The Streisand Effect [Spectra Fanfiction, book 2/3]

12 - Lost And Found

"Did you get a good look? What is it?" Blondie asked, keeping his revolver trained on the pile of rusted scrap.

Jupiter cursed under his breath, "No. Can't see shit."

Blondie's eyes were peeled, his ears twitching at every sound.

"What's happening?" Rix asked timidly.

"Jäga, get them to safety," Blondie ordered, pointing over towards a large tin wall that could be used as cover. With the sun having set, it was difficult for anyone aside from Jäga to see much of anything so the mowlin quickly grabbed Erica's coat, tugging her back.

"Erica, Rix, over here, quickly!" He hissed. The irva and dahmak did as they were told, rushing over to the wall beside him. Jäga made sure his weapon was fully loaded. 

Jupiter and Blondie quietly approached the rusted shed. The figure had vanished but from where they were standing, there didn't seem to be any other ways out.

"He's trapped, cover me," Jupiter stated as he holstered his pistol and drew his axe.

"With a farming tool?" Blondie queried with a raised eyebrow.

The dahmak simply smirked and kept his weapon ready. Quietly he approached. Getting inside would be tricky, there was debris everywhere. It seemed somewhat surprising that whoever they were hunting, or being hunted by, was able to get in there as well. 

Jupiter carefully manoeuvred his way across the pile of rubble and steel, making sure not to impale his feet on anything sharp. Eventually he reached the entrance of the building. Taking a deep breath, he held his weapon high and jumped into the darkness.

"Oi! Who's here! Show yourself!"

He shone the light on his gaunt all around the room, but there was nothing there. Although he wasn't satisfied with that for an answer. Quietly he began shifting around different items that were lying inside the shed. Old mattresses, a broken set of drawers, a large crate, anything that could potentially be a hiding place.

When his search yielded no results though, he grumbled to himself. He was certain he'd seen something moving in here. Was he just imagining things? He was rather tired, he hadn't gotten much good sleep lately, maybe that was-

Thump!

Something heavy struck the dahmak in the back of the head and he crumbled to the ground. He hit the floor hard, slamming his head against the concrete. A large gash opened up on his forehead and warm blood began to ooze out.

"Jupiter? What's going on?"

Duria's voice echoed outside but the dahmak was too dazed to reply. He opened his eyes to see everything doubled and spinning. Dazed and sore, he shook his head and quickly reached for his weapon. 

Another strike suddenly came, this time from the side. He yelped in pain as he was hit by yet another blunt force. He shone his gaunt around as quickly as he could and that's when he just managed to get a view on his assailant.

Thin and nimble, covered from head to toe in black clothing and a large hood that obscured their face. He couldn't even tell what race they were let alone who they were.

Almost as soon as he'd spotted the figure, it disappeared again. With no time to spare, he grabbed his gun and started firing wildly in the vague direction of his opponent. Bullets bounced off of the walls, echoing through the metal room and creating a deafening sound.

Outside, Blondie and Duria gave each other a quick glance of concern before bolting for the room. Being a nox and rather tall, Blondie had no trouble vaulting the rubble and diving into the fray. Inside he saw Jupiter staggering around, axe in one hand and gun in another.