Elena's entire body trembled, her hand clutching Alex's arm as the headlights painted the strange figure sprawled across the lonely road. Her breath came out in quick, shallow bursts. The silence pressing down on them felt suffocating, unnatural, as though the trees themselves were watching.
"Alex…" her voice quivered, fragile, "something isn't right. I can feel it."
Alex forced calm into his voice, though unease rippled through his chest. "It's probably just a drunk or someone hurt. Duke will check. We'll be fine."
He leaned forward. "Duke, go see if the man needs help."
"Yes, sir." Duke's deep voice carried its usual steadiness, though even he hesitated for the briefest second before opening the door.
The night air swept in, cold and heavy. Duke stepped out, his polished shoes crunching against the gravel. The beam of the headlights threw his tall frame into sharp relief as he moved cautiously toward the still figure on the ground.
Elena pressed closer to Alex, her nails digging into his sleeve. "I don't like this, Alex… I don't like this at all."
"Stay calm," Alex murmured, though a chill had already crept down his spine. His eyes locked on Duke's back, every muscle in his body tightening.
Duke crouched beside the man, his broad shoulders casting a shadow across the asphalt. He reached out, leaning closer to inspect.
In a blink of an eye, the man that was presumed badly injured or worse suddenly jerked upright with a terrifying speed. With a swift motion, he dipped his hand inside his jacket and revealed a glinted steel that flashed under the headlights. It was a knife. And not just any knife, it was a military grade knife.
"Duke!" Alex shouted, but it was too late.
The man drove the knife into Duke's abdomen with a sickening crunch of metal piercing flesh.
Duke's grunt of pain tore through the night, guttural and raw, as his hands flew to the wound. His knees buckled, his body curling inward instinctively. Blood bloomed against his crisp white shirt, dark and spreading like ink in water.
Elena's scream shattered the silence, high-pitched, raw, and full of terror. She clutched Alex's arm so hard her fingers shook violently.
"No! Oh God. Duke!"
Alex's heart hammered, his breath catching in his throat as he watched helplessly. A cold sweat slicked his skin, horror rooting him in place.
The attacker didn't stop. His face twisted into a sick smile as he plunged the knife into Duke again. And again.
Each stab was savage, deliberate, accompanied by Duke's strangled groans and the sickening sound of blade tearing into flesh. Blood splattered across the man's hands, dripped onto the road, dark and glistening under the headlights.
Six times.
Six brutal, merciless strikes.
Duke gasped once more, his body jerking before he collapsed onto the asphalt, his lifeless eyes staring upward, glassy and void.
Elena's scream broke into sobs, her body trembling violently as tears streamed down her face. "No… no, no, no…"
Alex's jaw locked, fury and terror colliding inside him. His pulse roared in his ears as the killer straightened slowly, wiping the bloodied knife across his ragged pants with chilling calm.
Then, he smiled.
And began walking toward the car.
The man's appearance was burned instantly into Elena's mind: his gaunt face illuminated by the headlights, cheekbones sharp, lips twisted into a cruel smirk. His dark hair clung damply to his forehead, his eyes glinting with malice. His clothes were torn, but his movements were steady, deliberate. This wasn't just any bad luck. It was a planned attack.
The man proceeded, with a deliberate movement to reach the back of his pants and pulled something out. And the sight of the weapon struck an untold and an overwhelming fear on Alex and Elena. It was a gun. A pistol.
The gun gleamed black under the lights, heavy and merciless in his grasp.
Elena's heart lurched into her throat. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. All she could do was clutch Alex's sleeve with trembling hands as the man drew closer, each step measured, confident, unstoppable.
Alex's instincts surged. He lunged forward, trying to scramble into the driver's seat. If he could just start the car, just slam the accelerator, maybe they had a chance to escape and find safety
But the man was too fast. With an almost unnatural speed, he swiftly covered the distance between him and the car.
The pistol rose with mechanical precision, its barrel gleaming as it aimed directly at Alex's head.
"Don't," the man growled, his voice low, gravelly, chilling.
Alex froze, his hands lifting slowly, reluctantly, in surrender. His chest rose and fell rapidly, adrenaline and rage burning through him, but he forced stillness.
Elena's sobs filled the silence. "P-please…" she stammered, her voice broken with stutters. "Wh-what do you want? Why are you doing this?" Her hands shook so violently she could barely wipe her tears. "My family,they're rich. We'll give you anything, just don't hurt us, please…"
The man's smile widened. "I don't want your money."
His voice slithered through the car like poison, calm, deliberate, cruel.
Elena's body shook harder, her breath hitching violently as dread clawed its way up her chest.
"You monster," Alex hissed, his fists clenching even as his arms remained raised. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
The man tilted his head slightly, his eyes glinting with sick amusement. "Because I was told to."
Before Alex could react, the man slammed the hilt of his pistol against Alex's temple.
The crack of impact echoed inside the car. Alex's body jerked once before his eyes rolled back, his head slamming against the window as he collapsed unconscious in the seat.
"Alex!" Elena's scream was raw, desperate, her heart tearing in two at the sight. She reached for him, shaking his shoulder frantically, her sobs choking her words. "No…no, wake up…please!"
The man chuckled, the sound low and menacing. "He won't be waking anytime soon."
Elena's terror surged. Panic clawed at her throat, her vision blurring with tears as she tried to open the door on her side. Her trembling fingers fumbled with the handle, every movement frantic, desperate.
But before she could push it open, the cold barrel of the pistol was already aimed at her chest.
Her body froze. Her blood turned to ice.
Her wide, tear-filled eyes locked on the black circle of death staring back at her.
The man's smirk twisted into something darker. "Don't bother."
"P-please…" Elena whispered, her voice barely audible, her body shaking violently. "Please don't…"
The assassin tilted his head again, as though considering her words. His finger curled against the trigger, steady, unhurried.
For Elena, time slowed. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt, her chest rising and falling in ragged gasps. Every memory, every laugh, every moment with Alex flashed in her mind in a desperate flood.
And then…
He pulled the trigger
The night erupted with the deafening crack of a gunshot.