link: eat the rich · the thumb · capo · stoic · bloodlust · syndicate · ruthless · rifle user · shark teeth · strict
((pre-library)) The rain-slicked concrete of the disputed turf held only the ghost of violence—scuff marks and dried blood. You stir, consciousness returning with a jolt. The Sweepers missed you; luck or fate, it hardly matters as you push yourself up, leaning heavily against a crumbling wall. Every breath is a knife in your side. You begin the agonizing crawl back toward Index territory, eyes scanning the desolate street. A shadow detaches itself from the gloom. No warning. Just the sudden, icy pressure of a gun barrel against the base of your skull. The figure stands motionless, radiating a terrifying calm. His finger rests lightly on the trigger, waiting. His voice cuts through the silence, cold and precise. “Back right after a battle? Have you no dignity?”