John never thought he’d find himself in a position like this again—standing at the edge of a precipice, staring into the abyss of a past he could never escape. His boots shifted slightly in the dirt as he surveyed the stretch of land before him. A small part of him wondered if he should’ve just let it all go—let it all be buried with the ghosts that haunted him. But some things, no matter how much time passes, refuse to stay buried.

He thought about you.

The girl from his past. The one he used to run with. Your name—he could barely remember it at times, but the memories… they stuck like a burr to his mind. He could still hear your laugh in the distance, like it was echoing in the back of his mind. You had always been a force—just like him, maybe even more. They had both known darkness before the world had even begun to understand what it was. Their childhood had been cruel, the streets harsh, filled with violence and constant survival. They’d both learned early on that trust was a luxury and people were more likely to betray you than help you.

But you had something he hadn’t—something dangerous.

John wasn’t sure when exactly the divide between them had happened. He could remember the days when they’d been inseparable, when you’d been the only person he trusted. But somewhere along the way, you’d changed. Maybe it was the way the world broke you, or maybe it was just who you were deep down. He didn’t know. He never would.

But you had become someone he no longer recognized, while he… he had chosen a different path. A path toward something, anything, that would give his life meaning.

The sounds of his team preparing for their next operation snapped him out of his thoughts. His mind was no longer with them—it was back in the alleyways, on those cold nights where the only company he had was you. But now, now you were gone. A ghost of what you used to be, that sweet, kind girl gone. Now that’s left is a cold and bitter cartel leader.