⚫ Chapter 8: The Devil You Know
🕯️ Verdale City – Rooftop – 2:11 AM
The wind howled like a beast hungry for blood. Rain lashed against steel and concrete, drowning the city's neon glow beneath waves of shadow. On the rooftop of a crumbling skyscraper, Liana crouched—silent, invisible—watching, waiting.
Her target was inside. Another piece on the Syndicate's chessboard. Another name on her list.
But tonight… wasn't going as planned.
Because Specter… was close. Too close.
A sharp ping echoed in her earpiece. Daniel's voice, tense:
— "Liana… pull back. I repeat, pull back. You've been compromised."
She pressed her lips together.
— "No. Not yet. I'm finishing this."
— "Liana, listen to me. He's there. I intercepted a signal—Specter is inbound. You need to MOVE."
Her eyes narrowed. In the building's reflection, something shifted. A shadow detached from the darkness. No sound. No presence. Only a glimpse—a skull mask under a hood.
Her pulse spiked.
"He's here."
---
💀 Inside – Level 47 – Syndicate Safehouse
Gunmen paced, clueless that death already walked among them. One by one, they dropped. No screams. No shots. Just bodies falling, throats cut, necks snapped, bullets cleanly placed between brows.
Specter was a phantom. A machine of precision. No hesitation. No remorse.
His comm crackled:
— "Target: Morgan, Liana. Priority: Eliminate."
His cold gaze shifted toward the rooftop.
— "Target located."
---
🔥 The Rooftop Showdown
A sharp click echoed behind her. Liana spun, gun raised. Too slow. A throwing knife hissed past, slicing her shoulder. Blood bloomed instantly.
She rolled, fired—three shots. All missed. He wasn't there anymore.
A whisper behind her ear:
— "You're predictable."
She ducked instinctively as a blade swung toward her neck. Sparks flew as metal met concrete. She kicked back—hit something solid—but it barely staggered him.
"Face me, coward!" she snarled.
A distorted chuckle.
— "You won't like what you see."
The rain blurred her vision. She caught flashes—a skull mask, the glint of a combat knife, boots moving like ghosts.
Then—he was gone again.
Her instincts screamed. She spun—too late. An elbow smashed into her ribs, knocking the air from her lungs. Another blow sent her crashing into a ventilation unit.
Her vision swam. Pain roared. But rage was louder.
"Get. Up." her mind screamed.
Her fingers closed around a flashbang. She pulled the pin, hurled it— BOOM! Light exploded.
Specter staggered, just for a second—enough.
She lunged. Her knee smashed into his side, her elbow drove into his mask, cracking part of it. He stumbled back—first time she'd seen him falter.
His hand reached up, touched the crack on his mask. Then slowly… he removed it.
Her world froze.
Her gun slipped. Her heart stopped.
"No..."
The face beneath wasn't a stranger. It wasn't a monster. It wasn't a ghost.
It was him.
A voice she hadn't heard in years. Low. Broken.
— "Hello, Liana..."
Her voice trembled.
— "...Ethan?"
Her brother. The brother she thought was dead.
---
⚠️ Silence. Shock. Betrayal.
Daniel's voice screamed in her earpiece.
— "Liana! What's happening? Talk to me!"
But her lips couldn't form words. Her mind shattered between past and present. Memories flooded back—childhood laughter, promises made under starlight, then… fire. Screams. Graves.
Ethan stepped forward, mask dangling from his hand. His eyes… weren't the boy she remembered. They were empty. Hollow. Programmed to kill.
— "I told them to keep you out of this. I begged them."
Her fists trembled.
— "You... you're with them?"
His gaze darkened.
— "I'm their weapon, Liana. I don't get to choose."
Tears threatened to fall, but fury burned hotter.
— "Then I'll break the machine that turned you into this."
He sighed… almost sad.
— "I hope you can. But tonight..." His eyes locked onto hers. "...I still have a job to do."
---
💣 Explosion – Chaos Erupts
Suddenly, the building beneath them detonated—windows shattered, flames roared upward. Both were thrown back.
Daniel's voice roared over comms.
— "RUN, Liana! I've triggered the failsafe. MOVE!"
Ethan rose first, wiping blood from his mouth.
— "This isn't over."
He vanished into the smoke, leaving Liana gasping, bleeding, but alive.
Not for long... if she didn't move.
She sprinted toward the fire escape, heart pounding, mind torn between grief... and vengeance.
---
✔️ End of Chapter 8
🩸 Next Chapter Preview:
Liana reels from the truth—her own brother is Specter. But the Zero Syndicate isn't done yet. A new target emerges. A trap is set. And an ally from the shadows offers help… for a price.