the bottom of the ramshackle apartment building. It groaned open, rev
air was thick with the sharp, chemical stench of in
to fall. A single drop hit the expos
his
ly that this was the highly corrosive acid rain unique to the lower sectors, a byp
ic-fur cloak over her head, shielding her face and n
reet were slammed shut. Only a few dying holovy, poisoned body would allow. Her chest heaved, and
h-black dead-end alley, a sharp prickle
ng crunching sound echoed. It was the sound
lenses slowly opened in the dar
Its fur was matted with black, oily blood. Rusted metal plates were crudely we
powerful hind legs coiled, and it launched itself through
icks. Her bloated body was too s
y military boots echoed from the adjacent street, though C
inches from tearing her throat open, a deaf
ding blue arc of electricity, punched d
rity's feet, carried by its own momentum. Thick, black blo
her chest heaving as she gasped for air, her who
ots splashing through the puddles appro
d the acid rain, and on his chest was the silver badge of the High Guard. His features were sharp, wolflike-
rrel was still smoking. His eyes were colder
t her collapsed form. Pure, undisguis
oice a flat, cutting blade, "go die some
one of her forced bond-mates. The cold, ruthless captain of the High Guard sta
't scream. She didn't throw a hysterical t
d her sleeve and calmly wiped the black m
ced her hands flat on the wet wall and
r unnatural silence. A brief flicker of
around the massive, bleeding rat corpse and limped away, heading
ted, silent figure disappear into the fog. He let out a cold
oncrete building. She pressed her thumb to the rusted b
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