They moved quickly to the nearest structure, keeping tight to the wall. Mercer pressed his back against the rough surface, raising his rifle as he angled his body toward the corner.
He didn't speak. Instead, he raised his left hand and gave a quick series of signals. He held up two fingers, then motioned forward, signaling them to stack up. He made a closed fist motion telling them to hold. Then he pointed to himself, then toward the corner, letting them know he'd take a look first.
Asher nodded immediately. Elliot followed a second later, adjusting his grip on his weapon. Even Silas acknowledged it with the slightest shift in posture.
Mercer leaned forward just enough to peek around the corner. The shot came instantly. A sharp crack split the air, and something cut past his face so close he felt it.
He pulled back immediately, pressing himself against the wall as his heart kicked hard in his chest. For a split second, everything sharpened.
'That wasn't a warning shot. If that was real, I'd be dead.'
He turned back toward the group. Elliot's eyes were wide, his breathing just a little too fast. Asher looked more controlled, but there was tension in his shoulders now.
Silas, on the other hand, looked unchanged. If anything, more focused.
Without saying a word, Silas reached out and tapped Asher's shoulder twice, then gestured to the right side of the building.
A quick motion of his hand, signaling them to follow him. He moved before anyone could question it. Mercer watched him for half a second, then nodded to the others.
They shifted with him, moving along the wall until they reached a broken window. The glass was mostly gone, leaving jagged edges along the frame. Silas raised a fist, signaling them to stop.
Then he leaned slightly to the side, positioning himself just outside the window's angle. He didn't rush it. His movements were controlled, deliberate.
His eyes scanned the interior in short, precise sweeps. He checked high first, corners, ceiling lines, anything elevated. Then mid-level, doorways, furniture, sightlines. Finally, the lower areas, behind cover, blind spots near the floor.
He didn't expose more of himself than necessary. Just enough to gather information, then he shifted his angle slightly and repeated it from a different position.
When he pulled back, his expression hadn't changed, but there was certainty in the way he moved. He glanced at Mercer, not challenging or questioning. Just waiting to see what he'd do with it.
Mercer felt that weight again, that strain of leadership, decision. He tightened his grip on his rifle, forcing his thoughts into place.
'Alright… think. Don't freeze. You've got a read on the building now. Use it.'
He looked at the others, then back toward the window. Then he started signaling again.
Silas moved first. He climbed through the broken window in one smooth motion, boots hitting the floor inside just as a shot cracked past the opening behind him. The round snapped through the air close enough to make Asher hesitate mid-step, his body pulling back on instinct.
Silas didn't waste time. He dropped low beneath the shattered frame, pressing himself against the interior wall just beside the window. Another shot followed almost immediately, punching through the opening where his head had been a second earlier and splintering what remained of the frame.
He leaned just enough to glance out, careful, controlled, exposing as little of himself as possible. The moment his helmet edged into view, the sniper fired again. Silas pulled back instantly, the round snapping past the window with a sharp crack.
He exhaled slowly, steadying himself. Through the broken glass, he caught sight of Asher still outside. Silas raised a hand and gave a quick, firm signal to hold position.
Then he shifted. Silas brought his rifle up into the edge of the window, not fully exposing himself this time. He angled the barrel outward just enough to bait a reaction.
The sniper took it. The shot came fast, slamming into the edge of the window frame, exactly where the rifle had been.
That was all Silas needed. He stepped laterally along the wall, changing his angle by a few feet, then leaned out and opened fire in controlled bursts toward the sniper's position. The shots were deliberate, not wild, forcing the shooter to stay down rather than return fire.
"Now!" he shouted.
Asher moved immediately, vaulting through the window with surprising speed for his size. Mercer followed right behind him, then Elliot, all three dropping low as soon as they hit the ground inside. They pressed into cover beneath the window, backs tight against the wall.
"Does anyone have eyes on him?" Mercer called out, his voice tight despite his effort to stay controlled.
"I can't get a clear angle!" Asher replied, adjusting his position and trying to peek without exposing too much.
Gunfire echoed throughout the town, sharp and constant. It wasn't just their fight. Other squads were already engaged nearby, shots overlapping and ricocheting through the narrow streets, turning the entire area into a chaotic training battlefield.
"Elliot, can you see him?" Mercer asked, louder this time.
Elliot tried. He lifted himself just enough to look, but the moment he broke cover, another shot cracked past the window. He flinched hard, dropping back down instantly. His breathing was uneven now, panic starting to take hold.
Then he snapped. Eyes squeezed shut, he raised his rifle and started firing blindly through the window, squeezing the trigger again and again without aim or control. The shots scattered wildly across the street outside.
"Elliot, stop!" Mercer shouted, alarm breaking through his composure.
Asher tried too, raising his voice, but Elliot couldn't hear them. The gunfire from his own weapon drowned everything out. His finger stayed locked on the trigger, his fear overriding everything else.
As Mercer watched Elliot lose control, firing into nothing, a cold realization settled in his chest… one mistake in here wouldn't just cost them the objective, it could unravel everything he was trying to hold together.