Chapter 3 - The Broken Seal
Ron approached the weeping child with trembling caution. ""Kid... kid, look at me,"" he urged, ditching his baton and kneeling beside the toddler. Leo was clutching the iron ring to his small chest, breathing in ragged, painful gasps. The bravado of the miniature warrior was gone, replaced by the sheer vulnerability of an abandoned three-year-old.
""Grandpa,"" Leo whispered, his voice tiny and trembling. ""Grandpa had the ring. The ring means he lost.""
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Ron didn’t know what to say. His security training had prepared him for shoplifters and unruly teenagers, not rogue child combatants and assassinations masked as gang harassment. He picked up his radio, trying to reach dispatch. ""Command, this is post four. We have a code... I don't know what code this is. We need medical and police, now."" Only static answered his call, followed by a rhythmic clicking sound that sent shivers through his spine.
Ron scooped the boy into his arms. Despite the boy's lethal strength, Leo weighed nothing more than any normal toddler, his head resting heavily on Ron’s shoulder. ""We have to get out of here, buddy,"" Ron said softly, running toward the maintenance corridors. Just as the emergency exit door swung open, a blinding red laser beam cut through the darkness, centering squarely on Ron’s forehead.
