Chapter Seven: The Unexpected Visitor
1191 Words
The cold steel of the gun glinted under the dim bulb of the workshop as Lucifer leveled it at the intruder. His voice was low but brimming with fury.
"What the f**k are you doing here, Nicklaus?"
The man standing across the room raised both hands with a lopsided grin. His eyes darted across the familiar interior of Lucifer’s hideout—the walls, the tools, the shadows.
"I wasn't expecting that," he said, smug. "Chill, Lucifer."
In a flash, Lucifer had crossed the room, grabbing Nicklaus by the collar and slamming him against the concrete wall. His grip coiled like a vice around Nicklaus’s throat, lifting him slightly off the floor. The sound of choking reverberated in the confined space.
"And when did we become so friendly that you get to call me by my first name, you betraying son of a b***h?" Lucifer snarled, eyes burning like coal under pressure.
Nicklaus clawed at Lucifer’s wrist, gasping.
"Please... Boss... let go..."
"Not until you tell me the actual goddamn reason why you're here." Lucifer snarled.
Nicklaus’s face was turning a shade of purple. He thrashed lightly, sputtering between gulps of air.
"I will... just let go... please!"
Lucifer held for a moment longer, then released. Nicklaus dropped to his knees, coughing violently, his lungs aching for air. He pressed trembling fingers to his throat, grimacing as he struggled to compose himself.
"You’ve got thirty seconds," Lucifer said coldly, stepping back but watching with the intensity of a wolf circling its prey.
Nicklaus wiped the sweat from his brow, still catching his breath. He looked up at Lucifer and gave a dry chuckle.
"Still as ruthless as ever," he rasped. "I thought... maybe time softened you. Guess I was wrong."
Lucifer’s glare sharpened.
"Twenty-five seconds now."
******************
(Fifteen Years Ago – Flashback)
Nicklaus was barely nineteen when he was selected among 120 recruits during the Supreme’s elite soldier program. It was a brutal process—merciless drills, psychological warfare, and a test of loyalty that stripped boys of their humanity.
Lucifer, the Supreme's shadow and most trusted enforcer, had been tasked to train the best. Deamon, his comrade, trained the rest.
Custom dictated that each elite soldier keep a protégé. Nicklaus, sharp, efficient, and hungry, had earned that spot. But Lucifer was never one for attachments. Cold. Calculating. Orders only.
Nicklaus idolized him nonetheless.
But survival trumps loyalty in the underworld. And when the Supreme marked Lucifer for execution after his betrayal, Nicklaus had chosen to live. He leaked Lucifer’s movements to Deamon, hoping to be spared.
The look Lucifer had given him that night—when their eyes met on his house, before Daemon sent him back to base—was unforgettable. Disgust. Disbelief. A look reserved for vermin.
That, did punch something in his gut.
******************
(Back to Present)
Nicklaus straightened, still rubbing his neck.
"The Supreme ordered the island stormed. His elite are en route—here to extract you. Alive or dead."
Lucifer froze. A chilling silence filled the room. The gears in his mind whirred violently.
"How did he find me?" His voice was low, commanding. "And how the hell do you know where I am?"
Nicklaus scoffed.
"You're not exactly invisible, boss. If I found you, so can he. The Supreme’s got eyes everywhere. Rats. Satellites. Ports. He smells fear and follows its trail."
Lucifer’s eyes narrowed. He stepped forward again, his tone deadly.
"No one knew I was here. With exception to one person. How the hell did you f*****g find me, you rat?"
He shoved Nicklaus against the wall again, though less violently.
"I didn’t do s**t!" Nicklaus barked. "It was you who messed up. You sent parcels back to Russia—with a baby’s photo inside! That kid’s face was passed around like currency! The Supreme got curious. Dug deeper. Deamon told him you escaped wounded—with a child. You exposed yourself."
Lucifer stepped back slowly, hands clenched into fists. His chest rose and fell in deep, deliberate breaths. His sanctuary was compromised. His family was in danger—again.
Nicklaus looked him in the eye.
"You have to leave this island, Lucifer. Take your family and disappear. You have 48 hours, max."
Lucifer stared, jaw clenched.
"Why the sudden concern, Nicklaus? What are you after this time?"
"Atonement." Nicklaus’s voice was sincere, almost gentle. "You saved me more times than I deserved. Let me repay the favor. Just once."
Lucifer laughed bitterly.
"Atonement? You nearly got my family killed. And now you want to be my savior?"
"At least I’m remorseful!" Nicklaus snapped. Then softened. "They sold me as a boy, boss. I was seven. My parents traded me to the Supreme to pay a debt. I was thrown into a world of blood and bullets. I did what I had to do to survive."
He turned toward the door.
Lucifer’s voice followed him.
"Nicklaus."
He stopped. Turned. Eyes wide.
"Wipe that look off your face. A soldier doesn’t soften in the middle of a war."
A faint smile tugged at Nicklaus’s lips.
"Thanks for the reminder, boss."
He hesitated again, wanting to speak. To tell Lucifer what he had learned—that the baby was found. But he wasn't sure if her whereabouts yet.
But Nicklaus couldn’t say it. Not now. Not with Lucifer’s fury simmering beneath the surface.
He turned to leave. Lucifer's voice called once more.
"Nicklaus."
He turned one last time.
"Thank you, mate." Lucifer’s eyes softened, just for a second. "I always knew you'd make a great soldier."
For Nicklaus, that was everything. A crack in the steel armor of the man he revered. Recognition at last.
As he reached the door, he turned, a final warning on his tongue.
"One last thing, boss. There’s a spy close to you. Feeding them intel. I don’t know who. But I heard Deamon say someone’s been reporting your every move for months now."
Lucifer's blood ran cold.
"A spy?"
"Yes. So keep your eyes peeled. Associates. Neighbors. Even..." he paused, eyes glinting, "...family."
Lucifer stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
"What are you insinuating, Nicklaus?"
"Nothing. Just saying... be careful. Anyone could be the enemy."
Nicklaus placed a hand on the doorknob.
"And one more favor—don’t tell anyone I came here. For both our sakes."
With a slam of the door, he was gone.
****************
Lucifer stood frozen for a heartbeat.
Then, like muscle memory kicking in, he moved.
He stepped toward the wall near the back of the workshop and pressed what looked like a small rusted nail embedded in the wood. The panel hissed open, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside, lined with foam and covered in dust, was a black briefcase.
He pulled it out the content.
Just then—
"Daddy?"
Lucifer spun around.
Elysa stood by the door, her little fingers clutching the edge, her brown eyes curious.
"Is that a real gun?"
Lucifer’s face softened.
"Go back inside, sweetheart. Daddy’s just fixing something."
But behind his calm voice, dread was already settling in.
Because now, the war he tried so hard to escape was at his doorstep again.
Nemesis can be a b***h sometimes...
- Writer
