Novel & Cerita Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood

Like he’d already decided something. “You sure about this?” I asked low, when the others were focused on the road. He met my eyes in the mirror. “You asked if I was in it. I said yes.” “This isn’t painting or club openings. It’s blood.” “I know.” His voice was steady. “I’ve seen blood before. Just not… yours.” The words landed heavier than I expected. We parked two blocks away, hoods up against the rain. The target was a rundown auto shop front looked legit, back was where they stored guns and product. Four Irish inside, maybe five. We had surprise.

But my older brothers, Koldis and Kendrick, were consumed by ambition and greed, their hearts blackened by the desire for power. As I fought for my life, the heads of my loyal soldiers lay scattered around me like seashells on a bloody beach, their eyes frozen in death, their mouths agape in silent screams. The rain poured down mercilessly, drumming against my armor like a thousand tiny stones, adding to the chaos and confusion. The battlefield was a sea of mud and blood, with men screaming and clashing swords in every direction, the sound of steel on steel ringing out like a deadly symphony.

“Both of you please just stop! My legs felt shaky as I slowly stepped closer to them. Roman looked completely lost in his anger. His eyes were wild, his chest rising and falling heavily with every breath. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he continued hitting Liam. Under him, Liam looked terrible. His nose was completely broken now, blood pouring down his face. One of his eyes was already swelling shut. He groaned weakly beneath Roman, barely able to defend himself anymore. My chest tightened painfully as I watched.I stepped closer and reached out.My fingers touched Roman’s arm.His skin was hot and damp with sweat.

I patted his shoulder “Thanks Fai! I won’t be here without you! Brian and Anna too, thanks!” “What had I said earlier, I’ll say it again,” Anna got up and hugged both of us, she then said “I’m proud of you! Both of you had passed a hard time and I never felt better when I saw both of you stand together, until the end. Blood is thicker than water!” She released us and smiled “Thanks to you, Ann!” Damian held her hand and I smiled. I put my hand on her hand too and added, “Yeah, I couldn’t agree more! Thanks Ann, thanks for always being with us.”

The kind of quiet that only came before blood spilled. This deal was supposed to be simple. Arms trade. AKs and modified M16s from Eastern Europe. We were the middlemen — clean, quiet, brutal when needed. The buyers? Some rookie gang trying to build clout. They wanted firepower, we wanted cash. But deals like this? They never stayed simple. “I don’t like that we don’t know all their names,” I muttered. Collins pulled his gun from his jacket, checked it, cocked it. “I don’t like that they requested a warehouse we’ve never used.”

My life, cataloged like a dossier. My throat went dry. I shuffled through the pile with trembling fingers. More photos. My mother at the market, my father shaking hands with a man I didn’t recognize. My younger brother on his motorcycle before he was sent to America. Each moment captured from a distance, as if someone had been watching us. And then—the house. My family’s estate. Pictures of my father shaking hands with men I didn’t recognize. Men with hard eyes and cruel smiles. Some pages were crossed out, black bars slashing across lines of text, but one word appeared again and again.

Apparently, in Demetrio's mind, I was so terrible that I could do something like that. "It wasn't me." I forced those three words out. Demetrio sneered, as if he didn't believe me at all. "Who else could it be if not you?" His gaze landed on my hand, which had a missing thumb. It was like he had finally found an outlet for his anger. His face darkened, and he grabbed my wrist with such force it bordered on cruelty. He pressed down hard on the spot where my thumb used to be. That was the old wound from when I took the bullet for him.

The sound of zombies gnawing on flesh echoed from outside the base, together with the constant thud of their bodies slamming against the gates. My eyes snapped open. I had somehow returned to the day the zombies had besieged the city. I rushed straight to the command center and sounded the alarm. June Morgan, my sister-in-law, grabbed my arm in confusion. “Eira, why did you suddenly sound the alarm? Zombies are everywhere outside the base. Some noise is normal.” I had no time to explain. I grabbed her and Poppy’s hands and rushed toward the air-raid shelter.

Her shots sparked against the walls near Dario’s head, driving him stumbling toward the exit. Around me, the battle raged. Enzo’s cries broke through the smoke as his wife dragged him deeper into cover, blood pouring from her wounded arm. Sasha crawled across the ground, shielding her head as bullets tore through the table above her. More of our allies fell…men whose names I had only just learned, their blood mingling into rivers on the floor. And I was still on the ground, my hands painted in my father’s blood. His body was limp, his face pale.