Chapter 14: Cold Reckoning

The stare-off between Axe and Kaine seemed to stretch on, their eyes locked on each other. The air crackled with tension, the stillness broken only by the sound of heavy breaths escaping their lips. And then, in the blink of an eye, Kaine's face contorted with a mixture of desperation and rage.

Summoning the last ounce of strength within him, Kaine's hand darted to the back of his pants, fingers closing around the cold handle of a gleaming knife. With a guttural growl, he lunged towards Axe, his movements fueled by a surge of adrenaline.

Time seemed to slow down once again as the knife gleamed in the pale moonlight, and Axe's senses heightened, his mind processing every detail in rapid succession. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, each beat thundering through his veins, as his body prepared to face this new threat.

Reacting with a lightning-fast reflex, Axe instinctively twisted his body to the side, narrowly evading Kaine's lethal strike. The knife sliced through the air