The Unbeatable Warlord

Chapter 2

The sound was unmistakable.

 The laughter died instantly.

 “What was that?” Alex asked.

 Before anyone could answer, screams erupted outside, with more gunfire.

 Alexander's father, Mark, moved toward the window, but Alexander stepped ahead of him and peered cautiously through the curtains.

 What he saw made his jaw tighten.

 Bodies lay scattered along the street just beyond the gates. A car had crashed into a lamppost. Smoke drifted from somewhere unseen. 

 People ran in every direction, some falling mid-stride. The distant pop of gunfire echoed through the neighborhood.

 “It’s another attack,” his father muttered grimly. “They’ve struck again.”

 Alexander turned sharply. “Again?”

 “For years now, Dawn City isn’t safe like it used to be." His brother Logan, said, fear evident in his voice. 

 Another volley of gunshots rang out—closer this time.

 Everyone flinched.

 “Inside. Now!” His father ordered.

 They moved quickly, switching off lights, locking doors, and drawing heavy curtains, as everyone except Alex rushed into a hidden storage space built discreetly behind a panel in the hallway which was a precaution installed years ago during previous unrest.

 “Come, Alex,” Alice, Alexander's mother urged, but Alexander did not move.

 He stood near the front entrance, fists clenched at his sides, breathing steadily.

 The screams outside intensified. Someone pounded against a distant gate, begging for help.

 “Alexander!” his sister hissed urgently from behind the panel. “Come hide!”

 Instead, he stepped toward the door.

 His father grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”

 Alexander’s eyes burned with restrained fury. “Who is behind this?”

 “Now is not the time—”

 “Who?” he repeated, his voice low and dangerous.

 “Alexander, please,” Alice whispered urgently. “Lower your voice. They’ll hear you.”

 His sister clutched his arm. “Come in. I don't want to lose you!”

 But Alexander’s jaw remained tight, his eyes fixed on the chaos unfolding beyond the curtains. Another volley of gunfire echoed down the street, followed by the sound of shattering glass. Smoke drifted past the mansion gates, blurring the once-pristine neighborhood into a haze of panic.

 “No! No one is stopping me.” His voice was steady but fierce.

 “Alex! Think. You’ve just returned. This isn’t something you can charge into,” Mark snapped in a harsh whisper.

 Alexander turned slowly to face them all.

 “For fifteen years I built power elsewhere,” he said, his tone low but burning with conviction. “And I return to find my city bleeding? To hide while people die outside these walls?”

 His mother’s eyes glistened. “Alex, stop these drama and come in. We don’t wanna lose you!"

 He stepped closer to her and gently held her shoulders. “You won’t. But this—” he gestured toward the windows rattling with distant blasts, “—this ends today.”

 Joe, his brother shook his head. “You can’t end something that’s been happening for ten years.”

 Alexander’s expression hardened.

 “Watch me.”

 Before anyone could react further, he walked toward the door. He approached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a compact firearm and checked it with swift, practiced precision.

 His mother gasped. “Alexander!” Alexander paused at the threshold.

 “Today marks the end of this nonsense in Dawn City!”

 And with that, he stepped out.