The second victim
1210 Words
The gunshot echoed through the grand ballroom like thunder trapped within stone walls.
For a brief moment, Evelyn couldn’t hear anything except the frantic pounding of her own heart.
A burning pain spread across her left shoulder.
She stumbled backward, her legs giving way beneath her as she crashed onto the polished wooden floor. Warm blood seeped through her fingers as she instinctively clutched the wound.
The masked figure remained motionless.
The pistol was still pointed directly at her.
Smoke curled lazily from the barrel.
“Evelyn!”
Adrian’s voice cut through the haze.
He rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside her. His hands were surprisingly steady as he pressed his jacket against her shoulder.
“Keep pressure on it,” he ordered.
“I… I can’t…”
“You can.”
His gray eyes locked onto hers.
“You’re not dying tonight.”
The certainty in his voice caught her off guard.
Not I won’t let you die.
Not You’ll be okay.
He had said, “You’re not dying tonight.”
As though he already knew what would happen.
As though tonight had happened before.
Evelyn stared at him.
“What do you know?”
Before Adrian could answer, another shot rang out.
The bullet shattered a crystal chandelier above them.
Glass rained from the ceiling.
Adrian grabbed Evelyn’s wrist.
“Run!”
He practically dragged her across the ballroom as shards crashed onto the floor behind them.
The masked gunman didn’t chase immediately.
Instead, they watched.
Almost… patiently.
As though they wanted Adrian to escape with her.
⸻
The two burst into the hallway.
Adrian led her through a maze of dimly lit corridors with the confidence of someone who knew every inch of Ashcroft Hall.
“You’ve been here before,” Evelyn gasped.
“Many times.”
“Why?”
“No time.”
He pulled open an old maintenance door hidden behind a tapestry.
A narrow staircase spiraled downward beneath the building.
Cold air rushed upward.
“This way.”
Evelyn hesitated.
“How do I know I can trust you?”
Adrian stopped halfway down the stairs.
His expression hardened.
“You don’t.”
“And honestly…”
“If I wanted you dead…”
“I’ve had more than enough opportunities.”
He disappeared into the darkness.
Evelyn swallowed hard before following.
⸻
The staircase led into a forgotten network of underground tunnels.
The walls were built from rough gray stone, damp with age.
Rusted lanterns hung at regular intervals.
Some still burned.
“This place…” Evelyn whispered.
“It isn’t on the campus map.”
“It isn’t supposed to be.”
Adrian continued walking.
“Blackwood wasn’t built as a university.”
“What?”
“It was originally an estate.”
“Later it became something else.”
“And eventually…”
“A prison.”
Evelyn looked at him in disbelief.
“A prison?”
“For people who knew too much.”
The words settled heavily between them.
⸻
After several minutes, they reached a circular chamber.
Ancient symbols covered the walls.
Seven stone chairs surrounded a black marble table.
Each chair bore the carving of a raven.
One chair had fresh blood splattered across it.
Another had deep claw marks.
The remaining five looked untouched.
Evelyn slowly turned in place.
“This is…”
“The Council Chamber.”
“The Seven meet here.”
“You’ve actually seen them?”
Adrian nodded once.
“They don’t reveal their faces.”
“They don’t need to.”
“Everyone obeys them.”
“Even professors.”
“Even politicians.”
He paused.
“Even the police.”
A chill ran down Evelyn’s spine.
“If they’re so powerful…”
“Why are they trying to kill me?”
Adrian didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he walked toward the center of the room.
“There are questions…”
“…whose answers get people killed.”
⸻
Evelyn’s gaze drifted toward the marble table.
Something had been carved into its surface.
Not words.
Names.
Seven names.
Six had been crossed out.
Only one remained untouched.
EVELYN CARTER
Her breath caught.
“No…”
“This can’t be.”
She reached out to touch the engraving.
The instant her fingers brushed the stone—
Images exploded inside her mind.
A woman screaming.
Fire consuming an old mansion.
Seven hooded figures chanting.
A little girl crying beside a lake.
Blood dripping onto ancient pages.
Then…
Her mother.
Standing inside this very chamber.
She looked directly at Evelyn.
“If you’re seeing this…”
“…it’s already too late.”
The vision vanished.
Evelyn staggered backward.
Adrian caught her before she fell.
“What happened?”
“My…”
She struggled to breathe.
“My mother…”
“She was here.”
His face went pale.
“That’s impossible.”
“How do you know?”
“Because your mother disappeared eighteen years ago.”
Evelyn stared at him.
“You knew my mother?”
Before he could respond—
Footsteps echoed through the tunnel.
More than one person.
Heavy boots.
Coming fast.
Adrian extinguished the nearest lantern.
“They found us.”
⸻
Within seconds, armed figures flooded into the chamber.
Black uniforms.
Silver raven emblems.
Masks hiding every face.
At least eight of them.
One stepped forward.
“Adrian Wolfe.”
“You have violated the First Rule.”
Another raised a rifle.
“Surrender the girl.”
Adrian slowly stood in front of Evelyn.
“No.”
The leader sighed.
“You disappoint us.”
“We expected loyalty.”
“You’ll have mine.”
Adrian replied calmly.
“When you stop murdering innocent people.”
The leader laughed.
“Innocent?”
“You still haven’t told her?”
Evelyn looked between them.
“Told me what?”
Silence.
The leader tilted their head.
“Interesting.”
“So she really doesn’t remember.”
“Remember what?”
Nobody answered.
⸻
Without warning, the lights went out.
Complete darkness swallowed the chamber.
A scream pierced the silence.
Gunfire erupted.
Someone shouted orders.
Footsteps thundered across the stone floor.
Evelyn couldn’t see anything.
Hands grabbed her arm.
She struggled instinctively.
“It’s me,” Adrian whispered.
“Stay close.”
Another scream echoed.
Then—
Silence.
The emergency lights flickered on.
The chamber looked completely different.
Bodies lay scattered across the floor.
Masked guards.
Motionless.
Blood pooled beneath them.
Every one of them was dead.
Evelyn’s breathing became shallow.
“What…”
She looked around frantically.
“Who did this?”
Adrian didn’t answer.
He was staring across the room.
Evelyn followed his gaze.
The leader of the masked guards had been pinned against the wall.
A ceremonial sword pierced straight through their chest.
Someone had written a message on the stone behind the body using fresh blood.
THE SECOND MURDER HAS BEGUN.
Below the words…
Another sentence.
One that made Evelyn’s heart stop.
YOU CAN’T SAVE THEM ALL.
A slow clap echoed from somewhere deeper within the tunnels.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
A familiar voice drifted through the darkness.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Evelyn.”
She knew that voice.
She had heard it years ago.
She whispered the name before she could stop herself.
“…Mom?”
- Writer
