At the Bureau, Ethan had learned one truth: colleagues were more dangerous than nightmares. At least nightmares didn't hand you a betrayal notice along with your morning coffee.
He had just slammed a red-marked report onto his desk when he noticed Agent Colin approaching, smiling like a salesman about to pitch insurance.
"Ethan," Colin said warmly, "haven't you been digging a little too deep lately?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow. Ah, yes—the polite version of 'you've lived too long.'
He smirked."Deep? Hardly. I just dipped a toe into the mud and found out the swamp leads straight to hell. Nothing unusual."
Colin's smile stayed in place, but he drew a gun. Not the Bureau's standard issue—a custom piece oozing black mist, like a shotgun wedding between nightmare energy and firearms.
"The Director was right," Colin said coldly. "You know too much."
Ethan sighed."Knew it. Betrayals from friends are always more accurate than shots from strangers. Friendship really is the cheapest consumable."
Colin's eyes darkened. The mist writhed at the barrel, ready to devour."You should stand with us, Ethan. The Bureau's a joke. Real power lies elsewhere."
Ethan leaned back in his chair, bored."Elsewhere? Let me guess. Shadow Club? Global Doomsday Cult? Or maybe the Nightmare Hedge Fund?"
Colin's lip twitched. Humor clearly wasn't appreciated."You still don't get it. The Bureau is just a front. We are the real inheritors. Nightmare energy isn't a threat—it's the future."
Ethan raised a hand."Hold on. I've heard this speech three times already. Mind switching to a new script? You're starting to sound like a rerun commercial."
The air thickened with black mist. Lights flickered. Even the walls seemed to breathe.
Great, Ethan thought. Of course the traitor's reveal comes with special effects. Otherwise the audience would complain about the budget.
He stood slowly, spreading his arms as if bargaining."Fine. If you're going to kill me, at least let me finish my coffee. You know how cranky I get when I die uncaffeinated."
Colin sneered."You can't joke your way out of this."
He pulled the trigger. Shadows erupted like starving crows.
Ethan rolled, flipping the desk for cover. His mug shattered, hot liquid splashing the wall into something that resembled absurdist art.
"You see!" Ethan shouted between gunshots. "Even my coffee got dragged into your betrayal! At least buy me a new one before murdering me!"
Gunfire and black mist clashed with flying paper. The office looked like a snowstorm had hit a warzone.
Finally, Ethan spun, wrestled the weapon free, and pressed the barrel under Colin's chin. The mist quivered, seeking a new host.
Colin wheezed, smiling madly."Kill me, and they'll know which side you've chosen."
Ethan stared, then smirked."Side? I never pick sides. I just survive—preferably with jokes intact."
He pulled the trigger. Black mist devoured Colin, leaving only an empty husk crumpled on the floor.
The room fell silent, save for the bitter trace of spilled coffee.
Ethan muttered:"Traitor unmasked. Classic trope. Too bad—not a single audience to clap."
He walked away, shadow long under the flickering light. In his gut, he knew this wasn't just one man's betrayal. Soon, the entire Bureau would devolve into a bloody contest of Who's still human?