329. Hidden Pawn (2)

It didn't take long for me to dispose of the ten men who had come hunting for the lone girl from my town. Their bodies lay sprawled across the ground, limbs twisted at unnatural angles, their faces frozen in expressions of pain and shock. Blood splattered the walls and seeped into the dirt, the scent of iron thick in the air.

In the farthest corner of the dimly lit alley, the girl huddled, trembling, her arms wrapped around herself as if she could disappear into the shadows. Her ragged breaths came in short gasps, her wide, fear-stricken eyes darting between me and the carnage I had left in my wake.

"Please come out here, Miss," I said, keeping my voice even, though my presence alone made her flinch. She recoiled as if expecting a strike, pressing herself further against the wall.