Chapter 10 - THE FINAL STAND
The bullet tore through Emily’s shoulder, spinning her violently before she collapsed onto the snow-covered porch.
"No!" Michael roared. He grabbed an incendiary grenade from a fallen mercenary, pulled the pin with his teeth, and hurled it toward the tree line where the sniper was perched. The explosion lit up the forest, silencing the gunfire instantly. The remaining mercenaries, seeing their heavy support eliminated and their numbers decimated, broke rank and fled into the woods.
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the crackle of the burning cabin.
Michael dropped to his knees, pressing his hands against Emily’s bleeding shoulder. She was pale, her breathing shallow, but she looked up at him and offered a weak, trembling smile.
"I told you... I know where the vital organs are," she whispered. "It missed the artery."
Michael pulled her against his chest, burying his face in her dark hair. He was shaking—the man who controlled New England, the man who never showed fear, was crying. "You absolute idiot," he breathed. "You saved him. You saved me."
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Sirens echoed in the distance. Michael’s loyal reinforcements had finally arrived, swarming the compound to secure the area. But Michael didn't care about the empire anymore. He scooped Emily into his arms, carrying her toward the panic shaft to retrieve his son.
The war was over.
