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For a moment, Red contemplated lying on the floor and dying peacefully. It would be a perfectly horrible end to his brief stint on Earth.
That thought was quickly squashed by whatever survival instincts he had left---since Justin Bieber's horrible lyrics had taken away most of them---flaring up at the volley of metal arrows flying down at him. An inhumanly high-pitched scream left his lips as he dove to the side, whimpering prayers to whichever god Earthlings worshipped.
"Fuck!" he heard Alisa yell as she dodged another flock of death, her dog---whose name was apparently Jada---leaping from her arms in a flurry of terrified yelps. She seemed to be trying to get to her brother---to protect him, probably. But every time she took a step, more arrows fell from the ceiling. Becca was on the floor, huddled into a ball, arms over her head. Lennox had whipped out his bow and appeared to be smacking the falling arrows with it.
Red managed to calm his racing heart down enough to notice something: the arrows weren't whizzing around randomly. They seemed to be actively seeking out Vanguard's helpless players like moths to a flame. His heart plummeted. They would never escape this room alive, no matter how much they moved. Steel projectiles rained down all around them in a flood so heavy that it blocked the exit. He felt one whistle past his back, nearly catching his shirt with its deadly tip.
Running around like a headless chicken, the rest of the room became a blur. Red's blood roared in his veins, full of desperation to live. He felt the arrows scythe through the air, occasionally piercing his skin with their sharp points. One poked through his backpack. He would have to pull it out later on.
Then he saw it: a lone arrow, larger than the rest, was heading towards Alisa. Its tip gleamed slick with green liquid. The girl, trying desperately to find a path to her twin, didn't seem to see it coming.
He couldn't let her die.
Red's heart worked faster than his brain. His hand scrabbled for his waistband, where he'd shoved the gun. Once his palm closed around metal, he yanked it out and pulled the trigger, squeezing his eyes shut. He had no idea what he was doing, where he was aiming. He'd never shot a gun before. He'd never even seen one before Vanguard. He trusted and hoped and prayed, faith overriding all common sense.
All he knew was that he had to save Alisa Lee.
There was a loud BANG, one that made his ears ring and his eyes sting with tears of agony. He heard the sharp clunk of metal against metal, finally daring to open his eyes. All the arrows had frozen in mid-air, and Alisa was staring down at a puddle of hissing green at her feet, her pet back in her arms. As if on cue, the other projectiles burst into dust and fell to the ground in a sooty mess.
Red saw Lennox helping Becca off the ground, Cheng Xin looking up in wonder as he dusted silver ash off his clothes and slowly stood. Before his very eyes, the liquid in front of Alisa steamed and quickly dried up, leaving a scorched black mark where it had been. Poison. That arrow was poisoned.
