Chapter 14
A Fight for Survival
The blaring alarm echoed through the compound, a shrill, unrelenting sound that set Matteo’s teeth on edge.
Matteo and Aldo moved as one, their instincts honed by years of survival. Matteo ducked behind Russo’s desk, using it as cover as he returned fire, his grip steady despite the adrenaline surging through his veins. The air was thick with smoke and the acrid scent of gunpowder, each gunshot reverberating like thunder in the confined space. Aldo, meanwhile, grabbed Russo by the collar and shoved him to the ground, pressing a gun to his temple.
“Call them off!” Aldo barked, his voice sharp and unyielding over the chaos.
Russo sneered, his breath ragged, blood trickling from a cut on his lip. His dark eyes gleamed with defiance. “Or what? You’ll kill me? Go ahead. You’ll never make it out of here alive.”
Aldo’s grip tightened on the gun. Before he could respond, a bullet whizzed past his head, embedding itself in the ornate wood paneling behind him. He cursed, dragging Russo to his feet and using him as a human shield just as another round of gunfire erupted. The room was turning into a death trap.
“We need to move!” Matteo shouted, firing off another precise shot that sent one of the approaching guards sprawling onto the floor, unmoving.
Aldo nodded, his grip like iron around Russo’s arm. “Stay close!”
They burst out of the office, Matteo leading the way with ruthless efficiency, his shots picking off guards as they moved. Aldo followed closely, half-dragging Russo as he fired controlled bursts behind them to keep their pursuers at bay. The hallway was a war zone, littered with bodies and the sharp scent of blood, but the guards kept coming, their numbers seemingly endless.
Matteo’s pulse pounded in his ears. His ammunition was running low. They were fighting against time. “We can’t keep this up!” he yelled, slamming a fresh magazine into his gun with practiced precision.
“We don’t have a choice!” Aldo shot back; his voice strained as he gunned down another guard.
As they rounded a corner, another wave of guards appeared ahead, blocking their only escape route. Matteo reacted first, dropping the closest men with two quick, clean shots, but the rest kept advancing, weapons raised, shouting orders into their radios. Aldo shoved Russo against the wall, using his body as a shield as he fired back, but the odds were stacking against them.
“We need to end this!” Matteo said, his voice taut with urgency.
Aldo’s eyes flicked between Matteo and Russo, then to the swarm of guards closing in. “You take him. I’ll hold them off.”
“Like hell you will!” Matteo snapped. “We’re not splitting up!”
Before Aldo could argue, a metallic clatter echoed down the hallway.
A grenade.
“Move!” Matteo shouted, grabbing Aldo by the arm and yanking him into a nearby room.
The explosion ripped through the hallway, the force of it shaking the walls, sending chunks of plaster and debris flying. The impact slammed them to the floor, dust and smoke swallowing the air.
Matteo’s ears rang as he groaned, pushing himself up on shaky arms. Russo lay groaning beside him, his face pale, his hands pressing against his side where a jagged piece of shrapnel had torn through his jacket.
“We need to get out of here,” Matteo rasped, coughing through the haze.
Aldo, already on his feet, reached down and hauled Russo up without hesitation. “No arguments,” he growled, ignoring Russo’s pained grunts.
Through the shattered remains of a window, the compound’s courtyard sprawled below them. It was chaos; guards shouting, smoke rising, and vehicles screeching into position. But there was no turning back now.
“This way,” Aldo said, shoving the window open with force.
They climbed out onto a narrow ledge, the cool night air a sharp contrast to the heat and smoke they left behind. Below them, the ground teemed with enemies. There was only one way out.
“We jump,” Matteo said firmly, his eyes locking onto Aldo’s.
Aldo hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “On three.”
They leapt from the ledge, landing hard on the ground below. Russo cried out as he hit the dirt, but Matteo and Aldo didn’t stop. The moment their feet touched the ground, they were running, their breath coming in ragged gasps as they tore toward the perimeter wall.
But their victory was short-lived. More guards poured out of the compound; their pursuit relentless. Shouts rang out, bullets kicked up dirt around their feet, but they didn’t slow.
Matteo and Aldo exchanged a glance, one filled with unspoken understanding, trust forged through blood and fire.
Matteo pressed the button.