📖 CHAPTER 11: THE TRAP
575 Words
Emily couldn't sleep.
Dave's warning echoed over and over in her mind.
"Don't trust Sofia."
She sat by the window, watching the rain pour over the academy grounds. Something felt wrong. Dave had never spoken with fear in his voice before.
A soft knock came at her door.
Emily frowned.
"Who is it?"
"It's me," Sofia answered gently. "Master Dave wants to see you in the underground training hall."
Emily hesitated.
Something about Sofia's smile earlier still bothered her.
"Master Dave sent you?"
"Of course." Sofia smiled sweetly. "He said it was urgent."
After a few seconds, Emily nodded.
"Fine."
The underground training hall was unusually quiet.
The lights flickered.
Emily slowly walked through the empty corridor.
"Master Dave?" she called.
No answer.
Suddenly—
Bang!
The heavy steel door slammed shut behind her.
Emily spun around.
"What the—"
The lights went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Footsteps echoed from every direction.
One...
Two...
Three...
More.
Emily's breathing became uneven.
Then the lights came back on.
Five masked men surrounded her.
Their leader smiled.
"So you're the girl Master Dave can't stop protecting."
Emily clenched her fists.
"Who are you?"
"We're here to send a message."
Without warning, one of the men lunged at her.
Emily reacted instantly.
She sidestepped the attack and drove her elbow into his ribs.
He staggered back.
Another attacker rushed in.
Emily kicked him hard, knocking him to the ground.
The fight erupted.
She fought with everything she had learned.
Punches.
Kicks.
Blocks.
For several moments, she held her own.
But there were too many.
One attacker grabbed her arm.
Another struck her shoulder.
Emily cried out in pain as she was forced to one knee.
The leader stepped forward with a cruel smile.
"It ends here."
Just as he raised his weapon—
Boom!
The metal door exploded open.
Everyone turned.
Dave stood in the doorway.
His black coat billowed behind him.
His eyes were colder than ice.
Behind him, armed academy guards rushed into the room.
The masked men hesitated.
Dave's voice was calm—but terrifying.
"Every one of you..."
He took one slow step forward.
"...will regret walking into my academy."
The attackers charged.
Within seconds, the underground hall became a battlefield.
Emily watched in disbelief.
Dave moved with deadly precision.
One attacker fell.
Then another.
Then another.
No wasted movement.
No hesitation.
The remaining men realized too late that they were no match for the academy master.
The leader tried to escape.
Dave caught him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"Who sent you?" Dave demanded.
The man laughed weakly.
"You'll never stop her."
Dave's eyes narrowed.
"Her?"
The man smiled through blood.
"Sofia..."
Before he could say another word, a hidden poison capsule shattered in his mouth.
Within seconds, he collapsed.
Dead.
Silence filled the room.
Emily stared in shock.
Sofia?
Could she really be behind this?
Dave slowly turned toward Emily.
He knelt beside her.
"Are you hurt?"
Emily looked into his eyes.
For the first time, she saw genuine worry.
Before she could answer, footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Sofia appeared at the entrance.
She looked at the bodies scattered across the floor.
Then at Emily.
Then at Dave.
"What happened here?" she asked, her expression full of surprise.
Dave didn't answer.
He simply stared at her.
His silence made Sofia's smile falter.
For the first time...
She wondered if Dave had finally begun to suspect her.
- Writer
