True Colors Part 2

The weight of Rose's words pressed down on everyone.

A few people stepped back, eyes darting between Rose and the lifeless body.

Then, a sharp inhale cut through the air.

"You think we'll just let you take everything?!" a woman shouted, her voice shaking with rage.

The tension broke.

Screams filled the air as the others turned to attack Rose, grabbing whatever weapons they could find.

But she moved faster.

Someone came at her with a pen—she ducked, twisted, and drove her pen straight into their throat. 

A wet gasp, a gurgle, then they dropped. Another charged. She spun, yanked the pen free, and plunged it into the next woman's neck. Warm blood splattered her hands, but she didn't stop.

It didn't help that her opponents were starving and exhausted. Their swings were sloppy and sluggish. 

She took full advantage of it. 

One after another, they fell. She weaved between them, striking with precision, her movements lethal.

Someone tried to grab her from behind—she twisted free, jammed the pen under their chin, and shoved them aside before leaping to the next target.

Rose was something else. She wasn't just surviving—she was hunting.

Zayn stood frozen, his grip tightening around the metal pole. His heart pounded, but he couldn't bring himself to join this fight. 

At the same time, doubt crept in.

Could he even beat her? 

He had always thought himself strong but watching her now made him question everything. There was no way she was just a nurse.

Not with reflexes like that. Not with the way she killed without hesitation.

'Who the hell was she?'

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

More bodies hit the floor.

Zayn barely registered the massacre until he looked around. Only five of them were left—him, Mika, Hannah, Maya… and Rose.

The three girls clung to him, their breaths coming in quick, panicked gasps.

Mika's fingers dug into his arm. Hannah was shaking. Maya wouldn't take her eyes off Rose, as if looking away might get her killed.

Rose just stood there, chest rising and falling, blood dripping from the pen in her hand.

No one spoke. No one dared to.

Mika swallowed hard. "She's… she's done, right?" Her voice wavered, barely above a whisper.

Zayn didn't answer. He wasn't sure if she was finished—or if they were next.

But his body moved on instinct. He raised the metal pole, gripping it tight, his stance shifting into defensive mode. 

His voice came out steady, but his pulse pounded in his ears. "Are you going to kill us?"

Rose didn't answer right away. For a moment, she just stood there.

"Zayn, you really disappoint me."

She exhaled sharply, her lips pressing into a thin line. She shook her head, slowly, like a teacher tired of a failing student. Her fingers tightened around the bloodied pen before loosening again, as if even that effort wasn't worth it.

"What the hell are you talking about?" His voice came out harsher than he intended, laced with confusion. 

"It was really simple," Rose said, her tone flat, almost bored. "Kill them. Pass the test."

Her eyes flicked to the bodies on the floor before settling back on him. A smirk tugged at her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. "But you still can't do it, can you?"

"Fuck you!" Zayn snapped. His breath came hard and fast. It was obvious now—she was part of this from the start. The kidnapping, the killing, all of it.

His stomach churned. "You set this up, didn't you?" 

"I did," Rose admitted without hesitation. "But it was to save you."

She let out a heavy sigh, almost regretful. "Now, you'll have to suffer the same fate as your parents. No... even worse."

Before Zayn could react, a loud metallic groan filled the air. The container doors burst open, flooding the room with blinding light.

He instinctively raised an arm to shield his eyes. 

Shadows moved against the blinding light. Then came the sound—boots slamming against metal, the sharp click of safeties being switched off.

Zayn barely had time to react before armed men flooded in, rifles raised.

"Knell on the ground!" one of them barked.

Mika gasped and shrank back. Hannah grabbed Maya's arm, both of them too scared to move.

There were too many of them. One wrong move, and they'd be dead before they could even think.

They had no choice but to obey. Slowly, they lowered themselves. 

One of the armed men stepped forward. Zayn noticed it then—the hesitation, the way their fingers hovered near the triggers.

Why were they so wary? He and the others were unarmed, defenseless.

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to ask.

Without warning, something hard slammed into the side of his head.

A sharp burst of pain shot through his skull as the rifle's butt cracked against him. His vision blurred, the room tilting sideways.

Slowly, everything faded into darkness. Rose's face flickered in and out of sight as he forced himself to open his eyes. She looked lonely, her eyes glassy, almost on the verge of tears.

'Why the hell are you crying... you did all of this.... ' His last thought barely formed before he completely lost consciousness.