Chapter 52 - 48
The pistol repeatedly struck Sylvia's forehead, causing her consciousness to gradually fade away. She could no longer hold on, and her tightly clenched jaw finally relaxed as Joseph pulled her down from atop him. She lay there on the ground, struggling weakly.
Joseph was sweating profusely as he struggled to stand up from the ground. He tugged at his collar to catch his breath, then looked around the room. Most of the hostages had fled, leaving him infuriated. Those hostages were his bargaining chips for negotiations, and their disappearance only added to his frustration.
However, his anger subsided slightly when he noticed five or six children still huddled in the corner of the living room, untouched by the chaos. He felt a glimmer of hope knowing he still had some leverage.
As he surveyed the soldiers surrounding the house, Joseph couldn't shake off a sense of strangeness. Despite being entangled earlier, the soldiers hadn't stormed in. It was odd, considering he would have been a sitting duck if they had attacked earlier.
Unbeknownst to Joseph, his location had provided a blind spot, making it difficult for the soldiers outside to assess the situation. Focused on fleeing civilians, they hadn't received any updates on the situation indoors. Seeing a mass exodus, they were bewildered by the lack of information.
Combined with the sight of several children cowering in the corner, they hesitated to rush in, fearing it might be a trap.
"Damn you, I'll kill you!"
Joseph glared at the unconscious black woman beneath him, feeling a surge of pain in his ears and an overwhelming rage.
She was the cause of all this chaos, and he wanted to unleash his fury upon her. He raised his foot to kick her head, releasing some of his pent-up anger.
Just then, Brian appeared behind Joseph, brandishing the knife the black woman had thrown earlier. It was his quickest route to a lethal weapon.
Seeing Joseph's towering figure, Brian hesitated to deliver a fatal blow immediately. Instead, he opted for a familiar attack, aiming for Joseph's knee before he could retaliate. With a swift kick to the side of the knee, Brian acted preemptively.