BANG!
BANG!
The sharp crack of gunfire tore through the thick silence like lightning.
Everyone flinched even the officers.
In a flash, Ruby had grabbed a gun from the officer closest to her and fired directly at Jiri's foot. The bullet pierced through her boot with precision, and the witch let out a shriek of pain.
"AHHH—!!" Jiri stumbled backward, the knife falling from her grip as she clutched her bleeding leg, collapsing to the ground.
Before the others could even react, Ruby swung the gun like a phantom, aiming it dead at Jiri's two assistants.
Her voice rang out, cold and commanding:
"Let them go. Now."
They didn't wait a second.
The two assistants immediately released the hostage and threw their hands in the air, stumbling back in fear. The ghosts who had been held, including the shivering, bruised one beside Karl, quickly staggered toward safety.
Karl fell forward, finally freed, the shock in his eyes not yet replaced by relief.
