Night had swallowed the edge of District Seven.
The three houses stood in silence beneath a moon hidden behind drifting clouds.
Nothing moved. Nothing spoke.
Only the occasional breeze disturbed the stillness.
Hidden within the darkness surrounding the property, twelve SLCO (Special Law Correction Officers) had already taken their positions.
Each officer blended perfectly into the shadows.
No lights. No unnecessary movement. No whispers.
President Sky crouched behind an abandoned fence roughly sixty meters away, binoculars in one hand while Brian Richards remained beside her.
Luke Graham lay prone on the roof of a neighboring storage shed, carefully watching every possible escape route.
District Seven had become a sealed cage.
No one would leave unnoticed.
At the side of the house on the right Aldric stood perfectly still.
His breathing remained slow.
Controlled.
His eyes moved from one building to the next.
The house on the left. The house in the middle. The house on the right.
Then…He noticed something. The lights inside the last building on the left were on.
The lights inside the building on the right were also on.
Only the middle house remained completely dark.
Aldric narrowed his eyes.
"It's 8:10 p.m…"
He remained silent for another moment before continuing his thoughts.
"Normally the people of this district go to bed early. Mainly elderly residents live at the edge of District Seven."
Another pause. Then His eyes sharpened.
"No…"
A faint smile appeared.
"The two houses are abandoned."
He slowly looked upward toward the rooftops before letting out a quiet breath.
"You thought this through, huh… Keno."
Without another sound Aldric moved. Low. Careful.
Every step calculated.
Within moments he arrived at the front of the middle house.
He knelt before the front door.
Removing a small lock-picking kit from one of his vest pockets, he carefully inserted the tools into the lock.
Tiny metallic clicks echoed softly.
Almost impossible to hear. Thirty seconds. Forty. Click.
The lock released. Aldric slowly pushed the door inward just enough to slip inside before gently closing it behind him.
The darkness welcomed him.
Upstairs Keno Reeves sat silently on the edge of his bed.
His 9mm rested loosely in his right hand.
The room remained completely dark.
No lights. No movement.
Yet…His instincts refused to calm. He frowned.
"I'm uneasy…"
A long silence followed.
"…but why?"
He stood slowly.
His mind drifted back to only a few hours earlier.
That simple collision in the street.
A casual conversation.
Nothing more. Yet somehow Aldric Benedict had uncovered the truth.
Just from that.
Keno's expression changed. His breathing slowed.
Then his eyes widened slightly.
"…I've been caught."
Immediately he moved. He grabbed his tactical vest and slipped it over his body.
A combat knife found its place on his waist.
His pistol remained in his hand.
Keno checked the magazine once. Loaded.
He exhaled slowly.
"You're in my territory."
Then he started walking downstairs.
Meanwhile aldric stood silently inside the hallway below.
His pistol remained lowered. His ears focused upward.
Every footstep. Every shift of weight.
Every breath.
"By now…The instincts of a soldier should tell him he's being hunted."
Aldric slowly tightened his grip.
"So I should engage like he's already prepared."
The footsteps stopped.
Then resumed. Closer. Closer. Until Keno reached the bottom of the staircase.
He paused.
His eyes moved toward the front door. Locked.
Then Toward the hallway.
There…Standing motionless…Was Aldric Benedict.
For a brief second Neither man moved.
Keno gave a quiet laugh.
"Aldric Benedict…It seems I underestimated you."
He slowly raised his pistol.
"To think you would figure this out with so little information…"
A small smile appeared.
"I now understand why they're after you."
Aldric's eyes never left him.
"So…You know them?"
Keno answered almost immediately.
"Who do you think I work for?"
Aldric spoke without hesitation.
"The elites."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Aldric exploded into motion.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots echoed through the house.
Keno threw himself behind the staircase wall.
Bang! Bang!
He immediately returned fire.
Bullets shattered wood and plaster.
Neither man had been hit.
Both disappeared behind cover.
Silence.
Then Keno suddenly vaulted over the staircase railing instead of staying behind it.
He landed heavily on the first floor.
Aldric instantly aimed but Keno was gone.
A split second later Boom!
Keno burst from Aldric's blind side and slammed him violently into the hallway wall.
The impact cracked the drywall. Keno drove a brutal punch into Aldric's ribs.
Aldric gritted his teeth.
Another punch flew toward his head.
Aldric slipped underneath it. His right leg swept low.
Thud!
Keno's right foot was kicked out from beneath him.
His balance disappeared.
He lurched forward Only for Aldric's knee to crash directly into his nose.
Crunch.
Blood sprayed.
Keno collapsed onto the wooden floor.
Without hesitation He snatched his pistol.
Bang! Bang!
Aldric immediately dove behind the hallway corner.
Splinters exploded around him. Keno rolled backward.
His discarded 9mm lay only a few feet away. He grabbed it.
Now both pistols were in his hands.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets tore through the hallway. Aldric shifted positions immediately.
Returning fire while moving. Never staying still.
The exchange continued. Gunfire echoed through the empty house.
Walls shattered. Furniture splintered. Glass exploded. Click. magazine emptied.
Almost simultaneously Click. Keno's 9mm ran dry.
Without hesitation He threw the empty pistol onto the floor.
Clatter. Then reloaded his remaining handgun with practiced efficiency.
Snap. Click. He looked toward Aldric's position.
"Just give up, Aldric. You can't win against a trained Marine soldier."
Aldric smiled from behind cover.
"Let's see about that."
His left hand reached into a pouch. Two flash grenades. He pulled both pins. Clink. Clink.
The grenades bounced across the hallway floor. Keno's eyes widened.
"Flash!"
He shut his eyes instantly. Lowering himself behind cover.
BOOM! BOOM!
Blinding white light filled the house. The explosion of light lasted only seconds—
But it was enough. Aldric stepped out.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Six carefully aimed shots. Two slammed into exactly the same spot on Keno's chest. The tactical vest absorbed the rounds.
The force still drove him backward. Blood seeped beneath the armor where the blunt impact tore flesh underneath.
Keno crashed onto the floor.
Grunting in pain. He raised his pistol blindly.
Bang! Bang! Bang! He fired back toward Aldric.
Click. Silence. His magazine was empty. The smoke slowly settled.
For several seconds Neither man moved.
Then Aldric slowly stood. He looked down at the Desert Eagle in his hand.
Empty.
Without another word He threw it toward the front door.
Clang. The pistol slid across the wooden floor. Keno slowly rose to his feet.
Blood trickled from his nose. His breathing had become heavier. He looked at Aldric.
Then quietly said—
"Since I can only rely on myself now that I'm caught…I'd rather fight to the death."
Aldric reached behind his back.
A combat dagger slid smoothly into his right hand.
Its dark blade reflected the faint moonlight filtering through the broken windows.
Keno did the same. His dagger rested naturally in his left hand. Both men began walking toward one another. Slowly. Deliberately. Each step measured.
Aldric lowered his center of gravity. Right hand forward. Left hand open. Keno mirrored him from the opposite stance.
His dagger spun effortlessly between his fingers before settling into a reverse grip.
No words. Only breathing. Then Keno exploded forward. His blade flashed toward Aldric's face.
Aldric intercepted instantly. His left hand struck Keno's elbow, redirecting the slash just enough.
At the same time his own dagger shot toward Keno's stomach.
Keno twisted his body away at the last possible instant.
The blade missed flesh but sliced cleanly across the front of his tactical vest.
Rrrrip.
A strip of black fabric fluttered to the floor between them.
Neither man blinked. The real fight… just begun.