Until I Wrote Him
I take out my phone, the screen cracked, glass dust clinging to the corner and scroll to my encrypted folder.
There’s a blank message waiting, no number attached. Just a single phrase blinking in the thread:
“Consider this a reminder, brother.”
No signature.
No emoji.
But I can hear his voice in it, smooth, deliberate, a whisper soaked in old blood and betrayal.
Mikhail never misses a chance to make a point.
The night closes in tighter. The sound of waves grows louder, almost taunting. I slip the phone back into my coat and light a cigarette, even though I quit years ago.