The car cruised silently through the broken roads of Kopergaon. Ash floated in the air like ghostly snow, the world stained in grey.
Yuri sat behind the wheel, glancing sideways at Crist.
"Why did you help me?"
Silence. Crist stared out the window, cold and unreadable. Not a word.
Yuri sighed and focused back on the road ahead.
But fate doesn't like silence.
Just then—a girl stumbled out onto the road.
Crash!
Yuri slammed the brakes, the car skidded, barely missing the girl.
"Shit—someone's hurt!" Yuri moved to step out.
But Crist raised his hand like a blade.
"Stop."
Crist stepped out, cautious, sharp. He knelt beside the girl for only a second… before his eyes narrowed.
He stood up fast and said,
"Yuri—it's a trap. I knew it."
"What?!"
The girl suddenly opened her eyes wide, smiling creepily.
"How… How did you know I was alive?"
Crist cracked his neck.
"Simple. You stopped breathing… but your head vein was still pulsing."
"Bastard."
The girl lunged with a surgical knife—fast, deadly.
But Crist caught her wrist with one hand like it was nothing.
Then—bang!
He struck her neck sharply. She collapsed unconscious in an instant.
---
Three hours later…
Inside an abandoned shop, the girl opened her eyes. Her hands were tied tightly behind her back.
"Release me… or I'll kill you." she hissed.
Before Crist could respond, Yuri untied her.
She stared at him, shocked.
"You released me? Why?"
Yuri smiled faintly, holding up a dusty ID card.
"You're Doctor Lisa Aros, aren't you?"
Lisa's eyes widened.
"W-What?! How did you know?"
"Found your ID in your bag. Don't worry—I didn't take anything else."
Crist leaned back, arms crossed.
"If you survived alone in this country, you must have a team."
Lisa narrowed her eyes.
"I don't. I'm a one-man army."
Crist opened the car door casually.
"Then leave. You're free."
Lisa stared, confused. Then walked away toward the alley…
Bang!!
A shot rang out.
Lisa ran back, bullets chasing her.
She dove into the car as Crist opened the door, grinning.
"Oho… dekho to kaun aaya hai."
Lisa climbed in, panting.
"It's me… Lisa. Bhool gaye kya itni jaldi?"
Crist smirked.
"Just now, some girl walked away claiming to be a one-man army."
Lisa blushed and punched his shoulder.
"Shut up. Let's go already!"
Yuri turned the ignition.
"Then welcome to the team… Doctor Lisa Aros."
And with that… the three of them drove toward their next unknown battlefield.
: Fire in the Fuel
The old fuel station stood like a lone survivor in a dead city. Broken buildings and crushed vehicles surrounded it, but strangely—the pump was untouched. Clean. Silent. Too silent.
Yuri parked the van and stepped out with a calm expression.
"I'll handle the refuel. You two stay inside."
Crist leaned back, arms crossed. Lisa was scrolling through a broken radio for signal. Neither moved.
As Yuri grabbed the fuel nozzle, he noticed something strange.
The ground nearby… was covered in blood stains. Burnt marks. But the pump itself? Spotless.
"This place is too clean…" Yuri whispered.
Suddenly—
Bang! A shot fired—but Yuri dodged instantly.
Crist snapped his head toward the direction of the shot. His eyes widened.
"Shit… Ambush!"
From behind the wrecked buses and broken highway signs, ten soldiers emerged, fully armed—assault rifles, grenades, and tactical gear.
"Hands up, NOW!" one of them barked.
"Kneel, or we blow your heads off!"
But Crist didn't wait.
**In a blur, he rushed forward—**a blade from his sleeve slashing across one soldier's neck.
Click! Bang!
But the soldier was wearing a bulletproof vest—Crist was knocked back by the impact and took cover behind the van.
Yuri clenched his jaw.
Ten soldiers. Three of them.
No time for hesitation.
Yuri shouted, "I've got a plan. Cover me!"
He ran to the side, grabbed a fuel pipe, and ripped it out from the pump.
Gasoline sprayed everywhere, soaking the soldiers before they even realized what was happening.
"What the hell—?!"
Lisa stepped out calmly, holding up a rusty lighter.
She smirked.
"Showtime."
Click. Flick. Throw.
WHOOSH!!!
The air exploded into flames. Screams echoed as the soldiers were consumed by fire.
The smell of burning metal and flesh filled the air.
---
Yuri, Crist, and Lisa got into a nearby military van, tires screeching as they drove away from the blazing inferno.
Crist looked at Yuri.
"Thanks."
Yuri didn't look back.
"Don't mention it."
Lisa, watching the rearview mirror, smiled darkly.
"You know… those soldiers burning back there—kinda beautiful, don't you think?"
Both Yuri and Crist turned toward her.
Crist narrowed his eyes.
"What… did you just say?"
Lisa laughed.
"I said it's beautiful. You've never seen hell in flames before?"
Crist raised an eyebrow.
"You're a psycho."
BAM!
Lisa punched Crist in the shoulder.
"I'm not a psycho, dumbass!"
---
Cut Scene:
Back at the burning fuel station… the fire now reduced to smoldering ash.
From the shadows, a man stepped forward, long coat brushing the dust, gas mask covering his face. His boots crushed a half-burnt helmet.
He looked at the charred remains of the soldiers.
Then raised his head slowly.
"I don't know who you are… but I'll find you."
"And when I do—your deaths won't be this merciful."