"Guys, he's planning another attack," a girl chimed in. "Roy, prepare to evacuate."
"Where's he planning this time?" Roy quickly got up and started putting on a bulletproof vest. "The park?"
"No," Anastasia bit her lip. "The mall."
"Why?!" Gina cried. "What did those innocent lives ever do to him?"
"It's... not his fault he's like that..." Anastasia sighed. "I blame our parents. Father was always too hard on him. Mother always expected the best from him for being the oldest."
Her friends understandingly nodded. Anastasia's brother, Aiden, was always the black sheep of the family. It was because of his rough childhood that now he is destroying the city.
Anastasia and her friends rushed off to their car. Roy slipped behind the wheel and started heading off to the mall. The team managed to save the lives that were threatened by her brother. It was a small team, but their rival was a lone man, so they were able to foil his plans.
Anastasia leaned back against the front passenger seat, her mind whirling back to the childhood she shared with Aiden. He was only two years older than her, yet so much more pressure and expectations had been put on him.
He always said "Screw Society, I'm gonna tear it apart one day!"
Everyone thought that it was just a joke, and that he would soon change his mind.
But it only got worse. And worse.
He was destroying society for real now.
"Anastasia!" Roy called, brining her out of her thoughts. "We're here. We need to be quick. Or else we might not be able to save anyone."
Anastasia unfastened the seatbelt and tied her hair up. She ran her fingers down her face and realised that she had been crying.
"Come on, we have got to stop him," Anastasia ordered, getting out of the car. "Don't hurt him. Remember, our motive is to help him, not hurt him. Got that?"
"A punch or two is fine, right?" Roy smirked, fastening his live vest properly.
"Even if it's not, I'm doing it anyway," Gina smirked, getting out next to Roy. "Come on, guys."
"You guys evacuate him, I'll go stop him," Anastasia said, meeting with her friends on the other side of the car. She realised that Gina wasn't wearing any protective gear. "Hey, you didn't wear a vest?"
Gina felt her torso. "Shoot, I forgot."
Anastasia shook her head and unfastened hers. She went closer to Gina and slid it over her head, fastening it for her. "There, take mine."
"But Ann, what about you?" Gina asked while keeping still for Anastasia. "What if he shoots you?"
Anastasia gave her a wry smile. "He will never hurt me. No matter what."
"Ann, are you sure?" Roy asked, concerned. "I'll give you mine just in case."
He started unfastening it, but Anastasia quickly stopped him. "Roy, no. You need it. He would never hurt me, but he might you."
She ran off in the opposite direction in search for her brother. Roy and Gina did all they can to evacuate the shopping centre, and save whoever that's injured.
Anastasia spotted her brother through the mass of debris. Though masked, she knew it was him just by recognising his light hazel eyes. He was blindly shooting at anyone around him with a rifle. Thankfully, Anastasia's team managed to get most of them out to safety. Whoever that was left managed to get away too.
"Darn you, Tasha!" Aiden cursed as soon as he saw Anastasia approach him. "You saved every one of those idiots!"
"Aiden, they did nothing wrong to you!" Anastasia reasoned. "They are innocent lives!"
"Says who?" Aiden retorted. "The society is the one that comes up with those trashy stereotypical standards! And those idiots are a part of that same society!"
"Aiden, it doesn't work that way," Anastasia carefully stepped through the broken glass, never once breaking eye-contact with her brother. "Aiden, please... we can talk this through."
He lowered his weapon and stood straighter. Anastasia knew that she was getting to him. The real him.
"Aiden, come on, you need help," Anastasia said, inching forward. "This is not the solution!"
Aiden snorted. "Help? You mean sitting in front of a nosy shrink with strange hair and huge glasses? That's what you call help?!" He laughed, pulling his balaclava mask off to reveal a chiseled face framed by jet black hair, much like Anastasia's. A scar ran down the arch of his right brow, a reminder of all the abuse he went through as a child. "Shrinks themselves need help! How would they be able to help me?"
"Aiden, it's not like that," Anastasia inched closer. "They can help you! I can help you!"
"You can't do nothing," Aiden spat. "You were always dad's favourite. You got everything you wanted when I got leftovers!"
"Was that my fault?" Anastasia's thick boots crunched on a shard of glass. "Aiden, whenever you wanted something, I'd know. I'd ask for it, and give it to you. Have you forgotten old times, Aid?"
"No..." Aiden mumbled, his gaze falling to the ground. "You're the only one who truly loved me in that stupid family. You're the only one who actually treated me like a real person."
"Hands up, Aiden!" Gina suddenly appeared, holding him at gunpoint. "Follow us if you know what's best for you!"
Aiden instantly raised his gun.
"Aiden, no!" Anastasia dove straight towards Gina just as Aiden pulled the trigger. The two girls landed straight near a pile of debris.
Anastasia managed to push Gina out of the way, but the shriek she let out made it all too clear that she had been shot instead.
"Anastasia!" Gina yelled, rolling off her friend. "Ann, you're bleeding!"
Aiden dropped the gun and ran towards the women. Gina held Anastasia in her arms, her head resting against her lap. Anastasia didn't seem to be aware of her surroundings, more like in a daze.
"Did... did Aiden shoot me?" Anastasia sleepily asked. "Gina, you're okay, right?"
"Ann, you're gonna be okay," Gina said, trying to find the spot where she had been shot. It wasn't really noticeable since Anastasia was wearing a red shirt, but she soon found it, and started applying pressure to the wound. "You're gonna be okay."
To her surprise, Anastasia was suddenly lifted off her arms. Gina looked up to see Aiden cradling her in his arms. He started running off, desperately trying to find something. Gina got up and went after him.
"Where are you taking her?!" Gina demanded, running after him. She caught up and stopped him. Aiden tried to brush past, but she didn't let him. "Hey!"
"Let me through," Aiden demanded back, trying to shove her off. "Why are you being silly? We need to save her!"
Gina watched in surprise as he ran to his car, and put her in the backseat. He took his scarf off and tied it around her torso to keep her from bleeding. Roy came running up, just in time to see Aiden closing the back door with Anastasia inside the car. He quickly slipped behind the wheel and started the car.
"What have you done to her?" Roy asked just as Aiden was about to close the driver's side door. Aiden grimaced and shut the door before driving away.
"Roy, he accidentally shot Ann," Gina said. "He's taking her to the hospital."
"What?!" Roy looked at her in shock.
"There's no time to explain, come on!" Gina ran towards their car. She stopped and waited for Roy since he had the keys. "Try to follow him, quick!"
Roy started the car and the two of them followed Aiden's car as best as they could. Aiden was speeding, breaking all traffic rules as he did.
"What actually happened?" Roy asked as he drove.
"He tried to shoot me, and Anastasia took the bullet instead," Gina explained. "It was because I was holding him on gun point, but..."
"It was a fake gun," Roy finished for her, shaking his head. "I knew that fake firearm would be a bad idea..."
Gina sighed and leaned back against the seat, keeping an eye on the speeding truck ahead of them.
