Sanguine Tides - Book 3

The Battle - Part 2

TW in the description

Thank you to skyllux_ and Mindiearts for the art!

Giulia POV

Giulia threw her shoulder over the disabled Zap machine, using it to rest as she fired her rifle. A Visconti figure fell, only to be replaced by another.

Mattias rolled on his hip, firing his own rifle before again hiding behind the machine.

"How do we get out of here?" Giulia said, raising her gun again and firing.

The 'ping ping ping' of bullets hitting the machine forced her to duck back down.

"I've got it," Mattias said, breathing hard.

With practiced precision, he stood straight and fired in rapid succession. The gunfire rang in the air for only a moment before the sound of their attackers faded.

"There. Now let's find better cover before more of them come." He said, offering her a hand.

They ran down a street littered with a mix of Rusalki and Visconti bodies, ducking behind corners and finding safe paths. Giulia noticed a thin strip of red appearing in the bandages across Mattias's chest. But he didn't stop. And he didn't let go of her hand.

They nearly walked into a barrage of bullets as a group of Visconti men fired at Portorosso villagers marked in Navy blue paint. The men had flipped over an old rusty truck and used it as cover.

"We have to help them!" Giulia said, but Mattias already had his rifle raised, hitting two Visconti soldiers.

Then to her left, Giulia heard the terrible sound of a machine turning on. It hummed to life, it's engine rolling and the sound of scraping metal echoing in the alleyway. There, pointed directly at a large group of fighting Rusalki, was the most enormous net launcher Giulia had ever seen. The crackle in the air told her it was electrified.

"I'm going to shut it down!" She said, running at the machine.

"Giulia, wait, no!" Mattias said, moving to follow her but was forced to cover her, and another barrage of bullets flew around them. Giulia ran with her head ducked, hearing the shots bouncing off the brick buildings around her. She skid on her knees behind the net, using its hefty frame as a cover.

She searched desperately for a panel like the one on the Zap. She found it only to be faced with an electrical panel, not a wire in sight.

"How do I turn this off?" She said to herself, searching for a way to disable the machine.

"Giulia, I said to stay by me!" Mattias yelled, diving to the spot beside her. Sweat beaded down his face from exertion.

"Mattias, help me turn this off," Giulia said drawing his attention to the complicated dials.

He took one look at the panel then shook his head, opening fire at their attackers.

"It can't be turned off! It's being controlled remotely."

Giulia cursed. On the side of the net launcher was the number thirty.

Then twenty-nine.

Then twenty-eight.

"Mattias, it's counting down!" Giulia said.

"There is nothing we can do! We have to get out of here!" He yelled, firing once again. The bullets rang off the metal around them. Giulia felt one tear through her hair.

"There you are, my little bitch!"

Had she not already been on her knees, Giulia knew she would have fallen.