Manhunt the Evader // Evade Fanfiction

Chapter 6 // Military Incursion

With $10000, I could pretty much buy any essentials, like a microwave or even a fridge. Heck I could even get electricity now! I don't need to use candles anymore. However, Bobo slightly deserved half of the bunch, after all, he saved my life back at the jungle. I got up from my bed before opening the front door. Again, I was feared by the almost compressing walls of the apartment hallways. It always seems to feel like I'm the only one who lives in this tiny apartment. I walked down the stone streets, the Sun beating on me and my black cap. The blackness texture of the hat absorbed the heat from the Sun and possibly cooking possible bed bugs in my hair. It wasn't long before I reached Galf's shop. 

"Hi, Galf!" I greeted as I entered his small shop.

"Hello, Jard!" he greeted back, "you seem very early for your next expedition!"

"It's not about that," I answered, putting the cap onto the clothes hanger, "I'm going to talk to Bobo,"

Galf thought for a moment before he walked from his counter.

"Sure, I'll lead you away!"

He took me back to the hallway again before stopping upon a door, painted with bright neon light blue. I'm guessing Bobo wanted his bedroom door to be his favorite color. He slowly opens the door, to find Bobo lying on the floor, playing with a small toy truck. I'm starting to think that Bobo has a mind of an eight-year-old.

"Bobo! Look who wants to visit you!" Galf said in the most parent voice he had ever announced.

Bobo looked up from his toy truck and smiled wider. It looked like he was excited to see me in good conditions.

"Jard! How are you, my man!"

"Yeah, I'm great!" I answered as I looked at Galf.

"Welp, I'll leave you two with the conversation!" Galf said as he left the door, probably returning back to his counter to sell his items.

I crouched down to Bobo, making sure that his cyan eyes aligned with mine. I put my hand onto his left shoulder.

"Look, I wanted to thank you for helping me back at the Jungle," I thanked, giving him a small warm smile, "if it weren't for, I would be dead and wouldn't make it this far,"

"You don't need to thank me you know!" Bobo said, "we are friends after all right?"

Friends. That one word that got me thinking in the void. Usually I work alone, stealing and finding artifacts myself during lonely expeditions. Never once in my life have, I ever met a friend other than Galf. Overjoyed, I smiled.

"Yes, we are friends!" I responded as I got out a few notes, "here is $5000 as a gift!"

Bobo's face dropped. He looked like he was about to cry with joy. He slowly took the money. It was a bit unusual for me to perform such action as I'm the one who needs to pay the debt. However, Bobo was something different, he was always there when I needed help, particularly at the Jungle. Without warning, Bobo lunged at me, giving me a huge hug. 

"Thank you so much!!!" he said as his joyful tears stained onto my black hoodie. 

Never in my life, I would be this overjoyed by something that I would lose. I guess money couldn't really buy happiness.

---

"Alright, Galf! We are setting off in our expedition again!"

This seems a little weird, but Bobo and I were completely ready to travel to the next dimension to snatch the artifacts. We decided to make a plan. I try and navigate the artifact and divert the nextbots, while Bobo will help heal me whenever I am downed. Galf was impressed by our enthusiasm as he walks towards his billboard, looking upon the upcoming dimension trip. 

"Right, you two are going to the Seraph Research!" Galf informed, "be careful! A special event is happening during this expedition!"

Great! A special event! Something that I wished that would never be a thing. If you don't know, those events are powerful forces by nature or by whatever reason to muck up the usual routines of me avoiding the nextbots. For example, there was one time where I couldn't jump throughout the entire time at the Arid Ruins. It wasn't a nice experience. So, what do I do in this situation? Cross my fingers and hope that I don't get a bad event.

We stepped into the portal and off to the other side. The area was rather intimidating. The research center wasn't huge and from out there was an empty forest with spikey gates to prevent wild animals from coming in. Oddly enough, they don't prevent the nextbots from coming in which loses the entire point of the gates being there in the first place.

"Alright! The round is about to start!" Bobo said excitedly as he checked the clock in my backpack.

We waited for a full 15 seconds, expecting to be nextbots spawning out of nowhere. It was odd, not a single noise was blurted from those creatures. It was complete silence; we could only fear the breeze blowing past us. I blinked in confusion.

"This is quite odd," I spoke, walking towards the research center windows, "where are all the nextbots?"

Bobo looked at me with an odd expression on his face. I think he got the wrong idea about my previous statement.

"I don't mean I like them or anything," I continued, justifying my statement, "it's just odd hanging around this place without them," 

"True!" Bobo agreed, "I'm a bit scared too,"

I took another glance at the windows. Seriously, whoever cleaned these windows should be given a raise. It was like a see-through mirror; I could see Bobo just looking around the Seraph Research Centre. A figure appeared in the windows. He was wearing a similar cap as I am, but only forwards. He has heavy military suit on with a slight blob of red on his shoulder. My eyes filled with fear as he pointed his gun at my head. 

"Jard! Watch it! It's a rebel!" Bobo shouted as I swiftly turned around.

I ducked just in time as the wall piercing bullet shattered the glass window. I felt bad for the window cleaner who probably spent his entire afternoon cleaning those precious windows. But there is no time to feel sorry, it was time to run.

"Those are the rebels?!" I yelled as Bobo nodded in response, "FUCK!"

I swiftly grabbed Bobo by the arm as we attempted to dodge bullets from the sudden military assault. A quick sharp pain pinched my back. I held my chest with my remaining hand as Bobo ran past me. My hand felt the warm iron liquid dripping from my chest. I couldn't believe it. Bobo immediately looked behind as he saw me collapsing to my knees. 

The blood in my throat partially blocked my airways as I coughed out the essence. The black road was covered in blobs of red blood. I couldn't take the pain any longer. I laid down, frantically breathing for air, but the air was getting thinner and thinner.

"Jard!" Bobo yelled as he ran back to get me.

He picked me up before carrying me over his shoulders, trying to escape from the Rebels' wrath. Another rebel appeared from the bushes before shooting Bobo in the arm, he screeched in pain as he dropped me in the cold cement floor. Bobo was shot.

"I think we got them," one of the rebels spoke in his radar as him and his other comrades left the scene.

I was forced to watch my life flying past me. My eyes weren't getting enough supplies as its function gradually began to fail. My vision began to impair as Bobo crawled towards me, desperately trying to save me. I was extremely tired; my body couldn't take it anymore. I closed my eyes hoping for the best.

The last of my nerves felt someone picked me up and carried me to God knows where.