Vengeful

The group moved in silence, their steps heavy with tension as they approached the elevator section. The dim, flickering lights cast long shadows across the marbled floor. A single brass-plated elevator stood before them, its design a relic of the era—ornate metal grates, polished wooden paneling, and a row of worn brass buttons with embossed lettering.

A small analog dial above the doors indicated the floors—B for basement, L for the current level, and T for the top floor.

Kairi eyed the elevator, rolling her shoulders. "We're heading up."

Aiko ran her fingers along the panel, her knife still gripped tightly in her other hand. "Old-school as hell… This thing better not stall."

Jin let out a dry chuckle, placing a firm hand on Celeste's back to guide her in. "If it does, I'll pry the damn doors open myself."

Kasumi hesitated for a moment before stepping inside. Her eyes, still faintly red, reflected in the polished brass interior. She clenched her fists as Rin entered last, standing slightly apart from the others, her usual smirk absent.

With a dull ding, the elevator doors slid shut, the metal grate clanking into place. The scent of aged wood and faint cigarette smoke lingered in the enclosed space, remnants of a time when power and wealth filled this very building.

Kairi pressed the T button, and with a groaning hum, the elevator lurched upward.

The dim yellow bulbs flickered slightly as the cables groaned against the weight. The rhythmic clunk-clunk-clunk of the mechanisms overhead created an eerie soundtrack to their ascent.

Kasumi finally broke the silence, her voice hollow yet steeled. "How many do you think are waiting for us up there?"

Jin exhaled through his nose. "Enough to make this one hell of a night."

Aiko leaned against the wooden paneling, her grip tightening on her blade. "Doesn't matter. We've come too far to stop now."

Celeste nodded weakly, still regaining her strength. "Kayd won't run. He'll be waiting."

Rin, silent for most of the trip, suddenly let out a dark chuckle. "Good. I like it when they don't run."

The group exchanged glances, the weight of what lay ahead pressing down on them.

As the elevator neared its destination, the overhead dial ticked closer to T. The groaning of the cables grew louder.

Then—

DING.

The doors slowly creaked open, revealing the top floor.

Dim lighting. Ornate carpeting. The unmistakable tension of a final confrontation waiting just ahead.

Kairi took the first step out, her voice cold and unwavering.

"Let's finish this."

As the elevator doors creaked open, the group was met with a long, dimly lit hallway. The air was thick, suffocating with tension. The floor was lined with an expensive red carpet, woven with intricate gold designs. The walls, dark mahogany, stretched towards a single door at the very end—large, elegant, and untouched by time.

Kairi took the first step forward, her boots pressing into the plush carpet. "So this is it, huh?"

Aiko twirled her knife between her fingers, scanning the hallway with narrowed eyes. "Feels too quiet. Too clean."

Jin scoffed, cracking his knuckles. "Kayd's got something waiting for us. No way in hell he just left the door wide open for a friendly chat."

Celeste, still catching her breath, kept her back against the wall, her gaze fixed on the door ahead. "He's expecting us."

Kasumi, her voice laced with an undercurrent of barely restrained rage, muttered, "Then let's not keep the bastard waiting."

Rin exhaled slowly, a small smirk creeping onto her face. "Long hallway, one door at the end… if I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a damn invitation."

The distant hum of an old chandelier filled the silence.

The group advanced cautiously. Each step felt like a countdown, the space between them and the door shrinking, thick with the weight of the inevitable.

Then—

Click.

A single overhead light went out.

Aiko's grip on her knife tightened. "Tch—figured."

Another light went out.

Then another.

The hallway darkened in sections, the shadows creeping toward them like unseen hands reaching from the abyss.

Jin exhaled sharply. "Yeah, this ain't good."

Rin cracked her neck, rolling her shoulders. "It's never good."

Kairi stopped just short of the door, her fingers twitching toward her weapon. Her voice was low, dangerous.

"Let's see what the bastard has planned."

With a slow, deliberate motion—she reached for the handle.

The door creaked open, but instead of Kayd—a mountain of a man stepped out.

He was massive—easily 6'6", broad shoulders stretching the seams of his custom-tailored black suit. His scarred knuckles flexed, veins bulging as he cracked his thick neck from side to side. Cold, predatory eyes swept the hallway before landing on the most unfortunate sight possible.

A rookie officer—nervous, sweat dripping down his brow—was pathetically pressed against the wall, believing his lack of movement made him invisible. He was young, barely 22, with an unsteady grip on his pistol.

The brute—known as Shouma "The Executioner" Jindai—exhaled through his nose. His deep, gravelly voice rumbled through the corridor like distant thunder.

"You're joking."

Kairi, Kasumi, Rin, Jin, Aiko, and Celeste all slowly turned their heads in unison, watching the train wreck unfold.

The rookie—Takeshi Ueno—realized he'd been spotted, eyes darting left and right, panic setting in. "S-Shit!" He fumbled with his gun, trying to aim, but—

BAM.

Shouma moved faster than anyone expected. His thick hand gripped Takeshi's entire face, lifting him clean off the ground like he weighed nothing. The rookie's muffled screams barely made it past the brute's fingers.

Jin whistled low. "Damn. That's embarrassing."

Aiko crossed her arms, tilting her head. "They really sent a kid up here?"

Kasumi muttered, still red-eyed from grief, "He's already dead."

Rin sighed, shaking her head. "Man's about to get turned into a stain on the wall."

Takeshi kicked wildly, clawing at Shouma's iron grip, but the brute didn't even budge. Instead, he tilted his head at Kairi's crew and chuckled—a deep, unsettling sound.

"So… you're the ones causing all this trouble." His grip tightened, and Takeshi's muffled screams turned into choked gurgles.

Kairi's fingers flexed near her weapon. "Put the dumbass down. This has nothing to do with him."

Shouma's grin widened. "You want him? Come take him."

And then—with zero hesitation—he threw Takeshi straight at them like a human projectile.

"Shit—!"

Jin reacted first, pivoting forward and catching the rookie mid-air, but the impact still forced him back. The second Takeshi hit the ground, he was out cold.

Shouma rolled his shoulders, cracking his knuckles.

"Alright, then." His voice was calm, collected… deadly. "Let's dance."

And just like that—the fight was on.