Pain. Suffering.

Elena

Agony.

Razor-sharp, merciless, all-encompassing. It stripped away every thought, every breath, every sense of time.

I blinked, at least, I thought I did but the darkness was so complete, it was impossible to tell.

My body felt like dead weight, crushed against the jagged, unforgiving ground. Each shard of stone beneath me scraped my skin, branding me with every twitch.

I tried to move, just a fraction of my body but agony ripped through me, white-hot and paralyzing.

A low, broken sound escaped my lips, echoing into the void.

“Where...am I?” The words rasped from my throat, barely audible, shredded by dryness and pain.

No answer came. Only silence.

My skull throbbed with a brutal ache, pulsing behind my eyes until my vision blurred, though there was nothing to see.

My body screamed with bruises and breaks, every inch of me screaming that something was terribly wrong.

Every breath felt like swallowing poison, or sour, bitter, suffocation.

I raised a trembling hand to my face. My fingertips met broken skin, the sting of open cuts, dried blood flaking off beneath my touch.

My clothes, what was left of them, clung to me, sticky with sweat, and something thicker.

Blood.

I inhaled sharply, my stomach churning as flashes of memory crashed through me like waves.

The wedding.

Hunter's smile as he reached for my hand.

My parents' laughter, tangled in the melody of string instruments.

Mia teasing me with a wink just before I walked down the aisle.

And then, gunfire.

Chaos.

Screams.

So much blood.

“Hunter…” His name spilled from my lips, a breathless, broken plea. It cracked something wide open inside me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but the memories didn’t stop.

Hunter collapsing into my arms, the life draining from him in warm, scarlet streams.

My mother’s scream cut short by the thud of her body hitting the marble floor. My father trying to shield Mia, but too late. Mia’s cry, piercing, young, and terrified.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “No. No. No. This isn’t real. This can’t be real.”

I curled in on myself, rocking as my fingers dug into my scalp. “Wake up, Elena. Wake up. You have to wake up.”

But I didn’t.

Because it was real.

A raw, animal cry tore from my chest. I clawed at my arms, my legs, my hair, anything to wake myself from this living hell.

I was alone.

Utterly, completely alone.

And then I saw him.

Not in front of me, but burned behind my eyes. That face. That monster. Standing over the wreckage he’d created, smiling as if my entire world meant nothing.

My love.

My family.

My future.

Gone.

I slammed my fists into the stone floor until my knuckles split. “Why?!” I screamed into the darkness. “Why did I do to lose my whole life?!”

There was no answer.

Desperate, I dragged myself to my knees, reaching out until my fingers touched cold, solid stone.

A wall. I followed it blindly, scraping my palms raw, seeking escape, any escape. But there was none.

"Let me out!" I shrieked, my voice echoing through the darkness. "Do you hear me?! Stop cowering, you coward! Face me! If you're going to kill me, then do it already, but stop torturing me with this silence!"

The silence was cruel.

I collapsed again, forehead pressed to the wall, body trembling, throat raw. My grief was too big for my bones.

Then, a sound.

A low groan of rusted metal.

A door creaked open.

Blinding white light poured into the room, slicing through the darkness like a blade. I raised an arm to shield my eyes, heart thundering.

And then, his voice.

“Seven days, agent. Did you miss me?”

It was smooth, almost amused. A voice that belonged to someone who found entertainment in suffering.

I didn’t need to see his face to know.

It was him.

I lowered my arm, blinking until the silhouette sharpened. Broad shoulders. Steady, unhurried steps.

That unbearable presence that filled the space like a predator approaching a wounded animal.

My stomach twisted as his scent hit me like clean gofkfclean, cold, and unmistakable.

“You’ve had time to think,” he said casually, stepping closer. “Consider it a favor. Most people don’t get the luxury of reflection.”

Rage surged. I launched myself at him, pure instinct, pure fury. “You monster!” I screamed. “You demon!”

He didn’t flinch.

His hand snapped out and wrapped around my throat, lifting me effortlessly off the ground.

“Wrong move, agent,” he snarled, his voice low and seething. His eyes were black with hatred. “I should end you right now. But where’s the fun in that?”

I clawed at his wrist, legs kicking uselessly, lungs screaming for air. But I didn’t look away.

I wouldn’t give him that.

“Do it,” I rasped, forcing the words through strangled breath. “Kill me. Just like you killed them. At least then you’ll stop pretending you're anything but a coward.”

His lips curled into a cold, cruel smile.

“Coward? No,” he said quietly.

He released me.

I hit the ground hard, coughing, gasping, throat burning. My body trembled, but I still pushed myself up on shaking arms.

“You don’t get to die yet,” he murmured as he turned away. “That would be too kind.”

Two men entered behind him. Hard eyes. Unforgiving hands. They dragged me to my feet.

“What do you want from me?” I demanded, voice hoarse but defiant. “Where are you taking me?”

He didn’t look back, but his words echoed like a final sentence, “It’s time to pay your debt, agent.”