TARGET!

Chapter 3: A Debt in Blood

The night swallowed them whole, the rain masking their hurried footsteps as they weaved through the maze of alleys. Alexa’s heart pounded, each beat a drum of survival against the silence.

Damien stumbled again, gripping his side. Blood seeped between his fingers, leaving a trail of crimson behind them.

“You’re hurt,” Alexa said, her voice edged with panic.

“I’ll live,” he replied, his tone clipped.

“No, you won’t,” she snapped, pulling him toward a narrow doorway beneath a flickering streetlight. “We need to stop and deal with this now.”

Reluctantly, Damien let her guide him into the abandoned building. The interior was a graveyard of broken furniture and shattered glass. Alexa lowered him onto a dusty couch, her mind racing as she searched for something to use as a bandage.

“You don’t have to do this,” Damien muttered, his face pale but his voice steady.

“Yes, I do,” she said, tearing a strip from her shirt. “If you die, I’m as good as dead anyway.”

Damien chuckled weakly. “You’re tougher than you look.”

“Shut up and stay still,” she said, pressing the makeshift bandage to his wound. He winced but didn’t complain.

As she worked, her thoughts spiraled. “How did they find us so fast? You said we had time.”

“They have eyes everywhere,” Damien said, his voice low. “I underestimated them.”

“You think?” she shot back, her anger boiling over. “We barely escaped, and now you’re bleeding out in some godforsaken building while they’re probably closing in on us again!”

Damien reached up, his hand brushing against hers. “Hey. I’m still breathing. And as long as I am, I’ll get us out of this.”

His touch sent a jolt through her, a fleeting moment of calm amidst the storm. She pulled her hand away, focusing on tying the bandage securely.

“Why didn’t you tell me about my father sooner?” she asked, her voice quieter now.

Damien hesitated, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. “Because I didn’t want you to hate him. Or me.”

Alexa frowned. “You said you owed him your life. What did he do for you?”

“He saved me,” Damien said, his tone heavy with memories. “I was just a kid when I got caught up with the Revenant Order. Your father... he saw something in me, something worth saving. He risked everything to get me out.”

She sat back, absorbing his words. “And now they think I’m hiding whatever he left behind.”

“Not just hiding it,” Damien said, meeting her eyes. “They think you’re the key to finding it.”

“What does that even mean?” she demanded.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But whatever it is, it’s big enough to make them send an army after us.”

A sudden noise outside made them both freeze. Alexa’s hand instinctively went to the gun tucked into her waistband.

“They’re here,” Damien said, his voice grim.

The sound of boots echoed down the alley, growing louder with each step. Alexa’s stomach clenched as she peered through a c***k in the boarded-up window.

Five figures moved toward the building, their weapons drawn.

“We can’t fight them,” she whispered, her voice shaking.

“We don’t have to,” Damien said, forcing himself to stand despite his injury. “There’s a back exit. I’ll distract them while you—”

“No,” Alexa interrupted. “I’m not leaving you behind.”

“Alexa—”

“Stop it!” she hissed. “I’m not some helpless girl you need to protect. We’re in this together, whether you like it or not.”

Damien stared at her, his expression unreadable. Then, to her surprise, he nodded.

“Alright,” he said. “Together.”

The first man kicked open the door, his flashlight slicing through the darkness. Alexa and Damien pressed themselves against the wall, their breaths shallow.

As the man stepped inside, Damien moved first, slamming his elbow into the intruder’s throat and disarming him in one fluid motion. The man crumpled to the floor without a sound.

The commotion drew the others. Alexa raised her gun, her hands trembling as she aimed at the doorway.

“You ready for this?” Damien asked, his voice steady despite the chaos.

“No,” she admitted.

“Good,” he said. “Let’s go.”

The next moments were a blur of gunfire, shouts, and chaos. Alexa’s fear gave way to adrenaline as she moved with Damien, covering his back and taking shots when she had the chance.

By the time the last man fell, her ears were ringing, and her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold the gun.

Damien leaned heavily against the wall, his breathing ragged. “You did good,” he said, his voice faint but proud.

Alexa didn’t feel good. She felt sick, her stomach twisting at the sight of the bodies around them.

“We need to leave,” she said, her voice hoarse.

Damien nodded, pushing himself upright. “There’s a safe house a few miles from here. We’ll be safe there. For now.”

As they stepped out into the rain-soaked night, Alexa couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

Whatever her father had hidden, it was worth killing for.

And now, it was her turn to uncover the truth.

The rain poured harder as Alexa and Damien moved through the deserted streets, the city’s hum now muted by the sound of their footsteps echoing in the damp air. Alexa’s mind raced, each passing moment bringing more questions than answers.

Damien led the way, his movements more cautious now, his gun still clenched in his hand. The bandage wrapped around his side had darkened, and the blood seeping through was a grim reminder of how close they had come to being caught—or worse, killed.

“Are we close?” Alexa asked, her voice tight from both the cold and the tension gnawing at her insides.

“Almost,” Damien replied without looking back. “We’ll be there soon.”

The safe house wasn’t much—just an old, run-down building on the edge of the city. It had once been a warehouse, but now, it was more of a forgotten shelter for people like them: those who didn’t have a place to call home, those who lived in the shadows.

As they entered the building, Alexa’s senses were assaulted by the smell of mildew and decay. It was nothing like the warmth of her father’s house or even the sleekness of the places she had once frequented. But it was safe. For now.

Damien led her to a back room where a cot was hastily set up, a few blankets tossed carelessly over it. He collapsed onto it with a groan, his eyes closing for a moment as if he were trying to push away the pain.

Alexa stood at the door, her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on him. “We can’t just hide out here. We need to figure out what’s going on, why they want me, and what your father was really involved in.”

Damien opened his eyes, his stare intense. “I agree. But right now, the most important thing is getting you out of here alive. If you go digging into things too deep, they’ll find us before we’re ready.”

She bit her lip, frustration rising inside her. “I don’t care about being safe. I care about the truth. About what my father left behind. Why the hell did he think I could carry this weight?”

Damien sat up, his hand brushing through his bloodied hair. “Because, Alexa, you’re stronger than you think. And I know you’ll need that strength in the days to come.” He paused, a shadow passing over his face. “But there’s something you don’t know. Something your father didn’t tell you. Something that’s tied to all of this.”

Her stomach dropped. “What is it?”

Damien’s expression darkened. “You’re not just some innocent bystander in all of this, Alexa. The Order—Revenant—they didn’t just want your father. They wanted his legacy. And that legacy... it’s yours now.”

“Legacy?” Alexa repeated, her voice shaking. “What are you talking about?”

Damien’s eyes were haunted. “Your father didn’t just leave behind papers or money, Alexa. He left behind something much darker. Something they’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on. And you’re the key.”

For the first time, a sliver of doubt crept into Alexa’s mind. She hadn’t been prepared for any of this. The idea that her father’s secrets were wrapped up in something bigger, something dangerous, was overwhelming.

“What do I do now?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Damien leaned forward, his tone serious. “We keep moving. We stay ahead of them. And when the time comes, we face the truth—whatever it is. But right now, your father’s enemies are still out there, hunting for you. And until we know what we’re really up against, we stay hidden.”

Alexa wanted to argue, to demand more answers. But deep down, she knew he was right. They were out of options, and the only way forward was to trust him—at least for now.

“Alright,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. “But we’re not stopping until we have answers. I won’t be a pawn in someone else’s game.”

Damien’s lips twitched upward. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The weight of their situation settled in, but Alexa couldn’t afford to dwell on fear. Not when there was so much at stake. She glanced out the grimy window, the city lights distant but still visible, as if mocking them from afar.

The game had changed. And now, it was time to learn the rules.