"CEASE FIRE!" as the guards all stopped on order, a senior officer pushed his way through the formation of guards and stepped into view. He was clearly the highest-ranking officer present, judging by the way the others immediately made room for him. His uniform was more heavily decorated than those of the ordinary guards, and the expression on his face carried the authority of someone accustomed to being obeyed without question.
His eyes immediately settled on the injured guard Damien was holding.
Then they shifted to Damien.
The officer’s expression darkened.
"Stop firing!" he ordered again, raising both hands toward the guards behind him. "Nobody shoots unless I give the order."
The remaining guards obeyed, reluctantly lowering their weapons while maintaining their positions. Their attention remained fixed on Damien, their bodies tense as they waited for the slightest movement from him.
Damien simply stared at the officer.
Then, slowly, the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.
This was exactly what he had been waiting for.
He had already realized that the guards were reluctant to fire while one of their own men remained in his grasp. The officer’s arrival had only confirmed it. As long as Damien maintained control of the wounded guard, the firearms pointed in his direction were little more than threats.
The head guard stared at him for several seconds before speaking.
"Let him go."
Damien glanced down at the wounded guard in his arms. The man’s face was pale, his breathing shallow and uneven, and blood continued to seep through his uniform. He was barely conscious, but he was still alive.
Damien looked back at the officer.
"You’re not going to shoot me."
The officer’s jaw tightened. "You’re holding one of my men."
"Exactly."
Damien’s smile widened slightly.
The officer’s expression became increasingly grim. He understood the situation perfectly. Damien had found himself a shield, and as long as he continued using the injured guard as protection, firing at him would risk killing their own man.
"Put him down and surrender," the officer ordered.
Damien gave a quiet laugh. "Surrender?"
His gaze slowly traveled around the prison.
The cells were open. Prisoners were running through the corridors in every direction, some desperately searching for exits while others took advantage of the chaos to attack guards or escape deeper into the facility. Alarms continued screaming overhead, emergency lights flashed across the walls, and the guards were struggling to coordinate their response.
The prison was already falling apart around them.
Damien looked back at the officer.
"After all this?"
The head guard took a cautious step forward. "You won’t get far."
Damien’s smile widened.
"That’s what everyone keeps telling me."
He began moving backward, keeping the wounded guard positioned between himself and the armed men. Every step was deliberate. He did not rush, because he knew there was no reason to give the guards an excuse to react.
The guards remained completely still.
Nobody fired.
Damien continued retreating.
Behind him, the heavy security doors leading toward the outer section of the facility gradually came into view. He had been hoping to reach them from the moment the officer ordered the shooting to stop.
When his back finally reached the doors, Damien briefly glanced over his shoulder.
The doors were heavily reinforced, constructed from thick metal and secured by an electronic locking mechanism. Under normal circumstances, forcing them open would have been impossible without the proper authorization or specialized equipment.
Damien stared at them for a moment.
Then he smiled.
He released the injured guard with one arm and placed his free hand against the metal.
The moment the guards realized what he intended to do, several of them immediately raised their weapons again.
"Stop him!" the head guard shouted.
Damien ignored him.
The strange energy that had awakened within his body surged through his limbs. He still didn’t understand what it was or where it came from, but he could feel it moving beneath his skin, responding to his will with an almost instinctive obedience.
His fingers tightened around the edge of the security door.
Then he pulled.
The metal groaned.
At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then the locking mechanism began to bend beneath the tremendous force he was applying. The sound of twisting metal echoed through the corridor, and the guards stared in disbelief as the reinforced mechanism slowly distorted.
"What the hell...?" one of them muttered.
Damien gritted his teeth and pulled harder.
The strange energy within his body surged again.
With a violent metallic shriek, the damaged locking mechanism finally gave way.
The heavy security door swung open.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
The guards simply stared.
Even the head officer appeared momentarily stunned. Whatever Damien had become, he was clearly no longer an ordinary prisoner. A man who could tear apart a reinforced security mechanism with his bare hands was not someone they could casually restrain.
Damien looked back at them.
A smug smile appeared across his battered face.
"Goodbye."
Before anyone could respond, he turned and disappeared through the opening.
"After him!" the head guard shouted.
But Damien was already running.
He sprinted through the outer section of the facility as the prison continued descending into chaos behind him. Sirens echoed throughout the grounds, emergency lights flashed against the concrete walls, and distant shouting followed him as guards attempted to reorganize their forces. Somewhere behind him, prisoners were still fighting, escaping, and taking advantage of the confusion.
Damien did not look back.
He continued running until he reached one of the service areas surrounding the facility. Several vehicles were parked there, but most appeared to have been abandoned in the middle of the emergency response.
Then he spotted one that immediately caught his attention.
A prison staff vehicle sat near the edge of the service area.
Damien ran toward it. He tried the driver’s door forcing it open...
...
A/N:
What do you guys think of the story so far, I’m really sorry for this side character arc dragging for so long... If you’re loving it your powerstones and Golden tickets are veryyvh appreciated