Astrid walked over to her car, carrying her takeout in one hand. Her day was tiring and she was anything but a decent cook, so the takeout will serve as her dinner. She glanced at the passersby and other people around her, doing their own thing, some guy busy scrolling through his phone, a couple talking to each other on a bench, some elderly walking their dog, etc.
As she neared her car, she pulled out her keys and pressed the button, a beep sounding from her car as the door unlocked. Astrid hopped into her car, putting her takeout on the passenger's seat beside her. She started her car and glanced outside, when she noticed something.
A guy she had noticed earlier on her way, stepped out from behind a SUV, carrying what looked to be a sub-machine gun in his hands. Astrid's eyes widened and she made a split second decision and ducked down, hiding behind the cover of her car door, as a barrage of bullets hit the frame, sparks flying as some hit the metal door, while the others pierced through the window.
Her assailant kept shooting at the car until he ran out of ammo, and proceeded to reload his weapon.
Astrid quickly took advantage of this opportunity as she stepped on the gas paddle. The engine of her car roared out as it sped away from the location, while her assailant continued to shoot at her. She got back on the steering wheel now that she had put a safe distance between her and the unknown gunman, and continued to drive as far away as possible.
But as she was speeding away, she didn't notice another danger approaching her until it was too late, as suddenly another vehicle, a pickup truck, rammed into her car. The air bag popped out just in time to save her head from a nasty collision with the steering wheel, as her car was pushed to the side of the road.
She looked up, breathing heavily and stared at the driver of the truck, her eyes widening as she saw him pull out a handgun.
Astrid quickly shifted to reverse gear, and pushed the accelerator down, as her car sped backwards, just in time to avoid the gunfire from the new assailant.
She slammed the brakes and spun the steering wheel, performing an 180 drift with her car as she tried to escape, with the truck still hot on her tail.
But Astrid's car was too damaged. The side of her car had crumbled under the impact, and the wheel, flattened by earlier gunfire from her first assailant, and how further damaged by the crash, could no longer keep the car on course properly.
Astrid tried to steer her vehicle, but eventually, her car slipped, and she hit a lamppost. Astrid grunted in pain and frustration, but had no time. More bullets came crashing down on the back of her car, as the truck stopped just a few feet away from her.
Astrid quickly jumped out of her car, keeping her head low as she hid behind her car as her assailant kept shooting, waiting for an opportunity, and soon she found it. There was a pause in the shooting, probably the gunman was reloading his weapon.
Astrid took the chance as she popped out from behind the cover of her car, her P30L raised up as she shot at her assailant.
The gunman dove back into his truck for cover and Astrid ran away into an alleyway, shooting a few more shots at the truck to keep the gunman pinned down.
Her assailant also lept out from the truck and chased after her as she disappeared into the alleyway. Astrid ran and ran, trying to escape when she came face to face with another guy, holding a shotgun in his arms.
Astrid's eyes widened as she dove for cover behind a large trash bin, just as the guy fired his weapon. A few pellets grazed her right arm before she could hide behind her cover causing her to scream out in pain.
She can hear the footsteps approaching, and the sound of the shotgun being racked.
Astrid let out a shaky breath, contemplating her options. Her right arm hurt and she wouldn't be able to use her gun as easily as she used to, and her new assailant was slowly closing in. But then suddenly, from the other side of the alleyway, came another person, the very first gunman that had attacked her.
Astrid's eyes widened, and she made up her mind. She raised her gun and shot two times at that guy, forcing him to dive back for a cover. She then got up and ran forward, shooting at the gunman behind her to keep him pinned down.
She noticed a passage beside a building and quickly slipped into it, running as fast as her legs could carry her. She could hear the footsteps of her pursuers a bit far behind her.
Soon, she exited the passage and found herself on a street, looking around, she quickly ran off towards a more crowded area, hoping to lose her pursuers in the crowd.
She breathed heavily as she navigated her way through the crowd. Finding a moment to herself, Astrid quickly pulled out her phone and dialed 911.
The call was received and a female operator spoke from the other side,"Hello. 911. What's your emergency?"
"This is Agent Astrid Hofferson, B.S.D.I. ID no. BA-326." Astrid gasped out, looking around for any potential threats,"I am being chased by several armed people and need backup."
"Ma'am please calm down. We need your location."
"I am calm!" Astrid all but yelled out,"I am at Gronckle Street, near 45th Avenue."
"There she is!"
Astrid's head whipped around as she heard the yell, and saw her pursuers, all three of them, making their way through the crowd towards her.
"Listen, I cannot stay at the same location." Astrid told the operator, keeping her eyes planted on the gunmen,"Tag my phone and send help, fast!"
And with that she took off once more, running away from the gunmen chasing after her. Astrid kept running, heading towards a specific place. Her job has allowed her to be very familiar with the city, and she knew a nearby place where she could be safe for a while.
She ran and ran, pushing and shoving her way through the crowd, her pursuers doing the same behind her, and soon, she saw her destination.
An apartment complex under construction.
This place had started being constructed about a year back, and several buildings were still unfinished. But this unfinished apartment complex will serve well as a shelter, and she hoped to keep herself safe for long enough until the authorities arrived.
Approaching the place, Astrid slipped through the gap in the fencing and stepped into the construction site, her eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger. The buildings loomed above her, steel beams and concrete walls rising up like a skeletal giant, as she made her way through between the scaffoldings and the piles of building materials.
Her heart raced as she tried to find a safe place to hide. She knew her pursuers would arrive there soon, and she needed to find a place to hide before that. Astrid climbed up a scaffolding, her injured arm struggling with holding onto the metal framework as she pulled herself up onto the next level, scanning the area for any signs of threat.
The scaffolding led inside an unfinished section and she quickly headed inside, disappearing into the building.
Finding a moment to herself, Astrid let out a deep breath. Her previous panic died down significantly as she tried to maintain a cool head.
She pulled out her handkerchief, and tightly wrapped it around her open wound as best as she could, and then made her way further into the building.
As she walks further into the building, she feels a sense of relief wash over her. She's safe in here for a while, and all she has to do is wait for the police to arrive with backup. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she sees glint.
Astrid jumps back just in time as an axe swing barely misses her head, moving in front of her eyes as it lodges in the wall. Astrid takes a few steps back with a gasp, noticing the person holding the axe. She pulled her gun up in an attempt to stop him, but the man quickly pulled his axe out and swung at her, knocking her gun out of her grip, as Astrid cried out in pain, stumbling back. Her foot trips, causing her to fall down on the floor.
The axe-wielding assailant loomed over her, and just then she noticed another figure emerge from the shadows, holding a pistol in his hand. The second assailant open fires, and Astrid quickly springs onto her feet, dodging the bullets as she dives into a hallway and starts running.
Astrid ducks and weaves, trying to avoid the bullets as she desperately tries to find a place to hide, her heart racing as she runs, her senses on high alert. She can hear the sound of footsteps behind her, and the axe-wielding assailant, and his gun-wielding partner are closing in, and she knows she has to think fast if she wants to survive.
The hallway is long and straight, with no obvious hiding spots, forcing her to keep running, desperate to find a way to escape. Her assailants were getting closer and closer. Astrid could even hear the sound of his heavy breathing and their maniacal laugh behind her.
She was starting to get worried, as her second assailant shot at her once more, missing her by an inch. She knew she couldn't keep running, and needed to come up with a plan.
Just then, Astrid turns a bend, and sees a door up ahead and makes a beeline for it. She bursts through the door and finds herself in a large, empty room with a window on the other side of the room. She slammed the door close behind her, and latches the lock. She further presses her back against the door in an attempt to further barricade herself.
She exhales sharply, her breathing rapid. Her body aches from the exhaustion and injuries she endured. But before Astrid had a moment to relax, an axe head pierced through the door, just inches away from her head, with a loud thud and crunch.
Astrid yelped and jumped back, away from the door. She stepped back as one after another more axe hits broke down the door.
"Here's Johnny." her assailant laughed through the hole he made on the door, before breaking it down completely.
Astrid backed up further, until she felt herself pressed up against the wall.
"What do you want from me?" She snarled angrily, glaring at them.
"Oh, our lady has a temper." the one with the axe laughed.
"And a pretty face." his partner added,"One that's worth 500,000 dollars."
Astrud breathed heavily as she heard that. Just then, her previous three assailants rushed into the room too. Everyone present in the room paused, understanding the situation, before staring down each other.
"Back off! She's mine. I got her first." The gunman with the smg growled.
"No. You back off! I chased this bitch all the way through the streets." her second assailant, the one who rammed her with a car, grunted.
"You say it like we didn't chase her with you." The gunman with the shotgun snarked back.
"No, you all back off. Me and my partner cornered her here." The gunman with the pistol exclaimed.
"Guys, guys, why don't we all just calm down." The guy with the axe said, trying to be the voice of reason."She has a 500 grand bounty on her. Even after splitting it between us five, we'd have more than enough for each of us."
This statement brought them all into an agreement. Meanwhile, Astrid just stood there, watching all this. There was nothing she could do. She was trapped, and could only wait and pray for reinforcements to arrive soon, but she doubted if they would arrive on time.
"You bastards," She growled,"Do you know who I am?"
Astrid knew there was no way she could intimidate them, but she was hoping to buy herself some more time and hoped it would be enough for some kind of back up to get there.
"Eh, honestly, it doesn't really matter, Missy." the smg gunman laughed,"All we need to know is that, that pretty head of yours will fetch us some big money."
"Hey, she's real pretty, won't you say?" the axe-wielder suddenly said,"What do you say, we have some fun with her before handing over her head."
"Ah, now that's an even more agreeable proposition." His partner laughed, the others joining in on the laughter.
One of them moved forward, his hand outstretched and a wide unsettling grin on his face. Astrid narrowed her eyes at him, but there was nothing she could do. She was exhausted, injured and even if she fought, how long could she hold these five back?
Astrid braced herself as the guy got closer and closer to her, steeling herself for whatever fate that awaits her. All she could hope for was to just make it out alive.
The assailant's hand was just inches away from her, when he stopped.
An eerie whistle rang throughout the atmosphere, causing them all to freeze up. Even Astrid could feel the atmosphere getting more tense. And then, they heard footsteps as the whistle got louder. The assailants turned around, their previously calm faces now showing a hint of fear as the footsteps came closer and closer.
And then, from the darkness emerged Nightfury in all his glory, standing at the doorway as he stopped whistling.
A surge of dread passed through the assailants, while Astrid looked on with wide eyes. This was the second time she had been in the presence of this mysterious vigilante, and the first time she was glad to see him. Though, she remained unsure as she didn't know the motive of his arrival.
Her assailants kept staring at the vigilante, neither of them moving. Suddenly, the smg gunman raised his weapon, intending to unload his weapon on the vigilante, but Nightfury moved even quicker.
His hand moved like a lighting flash, pulling out his pistol from his holster in an instant, before unloading four bullets on the gunman before he could even pull the trigger of his smg, hitting him three times in the chest and once in the head.
Before the gunman's lifeless body dropped on the floor, Nightfury immediately turned his attention to the pistol-wielding gunman, shooting him twice in the chest and once in the head.
Both assailants dropped down on the floor as Nightfury charged forward, leaping up in the air and delivering a knee strike to the axe-wielder's partner. Time seemed to slow down around them as the assailant was thrown back as Nightfury's knee crushed his chest, his face contorting in pain and shock, his mouth agape, spit and blood sputtering out of his mouth.
The guy was thrown on the floor, as Nightfury landed on his feet. The axe-wielder yelled out as he swung his axe at Nightfury, but the vigilante slipped under the strike, dodging it, before throwing a jab at the man's kidney.
The man cried out in pain and Nightfury followed it up with a punch to the face. The man staggered back, but regained his footing before swinging his axe again.
This time, Nightfury caught his axe.
The vigilante kicked the man in his leg, dropping him on his knees, before striking his arm and pulling the axe out of his grasp. Nightfury then raised the axe himself, and brought it down, slicing the man's throat. The man gasped, grabbing his throat with both hands as blood flowed out like a fountain from his wound, before crumbling on the floor.
He then turned to the man's partner, who was still on the floor and was trying to get up, and threw the axe at him. The axe spun through the air, before logging itself in the guy's head, blood gushing out of his head like a fountain.
Nightfury then turned to the last gunman in the room, who at this point was too frozen up in fear. Seeing the Nightfury stare at him finally brought him out of his stature. He shakily aimed his shotgun at the vigilante and pulled the trigger.
With a loud bang, the shotgun went off, spitting out pellets at the vigilante, but he just stood there as the pellets struck him, remaining unfazed.
The guy gasped, seeing Nightfury still standing after taking a shotgun shell to chest. And then, to his horror, Nightfury started walking towards him.
"Stay back!" the gunman yelled out, pumping his shotgun and shooting at Nightfury again.
But this again had no effect. The gunman desperately shot at him again, but still nothing. But before he could shoot again, Nightfury had already closed the distance. The guy tried to swing his shotgun at the vigilante like a club, but Nightfury blocked his strike and retaliated with a punch to the face, making him groan in pain and drop the shotgun.
He then grabbed the gunman by his hair and threw him on the floor, before grabbing him by his collar and dragging him away. The gunman screamed out in terror as Nightfury dragged him to the other side of the room, near the window.
Nightfury then picked the gunman up, standing him on his legs, before throwing him at the window.
The glass of the window shattered into a million pieces as the gunman screamed out in fear as he fell through the air, and before long his screams were silenced too.
Astrid's legs buckled, before she collapsed on the floor, her back braced against the wall as she gasped and breathed heavily, her adrenaline fading away, her heart pounding against her ribcage.
She was feeling overwhelmed. Just a few moments ago, she was cornered by five assailants who intended to sexually assault her and then murder her.
And now,... now she witnessed Nightfury, the most notorious vigilante and her target of investigation, brutally kill them in front of her.
And she knew he did it to protect her.
Astrid was shaken up by her experience, not knowing how to react or feel regarding the situation that just unfolded before her. She could just sit there, with a million thoughts and emotions swirling around in her troubled mind.
She looked up and let out a small gasp as she saw Nightfury standing beside her.
Her breathing quickened as the vigilante crouched down beside her, his black armor glistening under whatever light came in through the window and other ambient light in the room, as she stared into the 'eyes', black lenses of his mask, of the vigilante.
"Are you okay?" he suddenly said, his voice low and monotone.
Astrid was surprised by this sudden question as she kept staring at him for a few moments, until she finally found her voice. "Ye-Yeah…" She replied.
"Good."
Just then, they hear police sirens from a distance. Astrid turns her head, listening to the sound as it gets closer and closer. Her lips part slightly as her expression turns into that of relief as she realizes the police vehicle is coming towards their location.
But then, anxiety creeps up, as she wonders what happens when the police arrive, especially with her being unsure of if she even wants to report this. She looks back at the vigilante, feeling conflicted about what to do.
"Be safe." The vigilante suddenly said and stood up, before turning around and walking away.
"Wait!" Astrid suddenly yelled out, catching the vigilante's attention as he stopped at the doorway and looked over his shoulder at her.
"T-Thank you." Astrid said.
Nightfury nodded hearing that. "You're welcome…," He said before pausing for a moment,"... Milady."
And with that he left, disappearing into the darkness, just like how he had emerged from it, his footsteps fading away almost instantly.
Astrid was left in a sense of wonder, a little shaken by the capabilities of Nightfury. But also feeling gratitude for her savior. As she wondered, she felt conflicted, unsure if she had been wrong about him.