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Dante

I’m on the side of the abandoned building. The dust and mold fill the air around me. Lucien stands behind me, waiting for my lead.

We are taking out a handful of rats that were feeding Bastian intel. Usually, Lucien stays back and handles the deals, but I convinced him to get his hands dirty.

We hold our guns drawn, ready to assassinate the fucking scum lurking on the inside. I check both sides, ensuring no one is on the outside, and we proceed to the back entrance.

I push the door open silently, looking down the corridor. Lights flicker, and rats gather in the corner. Fucking nasty.

I wave to Lucien, and he follows closely behind me. Our steps are silent and calculated.

A man comes into view at the end of the hallway. I take my shot. The bullet goes straight through his head, brain matter splattering on the wall behind him.

We slide against the wall, slipping into a room to have cover in case he wasn’t alone. The silence stretches longer, and no one comes. I peer out of the room and see a gun aimed at the back door. I slip back into the room, nodding to Lucien. He swiftly aims and shoots. He hit the man in the chest.

He drops to his knees, still gripping his gun.

Lucien doesn’t kill often, but I do.

I swiftly pull the trigger, putting a bullet in his head.

The man topples over, and silence follows.

We continue to make our way down the hall—two down, three to go.

The staircase to the right is rickety and falling apart, but I hear the faint footsteps coming from above. I hold up my hand to Lucien, telling him to stay back to cover me.

I move up the stairs, trying to step on the solid pieces of the board.

One of them gives out and snaps, but I’m quicker. I plant my foot on the next step and continue to the top. Once I’m at the top, I see a figure move into the room at the end of the hall, but I’m not fucking stupid.

I clear the rooms one by one.

I step into the first room, and a man rushes me, crashing his gun across my face. Pain explodes in my jaw. I taste the blood in my mouth as I shove him back and aim, shooting the motherfucker dead.

I move on to the next room. It’s clear.

The last room is where the remaining men await their fate.

I step into the final room, gun drawn, but the window is open. I peer out the window and see two men taking off on foot. I don’t waste any time.

I aim my gun and shoot.

I kill the first man with a headshot. The second man keeps running. He is too far for me to take the shot. I bolt out of the room, running down the broken stairs.

Lucien follows me, understanding that we need to fucking go. I pick up the pace; my steps are heavy. The building rests in the middle of a field, and there are tons of places to fucking run. Fuck.

Wekeep running. My arms and legs are moving like a machine.

I see the man up ahead, and I aim. Not caring how fucking far away I am. He looks over his shoulder, and I lock up.Damien.

Lucien catches up to me, panting.

“What the fuck man. Why didn’t you shoot?”

I stare blankly ahead of me. How the fuck is Damien Crowe alive?

I turn around, storming back to the car. What the fuck.