Wood exploded into splinters as bullets ruptured the hand-carved tables, doors, and walls around us. Wood chips whipped up around me as gunfire and screams assaulted my senses, blotting out my basic fight or flight. I could feel the bullets whizzing by my head, and there was a small bit of me that hoped one would puncture my skull and end this all in an instant.

  My crew opened fire in return. McCaw dove to the right, toppling a table over, while Maelstro kicked down a heavy table, shoving me down behind it. I smmed hard on the wood floor, looking up at the ceiling. The shining chandeliers glinting light into the room made me think of heaven. The soft white light shone off the crystals. I rose my hand into the air, reaching for that happy pce, hoping my problems would fade away.

  “Get your ass up and shoot!” Brutus gripped my arms with his massive, bck hand, and ripped me up to my knees. His other hand was busy bsting away into the crowd. Frag took cover behind the table as well.

  “Fuck! We gotta get out of here!” Maelstro fired a few shots at the security detail. The table burst open in a hole just inches from his face, another shot hit the edge of the table, clipping his ear. I watched as blood started to trail down where the tip of his ear used to be. His eyes locked onto mine, “Shoot, damn you. Were gonna die here unless we kill them first.” He rose above the table and sprayed into the crowd of civilians, killing and maiming without discretion.

  The crowd bolted for any exit they could find, storming past the security unit, blocking off their clear shots at us. Maelstro looked up to the massive chandelier in the center of the ceiling. “Frag, do your thing, girl.” He pointed upwards.

  Frag smiled and aimed her grenade uncher to the ceiling, “Hold onto your butts.” She unched the grenade with a deep, whoomp. I gnced up to the chandelier as the grenade burst into fme and shrapnel. The ship creaked and granted under the stress. The ground shuddered and the chandelier broke free with the snapping of metal.

  I risked a peek over the wood as the crystal crashed down upon the crowd and security, crushing everyone who was unlucky enough to be caught underneath. I couldn’t believe the carnage.

  Maelstro grabbed my colr and drug me up to my feet, “Let’s get our asses out of here!” His wrist lit up with a small map, “Go, go, go!”

  We all pilled back out of the room. More shots rang out behind us. McCaw let out a high-pitched shriek and fell to the floor. I gnced behind to see his thigh was wrought with a gaping wound, pumping blood to the floor.

  “McCaw’s down! Let’s get him…”

  Maelstro spped me and pushed me around the corner. “He’s done for! Leave his ass.”

  “He knew the consequences.” Brutus muttered as he popped another shot off into the room.

  Frag tossed a grenade to the Anthro-Parrot. He caught it in his feather arms, cradling it like a baby. He smiled and nodded at Frag as we all disappeared around the corner, following Maelstro deeper into the cruise ship. There were a few more gunshots and debris bsting from the walls behind us, and then, a moment of silence followed by some shouts of caution before a loud explosion hit my eardrums, disorienting me. I hit the wall and tumbled forward. I caught a glimpse of light and a security guard running down the hall, his clothes alight with fire.

  I looked up to see my mates running off without me. I didn’t want to end up like McCaw. I didn’t want to end myself in a roaring explosion, no matter how much I was being punished. I knew now that I wanted to live. I stood up, using the wall as support and rushed to my comrades.

  A few more twists and turns, and we were well beyond my knowledge of the ship. I was lost without Maelstro now.

  “This way!” He shouted as he gnced at his wrist. We were getting closer to the red dot. That must have been a good thing.

  “And then we can get out of this hell hole.” He gnced behind to smirk at us as we rounded a corner, “And you guys doubted me.” He stopped dead in his tracks. We all did.

  In front of us were half a dozen security personnel. Their guns were aimed at us, ready to cut us into nice little filets.

  “Drop the guns and hands up.” One of the guards spoke.

  I could sense the group shifting uneasily. The seconds felt like years as I watched from the back. After seeing what McCaw did to not get captured, I knew this wasn’t going to end well.

  The guard stepped forward, pushing his gun into Maelstro’s face. “I said, drop the guns and…” His face erupted into crimson pulp right before our eyes.

  Ratatata, boom, boom, boom! The security group shouted out in pain as they were cut down instantly from gunfire down the hallway.

  “Hehehe, looks like you’d be Swiss cheese if not for us.” Rolfo rounded the corner, his bck and brown face smiled his chipped, pearly whites at us. Teksan joined him from behind, his gun barrel still smoking. The Antrho-Hyena was chuckling non-stop, looking down at the carnage. Both of the Anthros were holding suitcases, filled with whatever was inside.

  “Dammit, it’s about time you showed up.” Maelstro grabbed Rolfo’s hand and pulled him close for a chest bump. “Just down the hall here is our target. Get ready for breaching, Frag.”

  The Anthro-Cheetah nodded to him as we all began to jog down the hall to a fortified metal door. She started pulling things out of her bag and wiring something to the door, muttering under her breath, “Wild Mother, protect us and allow me to not blow us to atoms.”

  “Nikki, watch that side of the hall, we’ll be breaching in. If we get our asses gunned down, you’re on your own.” The Anthro-Wolf winked at me. “You ready, Frag?”

  “You bet your ass I am.” The alluring woman stood back, her voice a s smooth as honey.

  “Let’s get some.” Brutus readied his weapons.

  I took up at the corner of the corridor, covering my ears with my pistol still in hand. I closed my eyes and waited for the ‘boom’ to shake the hall. Sure enough, it rocked the hall in a shockwave, air rippling across me as I tried to stay upright.

  Frag tossed something into the room and a second boom took pce with a fsh of light. The crew went rushing into the room, followed with a few more gunshots, shouts, and then, silence.

  I heard some footsteps coming down the hall. I raised my pistol. My heart sank a little. I might have to shoot some security before getting gunned down in a hail of bullets. My pistol was all that I had to use. Not enough firepower to contend with some automatic-rifles.

  I figured I could at least get some of them if I got the jump on them. I didn’t want to die here. I liked living, but if this was how my punishment ended and how I got into heaven, then this is what had to happen.

  I jumped out into the hallway and aimed my gun at the people there. I froze as it was the woman with red hair and a purple dress. Our eyes locked on each other. She was surrounded by several guests. A man next to her grabbed her hand and held it tight, whispering words of reassurance to her.

  I gulped hard. She was beautiful. Everything about her spoke to me. I couldn’t shoot. I waved them with the gun, “Quick, get out of here before they come.”

  The group looked at each other confused.

  “Go!” I shouted. They began to run off, but the girl in the purple dress stopped. She pulled something off her wrist and tossed it to me. I looked down to the small beaded bracelet at my feet.

  “Thank you.” She whispered before running off into the ship to hide from us.

  I bent down and grabbed the bracelet. It was small pink, blue, and white beads. It was gorgeous. I quickly looked behind to see if my crew was out yet. I slipped the bracelet into my pocket.

  I walked back to the door to see if I was on my own or not. As I peeked inside, Brutus emerged from the smoke-filled room; blood was spttered across his face.

  “You ain’t that lucky. We’re still here.” He smirked at me, “I’ll see you ter, in private.” On his shoulder was a rge bck bag with something squirming around inside.

  Maelstro emerged with the crew right behind him. “Alright, lets head back to the rendezvous point. Munz should be ready for us. We ain’t out of this shit storm yet.” He gnced down at his wrist, “Alright, let’s go!” He started to take lead, guiding us down halls that were foreign to me.

  We finally made it to the rendezvous point, but it was just a viewport on the side of the cruise ship. I looked around for Munz, but the old codger was nowhere to be found.

  “Look away.” Frag turned my head from the window. There was a bright fsh and the grinding of metal on metal. The side of the wall bsted inwards. I took a step back as I saw the inside of the Arc Star.

  Munis Munz was standing at the entrance, “This ain’t no pleasure cruise, bitches, get in!”

  Brutus piled in first, carefully lugging the rge bck bag in first. The other crew began to pile on inside, tossing their cases in without a care, until it was just Maelstro and I left outside.

  The wolf turned to me and smiled, “Looks like you just finished your first boarding.”

  I reflexively smiled, as I usually did on the ship to hide my real emotions. I went to speak when a security guard rounded the corner at the end of the hall. He rose his rifle and shouted for reinforcements.

  I pulled my gun up and shoved Maelstro aside with my shoulder. I pulled my trigger without aiming, hoping to scare the man away long enough for us to escape. The man’s face exploded into pulp as his body fell backwards, his arms flinging into the air. My eyes opened wide. I had just killed a man.

  “Damn.” Maelstro grabbed me and pulled me into the ship.

  “Like a tomato.” Munz chimed in.

  “Looks like we popped your cherry good.” Maelstro patted my back as the bst door closed and our ship disengaged its magnetic locks.

  I stood there with the gun in my hands, barrel smoking. What did I just do?

  *Sorry for the dey in chapters. I had some surgery and was out for a bit. Please consider donating to my Patreon, just 3 a month helps out a lot. Thanks!*