Chapter 1 - Red Velvet

It was a cold and windy night in December. Brilliant hues of festive lights sparkled to her caramel eyes. As she sauntered across the bustling avenue filled with colorful lights and lanterns.

The scent of warm, sugary Christmas cookies and woody aroma of pine trees wafted through the frost-kissed air.

But this day is special, especially for this young woman standing at the entrance of this upscale restaurant. A smile curved her lips as she admired her reflection in the windowpane. Who wouldn't be elated? After all, it was her birthday.

Her fingers glided through the silky strands of her long black hair and smoothed out her pristine white dress. Its fabric clinging to her curves in all the right places. She may be a high school student, but her beauty commanded the attention to everyone who pass by.

"Good evening!"

Startled, she turned her gaze towards the receptionist, and strode towards her. "Hi, table reserved for General Herrera?"

"Ah, you must be Zea Herrera? This way, please." The receptionist led her through the main hall of the restaurant towards the exalted VIP area. Finally, they arrived at a lavish private room, where a seat awaited her, pulled out with utmost respect.

"Thanks!" she beamed as she took a seat. She silently perused the entire room, admiring the luxurious room. From its lavish furnishings, sparkling chandeliers, to the magnificent canvases that adorned the walls. Yet, her gaze was drawn to the large LED TV broadcasting the local news.

Before she could make sense of the news, a waiter walked into the room, carrying a crimson box adorned with a golden ribbon. Her eyes sparkled and her lips curled up into a beaming smile.

"Your father wanted you to have this. Happy Birthday!"

"From my dad?" she exclaimed, her smile widening with pure delight.

Her father was never one to shower her with lavish gifts. As a stern military man, he seldom indulged in such gestures. Thus, when he invited her to celebrate her birthday, she eagerly anticipated the occasion.

She grabbed the box, opened it. A delighted gasp escaped her lips as she laid eyes on the red velvet cake nestled inside. "Oh my! This is my favorite!"

“BREAKING NEWS: Ten men, believed to be members of the Elite task force unit under the command of General Roa Herrera, were found dead in an abandoned warehouse in McKenzie City.”

Her heart stuttered at the mention of that name. Slowly, she turned her gaze towards the television, her attention fixed on the news report.

Meanwhile, the body of the General was discovered in an office near the warehouse. Lifeless and with his head still missing, the mystery surrounding his death remained unsolved.

Everything blurred into chaos. The words reverberated in her mind, but her thoughts refused to accept the reality of what she had just heard. Tremors coursed through her hands. The box slipped from her grasp and the cake splattered onto the floor in a devastating mess.

Her gaze snapped toward the cunning waiter, who now wore a sly smile.

"Oh, she's about to cry," he taunted, a twisted smile played upon his lips. He flipped a knife from his sleeves and hurled it violently towards her throat.

With lightning speed, she seized his hand and twisted it. But to her horror, he managed to broke free from her grip. Executing a swift turn, his leg rose, delivering a brutal high kick straight to her face. Her head slammed into the table, a harsh impact that sent her tumbling to the ground.

"Aw... does it hurt?" The man sneered, dusted his uniform with an air of superiority. "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a kid. I've killed ones younger than you."

"Damn you!" Zea screamed, blood streaming from her battered head.

Without mercy, he yanked her hair, circled his arm around her neck. She fought desperately to break free from his vicious choke hold, but she remained trapped in his strong grip.

"You gonna die tonight, bitch."

No. Zea gritted her teeth. Not tonight! You motherfucker!

She slipped her leg behind his, turned around, and gave him a sharp elbow right to his stomach. He staggered back and slammed against the table. His loose grip of his knife and he quickly bent down to grab it.

But before his fingers could reach the hilt, Zea kicked the blade up and twirled straight into her hand.

 Zea grinned. "Looking for this?" Lightning speed, she flipped the knife and thrust it down his throat - repeatedly. So fast, the guy didn't even have the chance to react. He just stood there as he watched his own blood spurt out in different directions. While this seemingly innocent girl relentlessly slaughtered him like a pig using his own weapon.

 Zea didn't let him go until this fucker is no longer breathing. She immediately grabbed her things and stormed out of the room. Her mind whirring with too many thoughts. She didn't even notice the staff walking towards the door and almost rammed her down to the floor.

 "Sorry!" she shouted and rushed out of the hall.

 Startled, the girl tried to get onto her feet until she noticed traces of blood against the tiled floor. A loud scream hollered across the hall. The girl probably saw the dead man lying inside the private room. But Zea, got no plans explaining. There's a lot of things she should take care of other than that dead man who just tried to kill her a few moments ago.

 But where the hell should she start? When she's practically clueless about his father’s ordeal.

 What am I going to do?

Her eyes burned in tears. Totally confused, scared, and alone. The only thing she knew is she has to run. She clenched her fists as she dashed across the restaurant's main dining area.

 Heads quickly turned, all eyes, widened in terror. With her dainty white dress, heavily painted with blood and the smell of thick blood in her hands. There's no wonder, the whole crowd went crazy running towards the door.

 Kael... I need to find him.

 If there's one person who can help me... that would be him.

Rapid gunshots blasted through the hall. Glass panels shattered and everyone inside panicked. She quickly mixed in with the crowd rushing outside. She carefully scanned the windows and saw three more men firing from outside. Unknown to her, another sniper is aiming at her head from the adjacent building.

"Move aside!" shouted a hefty man and shoved a woman aside. But his head jolted back as the bullet struck his head instead. Everyone screamed, chaos erupted.

Her gaze swept across the surroundings, locking onto the sniper fixated on her. Without missing a beat, she shielded her head and bolted, a relentless pursuit tailing her, armed with a menacing long rifle. Bullets pierced the air. Like a shadow in motion, Zea veered sideways, eluding the lethal projectiles with an effortless grace.

A chair materialized in her path, and she seized the opportunity without a second thought. Vaulting onto it, she leaped into the air, and landed a vicious reverse kick straight to her assailant's face. She immediately grabbed the rifle from his hand and swiftly shot three more men who were about to attack her.

The sniper's ruthless gaze scoured the chaotic torrent of fleeing bodies. Until a woman caught his eye. Standing tall amidst the swirling crowd, with a long rifle in her hands. Her aim fixated on his doomed existence. The gravity of the situation hit him like a thunderclap.

"Oh, shit..." Those were the last words he uttered until a loud gunshot echoed across the street. Those were the final words to escape his lips, as the piercing echo of a gunshot echoed through the street.

Nowhere to go, she ran into an abandoned alley. She was about to cross the street when a black van screeched to a halt and blocked her path. The door slid open, and a group of men forced her into the van. Tires screamed against the granite floor as the van took a sharp turn around the narrow curve.

"Let me go! Who the hell are you? What the fuck do you want from me!"

Her eyes widened when she saw one of them holding a metallic syringe and jabbed it into her neck. Zea almost jumped off the bed. She took a deep breath then wiped her cold sweat with her palm. Zea slowly closed her eyes and glanced at the alarm clock beside her bed.

It was three o'clock in the morning, the twentieth day of December. She stood up from her bed and walked towards the wide window of her condo unit. She stood silent as she gazed at the vast view of the New York City skyline amidst the darkness of the night.

It has been nine long years, but there hasn't been a single moment when she forgot what happened that day.