Mayhem: Quintessential Aeon, #3

By Blake Emerson

Blake's life is tumultuous to say the least, and now that Ledger and Natasha are free, there's an imbalance in the world, forcing Ten to meet his match while executing his most difficult mission yet.

Natasha and Ledger have escaped the clutches of captivity, but their journey is not yet over, as they fight to survive, Yelena comes face to face with her past. The best hitman in the world encounters dangers never before seen as he executes his toughest mission thus far. Coming face to face with his childhood friend, Yelena, his allegiance and soul are pushed to the extremes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blake Emerson
• Release date: Oct 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201874537

Book preview

DEDICATION

Many a worthwhile idea

Many a meaningful reflection

Change can be meaningful.

––––––––

To those who inspired it

To those who have ever felt different

And to those who will not read it.

What... a bunch of assholes.

Sorry. Life’s like that sometimes.

PROLOGUE

The cacophony of bullets pierced the thin air. The sound was almost deafening. It was a moment in which peace took to its heels and ran, leaving the place with an indisputable feeling of doom. Bodies lay on the dusty ground with spilt blood decorating the tracks. In a zigzag motion, the blood trails slowly meandered until coming to a halt and coagulating under the tenacity of the sun. The lives of many innocents had been lost to the cold hands of death. The bullets accomplishing their mission of seizing their souls. Screams rent the atmosphere, intensifying the panic.

Run! Run, child, an old woman with an injured leg yelled to a teenage girl.

The words tore through her. She looked left, then right. There was nothing but chaos surrounding her. The teenager was small, lithe, almost a child. She was all alone in the world, no parents to take care of her. And so she followed the tidal wave of people. The uproar of dust mixed with lethal gases and created a toxic atmosphere. People dropped to their knees, holding their necks and panting heavily for oxygen.

The girl kept her feet steady, running as fast as she could, her heart pounding in her chest.

Kakakakakakaka.

The shooting intensified, taking down those who were unluckily within range. It was like a guardian angel shielded the young girl. She didn’t stop at the sound of the bullets. Although they startled her, she kept moving, running as fast as she could.

Their tanks, vicious armoured vehicles, dispensed missiles in every direction, obliterating everything they encountered. The screaming did not stop. It was hell on earth. People who had been fatally wounded raised their hands for help from anyone willing to drag them along as they ran. But Death, that proud bastard, was undeniably there to take them to the other side as trophies, and he was sure to have victory over their souls today.

Help! Help! The half-alive kept screaming at the top of their lungs, but it was to no avail.

The casualties were certain they were going to die anyway, but their instinct to live wouldn’t leave them alone. The feeling that they could somehow survive stared them in the face. It was torture.

More bullets shot into the air and didn’t stop. It wasn’t looking as if it was going to ever stop.

Hold your fire! the commander yelled, observing a teenage girl running with the crowd.

She tripped, rose again, and kept running.

Move ahead! Move out! I want that girl! Don’t shoot. The commander scowled.

The tanks increased their pace, covering all the distance the teenager had previously covered and matching her speed.

The whirring sound of the tanks grew stronger, and she panicked. She felt her heart kick faster and faster. She thought it was going to fly out of her chest. She was panting hard, but she was relentless. She barely noticed the child attempting to stay at her heels.

Remember the words of the commander. Don’t shoot, a soldier said to his comrade.

Roger that. His comrade jumped out of the tank and ran to catch up with the girl. She would have passed for a professional sprinter, legs and arms pounding the air and earth, as she bolted forwards.

Hey! Hey! Stop! The man burst into incredible speed. He was gaining on her. Unfortunately, her adrenaline had over-worked itself. Her speed was decreasing. Her chest ached, and her legs were beginning to feel weak.

The soldier threw himself forward and grabbed at her legs.

She screamed. The touch of those hands had made fear pounce on her. It was unimaginable what they might do to her.

Let me go! Let me go! She struggled with every last ounce of strength she had, but the soldier was more powerful. His body was hard with muscle. There was only one way she could get the better of him. She threw a kick at his groin. It was a painful and resounding one, but he didn’t let go. She saw the desperation in his eyes. The desperation to hold her down regardless of what she did to him.

His arms clamped around her body, pulling her upwards. She writhed in his arms, but he held her fast.

Please... let me go.

You shouldn’t have kicked my nuts. The soldier gritted his teeth.

No! Let me go! What do you want from me? Leave me alone. Let me go! She kept shouting as they took her into the tank. Fear gripped her at the sight of those craggy faces, those killer soldiers with heavy frowns.

The hatch closed behind her, forcing a fetid stench out of the enclosed space.

Sit. A man scowled at her. He had black stripes on his face and a burn on the left side of his chest. The soldier hovered behind her in case she tried to flee.

The burned man’s presence alone petrified her, and the way he shot stares at her until her buttocks found the floor made her tremble.

The tank rumbled to life beneath her, driving through the spread of dead bodies. She could feel every skull crack beneath the tank’s tracks. Whoever had captured her, their cruelty and lack of emotion towards human life were abundantly clear. The prospect of what they might do to her didn’t even bear thinking about. She couldn’t begin to fathom what her fate would be.

Despite herself, she imagined that taking a bullet while running for her life would have made her demise simple and easy. But it was too late now. Her mind was lost ponder what was going to happen when they arrived at their destination. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask the question, but she feared what their response would be. Maybe she was better off not knowing. With thick fear still hovering around her, she slowly raised her head to be sure the man who had ordered her to sit wasn’t still staring at her.

He was.

As she studied his face, his gaze grew from anger to hate. Those eyes of his didn’t flinch at all.

She couldn’t force any words from her mouth.

The man gritted his teeth. Nothing joyful radiated in those eyes of his. They were dark and red, gloomy as an ominous cloud.

With a tinge of courage whirling somewhere inside, she finally managed to ask a question, slowly peeling the words out of her mouth.

Where... where... are you taking me?

The question was a head-turner for everyone in the tank, as they shot stares at her, looked at each other and chuckled. Only now did she allow herself to notice the sea of faces around her.

Fear crept into her mind again. Chuckling like that could only mean one thing: they were going to assault her. Sexually? That was the only thing she could think of at the moment. Assault her and then make her a prisoner for days before they finally ripped out her organs and fed them to their military dogs. Her heart raced faster. She looked again at the man who had told her to sit — his eyes were still fixed upon her.

He was the only one who had not chuckled with the rest of the team. A smirk flashed across his face, but she couldn’t decipher what it meant.

The tank was slowing down as the whirring declined to a stop. It felt like they went down a slope into an underground space. The world suddenly going dark. Finally, the tank stopped and she heard indistinct voices from outside and the distant growling and barking of dogs.

The hatch opened and dim light shone through.

Bring her out, the commander ordered.

There was no point struggling and so