The night wrapped the forest in a suffocating darkness, broken only by the cold wind carrying the scent of damp earth and blood. Vanessa stood rigid, her body tense, her hands gripping Raven's weakening arm. His breaths came short and ragged, like a candle's flame flickering at its end. His skin felt cold, pale, and Vanessa could sense his heartbeat slowing through his blood soaked shirt. 'He's not going to last much longer,' Vanessa thought, her heart squeezed by fear she tried to bury deep. But she couldn't show weakness. Not now. Not in front of Sylviana, the old woman standing before her with a triumphant smile that made Vanessa's stomach churn. Sylviana's eyes glinted with arrogance, like a predator certain of its prey.
Vanessa drew a deep breath, struggling to calm the rage boiling in her chest. "What do you want?" she spat, her voice dripping with hatred she couldn't hide, each word sharp like venom.
Sylviana didn't answer right away. She grinned widely, revealing her yellowed teeth, her eyes filled with a sickening admiration. "Wow, in just a few seconds, you already know what you need to do! Impressive, truly impressive!" she said, her voice sweet but laced with poison, like honey mixed with venom. She tilted her head, studying Vanessa like a broken but fascinating piece of art. "But that doesn't mean I'll let you go so easily," she added, her sly smile making Vanessa's skin crawl.
Vanessa stayed silent, her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes flicked to Raven, now lying almost motionless in her arms. Every second felt like a knife stabbing her heart. 'Hold on, Raven,' she thought, pleading silently, but the reality before her was cruel. Sylviana stood there, brimming with confidence, as if the world were her stage. The air felt thick, heavy with tension that could snap at any moment. Vanessa knew she had to submit for now, even if it made her want to retch.
"I want you to..." Sylviana began, her voice heavy with unspoken threats, but suddenly a strange voice cut through the silence. "Yo, old lady, looks like you're having fun, huh?" The woman's voice was casual, yet it carried a chilling edge, sharp like a blade. Vanessa turned, and her heart seemed to stop. The figure wore a black hoodie and a black mask covering part of her face, but that voice... Vanessa knew it. Too familiar. Too painful, like an old wound torn open.
Sylviana spun around quickly, not surprised at all. "Oh, my friend, thank you for helping me set up this shooter! You made my job so much easier," she said with a small, disgusting laugh, as if chatting with an old friend. Vanessa held her breath, her mind racing. 'No... this isn't the right time,' she thought, her heart pounding wildly. That figure she knew who this woman was. Memories of childhood flooded back, buried deep but now surging like a tidal wave. Hands that once held her, a voice that once sang lullabies, but also hands that abandoned her in the dark.
Sylviana and the figure kept talking casually, as if Vanessa and Raven were just background scenery, insignificant. "I'm happy to help you," the figure said, her voice light like a breeze, but suddenly it shifted, turning cold and sharp like a knife's edge. In an instant, she pulled a blade from her hoodie and stabbed it into Sylviana's chest with a swift, almost invisible motion. "But I'm the one who should thank you, because you made my job so much easier," she continued, laughing softly, her voice dripping with mockery that made the air feel colder.
Sylviana gasped, her eyes widening in shock, blood pouring from her chest like a dark red river. Her body collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, unconscious, or perhaps worse. Vanessa didn't have time to care, because the figure turned and walked toward her, steps slow but deliberate. Vanessa wanted to step back, but sharp lasers still surrounded her, their red beams flickering in the dark like the eyes of predators ready to strike. She was trapped, the air growing colder, the wind carrying the sharp, metallic scent of Sylviana's blood.
"The last time I left you, you were just a child," the figure said softly, her voice like a memory come to life, heavy with meaning that made Vanessa's heart feel crushed. Suddenly, the lasers vanished, disappearing as if the shooter watching her had switched sides. But Vanessa knew it wasn't luck. She stayed still, her eyes locked on the figure, who now stood so close that Vanessa could see the glint in her eyes behind the mask. "But now, you're grown, and your face looks so much like mine," the figure continued, reaching out to gently stroke Vanessa's cheek.
The touch burned like fire on Vanessa's skin. She slapped the hand away harshly and stepped back, her eyes blazing with hatred. "And this child has long considered you dead," she said, her voice cold and venomous, each word a whip meant to wound. Memories swirled in her mind, days of loneliness, endless tears, the pain of abandonment etched into her like scars.
The figure laughed softly, the sound like a cracked bell. "Hmm, but you're still my flesh and blood. Your name isn't Vanessa. It's Hina. And your real mother is me, not Melody," she said sharply, each word a dagger aimed at Vanessa's heart. Those words reopened old wounds, memories of betrayal Vanessa had tried to bury for years.
Vanessa sneered, her smile full of hatred. "So what? What's the point of that? You're nothing but a filthy lowlife," she snapped, her voice like thunder in the silent night.
"Maybe it's pointless now," the figure replied flatly, as if she didn't care. Suddenly, a bullet shot out from the darkness, piercing Vanessa's shoulder with brutal force. Pain exploded like fire burning through her flesh, making her flinch, but her eyes stayed fixed on the figure, her brows furrowed as she suppressed the pain without a single scream. Blood flowed warm down her shoulder, soaking her shirt, but Vanessa remained silent, her hatred stronger than the agony.
"Oh, so tough... I like this!" the figure said, her voice laced with fake admiration as she slowly removed her mask, revealing Cymia's face,a face so similar to Vanessa's but steeped in darkness, with a satisfied, sinister smile that made Vanessa's blood boil. Vanessa stayed silent, the pain in her shoulder spreading like poison, but she refused to show weakness. 'Why now? Why is she back after everything she did?' she thought, her mind swirling with anger and confusion.
Suddenly, quick footsteps approached. Diana appeared, her face full of worry, running toward Vanessa without noticing the figure in front of her. "Miss! Just a little longer—" she started, but her words stopped when she saw Cymia. "C-Cymia?!" she stammered, her voice trembling with shock, her face pale as if she'd seen a ghost from the past.
Cymia only smiled, saying nothing, her eyes full of mockery. Vanessa had no time for this drama. With trembling hands, she handed Raven's limp body to Diana. "Take him," she said, her voice hoarse but firm, a command that left no room for argument.
Diana hesitated, her eyes darting between Vanessa and Cymia, full of unspoken questions. But Vanessa gave her no chance. "Now!" she shouted, her voice exploding with rage, her eyes burning with years of pent up anger. Diana flinched, nodded quickly, and lifted Raven's body with all her strength, running away from the scene with hurried steps, leaving Vanessa and Cymia in the thickening darkness.
Cymia watched it all with eyes full of interest, like a scientist observing a favorite experiment. "Hmm, I'm curious. Why do you care so much about that man?" she asked, her tone mocking, her eyes scanning Vanessa from head to toe, searching for weaknesses.
"What's it to you?" Vanessa shot back, her voice sharp like a whip, brimming with defiance.
Cymia laughed softly, but suddenly another bullet flew, piercing Vanessa's thigh. Pain burned like fire consuming her flesh, forcing her to collapse to the ground, blood gushing and soaking her pants. She stifled a groan, her vision blurring for a moment, but her hatred kept her gaze locked on Cymia. "I'm your mother, so of course it's my business. Especially since he's my son-in-law, right?" Cymia said, her smile widening, her eyes gleaming with an obsessive glint.
"Tch! I'm not—" Vanessa tried to fight back, her anger erupting, but another bullet came, this time piercing her chest and stomach. "Ugh," she groaned softly, her body crumpling to the ground, blood pooling beneath her like a dark red lake. The pain was unbearable, a storm tearing her apart, her breaths short and rapid, the world spinning around her. But her eyes stayed on Cymia. 'Why? Why are you doing this? You destroyed my life,' she thought, her hatred burning fiercely.
Cymia shook her head, her face flat like she was looking at a broken toy. "I thought we could talk like mother and daughter, but I guess I was too naive," she said, her voice devoid of emotion, cold as ice. She looked at Vanessa lying there with indifference, as if there were no blood tie between them. "Hmm, oh well... good thing I have another one," she added, turning her back on Vanessa, her steps light as if nothing had happened.
The moment came. Cymia let her guard down. Vanessa gathered her last strength, her trembling hand pulling a pistol from her jacket, aiming with blurry eyes, and firing. Bang! The bullet hit Cymia's chest, making her scream in pain, "AKHH!" as she clutched her bleeding chest, her face filled with anger and shock as she staggered.
But at that moment, bullets rained from all directions, targeting Vanessa like a deadly storm. With her remaining strength, Vanessa stood, dodging nimbly despite her wounds, adrenaline pumping as she tossed her empty pistol to the ground. Bullets whistled through the air, the ground around her pockmarked, dust flying everywhere. Cymia, still alive, saw Vanessa moving. "Kill that woman, whatever it takes!" she screamed, her voice seething with rage before she vanished into the darkness, gone somewhere unknown.
Vanessa kept dodging, her movements slowing, her wounds bleeding heavily, making her body sway. Suddenly, lasers appeared again, trapping her like an inescapable cage. "Tch," she hissed, her consciousness fading, her body stumbling, her vision blurring. 'Is this the end?' she thought, memories flashing through her mind: a shattered childhood, Melody as her surrogate mother, Raven giving her hope. Everything felt pointless now.
Suddenly, the roar of a helicopter broke the silence, its spotlight blinding, gunfire raining down on the shooters' positions. "What's that? I can't see anymore," Vanessa mumbled, squinting, her breaths rapid, the world fading into a black haze. One shooter aimed at her head, but the bullet missed as Vanessa collapsed, nearly unconscious. "Wow, luck!" a woman's voice shouted from the helicopter, followed by a barrage of gunfire that took out the shooter.
The gunfire stopped, silence returning. The helicopter landed, kicking up dust. A woman jumped out, running toward Vanessa. "Who are you," Vanessa whispered, her voice weak, laced with threat, mustering the last of her strength. The woman knelt beside her, gently stroking Vanessa's head. "Calm down, darling, you're safe now. Sleep. When you wake up, I'll teach you a lesson," she said, her voice warm with affection.
In Vanessa's fading mind, amidst the haze, she knew. 'That voice... Mother,' she thought. Melody. The world sank into darkness, but for the first time that night, she felt safe.