CHAPTER 397: TEAR GAS.

"I’m feeling kinda hungry."

It was around the usual time when one of the boys said the word. Kareem started noticing it months ago, and for a while, he thought it was a code of some kind, but turns out the one who said it was just an idiot who gets hungry around the same time.

"Yeah, let’s go grab us some dinner." Saying that, Kareem shoved the girl sitting on his lap and got up. He ran a comb through his olive green hair and grabbed the jacket hanging on a nearby chair, draping it over his bare upper half. Ever since he got those new armor plates, the cold no longer bothered him as much, but showing them off the entire time painted a different image than he wanted to portray.

His boys quickly shuffled around him as he headed for the exit. Though they appeared to move randomly, each one had his own position, almost like a military formation. They exited the garage they used as their hanging spot and made their way through Pepper Street, heading for their usual diner.

"Today is a Tuesday, so... maybe some chili?" Someone said.

"And let you blast us like last time?" Another one added, sounding annoyed.

"Robert is away for the week, remember?"

"Oh, right. Man, that sucks."

"So, no chili?"

"Forget about the chili, man. It’s steak and mashed potatoes."

"I will have me some fried chicken."

Though they tried to keep up their usual ramblings, there was no ignoring the tension in the air. That short walk seemed like the prime opportunity for an attack. It felt like the New City bastards could pull up at any moment, brandishing their fancy new gear to massacre them.

Kareem wished they could get some heavy weapons of their own. The rifles they carried were starting to feel like toys, especially after hearing about what happened to Dash and Big K. The fight a couple of months ago was more than enough proof they were outmatched when it came to weapons, but the guy at the top refused to do anything about it. Things weren’t going to change anytime soon, so they were stuck playing defense while the Daggers took them out one by one.

"Big G! Fire up those grills!"

As usual, Red Lobsters was empty around the time they showed up. The locals knew Black Skull had the place reserved, even if it was unofficial. The owner gets his protection from the gang, so he treated the members well, even if he acted grumpy all the time.

Making his way to his usual table, Kareem caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror behind the counter. The ink covering it never failed to startle him. Only a small patch on the upper left side still had its old pale color, but he was working on fixing that. Maybe if he got to be a lieutenant, the Daggers would know not to mess with him.

Food was served, and drinks followed. Some of the boys stood guard outside while the others ate then swapped sometimes. Done with his steak. Kareem gestured for the owner to bring him another beer and took out a pack of smokes. Lighting one up, he puffed a few times and leaned back into the old diner chair. And then it happened.

Lights went off without a warning, and the world was suddenly enveloped in Darkness. In the corner of his eyes, Kareem saw the surrounding buildings go dark as well. Though it seemed like a normal outage, he knew better than to think something like that was an accident, and so he grabbed his pistol, quickly docking before sending his subordinates a signal.

At such an instant, Kareem was reminded of the mistake he made by not getting those optics installed. The night vision function of his OAM was decent, but it lacked clarity. The ambient light from above wasn’t of much help. Seconds passed, and the place grew deathly quiet. In that stillness, a single clang felt unbearably loud, and so did the soft hiss that followed.

"TEAR GAS!"

The strange odor quickly spread through the diner, and the gangsters recognized it immediately. Kareem hurried to cover his mouth, feeling his eyes start to itch. A few more clangs announced the arrival of more grenades, and soon enough, the diner was filled with the coughing sounds.

Glass shattered, and air seeped into the diner. The gangsters went about breaking the windows, hoping to rid the place of the tear gas, but fell into a trap instead.

The dark stillness was shattered along with the glass as a storm of gunfire suddenly erupted.

"GUH!"

"UGH!"

"AGH!"

Those who dared to stand were quickly filled with holes. The shouting and screaming began, and chaos quickly spilled out. Kareem shouted some orders then loaded his weapon. Carefully peeking outside, he spotted the faint flash of gunfire. With the window broken, he didn’t hesitate to take aim and fire.

Soon enough, his crew began fighting back, returning fire with the same frequency and intensity. It wasn’t that long after when support arrived, and with their number swelling, the enemy was pushed back, and Black Skull seemed to gain the upper hand.

"Move! Don’t let them get away!"

Kareem knew his boys were looking to get away from the tear gas, so he quickly gave the order to leave the diner. Ripping a rifle from a nearby dead body, Kareem checked the ammo, loaded, then rushed for the exit. Stepping outside, he went to take cover behind one of the nearby cars, but just as he was about to return fire, he noticed something off about his surroundings.

"Hold!" He shouted, and the gunfire stopped.

It was immediately apparent that the enemy had already stopped firing, but that wasn’t the oddity that caught Kareem’s attention. He checked his surroundings once more, and though it took him a few seconds, he finally noticed it.

The cars, the road, the diner. They were all the same, but also different. Not a single piece of broken glass was within sight, and the place didn’t look like it had just witnessed a mas gunfight. As he continued to study the area, ignoring the confused voices of his subordinates, Kareem was soon convinced.

This was not the Pepper Street they knew.