebrow. "You have a plan?"

"A crazy one." Jared tapped his fingers against the hood of the car, his expression wild and animated. "We drive this piece of shit straight into the front gate. Smash it to hell. Cause the biggest damn explosion we can. It'll draw everyone's attention there while we sneak around the back and climb the wall."

"That's insane."

"And just insane enough to work."

Zale considered it. The idea was reckless. Suicidal, even. But it was also exactly the kind of chaos they needed. They were two men against an entire fortified base. Subtlety wouldn't cut it. They had to make enough noise to shake the CEO's entire operation to its core.

"Alright," Zale said, his voice like ice. "Let's do it."

Jared blinked, momentarily surprised by Zale's quick agreement. "Just like that? I thought you'd take more convincing."

"No point wasting time when the plan's good. Besides, I want that bastard to feel like his entire world is crashing down around him."

"Damn. You're way scarier than I remember," Jared laughed, the sound raw and unsteady.

"Let's just get this over with."

They returned to the car, their movements swift and mechanical. Jared reached into the trunk, pulling out a crude explosive device they had put together from leftover chemicals and tools. It was hastily made but packed enough punch to tear through metal and concrete alike.

"Where the hell did you get the stuff to make that?" Zale asked, eyeing the device with suspicion.

"Never underestimate the power of desperation," Jared replied with a grin. "Now, let's put this sucker to good use."

He carefully taped the device to the front of the car, his hands steady despite the adrenaline thrumming through his veins. Zale watched him work, his mind already on the next steps.

"How much money do you think it takes to build something like this?" Zale asked, his gaze drifting to the mansion's high walls and the patrolling guards.

"Way more than a normal CEO should have," Jared replied. "This isn't just some rich guy's vacation home. This is a goddamn fortress. The dude's so paranoid he probably spends more on security than most people make in a lifetime."

"And all of that money… just to keep himself safe from the people he's screwed over."

"Funny, right? How he thinks all this security will save him."

"It won't," Zale said, his voice cold and final.

"Damn right it won't." Jared slammed the hood of the car shut, his eyes burning with anticipation. "Alright, we're all set. You ready to make some noise?"

"More than ready."

They climbed into the car, Jared behind the wheel and Zale in the passenger seat. The plan was simple: Jared would steer the car straight into the front gate at full speed and jump out just before impact. The explosion would draw everyone's attention, leaving the southwest wall unguarded long enough for them to sneak inside.

It was madness. And that was exactly why it would work.

"Here goes nothing," Jared muttered, his hands trembling slightly before he steadied them on the wheel.

"Don't miss your jump," Zale said, his eyes locked on the looming gate ahead.

"Not planning to die before we take that bastard down."

Jared slammed his foot on the accelerator, the old sedan roaring forward with all the strength it had left. The tires screamed against the pavement, and the world blurred around them. The gate loomed ahead, metal and stone glinting under the moonlight.

Jared clenched his jaw, eyes locked on the target. And then, at the last possible moment, he threw open the door and leaped out, rolling over dirt and gravel with a bone-jarring thud.

The sedan crashed into the gate with a thunderous explosion, fire and metal twisting into a nightmarish display of destruction. Alarms screamed through the air, and shouts erupted from all directions.

Zale ran toward the southwest wall, his body moving on instinct. Jared stumbled to his feet and followed, his face twisted in pain but his eyes alight with determination.

"They're gonna be all over that mess," Jared panted as they reached the wall. "You think they'll notice us?"

"If they do, we'll kill them," Zale replied, his voice a vicious thought. "Come on. We've got a bastard to hunt down."

Jared pulled out a makeshift grappling hook—another one of his desperate creations. He flung it over the wall, the metal claw catching onto the ledge with a satisfying clink. Without hesitation, he began to climb.

Zale followed, his muscles straining but his focus unbroken. The chaos of the explosion was still echoing in the distance, and the guards' frantic shouting was all the distraction they needed.

By the time they reached the top and dropped down into the estate grounds, most of the guards had rushed toward the wreckage at the front gate. The few left behind were distracted, their attention locked on the fire and smoke.

"Now what?" Jared whispered, his voice hoarse.

"Now, we find him before he tries to run again," Zale replied, eyes blazing with determination.

The fortress might've been designed to keep the world out. But now, the world had come crashing in. And Zale wasn't leaving until the man who had tried to destroy him was reduced to nothing.

They moved through the shadows, each step bringing them closer to their prey.