I woke up with a start, my chest heaving like I had been running in my sleep. For a moment, I thought it was the echo of the cemetery still clinging to me, the sound of dirt hitting the coffin, the sobs I had swallowed until my throat was raw. But no this sound was real.
Pounding Heavy and Relentless.
It rattled my front door, made the picture frame on the wall tremble. My heart lurched into my throat.
I sat up still dazed, every muscle stiff from the way I slept curved in my sleep. My apartment was dark, save for the faint glow of the streetlight leaking through the blinds. It took me a second to place the sound, to convince myself it wasn't my imagination. But then it came again.
BANG. BANG. BANG!!!.
I swung my legs off the bed, feet hitting the floor. Cold. My body was still weak, heavy with exhaustion, but adrenaline surged through me, dragging me forward.
I crept toward the door, each step echoing like a drumbeat in my ears. My breath came out in puffs. My pulse was too loud. I pressed my eye to the peephole.
And froze.
Four men. Built like giants. Their dark coats hung heavy on them, but I could see the bulk of muscle beneath, the sharpness in the way they stood. No expression. No kindness. Just like a stome.
I didn't know them. I knew I didn't know them.
A chill raced down my spine so cold it made my teeth ache.
I stumbled back from the door, clapping a hand over my mouth to stifle the panicked breaths clawing their way out of me. My eyes darted around the apartment. Phone? Window? Anything? My hands were shaking too badly to think.
Then one of them spoke, his voice booming through the wood.
"Open the door, Miss Reyes."
My blood ran cold.
They knew my name.
"Open it now," another barked, his tone colder and clipped like a command.
I shook my head even though they couldn't see me. No. No. Whoever they were, I wasn't opening that door.
I bolted into the kitchen. My fingers fumbled at the drawers until I yanked one open and grabbed the first thing my hand touched a kitchen knife. The handle was slick against my sweaty palm, the blade trembling because of how badly my hands shook. But it was all I had.
The pounding grew harder, angrier. Wood cracked under the force, the hinges groaning like they were about to give way.
"Last warning!" the voice boomed again.
My legs nearly gave out beneath me. I stumbled into the middle of the living room, clutching the knife with both hands. I tried to steady my breathing, tried to convince myself I could do this, that I wasn't as powerless as I felt.
Then it happened.
With one final crash, the door splintered inward. The sound tore through the air, sharp and deafening. Wood shattered across the floor, and the men filled the doorway in a rush of dark suits and heavy boots.
"Stay back!" My voice cracked, but I forced it out, hoarse and desperate. I thrust the knife out in front of me. "I swear, I'll use this! Don't come near me, I'll... I'll slice you open if you touch me!"
They stopped for a moment, four sets of eyes fixed on me, sharp and unyielding. The closest one tilted his head, a ghost of amusement crossing his otherwise blank face. Slowly, deliberately, he reached into his jacket.
When his hand came back out, I saw it.
A gun.
My throat closed.
"Put the knife down,miss Reyes." he said, his voice flat and empty of any emotion.
"No." My voice was thin, trembling, but I clung to the word like it was my last shield. "I'll do it. So don't think I won't."
He didn't blink. Didn't even flinch.
Then the gun went off.
The sound was like thunder in the small apartment, so sharp it felt like the air had been split in half. My ears rang. My vision blurred for a heartbeat. Then came the burn.
My hand flew to my cheek. It stung, searing hot, wet. My fingers came back slick with blood. The bullet had missed me by inches, grazing across my face.
The world tilted.
The knife slipped from my grip and clattered onto the floor.
"That's better," the man muttered, lowering the gun only a fraction.
Tears stung my eyes. My lips parted to ask why? who they are?—but the words never came.
I saw a fist move toward my face out of nowhere and Pain exploded across my temple. White burst behind my eyes, then black swallowed everything whole.
The last thing I felt was the warmth of my own blood dripping down my cheek, and the echo of boots stepping toward me as the knife lay useless at my feet.
Then, nothing.