The night over Delhi weighed like iron — heavy, silent, broken only by the far-off moan of the infected. Smoldering towers glowed red on the horizon, their skeletal frames clawing at the sky.
Leon crouched on a rooftop, breath steady, scope trained on the half-collapsed bridge nearly two kilometers away. Through the mist and dust, he counted the trucks: three armored vehicles, battered but intact. Around them, he saw faint figures — guards moving in calculated, watchful patterns.
Leon's jaw tensed. This wasn't just a cash stash. This was a fortified drop site.
He slipped down from the rooftop, his boots barely touching the crumbling concrete. Below, Ayush and the team waited in the shadows of a ruined underpass, weapons hugged to their chests.
Ayush stepped forward as Leon approached. "Report," he whispered.
Leon shook his head. "Bad news. The trucks are guarded — organized. Not just Fireflies, but at least two other unknown squads. This is more than money. Crates labeled 'Project Eden,' sealed vials… possible biological assets. Maybe data cores. It's a power play, not just survival."
Suraj's eyes glimmered dangerously. "Bioweapons… or a cure," he muttered. "Control either way."
Ayush fixed him with a cold stare. "We're not here to rule. We get what we can, we get out. No throne games."
Suraj gave a faint smirk but didn't reply.
Nearby, Kartik's fingers twitched around his rifle. He looked pale, sweat beading on his forehead. Shivam watched him closely, blade resting on his knee.
Leon continued, "They've set up signals and patrol arcs. We don't have time for a siege. We move fast. We take one truck — the one furthest east. That's the least guarded. Then we vanish."
Ayush nodded. "Shivam, prep the escape truck nearby. Quiet and dark. Kartik, you stick to me. You only fire when I say."
Kartik's eyes widened. He nodded shakily, clutching his rifle like a lifeline.
Suraj checked his ammo, voice low. "No mistakes. No noise. One shot — in and out."
They slipped into the city, weaving through alleys filled with overturned market carts and rotting banners. The night air tasted of rust and ash.
When they neared the bridge, Shivam broke off, ghosting toward an abandoned bus depot where he'd stashed the truck earlier that day. It had taken days of careful scouting — bribes, distractions, and small sabotage to ensure it stayed unnoticed.
Above, Leon climbed a collapsed highway support, scope flickering from guard to guard. He clicked his comm softly. "East truck clear in 40 seconds. Move."
Ayush signaled. Suraj slipped forward first, almost invisible in the gloom. Ayush followed, dragging Kartik behind him. Kartik's breaths came too loud, too fast.
They reached the truck. Suraj pried open the rear door. Inside, stacks of cash gleamed, and next to them — sealed crates marked "Project Eden." Ayush glanced once but forced himself to focus on essentials.
"Pack as much as we can carry. Leave the rest," Ayush ordered sharply.
Suraj's eyes flashed with protest but obeyed. Kartik clambered in clumsily, nearly knocking over a vial. Ayush caught it mid-air, teeth clenched.
"Focus!" he snarled. Kartik's face went ghost-white, but he kept moving.
Leon fired a suppressed shot above — a guard collapsed silently, but it triggered murmurs. More guards started shifting, eyes narrowing.
Shivam's voice crackled in their earpieces. "Truck in position. You have one minute. Move!"
They loaded packs stuffed with cash and a few crates before Ayush gave the signal. Suraj slipped out first, scanning the perimeter. Ayush shoved Kartik forward, then leaped down last.
Leon dropped from above, landing hard but silent. He nodded once. "Go."
Suddenly, a flare burst above them — crimson light washing over the bridge. The guards screamed, rushing forward with crossbows and makeshift explosives.
"AMBUSH!" Leon roared.
The group sprinted toward Shivam's truck, feet pounding against cracked asphalt. Arrows and bolts whistled past, clanging off metal. Kartik stumbled; Ayush grabbed his vest and dragged him onward.
Shivam revved the engine, headlights cutting through the fog like twin swords. The truck surged forward, smashing through a barricade of burning barrels.
Leon leaped onto the roof, laying down covering fire. Suraj clung to the side, one hand tossing smoke bombs to scatter pursuit. Ayush pushed Kartik into the back before climbing in himself.
They roared off the bridge, flames in their wake. The echo of crossbows faded as the city swallowed them.
After twisting through maze-like alleyways, they ducked into an abandoned textile mill district. Shivam coasted the truck into a half-collapsed warehouse, killing the lights.
They spilled out, panting, blood smeared and ash-covered. Ayush checked Kartik, who sat shivering but alive.
Leon dropped down beside them, loading a new mag. His voice was calm, almost tired. "We need to hide the haul. Burn the truck. Ghost trail."
Suraj nodded, eyes already scanning the shadows. "We move the crates to the tunnel tonight. The rest can burn."
Kartik finally managed to speak, voice hoarse. "We… we survived?"
Ayush looked at him, hand on his shoulder. "We did. But this was only the beginning."
Shivam dropped next to them, his laugh sharp and ragged. "We just pissed off every faction left in this graveyard."
Suraj grinned, tossing a blood-soaked rag aside. "Then let them come. Delhi belongs to the bold now."
Leon pulled out a torn cloth, scribbling new coordinates, slipping it into Ayush's vest pocket. "In case I fall. You lead them."
Ayush's eyes met his — an unspoken vow between wolves. "I won't let it end in ashes."
Outside, dawn clawed at the broken skyline, turning the smog into rivers of pale gold. They stood there, shadows against the newborn light, knowing the city would hunt them come sunrise.
But for that moment, they were not just survivors.
They were storms gathering strength beneath the phantom glow of a dying world.