City Streets – 11:42 PM

The night air bites through your jacket as you walk beneath flickering streetlamps. The wind whips around the corners of the buildings, sending a shiver down your spine. You tuck your hands into your pockets, your fingers stiff from the cold.

It’s too late to be out, and you know it. But sometimes, silence is easier to find in the chaos of the city at night than it is in your own room.

Then—you hear it.

Voices.

Muffled at first, like a conversation carried on the breeze, but as you round a corner, it sharpens into something more frantic.

“I won’t say anything… please, just let me go!”

You freeze.

It’s coming from an alley up ahead. You slow down instinctively, curiosity overriding caution. As you inch closer, the dim streetlight casts a pale beam onto the brick walls—and you see them.

A group of men, backs turned to you, standing in a tight circle. One is slumped to his knees, blood dripping down his face, soaking the collar of his coat.

“Shoot him.”

The words cut through the air like ice.

Your breath catches as you duck behind the wall, chest heaving silently. Your fingers tremble in your pockets. For a heartbeat, you think maybe they won’t do it. Maybe it’s a threat.

Then— BANG.

The shot cracks through the night, deafening and final. Your ears ring. Your blood goes cold.

You fight the urge to run. Every instinct screams to flee, but your body’s locked in place. You peek around the wall again.

The man is motionless on the ground. One of the others kneels beside him, checking his pulse.

“Clean this mess up,” a voice commands. This voice is different—low, smooth, unnervingly calm. The kind of voice used to being obeyed.

A glint of metal catches your eye. You step forward, stooping to pick up a silver lighter. A gold emblem is engraved on the side, intricate and elegant. You run your thumb over the cool surface, realizing it belongs to the leader. He must have dropped it in the struggle.