Prologue

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On December 20, 2012, the small city of Eloi was plunged into chaos as the two deadliest gangs, Death Red and The Scorpions, exchanged bullets. The sound of gunfire filled the air, punctuated by the cries of agony and pain. The dark clouds overhead seemed to reflect the city's despair as rain poured down from the sky.

The feud between the two gangs had a long history, each trying to assert their dominance over the other. But to the people of Eloi, it brought only disaster and immense suffering. The gangs' battle cry of "Blood, pain, death" only served to amplify the fear and desperation that gripped the city that day.

Amid the chaos, a mother and her nine-year-old daughter huddled together in a closet, seeking refuge from the violence outside. The girl, her grey-blue eyes filled with fear, asked her mother about her father's safety.

The mother looked down at her daughter, pushing her red-brownish hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. Her eyes were filled with sadness, and she struggled to find the right words to comfort her daughter. Seeing her mother in tears, the girl began to cry as well.

Despite the turmoil surrounding them, the mother and daughter clung to each other, seeking warmth and comfort in each other's embrace. As the battle raged on outside, they could only hope and pray for their survival.

"Dad is alright," the mother said, her voice trembling as tears rolled down her bruised cheeks. "We are going to be alright, we are not going to die. Okay? We will be fine."

Her mother's lips quivered as she hugged her daughter again, trying to reassure her. But it was more like she was trying to convince herself that they would survive the war. The girl nuzzled her nose at the crook of her mother's neck, squeezing her tightly, not wanting to lose another parent. Deep down, she knew the answer to her question already. Her father was dead, killed in the crossfire, and he was not coming back.

As they hugged each other, the sound of explosions echoed in the distance, instilling fear in their hearts. The mother knew that staying there was not safe, and so she pushed the door open and stepped outside, her daughter's legs wrapped around her waist, her face still buried in her neck.

The mother savoured every moment of the embrace, knowing that it might be the last time she would ever feel her daughter's skin. All she cared about right now was making sure that her daughter got out alive and saw the wonders of growing up to be an adult. She said a silent prayer, asking the Lord for mercy on her soul and her daughter's, to protect her from death and the dangers of the outside world.

As she ran towards safety, the mother stepped out of the house and saw a bullet coming straight at her in slow motion. Without hesitation, she turned around to shield her daughter from the incoming bullet, taking the impact herself.

As she fell to the ground, her daughter cried out in horror, tears streaming down her face. She cradled her mother in her arms, whispering words of love and comfort, but her mother's eyes had already closed, and she knew that she was gone.

The girl sobbed uncontrollably, holding onto her mother's lifeless body, as the sound of gunfire echoed in the distance. As Patty cried, she heard footsteps approaching. She tried to wipe her tears away, but they kept streaming down her face. She looked up and saw a group of soldiers walking towards her. Fear took hold of her as she wondered what they would do to her.

One of the soldiers kneeled down to her level, and Patty flinched away. But the soldier just smiled at her, a sad smile. "I'm so sorry for your loss, little one," he said softly. Patricia barely glanced at him.

The man didn't say anything, he just sat there with her, waiting for her to calm down. Eventually, Pat's sobs slowed and she looked up at him.

“What's your name?” She asked, her voice still trembling.

The man smiled kindly. “My name is John. What's your name?”

“I'm Pat,” she replied, still sniffling.

“Okay, Pat. Do you know what happened here? Why there are people shooting?”

Pat shook her head. “No. I was just with my mom and then...” She trailed off, not wanting to think about it anymore.

John nodded. “Okay. Well, we're going to get you out of here, Pat. But we need to do it safely. Can you come with me to meet my friend over there? He's going to help us.”

Pat hesitated, but then nodded slowly. She stood up, holding onto John's hand tightly as he led her over to the other man. As they walked away from the house, Patty looked back one last time. She saw her mom's lifeless body lying on the ground, the blood still staining her gown. Patty felt a pang of sorrow, but then she closed her eyes and prayed for her mom's soul.

The man introduced himself as Tom, and he helped them get into a helicopter that had just landed nearby. Pat was nervous, but John stayed with her the whole time, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay.

As they flew away from the scene, Pat looked down at the city below. It was chaos - smoke rising from buildings, people running and screaming. She couldn't believe this was happening.

John must have noticed her staring because he said, “It's going to be okay, Pat. We're going to get you somewhere safe. The other agents will take care of the rest.”

Pat nodded, still holding tightly onto John's hand. She didn't know what the future held, but for the first time since her parents' deaths, she felt like maybe she had a chance to survive.