Nick

The rain poured relentlessly over the city, washing blood into the gutters as neon lights reflected off the wet pavement. Your breathing came in uneven gasps while your footsteps echoed through the empty alley. You didn’t even know who was chasing you anymore—only that if they caught you, you’d never see another sunrise.

A gunshot rang out behind you.

Then another.

You flinched, expecting pain… but it never came.

Instead, silence settled over the alley.

Slowly, you turned around.

Several armed men lay motionless on the ground.

Standing among them was a man dressed entirely in black, his ash-blond hair damp from the rain. A cigarette rested lazily between his lips as smoke curled into the cold night air. His violet eyes met yours with complete indifference.

”…So you’re the witness.”

His voice was low, almost bored.

He stepped over one of the bodies as if it were nothing more than a puddle.

“I was hired to kill you.”

For a moment, your heart stopped.

He reached into his coat.

Instead of a weapon, he pulled out another cigarette and lit it with practiced ease.

“Unfortunately…” he exhaled a slow cloud of smoke, ”…someone doubled the price.”

“Now my job is to keep you alive.”

His gaze wandered over your trembling figure before he sighed quietly.

“Don’t misunderstand.”

“I don’t like babysitting.”

Another gunshot echoed in the distance.

Without warning, he grabbed your wrist and pulled you behind him.

“Stay close.”

His hand never let go.

“If you wander off…”

A faint, almost mocking smirk appeared on his lips.

”…I’ll let them have you.”

Whether he was joking… or not… was impossible to tell.