The silence stretched between us. Finally, she rose, pacing slowly across the cracked tiles of the platform. The faint echo of her footsteps filled the space like whispers.
"You don't understand how far he reaches," she said, her voice low but sharp "Victor doesn't just control people with fear. He controls them with loyalty, with promises, with lies. Half the city would turn me in if it meant pleasing him."
Her shoulders trembled, but not from cold. From rage.....from pain.
I stood and closed the distance, not touching her yet, but near enough that she could feel I was there "Then we don't run from the city," I said. "We use it.... If he has eyes everywhere, then we make him see what we want him to see."
Her head turned, eyes narrowing on me "You talk like you've done this before."
I met her gaze steadily "Maybe I have."
She studied me a moment longer, as though weighing the truth in my words, searching for secrets I wasn't ready to share. Finally, she exhaled, tension slipping from her shoulders.
"You're insane," she whispered, but there was something almost like relief in her voice. "But… maybe that's exactly what we need."
Her hand brushed against mine, tentative but deliberate. A spark, faint but undeniable, ran through me.
And in that moment, I realized — we weren't just surviving anymore. We were beginning to fight back.
We left the station just after sunrise. The streets were quieter now, the storm's fury reduced to puddles that mirrored the fractured sky.
Aria kept her hood pulled low, her movements cautious, alert. I walked half a step behind, my eyes scanning alleys and rooftops, every stranger's face. The city looked normal — but under the surface, I could feel Victor's presence.
It wasn't paranoia. It was certainty.
Aria stiffened as we turned down a narrow street lined with shuttered shops "Do you feel it?" she whispered.
"Yes."
We weren't alone.
At the far end of the street, a man leaned against a doorway, smoking lazily, but his eyes followed us too carefully. Across the road, a woman pretending to arrange fruit at a stall kept glancing up. Too deliberate....Too aware.
Aria gripped my arm subtly. Her fingers were ice "They're his."
I slowed our pace, leaning close as if we were just another couple whispering in the morning air "Keep walking.... Don't run."
She nodded faintly, her lips pressed into a hard line.
We passed the fruit seller first. Her gaze lingered, her hand dipping under the stall as though reaching for something hidden. My muscles tightened, but I forced calm, my arm steady around Aria's waist.
Then came the man at the end of the street. His cigarette dropped to the ground. He crushed it slowly under his boot. His smile was thin, knowing.
Aria's breath caught "That's one of Victor's lieutenants," she whispered.
The man stepped forward, blocking the street with casual menace "Aria," he drawled, his voice like oil over water "You've been hard to find. The boss is eager to see you."
Aria froze. I felt the tremor in her body.
I stepped in front of her, my stance shifting "She's not going anywhere with you."
The man's smile widened. His eyes flicked to me, dismissive, amused "And who are you supposed to be? Another fool playing protector? Victor does enjoy watching them break."
I held his gaze, unflinching "Maybe he'll enjoy what happens when one doesn't."
A tense silence stretched, broken only by the drip of water from the rooftops. The woman at the fruit stall straightened, her hand sliding fully under the counter.
Aria's grip on me tightened. She whispered just loud enough for me to hear: "We're trapped."
"No," I murmured, shifting my weight slightly, measuring distance and angles "Not trapped..... Just surrounded."
And then I smiled, sharp and cold, because I wanted him to know — I wasn't afraid.
The lieutenant didn't move closer... Not yet. His smirk widened, eyes sliding past me to fix on Aria.
"You look tired," he said smoothly, as though addressing an old friend "Running never suited you, Aria. Victor always said you'd come back broken."
Her nails dug into my sleeve. I felt the fury in her grip, the shame he was trying to plant like poison.
"Don't listen," I murmured to her without turning.
The man's voice oozed confidence "Do you remember what he promised you, Aria? A home, safety, a life where you never had to fight again and you threw it away for… what? This?" His eyes flicked to me, disdain sharpening "A stray with no name?"
Aria flinched. That tiny flicker of doubt — he saw it, and his smirk turned cruel.
"Victor doesn't forget," he continued "He doesn't forgive but if you come back now… maybe he'll be merciful.... Maybe."
The woman at the fruit stall shifted, her hand now clearly holding the edge of a blade. Her eyes were cold, waiting for the signal.
I stepped forward, cutting off his line of sight to Aria. My voice was low, steady, every word a warning.
"You talk too much."
The lieutenant's smirk faltered just slightly. "Brave words but bravery doesn't stop what's coming."
"No," I said, taking another slow step closer "But it starts it."
Before he could answer, I moved.
It was sudden, sharp — a feint toward him that made the fruit seller flinch, revealing her blade fully. In that instant, I grabbed the edge of the fruit stall and shoved it hard. Crates tumbled, apples scattering across the wet stone, sending her stumbling back with a cry.
The lieutenant lunged, but I was already moving. I caught his wrist as he swung, twisting hard until the knife he'd hidden dropped with a metallic clang. My knee drove up into his gut, forcing the air from his lungs.
Aria gasped behind me, but she didn't run. She was frozen, watching — trusting me.
The man staggered, spitting rainwater and rage. His eyes burned as he snarled, "Victor will skin you alive for this."
I bent close enough that he could feel my breath "Let him try."
Then I slammed him back against the wall hard enough to rattle the bricks.
The fruit seller screamed, charging with her blade raised — but Aria moved.
For the first time, she didn't hesitate. She grabbed one of the fallen crates, swung it with both hands, and caught the woman square in the ribs. The impact knocked the blade from her grasp, sending her sprawling across the street.
Aria stood over her, chest heaving, eyes wide with both terror and exhilaration.
The lieutenant groaned, trying to rise, but I planted my boot on his chest. His smirk was gone now, replaced by something darker.
"You've made a mistake," he rasped "Victor doesn't stop. He'll burn this city to ash to drag her back."
I leaned closer, my voice cold "Then he'll learn what it means to choke on smoke."
I pressed harder, just enough to make him gasp, then stepped back "Run... Tell him I'm coming."
The lieutenant's eyes flicked to Aria one last time, full of venom, before he scrambled to his feet and staggered away into the rain.
The fruit seller crawled after him, clutching her side, cursing under her breath.
And then we were alone again. The street echoed with silence, broken only by the rain.
Aria stood frozen, the crate still clutched in her hands. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her lips parted in disbelief.
"I…" She swallowed hard, staring at the weapon she had improvised "I hit her."
"You defended yourself," I said firmly, stepping closer.
Her gaze snapped to me, eyes wide and shining "I thought I couldn't. I thought… I thought he'd broken me too much."
reached for her hands, prying the crate gently from her grip "He didn't break you, Aria. He never will, not while I'm here."
Her breath shuddered out of her, and for the first time since I'd met her, I saw it — not just fear, not just desperation.
But strength.
And though the street was empty, I knew this was only the beginning. Victor wouldn't stop. He'd send more. He'd come himself, eventually.
But so would we.
Together.
We didn't wait to see if more would come.
Hand in hand, we slipped through side streets and alleys until the city swallowed us again. The rain had eased to a mist, the morning crowd beginning to stir, but every face felt dangerous, every glance too sharp.
Finally, we ducked into the back of an abandoned café. The windows were boarded, the smell of mildew thick, but it was shelter.
Aria collapsed into a chair, burying her face in her hands. I crouched in front of her, watching the tremble in her shoulders.
"You did well," I said softly.
Her hands fell away, revealing eyes rimmed with unshed tears "I didn't feel brave. I felt—" She broke off, shaking her head "If you hadn't been there, I…"
You were there," I interrupted gently "You fought.... That matters."