End game (1)

Chapter 46

The city was always alive, but tonight, it felt different. The usual hum of life was replaced with an uneasy silence, as if the whole world was holding its breath before the storm. Elias sat in his dimly lit office, the soft glow from the desk lamp casting long shadows across the room. His fingers drummed nervously on the desk as he stared at the map in front of him, the lines of red ink forming a twisted path of destruction—Vale's influence stretching far and wide.

Elias had seen it all—the blood, the broken bodies, the betrayal—but this felt like the final act. This was no longer just about taking down Vale. This was personal.

"We're going in tonight, aren't we?" Collins' voice broke the silence, low and steady. He stood by the door, arms folded, watching Elias with an unreadable expression.

Elias met his gaze. "It's the only way to end this."

Collins nodded. His features softened just a fraction. "I knew you'd say that."

The plan had been set in motion for weeks. Tonight, they were going to infiltrate Vale's last known stronghold—the heart of his empire. The enemy had grown paranoid, but so had Elias. He knew better than to trust anything that seemed too easy. And tonight, nothing felt easy.

---

The wind was sharp against their skin as they moved through the back alleys, the smell of wet pavement clinging to the air. They were in position, their steps calculated, each breath shallow as they approached the building. The familiar weight of the gun against Elias' side felt almost reassuring.

"Keep your head down," Elias muttered, glancing over at Collins, who was already scanning their surroundings, his eyes sharp as a hawk's.

"I always do," Collins replied, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. But even his usual bravado couldn't mask the tension in the air.

They made their way inside. The walls were cold, the silence deafening. Each footstep seemed to echo, a reminder of how alone they were in this war.

Suddenly, the air exploded with sound—a series of deafening cracks that shook the building to its core. A bomb went off somewhere nearby, and the entire structure trembled. The lights flickered before plunging them into complete darkness.

Elias reacted instinctively, pulling Collins behind a pillar as the gunfire started. Bullets ricocheted off the walls, the metallic pinging filling the air. The world was chaos now.

"Stay low!" Elias shouted over the noise, but the words barely reached Collins over the deafening roar of gunfire.

They moved through the wreckage of the building, every step a gamble. They'd expected resistance, but not like this. This wasn't a simple gang operation; it was military-grade. Tactical. They were being hunted.

Collins was the first to take action, leaping from behind cover to take down an enemy soldier with a quick, brutal strike. Elias followed suit, his movements swift and precise, picking off enemies one by one. But then—just as they thought they'd gained the upper hand—a sniper's bullet ripped through the air, grazing Collins' side.

"No!" Elias shouted, rushing to his side. Collins staggered, clutching his side, but managed to stay on his feet. His face twisted in pain, but his eyes never lost their sharpness.

"We need to move," Collins gritted out, but before he could take another step, another shot rang out, this time hitting the pillar next to them, sending debris raining down.

"Get to cover!" Elias barked. They dove in different directions, the world breaking into fragmented pieces as the sound of gunfire swallowed everything else.

Elias could barely process the chaos around him, his body moving on autopilot. The adrenaline was a drug, pushing him to the brink of his limits. But it wasn't enough to prepare him for what came next.

Out of the shadows, Vale himself appeared, a smug grin on his face. "You really thought it would be this easy?" Vale's voice was smooth, mocking. He raised a gun to Collins' head. "You'll be the first to fall."

Elias froze, his heart pounding in his chest. Time seemed to slow, each second stretching like an eternity. His mind raced, scrambling for a plan, a way out. But there was no escape. Not yet.

"You're not going to get away with this," Elias said, his voice low, dangerous.

Vale chuckled. "I already have."

Elias' pulse thundered in his ears. This was the moment that would define everything—the moment he could either fail or win. His decisions, all the choices he'd made, led him here. And now, he had to make the hardest decision of his life.

Suddenly, Elias moved, swift as a shadow. He lunged, using the element of surprise to disarm Vale, sending the gun flying across the room. The two men struggled, the sound of flesh against bone filling the space. Vale was stronger, but Elias had the advantage of desperation.

In a split-second, Elias grabbed a broken shard of glass from the floor and pressed it against Vale's throat. The world held its breath. But before he could deliver the final blow, a gunshot rang out—this time from behind Elias.

The bullet missed, but just barely. Elias spun around, heart racing. A third party? A double-cross?

"No!" Collins shouted, stumbling forward, clutching his side where the bullet had torn through him.

Elias turned back to Vale. The man was gone. Disappeared into the shadows with a laugh that echoed in the dark.

---

Collins collapsed onto the cold floor, his body shaking with pain. Blood poured from his side, but his eyes remained sharp, never losing that determined edge.

"Don't," Elias said, his voice strained. He dropped to his knees beside Collins, trying to stem the bleeding. "Stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere," Collins muttered, a wry smile crossing his face despite the blood staining his shirt. "Just... finish what we started."

Elias' hands trembled as he pressed down harder on the wound, but it wasn't enough. Collins' breathing grew shallow, his face pale.

The silence between them felt heavy, charged with unspoken words. The chaos of the battle had ended, but the war was far from over.

Elias stood, his gaze lingering on Collins. He didn't say anything, didn't need to. He just nodded, as if to reassure himself that they would finish what they started. No matter the cost.

And as they made their way out of the building, the quiet aftermath settled over them like a dark cloud

Will Elias be able to save Collins in time? Or will this be the breaking point that shatters everything he's worked for?