First Kill

The bald-headed bodyguard in black, his face dark with rage, barked out, "Stop him, you motherfuckers!" His voice cut through the chaos, snapping the other guards back to reality.

For a moment, the guards froze, stunned by the chaos unraveling before them. Then, as if jolted back to reality, one of the men in black closest to Lucian sprang into action. "Hey, you! Stop right there!" he barked, charging toward Lucian.

Lucian didn't flinch. The hammer in his hand -a weapon he neither planned for nor knew where it came from-felt right. He had no time to question its origin.

The guard's confidence bordered on arrogance. A trained professional, he prided himself on his discipline and strength. A second-generation reject? An 18-year-old kid with a hammer? The thought alone burned his pride.Defeat him? No, I'd deserve death for failing to someone like this.