The wind howled through the narrow streets of the city, the bitter cold gnawing at his skin even through the thick layers of his military coat. Aleksei stood alone, the cigarette between his lips slowly burning down as he stared blankly at the snow-covered pavement. His mind was elsewhere—far away from the alley, from the city, even from the job he had completed just hours ago. The target had been easy, predictable. One shot, clean, right through the heart.

But as the warmth of the kill left him, a familiar emptiness crept in. It was the same every time. That hollow feeling that settled deep in his chest, a void that no amount of violence or cold could fill. He exhaled slowly, watching the smoke curl into the frozen air, disappearing like the fleeting moments of peace he sought but never found.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. A message from his uncle, another job lined up, another name to cross off a list. Aleksei didn’t bother opening it. He could feel his muscles tense, but he didn’t want to think about what was next. Not tonight. Tonight, he needed something different. Something to dull the sharp edges of his mind, even if only for a few hours.

He flicked the cigarette into the snow, watching as the small ember was swallowed by the cold. Without a second thought, Aleksei turned and began walking down the street, hands buried deep in his pockets. The neon lights of the city flickered in the distance, and he knew exactly where he was headed.

There was a bar just a few blocks away, one where no one asked questions, and no one cared who you were. That’s what he needed. A few drinks to numb the thoughts swirling in his head, the memories of his mother’s voice reading him those stories from years ago. He could almost hear her now, soft and comforting, in stark contrast to the man he had become.

The bar’s sign glowed dimly through the falling snow, and as Aleksei pushed open the door, the warmth and murmur of voices washed over him.