Tragedy unfolds

Anna's vision was blurry as she groggily opened her eyes. A dull ache throbbed at the back of her head, and her limbs felt heavy, like they had been weighed down with chains. The air was thick with the scent of rust and damp wood.

Where… am I?

She tried to move, but her wrists and ankles were bound tightly. The cold, rough surface beneath her suggested she was on a concrete floor. It didn't take long for her mind to catch up—she had been kidnapped.

A groan echoed near her.

Daniel.

She turned her head just in time to see him stirring. He looked just as disoriented as she felt, his movements sluggish from whatever drug they had been given.

Before she could speak, footsteps approached.

Anna's heart pounded as a group of men stepped into view. They were tall, broad, and covered in dark clothing. One of them, the apparent leader, had thick, intertwining leaf-pattern tattoos crawling from his neck to his face. His grin sent a chill down her spine.

"Look who's awake," he taunted, his voice dripping with amusement. "The little princess of the company."

Anna swallowed hard. "Please… if it's money you want, I can arrange for it. I won't involve the police. Just let us go."

The men exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

"Money?" the tattooed man mocked. "Sweetheart, if this were about money, you wouldn't be here."

Anna's breath hitched. She glanced at Daniel, who was still struggling to regain full consciousness. He couldn't help her.

The leader took a step forward, crouching in front of her. He reached out and ran a rough finger down her cheek. Anna flinched.

"She's quite a beauty, isn't she?" he said, turning to the others. "It'd be a waste to just end her."

A chorus of dark chuckles filled the room.

Panic surged through Anna's veins as the man grabbed her arm and dragged her across the floor. Her dress bunched up as she landed roughly on her knees in the middle of the room.

"Let's have some fun before we get down to business," the leader sneered.

"NO!" Anna screamed, thrashing against his grip.

She kicked, struggled, but the men were too strong. They pinned her down easily, her wrists trapped beneath their merciless hands. Tears streamed down her face as the leader leaned closer, his breath hot against her skin.

Daniel stirred at the sound of her cries. His head snapped up, his eyes widening in horror.

"Anna—!" he rasped, his voice hoarse. He tried to move, but his body was still sluggish from the drug. He was completely powerless.

Anna sobbed, shaking her head violently. "Please! Stop—don't do this!"

The leader simply chuckled. "You know what's about to happen, don't you? I advise you not to resist. It'll be easier that way."

He gripped her dress, tearing the fabric with a single motion.

Anna screamed.

She fought with everything she had, her nails scratching, her legs kicking, but every attempt was met with brutal force. Her arms ached from being restrained, her body pinned beneath them.

The room was filled with the sound of cruel laughter, of her broken sobs, of Daniel's enraged, helpless screams.

And then—

A sharp, searing pain erupted in her stomach.

She gasped, eyes widening in shock.

One of the men had stabbed her.

The knife twisted cruelly before being pulled out, and she felt warm blood spill down her abdomen. Her body trembled as the pain consumed her.

"ANNA!" Daniel's agonized roar filled the warehouse, but it was too late.

She barely had the strength to scream anymore.

Her body slumped forward, her vision fading as the men continued their assault. Sticks, knives, fists—everything was a blur of pain and darkness.

And then, nothing . 

The moment the men left, Daniel used the last of his strength to crawl toward Anna. His hands trembled as he reached for her, his fingers pressing against her blood-soaked dress.

"Anna… stay with me," he choked out, his vision blurred by tears. "Please… don't leave me."

Her body was barely moving, her breath shallow and uneven. Blood pooled beneath her, staining the cold concrete floor. Daniel's entire world was collapsing. He couldn't lose her. Not like this.

With shaking hands, he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed for an ambulance. His voice was hoarse, desperate, as he gave their location. Time felt frozen, every second stretching endlessly as he held onto her, whispering reassurances he wasn't even sure she could hear.

The sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder until the warehouse doors were flung open. Paramedics rushed in, their faces tight with urgency as they assessed Anna's condition.

"She's lost too much blood," one of them said, checking her vitals. "We need to move, NOW!"

Daniel stumbled as he tried to follow, his body still weak from the drugs. He watched as they lifted Anna onto a stretcher, pressing gauze against her wounds, working frantically to keep her alive.

He rode in the ambulance with her, gripping her cold hand the entire way, whispering prayers, begging her to hold on.

"You promised to be with me, Anna. You can't leave me like this."

But her fingers remained limp in his grasp.

The emergency doors burst open as they wheeled Anna into surgery. Daniel was forced to stay behind, his hands coated in her blood, his mind numb with fear. Minutes turned into hours as he sat in the waiting room, staring blankly at the floor, replaying the horror of what had happened.

Then, the doors opened, and a doctor stepped out, his expression grim.

Daniel stood up immediately, his breath caught in his throat.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said softly. "We did everything we could, but… she didn't make it."

The words didn't register at first.

Daniel shook his head, stumbling back as if physically struck. "No… no, she—she was breathing. She—"

The doctor lowered his gaze. "She lost too much blood. Her injuries were too severe."

Daniel's knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the chair, his body shaking violently. A guttural sob tore f

rom his throat, raw and filled with unimaginable grief.

Anna was gone.