21 - Yellow Smoke

Yellow smoke covers the small area of hallway, right in the Y crossing and reaching up to the ceiling. Yeah, I just threw a something of my own creation. That's right, it's a kind of smoke bomb. But I've tinkered with it a bit and turned it into an extraordinary smoke bomb. Oh and the yellow color?

The yellow color is just me being whimsical by adding a drop of food dye. But I gotta say I'm quite satisfied of myself that it turned out so cool!

Although… Someone doesn't seem to like it.

"AAARGH!! MY EYES!! WHAT IS THIS?! SOMEBODY HELP!!" Jake screams in the smoke dome.

My wide smile drops when I heard that scream. Right, I've rigged that smoke bomb with a substance that is also used in tear gas. So… It's kind of like a tear gas bomb too. And I threw it right in front of him. So…

"MY EYES!!"

"Damn flat character!" I throw my bag on the ground.

I immediately suck in a big breath and close my eyes before reaching into the smoke. I feel around the empty air before it brushes other hands. Sensing how small they are, I take hold of them and immediately pull the guy. He makes a fuss when he's out though, thrashing around with his eyes closed while yelling "LET ME GO!!" multiple times.

He unknowingly slaps me on the face and on the side of my head because of it, and it annoyed me so much that I slap him on the face too to sober him up. "Hey! It's me! Wake up!"

The guy stops moving when he heard my voice. "G-gunner?"

"Yeah."

He tries to open his eyes, but cries when he peeks only a little bit. "It stings!"

The skin around his eyes is reddish. It makes him look like he had just cried. Well, it's still partly tear gas, so… It should be a common reaction for him to look like that.

Then I hear a growl from inside the smoke, which prompts me to get back to the matter at hand quickly. I pull him away from the smoke area and take the bat.

"Wait here." I told him.

A grunt echoes this time, which obviously comes from the big man. Then something heavy and iron-like falls to the ground which I guess is his battle hammer. And I also heard a slam on the wall which must've been the big man leaning on the wall.

He must be disoriented after the tear gas got into his eyes. I raise the weapon high while I anticipate any movements coming from the smoke. I don't know how long does this yellow bomb of mine last, so I'm preparing for anything that might come out of it now.

-

Rean was confused when the enemy suddenly leaves him and entered the hallway. But the screams on the other end made him concerned. Of the things he learned after fighting these guys, one of them is that they don't scream like that. They move mindlessly, but they still have a sense of purpose, and that they know to attack anyone blocking their way.

That's how he knew that whoever the party on the other end is, it's not his enemy. And judging by how light the voices are, they must be cadets like him. But he couldn't see them because the enemy's big body blocking the hallway.

He immediately called via Arrow. "Base, come in. This is Cadet Rean. Do you have eyes on the cadets near the emergency exit in the 12th floor with me? Over."

Two seconds passed without response and Rean was getting restless because the scream on the other end also becomes louder and more anxious. Then a yellow smoke suddenly covered the hallway, in consequence also blocked his sight on the enemy.

"Base! Respond!" Rean yelled into his Arrow. "Cadets near the emergency exit! 12th floor!"

A second later, a wavelength connected to his Arrow and Base's Operator spoke. "Cadet Jake 4th year and Cadet Terrence 3rd year. Over."

'Terrence?' Rean frowned. 'What is he doing up here? Isn't he in the Rescue Team?'

"Cadet Rean, please find a safe place to hide…" The operator spoke through the Arrow, but Rean cut it off instantly. In his mind, his fellow cadets' life are more important right now.

"Stay there, Terrence! I'll lure the enemy to me! At that time, you run! Get away from here!" Rean yelled loudly.

-

I hear Rean yelled at me. Suddenly, I was filled with this sense of relief. If Rean is offering to take care of this giant, how can I refuse? But I'm not gonna run away though. He can't tell me what to do.

"Okay!" I yell back at him. Now I can just stand here and let Rean do the rest.

I hear a grunt and Rean yells. "Come on, big guy! Take on someone your own size!"

'Well, Rean, that man is not technically your size either. But, if we're talking about power, you are the bigger guy. Good luck, main protagonist!'

I heard some noises in the smoke and heavy steps walking away from my position. I heave a relieved sigh and re-arrange the things in my bag. A hand stops me though, it was Jake.

"Hey get me some water to wash this off, junior." Jake said.

"I'll come off eventually. Maybe." I reply carelessly.

"What?!" He frowns while still trying to open his eyes, but his face instead, looks like he's on stroke.

I bite my lip and try to hold my laugh. I point my Arrow at him and takes a picture. This is something priceful.

"Hang in here, Senior Jake. I'll come back for you when I'm done beating that man!" I said excitedly.

Faint blush fades in on his cheek when I called him Senior Jake.

"E-Eh, okay. T-Take care of yourself, my junior!" Jake closes his eyes excitedly. He has a very positive smile on his face. He also gives me thumb up for good luck.

I run into the smoke with a snicker. "Flatty!" I said, referring to him as a flat character which personality I can easily guess.

However, Jake is too delighted to be called Senior, so he's a bit delusional. He heard his junior said 'Fatty' instead of 'Flatty'. He misunderstood is as his junior challenging the enemy for him. His heart flutters and he turns to the wall with deep blush.

"Aaaaa! He's fighting for me!" He bites his gloves.

I thought I heard a squeak from the hallway before, but something more important is happening in the lobby, so I focus on the latter one. I walk through the smoke in an instant and Rean and the big guy are in the lobby fighting a one sided battle.

Rean easily lands his hits while the bad guy is swinging his hammer aimlessly with his eyes closed. He's literally just a punching bag by now.

'At this rate, he'll be able to take the guy down any minute now. No, any seconds now.'

It's the main protagonist after all. While he may not be that overpowered, he's not an easy foe for these suckers. I'm still curious why they end up here when this enemy should've been in the upper floors, but there's something more important than that that I should've done.

I run to the right hallway and keeps on going.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Rean yelled.

'He must've heard my shoes from behind him.' I thought. But I don't bother to yell back because I'm in a hurry. I don't know how long I was in a trance, but I need to make up for the loss of time. Because this place is going to be a warzone soon.

I enter the room near the end of this hallway. It's the floor's pantry. This one is bigger as it has a stove and oven, and also two fridges. I walk around the counter in the middle of the room and reach the door at the other end. It opens to a balcony where a female worker is hiding.

"S-Stay back!" She's pointing a knife at me. The young woman looks terrified.

I show her my Arrow. "I'm a Terrace cadet. We are evacuating the building."

She swings the knife around in attempt to scare me. "I don't believe you! S-Show me your bag!"

Seeing her reaction, I put the bat down and pull my bag in front of me. I point at the Terrace's logo on my bag to show her I'm really affiliated with the academy. I also open the zipper and show her the contents of my bag.

She gulps again and takes a peek for a second. A slight frown is shown on her face when she sees the content, which consisted of things a terrorist wouldn't bring if they're doing a crime.

"Do you believe me now?" I asked.

She nods after giving me a second look. "Y-Yes… A terrorist wouldn't bring a pack of cat treats to terrorize a tower…"

I smile and close the bag. "You'll never know when you meet a cute stray cat."

The young woman smiles nervously, but then she nods in agreement. "Yes."

I offer her my hand. "Let's go somewhere else safer."

She nods again and takes my hand.

A ding from Ozzie echoes in my ears melodiously.