Acid Reign : Genesis
Chapter 6: Bale

Bale, nearly out of breath and bleeding from a wound on his arm, barely dodged rifle fire as he rushed around a corner into an alleyway. He hadn’t been paying attention to the streets and ended up at a dead end. He threw his hands up in frustration, realizing he had gone the wrong way.

“You have to be kidding me! Shit!”

He checked the magazine in his handgun, already knowing it was empty, and tossed the gun in a pile of trash near one of the corner. He knew there was no way to change what was going to happen next, so he turned around to face his pursuers and raised his hands.

The soldiers rushed around the corner ready to fire. They approached him, ready yelling commands at him that he didn’t seem to hear.

Bale tried to make sense of how the Elites showed up to the armory so fast, and the only thing that made sense was someone had to have tipped Kurth off. The plan to take the armory was solid. Kurth and his Elites were scheduled for security detail at the Consulate inauguration, and there was no way they could have responded that fast.

He said nothing as they bound him and flipped him over. One of his closest friends had betrayed them all.

Kurth charged around the corner, and as he approached, two soldiers squared Bale’s body to face him. Without hesitation, Kurth pointed his pistol at Bale’s chest and fired.

Bale collapsed, but not out of pain. The only pain he felt right then was that of betrayal. It wasn’t just that his closest friend betrayed him and the rest of the insurgents, but his closest friend had betrayed humankind all together. His heart broken, he thought about his children, his friends, and his sister, who would now be the only hope to stop the Council’s plan to enslave Nucrea.

Kurth squatted down in front of Bale. “You know, you don’t seem like the kind to talk, but I’m going to have fun trying.”