As they stepped out of the apartment building, the street greeted them with an unsettling sight. Dozens of blue, gel-like puddles clung to the pavement and sidewalks, their surfaces almost sparkling under the moonlight. Ampelius slowed, guiding Bella carefully between them. The substance gave off no smell or sound, only an ominous stillness that kept his nerves on edge.

  They reached the far curb just as a low hum rolled overhead. Ampelius froze when he saw a turtle-shell machine descending into the area. It drifted above their building, its dark frame glimmering faintly with energy while panels along its shell shifted and clicked as it moved.

  “Inside, now,” he hissed.

  They quickly jumped through a shattered frame of the nearest window. As they landed inside, the glass crunched under their shoes, but they moved toward a broken counter and hid themselves as best they could.

  The craft outside hovered above the building, circling like a predator searching for its prey. Time seemed to crawl to a standstill, but neither Ampelius nor Bella dared to move.

  Then the machine gave a low vibration, a pulse that set the glass shards trembling around them. In a sudden burst, it tilted toward Mount Nerva and shot away, vanishing in a thunderous trail of smoke and fire.

  Ampelius felt a wave of relief and brushed dust from his hands. “I think it's gone,” he muttered.

  Bella exhaled shakily, then pulled herself over the counter with his help. Together, they climbed back through the window and onto the street. Without another word, they walked down the sidewalk, carefully listening to every sound for any potential threats.

  “Those things are fast. Did you see it vibrate and disappear?” Ampelius asked, his voice slightly shaken.

  “I don’t know, and I don’t care. Let’s get out of here before another one shows up,” Bella replied urgently, her eyes darting around.

  They kept to the sidewalk until the alley came into view, the same one where Ampelius was nearly executed. The area was a graveyard now, choked with debris and bodies left where they’d fallen. The image of that revolver leveled at his face flickered through his mind, stressing him into a panic like sensation. He forced the memory down and focused on the present.

  Bricks, splintered beams, and shattered concrete clogged the narrow stretch, with the broken and burnt furniture jutting out like bones from a wound. In some places, the rubble were just mound as high as them, and that nearly blocked the way forward. Ampelius guided Bella to a cracked section of wall and eased her down, steadying her against the rough surface. She didn’t protest, but only gave him a tired look and told him to hurry.

  He nodded once and turned toward the bodies. If there was anything worth salvaging, he’d have to find it here.

  He started with the body closest to him, rolling it over until it faced skyward. It was the guy who had found him behind the dumpster. Ampelius searched the body thoroughly but found nothing of use except for a few old denarii coins.

  "Ancient coins?" Ampelius muttered, puzzled. He tossed them aside and moved on to the next body, hoping for something more useful.

  The next body had a revolver in its hand, the same one he vividly remembers being pointed at his head. He picked it up, trying not to let the memories creep in while inspecting it carefully. Three out of six rounds had been fired. He removed the spent casings and found six unused bullets in one of the mans pockets. After loading three rounds to fill the chamber, the revolver was concealed within his shirt and waistband before returning to Bella.

  As he turned to face her, she frantically pointed at the ground behind him. He spun around to see the first body stirring.

  Drawing the revolver, Ampelius cautiously approached. “Still alive, I see,” Ampelius said coldly, his grip tightening around the gun.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The thug raised his hands weakly. “Please don’t shoot me! It wasn’t personal! I was just following orders,” he gasped.

  Ampelius’s wasn't pleased. “That wasn’t personal? Maybe it wasn’t for you, but for me, it was very personal.” His finger hovered near the trigger, but instead, he stepped forward and slammed his shoe onto the thug’s knee, resulting in a sickening snap echoing through the alley.

  The thug screamed in agony as Ampelius looked back toward Bella screaming at him.

  “What is wrong with you? Why did you do that?” Bella demanded, her eyes wide with shock.

  “He was the reason I was nearly executed. He deserved to feel it,” Ampelius replied, his tone raised.

  “Well, that doesn’t make it right,” Bella snapped but then glanced around nervously.

  “I saw you take that gun. Do you really think that revolver is going to do any good against those things flying around?”

  “I don’t plan on using it against them. It’s for protection from people like him,” Ampelius said, keeping his voice steady. “When people get desperate, they become dangerous.”

  But before she could respond, another turtle-shell craft appeared, its light beam scanning the puddles of blue liquid on the street. Ampelius run to and grabbed Bella, dragging her deeper into the alley.

  They found a tarp draped over a small space beneath some rubble and hid under it. Ampelius peeked through a small hole and watched as the craft’s beam locked onto the wounded thug. A rod extended from the craft, piercing the man’s chest and lifting him into the air. His body dissolved into blue liquid and was sucked into the machine.

  “Maybe I should have shot him,” Ampelius whispered.

  Bella's face was getting pale, as she nodded silently.

  The craft lowered itself over another dead body, using the thin rod to stab into the corpse’s chest. Ampelius flinched at the motion, a fresh wave of revulsion tightening in his throat. The flesh around the wound liquefied almost instantly, melting into that same blue gel. A moment later, the substance was siphoned up through the rod and into the machine’s shell.

  It moved methodically from body to body, repeating the process without pause. Each stab was quick and efficient, and horribly clinical, as if the machine were reaping a harvest. By the time it finished, the alley looked even emptier than before, leaving behind only torn clothes and stains on the rubble marked where people had been.

  When the last corpse was processed, the machine lingered in silence. A low hum filled the air as panels on its shell shifted, releasing a fan of red beams that swept slowly across the alley walls. Ampelius held his breath, willing even his heartbeat to stay quiet. Bella pressed herself closer to the cracked wall, eyes wide, every muscle tight with anxiety.

  At last, the beams retracted and the machine drifted upward, its lights dimming as it floated back into the night. Only when it disappeared beyond the rooftops did Ampelius dare to exhale.

  “Let's keep moving,” he whispered, helping Bella to her feet.

  “I'm beginning to agree that you should have just shot him. It would have been a mercy,” Bella muttered.

  "I don't think they deserved mercy, but I wouldn't wish that kind of death on anyone." He replied.

  Bella glanced at him, her eyes hard. “Next time, if you want to kill someone, just do it quickly.”

  Ampelius frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t want to kill people.”

  Bella scoffed. “Like your friend Marius? The one who ‘accidentally’ shot himself?”

  Ampelius glared at her. “I didn’t kill him. He shot himself, and you know it.”

  “In the back? How does someone shoot themselves in the back?” Bella shot back, her tone sharp.

  “You must have a selective memory. He didn’t shoot himself in the back; he shot himself in the chest,” Ampelius corrected, struggling to keep his voice calm.

  “Goddess Juno, no wonder they put you in that asylum. If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be there. Considering the last few hours, you’d probably be dead by now!” Bella exclaimed, her voice rising with exasperation.

  Bella rolled her eyes. “Right. How does someone shoot themselves in the back?”

  “He didn’t shoot himself in the back. It was the chest, and it was an accident,”

  Ampelius said, his voice tightening with frustration.

  Bella crossed her arms. “The autopsy said otherwise, but whatever.”

  Ampelius clenched his fists. “Believe whatever you want, but we need to survive right now. Unless you’d rather be on your own?”

  Bella opened her mouth to argue but then closed it again, choosing silence over a fight.

  Ampelius checked toward the street for anymore danger before turing back toward the alley. Bella followed, her face set in grim determination as she limped forward.

  As they made their way deeper into the alley, a glowing blue orb shot silently over the rooftops, leaving a shimmering contrail behind. Ampelius’s breath caught in his throat as he watched it vanish into the distance.

  “We’ve overstayed our welcome,” Ampelius said. “Let’s go.”

  Bella nodded, reaching for his arm for support as they heard the distant explosions echoing in the background.

  After twenty minutes of walking, the faint glow of a fire lit up the alley ahead of them. The shadows danced against the building’s wall, showing the flickering silhouettes of humanoid figures visible in the distance.

  With little choice, they kept going, hoping to find some help.

  As they reached the T-intersection and turned the corner to the right, they were met with a shotgun aimed directly at their faces.