As soon as you dared to take the first step out into the night, the first shots rang out.

Out of reflex, you threw yourself on the ground behind a raised bed and put the gun in the air to fire a warning shot.

A bullet whizzed past your head just a finger's breadth away.

The air curled and your hair rose into the air.

Goose bumps grew all over your body.

"Ghost, I could use a little help!", you called out. "Or at least some fire protection!"

Your eyes jumped around.

The skull was nowhere to be seen.

A hissing sound pressed through your teeth.

Hastily you glanced over your shoulder.

Three narcos had formed a line behind the house.

At that moment, it made perfect sense that the entire property was adorned with tall flower beds and small walls. In the event of an attack like this, it all lent itself to protection.

It made things far more complicated for attackers like you. And also more dangerous.

"Ghost!", you shouted into the fight.

Shots filled the silence of the night.

Your gaze darted around the area.

Two cars moved away from the action. They were fast, definitely trying to escape.

Out of the corner of your eye you could spot a shadow trying to keep up.

Probably Gaz.

Hopefully not Soap.

With a quick jump to the side, you gave yourself air to aim and fired a few rows of shots.

Actually, you didn't have time to engage in a firefight. That gave the fugitive cars more time to disappear.

But a pursuit with narcos breathing down your neck was not an option.

It was dangerous.

And even though your body was getting tired of all the heads, you still wanted to live.

Gritting your teeth, you pulled your head back in and fished a stun grenade out of your stash.

"Eyes down. Distraction in three!", you shouted and pulled off the ring. "Grenade on the way!"

With a click, the cold metal pressed into your hand.

Your gaze jumped up to search for a target.

As heads appeared in the corner of your eye you threw the grenade.

With a dull sound, the small metal shell hit the sand.

Someone shouted warnings in Spanish.

Not a moment later, a deafening sound tore the night apart. Bright white light chased the darkness away.

An unpleasant ringing spread in your ears.

But you had no time to hold on to it.

With blurred vision, you straightened up behind the patch and aimed at a narco that had crashed to the ground right in the middle of the battlefield.

He was stunned. Didn't even move anymore.

Only one bullet was needed for him.

Blood splattered across the sandy ground.

"One target down, two to go!", you informed the team.

"Bravo to 100, we have seen light.", Price's voice was calm, but the volume almost made it vibrate. "What's your status, team?"

The captain had a powerful organ. It was rare for him to become loud, otherwise he was always known for your calm head.

But this time he sounded irritated. Almost stressed.

"100 here. Captain, I'm fighting two narcos. Lost Ghost.", you jumped aside to escape a smoke grenade. "Gaz and Soap have been called in to assist. No sight yet."

"Where's Alejandro?", Rudi sounded like he was about to lose it.

"Probably after the cars."

"How many are we talking?", Price asked.

From the way he spoke you could guess that he was already on his way to chase the cars.

Your gaze briefly jumped to the direction in which the fugitives had disappeared.

"Two, but we don't know if Sin Nombre is with them.", a bullet whizzed so close to your ear that your heart skipped a beat. "A little help would be nice though!"

"On it!", Gaz's voice suddenly cut through the mess of the battlefield.

Your eyes jumped into his direction.

He came from the other side of the house, directly into the neck of the attackers.

Relief chased through your chest.

"Gaz, we're boxing them in!", without considering the risk, you jumped up and stormed the front.

Confusion spread through the remaining two narcos.
Uncertainly, they stopped the crossfire. Only a few bullets were still flying in your direction.

Instead of defending themselves, they wanted to retreat.

"Gaz, two fugitives!", you shouted and aimed at their legs.

"Dead or alive?", he asked and suddenly appeared directly in front of the men.

You aimed at the back of one of them.

Your finger was already twitching on the trigger.

"At your own discretion, soldier.", Price allowed.

"Roger that.", your finger pulled the trigger.

Shots rang out in the night.

One of the narcos fell. Blood spurted from his neck as he desperately tried to press a hand to the wound.

Fear filled his dark eyes. He was so close to death for the first time.

You pulled the trigger a second time.

He fell silent.

What you didn't consider, however, was the man who remained.

Gaz had missed a fatal shot, hitting his thigh instead.

He had also fallen to the ground, but was still able to react.

Your eyes widened.

Suddenly he jerked his gun up.

You were too close. Much too close.

It wasn't your first time looking down the barrel of a sharp weapon. But the first time you could see a bullet flying straight at your face.

Out of reflex, your legs froze.

You stopped, eyes fixed onto the bullet.

The first instinct that chased through your mind was to drop.

Hard ground caught your fall. Dust covered the shield of your gas mask and made it difficult to see.

The bullet barely missed your left eye. It scratched your cheek instead.

But it wasn't far enough to the left.

It scratched your ear as well. And not just in a small manner.

All at once, your hearing dropped while the feeling of hot liquid crawled down your neck and into the collar of your gear.

Everything felt dull.

You could barely hear anything but a ringing sound.

Your hand reached to your leg to grab for the combat knife.

But a knife was nothing against a gun.

Again, the narco got ready to shoot.

A scream escaped your lips.

But you were barely able to hear it.

All of a sudden, Gaz's face appeared.

He pointed his gun at the narcos head.

Blood splattered all over your face.

With his eyes wide open and a hole between his brows, the man dropped dead.