The st man grunted as the kit kruck him. He fired off all the bullets in his gun, ruining the surface of the isnd, and did not even titing pressure. Kevin opened his eyes and moved his hands away from his face, just in time to see the man twisting at the back door knob - the door’s locked from inside as well, aarted limping his way to the window, through which he and his cohorts came into the room.

  “He’s trying to get out!” Kevin struggled to stand up, but he was too shocked to get up in time.

  Keryn’s shoulder was bleeding from some cuts possibly from the bursting marbles from the crossfire. But this did not deter her from charging from behind the ter and right at the stumbling man.

  By the time Keryn reached the man and grabbed him by the ahe man already had his head and shoulders out of the window. The kit knife was stuck to his left leg, and blood was dripping onto the ground.

  “Let go of me!” The man screamed and kicked back, almost pushing Keryn back while pushing himself slightly forward.

  A deafening female scream rocked the entire house. Everyone in the room got struck by a devastating blow of chilling energy to their bodies and minds. The man stu the window cried and his limbs all stopped moving for a moment. Keryn almost fell down, but still had her hand firmly on the man’s ankle.

  The door to Captain Ko’s bedroom busted open. The captain rushed out of it, with his eyes, nostrils and ears bleeding. “What the fuck happened? What the fuck!?”

  He stopped asking as he saw the open window in the back, the man stu it and Keryn trying to pull the man ba. He ran forward a Keryn a hand to pull the man back. Then he cuffed the man’s hands behind his back.

  The man tased by Kevin was thus cuffed and forced to sit at the foot of a wall. The man who was shot three times had already stopped breathing. Captain Ko pulled out a first aid kit from below the kit ter and addressed the wound o man’s leg, with the kabilized.

  Mick fell onto the ground from the scream, and was struggling to stand up when Keryo che him. He wretched a few times while walking dowairs, but he held it back. That was until he got to the kit area and saw all the mess. “What happened here? What - ”

  “You’re a sound sleeper for sure.” Keryn chuckled: “Yeah - the people chasing us, they’re here.”

  “What the fuck? That means we’re sitting ducks here!” Mick gasped.

  “Don’t worry. I made the necessary calls already. There will be people handling things. Even if they came they wouldn’t stand a ce.” Captain Ko wiped his face with a handkerchief stained with red.

  “Captain, are you okay?” Kevin asked as he brought cups of tea to the coffee table.

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine. You ow see that I was not lying about you ot leave.” Captain Ko shook his head: “I’m kinda used to it by now. Some day my marriage is gonna kill me.”

  “What is happening to you, sir?” Keryn helped Mick sit down on the sofa. “I’m not as experienced ihings but - but even I tell this is bad.”

  “Let’s worry about these men first.” Captain Ko shook his head and poi the two men who were cuffed and wisely chose to remain silent: “Do you have any theories on who they are?”

  “I don’t know. But my guts say they are ected to the unity collective of the South-Eastern Distriehow. ” Kevin sighed.

  “I don’t think that’s gonna be anything signifit. Maybe superficially, but that’s probably not who they actually are, or what their actual allegiance is.” Captain Ko shook his head: “They must be from THOSE people iy.”

  “‘THOSE’ people? Who are ‘THOSE’ people?” Mick asked.

  “A group of rid powerful people iy, from all three districts and obsessed with the paranormal.” Captain Ko sighed: “And naturally, their hen would be scum from all backgrounds.”

  “But - have you been going against these people in the past few months?” Mick frowned and straightened his body: “That’s - that’s serious.”

  “That’s what SOME detective has been dealing with. As you already tell. Our prect has no official stan it. ” Captain Ko reached below the coffee table and started looking through the drawer: “And - if you wao talk about anything real here, we’d better have ways to make sure they wouldn’t hear anything.”

  “How about just log them up in a spare room?” Keryn rubbed her temples: “Your house is big, sir - you surely have one of those.”

  “There’s - there’s a ste unit uhe stairs.” Captain Ko sighed and shook his head: “It’s also ventited, so - ”

  Keryn hen snapped her fingers at Kevin and Mick, signaling them to e help her. The two men whined and pined, but they had no choice but be led into the narrow ste unit. Out of the kindness of her heart, Keryn even brought a chair for the man with a knife in his leg.

  “Alright, time to spill, captain.” Keryn came back, pulled a small stool and sat directly on the opposite side of the coffee table to Captain Ko.