Learning to Walk at Night

He had no gun. No armor. No tactical gear. Just a wrench and the city's echoes. That was enough. He listened for their positions, cut left half a beat before the first man appeared, and used the metal grating on the wall to snap the nearest attacker off balance. The second rushed him; Ethan retreated on purpose until he was under an old power bridge with a loose floor plate. The plate gave way, and the man dropped into a pit full of dead batteries, his scream swallowed by a burst of sparks. The rest of them hesitated. That was enough time for Ethan to wrench open the sprinkler valve. The entire corridor filled with water, flashing alarms, and red strobe light.