บท 118: Chapter 118: Confrontation

"Whoa. Whoa. Hang on, man. We're all friends here!" Deion held up his hands palms-out in an effort to placate the brawny, deeply-tanned soldier that was currently pointing an excessively large weapon at his head.

The barrel of the gun still trained steadily on Deion's face, the man replied, his voice cold, "No friends of mine carry Paragon-issued rifles." He nodded toward the guns slung over Deion's and Alex's shoulders.

"These?" Deion asked, reaching innocently for the weapon before the click of more guns being cocked in his direction made him think better of it. He raised his hands higher instead. "We stole them! I promise!"

"You can have them," Alex called out from behind Deion's shoulder. "We don't even know how to use them," he mumbled, though Deion wasn't sure if anyone else heard.

"Slowly," the lead soldier commanded. "We will not hesitate to shoot you."

"Yes, you've made that clear," Alex muttered under his breath.