Jakari — Point of View

We heard it before we ever saw it.

The explosions rolled through the air like the sky itself was tearing apart. Not distant—close. Too close. The ground shook under my boots, a violent tremor that rattled windows and sent loose debris skittering across the pavement.

Then came the smoke.

Thick. Black. Rising fast.

We rushed outside, and my chest tightened the second the town came into view. Flames climbed buildings like living things, devouring rooftops, shattering glass, swallowing streets I had walked a hundred times before. Sirens screamed somewhere beneath the chaos, barely audible under the roar of collapsing structures and panicked shouts.

The town was burning.

And it was burning because of me.

I stood there for a heartbeat too long, frozen, guilt crushing down on my lungs. Jess didn’t give herself that luxury. She spun on her heel and bolted back inside.

“We gotta go!” she shouted. “Like right now. Kelo—I hope you know how to drive!”

Kelo shot me a look, then glanced at the beat-up Honda Civic sitting in the driveway. His lips curled into a reckless grin.

“Shiiiii… guess we ‘bout to learn.”

Panic took over.

Everyone scattered, throwing bags together, grabbing weapons, shoving essentials into whatever space they could find. Asia slid into the passenger seat beside me, hands shaking as she buckled her seatbelt. She tried to hide it—tried to be strong—but fear was written all over her eyes.

I loaded my weapons with mechanical precision, muscle memory taking control when my mind refused to slow down. Jess pulled up beside us in her gray Jeep, engine already screaming.

“FOLLOW ME!” she yelled. “We’re heading to the airport—I know a quick route!”

I nodded and slammed the accelerator. Dirt and gravel exploded behind us as the tires finally caught traction. Kelo followed close with Lina and Jayla, the convoy tearing through the road like we were already being hunted.

Asia stared out the window, watching the smoke claw its way into the sky.

“What about our families?” she whispered. “Our friends… our lives?”

I glanced at her, one hand gripping the wheel, then forced my eyes back to the road.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

It felt weak. Small. But it was all I had.

She didn’t respond. Instead, she reached over and grabbed my hand—tight—and kept her eyes on the burning skyline as if she could memorize it before it disappeared forever.

Her phone rang.

“You guys okay?” Jayla’s voice crackled through the speaker.

“Yeah,” Asia said quietly. “We’re good.”

Then Jess cut in.

“Ja’kari.”

“Yeah—what’s up?”

“We’ve got a problem,” she said. “Only one road to the highway—and it goes straight through town. The only fast way out is the backroad three miles down, but…” She hesitated. “We gotta cross the bridge.”

I didn’t think.

“We go to the bridge.”

Asia ended the call and stared ahead, jaw tight.

We pushed harder, engines screaming as we tore through the woods. Branches whipped against the sides of the vehicles. Dirt roads gave way to cracked pavement as the ruined town swallowed us again—smoldering, broken, alive with chaos.

“So that was Star, huh?” Asia finally said.

“Yeah.”

“What made you want her?”

I glanced at her, then back at the road.

“We grew up together,” I said. “She was the only one who stayed when everything else fell apart.”

The silence that followed told me my answer wasn’t enough.

“Look,” I added, “I’m sorry. My ex is a bit crazy, okay?”

Her hand snapped away from mine.

“Crazy?” she snapped. “That bitch killed your sister, Ja’kari. She put a blade to my throat. And you just stood there. Kylee kept defending you—kept riding for you—and Star too.”

Her voice shook—not from fear, but fury.

“If you’re really as dangerous as they say you are, prove it,” she continued. “Because knowing another woman is willing to burn the world just to have you? I can’t be part of that. I don’t want to lose you—or anyone else. Kylee wouldn’t be having this right now. And neither am I.”

Her words hit harder than any bullet.

She was right.

I nodded, swallowing the weight of it. It felt like a command from a master—correct your mistake, or be broken by it.

Then the town opened up ahead of us.

Jess took a hard left. We followed.

The bridge came into view—steel stretching across the river like salvation.

Our way out.

Then—

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Gunfire shredded the air.

Bullets tore through metal. Glass exploded. Jess swerved violently and slammed into a pole. I yanked Asia down just as rounds punched through our truck. One bullet hit the front tire—

—and the world flipped.

Metal screamed. Gravity vanished. Everything spun.

Pain exploded in my skull as my head slammed into something hard. Blood poured down my face. My ears rang so loud it drowned out everything else.

Then—

“JA’KARI!”

Sound rushed back in all at once.

I kicked the door open, rolled onto the pavement, grabbed my M4 without thinking.

“JA’KARI—GO!” Jess yelled, dragging Asia toward an alley. “I GOT HER!”

The juggernaut laughed.

“STUPID!” he roared. “PATHETIC! NO ONE CROSSES!”

I peeked out just long enough to spot Kelo, Lina, and Jayla pinned inside their car. Lina saw me and pointed, urgency written all over her face. I raised my hand—wait.

The juggernaut stomped forward, dragging destruction with him.

“Three little piggies in one little car,” he taunted. “How many bullets till it goes boom?”

That was my opening.

I sprinted.

I leapt onto the hood of a burning car and launched myself feet-first into his chest.

The impact echoed like a car crash.

He staggered back, boots gouging the pavement, and the minigun slipped from his hands, crashing to the ground with a metallic shriek.

“Depends,” I said as I landed. “Can you kill the fourth?”

He straightened slowly.

“Ja’kari,” he chuckled. “Hahaha.”

From his belt, he pulled a small metal rod—thin, unimpressive.

I scoffed. “What you gonna do—poke me to death?”

SHINNNNNNN.

The rod exploded outward, reshaping itself into a massive battle axe. Plates of energy snapped into place across his arm, forming a shield that hummed with power.

My stomach dropped.

“You gotta be shitting me,” I whispered.

“KELO—GO!” I shouted.

They ran.

I dropped my rifle and drew my katana, the blade singing as it cleared the sheath. We circled each other slowly, debris crackling beneath our feet, flames reflecting off his armor.

“Bust a move, big boy.”

He didn’t roar this time.

He charged.

The ground split beneath his boots as he swung the axe in a wide arc. I ducked under it, the blade passing so close I felt heat ripple across my skin. I countered with a slash to the side—

DING.

No damage.

I jumped back as the axe slammed down, the impact creating a crater that launched me off my feet. I rolled, barely regaining balance before the shield came screaming toward my face.

BOOM.

The hit sent me flying into a parked car. Metal folded around my body as I crashed through it, the force knocking the air from my lungs.

“DAMN!” I heard Kelo yell.

The juggernaut laughed, slow and deep.

“USE YOUR BRAIN, JA’KARI,” he mocked. “Something your precious Kylee didn’t have when she thought she could protect you.”

Something inside me snapped.

I pushed myself up, blood dripping from my chin.

“Then kill me,” I said.

That did it.

He roared and charged again, faster this time. I dodged left, then right, ghost-stepping through debris as the axe cleaved cars in half, sparks and fire erupting with every missed strike.

I waited.

One opening.

One chance.

He raised the axe overhead—too wide.

I stepped in.

One slash.

DING.

My katana shattered.

The blade exploded into fragments that scattered across the street.

Time slowed.

The boot of the juggernaut slammed into my chest.

I felt ribs crack as I was launched backward, crashing through a storefront and into a collapsed wall. Dust filled my lungs. My vision blurred.

Laughter echoed through the wreckage.

“HAHAHAHA!”

I dragged myself upright, legs shaking, heart pounding like it wanted out of my chest. My weapon was gone. My body screamed at me to stay down.

Then—

DONG!

The juggernaut flew past me.

I blinked.

He smashed into a light pole, the impact bending steel and snapping the lamp clean off.

Kelo stood there, breathing hard, eyes burning.

“DON’T TALK ABOUT MY GIRL!”

He charged.

The juggernaut swung—

Kelo caught the axe.

Like it weighed nothing.

The shield slammed into him—he didn’t budge.

He ripped the axe free and brought it down.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Armor cracked.

Five.

Six.

The juggernaut staggered.

Eight.

The final blow caved the chest plate inward. The massive body collapsed, shaking the street as it hit the ground.

Silence.

Kelo stood over him, chest heaving.

“I’m taking these now,” he said, lifting the axe and shield. “Bitch.”

I stared at him—then laughed through the pain.

“Didn’t know you had it like that.”

“Neither did he,” Kelo replied.

And we ran.

The bridge loomed.

Then I stopped.

“Wait.”

The bridge was empty.

Too empty.

I looked up.

Posida.

And her SEALs—lined across the bridge, dark blue armor blending with the sky.

“HEYYYY, JA’KARI!” she called. “Long time no see!”

Asia glared at me.

“So you got hoes now, huh?”

A blade on a chain shot toward me—I dodged as the others ran.

Posida dropped in front of them.

“No one’s leaving,” she said calmly. “Either Ja’kari surrenders… or we take him—and kill the rest of you.”

And just like that—

The spark of war became an inferino.