“An exchange? What for?" Hugo asked.The leader shrugged. "How am I supposed to know that? But it's pretty obvious, she is a woman, so what else could it be for?" He walked over to her, his ominous footsteps getting louder and louder as he approached where Eva was lying.'An exchange?' Eva became worried as she overheard their conversation. The word echoed in her mind, gnawing at her thoughts. What kind of exchange? Why was she valuable enough to keep alive but still deserving of this brutal treatment? It seems she's the bargaining chip for something, but for what? She thought about possible scenarios but the only thing that she could think of was human-trafficking. But they would definitely not go to this extent in beating her up if it was for that purpose.“What do you think about the limb-cutter?” Hugo said again , the suggestion so nonchalant it made her stomach twist as she listened to the way they spoke. It was as if the acts of cruelty they were about to commit were nothing o
A core part of her training had been learning to sense her surroundings. Eva carefully counted twenty pairs of distinct footsteps fading away from the room. These footsteps were heavy, unlike the leader’s, which were deliberate and soft. She could tell these men were brawlers, the type who relied on brute strength and direct violence. But the leader? He was different. She could already tell his methods leaned more toward calculated, creative brutality. That was even more dangerous. From what she remembered, forty men had entered the warehouse earlier, meaning roughly twenty remained behind to guard her.Her instincts urged her to act, but she couldn’t afford to be reckless. She risked a tiny slit of vision, opening her eyes just a crack. No one was in her immediate vicinity. The men had left her lying on the cold floor, probably thinking she was still unconscious. Though exhaustion weighed heavy on her body and her vision blurred, Eva wasn’t out yet. The will to survive was a powerfu
However, she was in no position to move without drawing attention. She took a slow, controlled breath and cautiously opened her eyes just as the warehouse door swung open. Men hauled in a heavy green chair and a strange machine that looked like it could power it.Her pulse quickened as she heard the hum of the machine powering on. She had to act now or she would lose her last opportunity for escape. The thought of what awaited her if she failed sent a wave of nausea through her, but she couldn’t afford to dwell on it. There was no room for fear now. Only action.The leader entered behind them, clapping his hands in delight. “Perfect! It’s even better than I imagined,” he said, his voice dripping with sick enthusiasm. He ran his hand lovingly over the chair’s surface, like an artist admiring a masterpiece.The leader’s glee was palpable as he admired the electric chair, running his hand over the cold metal again as if it were some prized possession. It wasn’t just a tool for torture,
Despite being pinned to the ground, the man lashed out with the knife, but Eva was prepared. She dodged his wild swing, her attention shifting to the warehouse door. The rest of the men were still outside, preoccupied with unloading supplies.Her brief distraction gave him an opening. He grappled with her, nearly flipping her over his shoulder.‘Judo practitioner, huh.’ Eva realized. Since she already knew his fighting style, she instantly predicted his next move. She adjusted and quickly sidestepped his next move with precision.“Sorry, buddy. But I don’t have time for this kind of entertainment.” She muttered, slamming her hidden blade into his body. She didn’t hesitate. Each strike was calculated, aimed at vital points. The man struggled in her grip, but Eva didn’t relent.She knew she had only one shot at this. One chance to escape before they strapped her into that chair and unleashed a world of pain on her. Her survival depended on it. It was his life or hers.Blood soaked his
Eva stood poised, her body a coil of tension as the men advanced toward her. Her voice cut through the tense silence like a blade, mocking and unbothered. "Mercy? What kind?" She tilted her head slightly, as if seriously considering their offer, but her eyes were sharper than her words. Her brow creased into a frown when she realized the weird stance the men before her were in and the expression they were trying to hide. It was subtle, but the way their eyes shifted from her to the boxes stacked around her gave away their fear. Was that why they were so wary? They weren’t just after her, there was something in those crates, something valuable, maybe even dangerous. From her vantage point, Eva noticed the lids on the crates were barely secured, almost as if someone had hastily thrown them on and from where she was standing, she could easily reach out to whatever was inside. Probably she could find something inside one of the crates that could change the odds in her favor. “Woman, sho
The sharp whistle of a bullet tearing through the air broke her trance. Her senses, heightened by the adrenaline coursing through her veins, reacted faster than her conscious mind. At the last moment, Eva twisted enough for the bullet to graze her arm before embedding itself in the metal wall behind her with a hollow thud. Her body moved with a grace that didn't feel too foreign to her, instinct taking over as she dodged the next onslaught of bullets. The warehouse filled with chaos as her enemies fired relentlessly. However, Eva moved like a ghost, she felt as if her entire body was a machine in itself, dodging every bullet and weapons aimed at her. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply before firing the first shot. BANG! Suddenly a scream split the air. One of the men fell, clutching his leg, his face contorted in agony while letting his guard down. It was a brief moment of suffering as a bullet flew to his head and ended him swiftly. It's a clean kill. Minutes passed in a
"Hugo!" The leader cried out in anguish, dropping to his knees beside the body of his fallen brother who was in the middle of a blood pooling. He was the same man who had slammed Eva's forehead into the floor repeatedly. Eva's lips curled in disdain as she watched the display. The leather had been ruthless moments ago, his cruelty unshaken. But now, cradling his dead sibling, he was nothing more than a pathetic shell of a man. "BROTHER HUGO!" Another voice rang out, filled with grief. The sniper, distracted by the loss of longtime mentor, that was his first mistake. His second fatal mistake was exposing himself open without defense. Before he had the chance to grieve, Eva's bullet found its next target, piercing his skull in one clean shot. Thirty eight down. Two more to go. Eva aimed her assault rifle in the other man's direction. However, she frowned when the pistol-wielder had vanished from his previous position. She scanned the room and realized that she had let her guard
"One more to go."Her voice was eerily calm and cold. At this point, her own voice didn’t sound familiar to her. And this wasn’t her, but the demon she had kept hidden at the back of her mind. Now the demon has been let out, and she doesn’t know if she can contain it again.“You…..you killed my brother.” The leader stammered as he looked at Eva, fear glinting in his eye." Yes, I did. And I'm sending you off to meet him.” Eva's voice was devoid of any sort of emotions as she looked at the leader. “I will make you pay!" The leader yelled furiously at Eva with tears streaming down his face, but she remained unfazed by him.“Do that when you get to hell." She lifted her assault rifle, her finger hovered over the trigger as she placed the barrel a few inches in front of the crying man, ready to end at once.Just as she was about to finish the leader off, the door burst open and tens of men flooded into the warehouse, each one of them wearing protective gear. They were led by men holding b