As Annie had expected, it was only a warning shot. After that—nothing. No more movement. No more noise. Just heavy silence.
Annie's voice cut through the still air.
"We need to move. It's not safe anymore. She knows where we are."
Kayla looked uncertain, her brows furrowed.
"But… where? This is the safe house Rose got for us. It's where we've been laying low."
Annie shook her head.
"Exactly. That's why we can't stay. I'm sorry, Rose—but we have to go."
Rose exhaled slowly, nodding with a trace of sadness.
"It's fine… I figured this would happen eventually. I still have a bit of money saved up. We'll manage."
Annie glanced at both of them, her tone firm but grateful.
"We'll pitch in. I have some cash left too. We'll find someplace far—away from the city, away from eyes."
She looked out the window, her voice lowering.
"We need to strike back… but not yet. We need to disappear first."
They eventually found the perfect place—tucked deep in the countryside, far from the city's chaos and the eyes of those who might be watching. It was quiet, surrounded by dense woods and broken roads. A safe house in the truest sense.
And for a few months… nothing happened.
No attacks. No surveillance. No signs that Lilith or the Garden had found them.
But they didn't waste that silence.
During those months, Annie, Kayla, and Rose weren't just hiding. They were preparing—training, gathering intel, building backup plans, and slowly piecing together everything they had on Lilith and the organization.
And surely enough, the time came.
Just as they'd predicted, Lilith herself arrived—escorted only by a few loyal guards—to negotiate a trade with another notorious criminal syndicate in a secluded airstrip far from public eyes.
From a distance, Annie watched through her scope.
Annie (smirking): "It's happening. Just like I planned."
Beside her, Kayla fidgeted with unease, her hand near her holster.
Kayla: "Are you sure this is the right call? We can back you up. We've come this far together."
Annie (shaking her head): "No. Not this time. If this is going to end... it ends with me and her. One on one."
Rose (softly): "Just come back, okay?"
Annie didn't answer. She just checked her weapon, took a breath, and stepped out of the shadows—toward the final confrontation she had waited years for.
The other criminal organization had left.
The deal was done.
Now, it was time.
Annie emerged from the shadows, her boots silent against the wet ground. But before she could raise her weapon—
Lilith turned, calm and unbothered.
Lilith: "Took you long enough. I've been waiting."
Annie (narrowing her eyes): "You're sharper than I thought."
A smirk curled on both of their lips.
Enemies. Rivals. Reflections of vengeance.
Annie (raising her voice): "Let's settle this—once and for all, Lilith!"
Both pulled their guns at the same time.
A single deafening gunshot echoed.
Blood splattered onto the cold, wet concrete.
Rain poured heavily from above, washing away the evidence… but not the consequences.
Someone fell.
But who?
As the blood mixed with the falling rain, only one question remained…
Who survived?