Carl felt disoriented as he groaned, his head throbbing with a dull ache. He opened his eyes, but was t only with a void of darkness. There were no lights, no identifiable features to indicate where he was.
He attempted to move, but his body refused to cooperate. His hands and feet were bound tightly behind him, and no matter how much he struggled, the restraints held firm. Desperately, he tried to employ so techniques he had learned for situations like this, but a sudden jolt of electricity surged through him, tearing a scream from his throat.
"AHHHH!"
After a mont, the pain subsided, leaving him panting heavily. He tried again, but each attempt was t with the sa excruciating shock. Finally, he conceded defeat, forcing himself to think rationally about his predicant.
'I have no idea where I am or what kind of place they've imprisoned in, but it's undoubtedly secure. Even if I scread at the top of my lungs, I doubt anyone would hear .'
'It was Adam who captured , so it's probably that kid behind this. Damn it! The timing couldn't have been worse. If it had been just a few minutes later, we would've been in a position to get in Evernight Kingdom with ease. But Adam just had to interfere—that damned assassin. If only Carly and I…'
His heart raced as he scanned the darkness, desperate to find any sign of her. But there was nothing—only the oppressive blackness. Frustrated and frightened, he called out, his voice trembling with fear.
"CARLYYYY… CARLY, CARLYYY, WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU HERE?
WHERE HAVE YOU PUT HER, YOU BASTARDS!"
Carl's anxiety deepened as he imagined the worst. The thought of sothing happening to Carly, while he remained powerless, was terrifying.
"Car- Carl…" a faint, quivering voice called out.
Carl imdiately turned to his right, straining to pinpoint the source of the voice. "Carly, are you there?" he asked, his voice tinged with desperation.
"Ye- Yeah, I'm here… b- But I can't see anything."
"Neither can I. Are you okay?" Carl asked, his concern evident.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Carly hesitated, the mory of the car crash flashing through her mind. Fearfully, she asked, "How about you? You were hit pretty badly."
"Yeah, I was." Carl winced as he tried to assess his injuries, feeling the sharp pain of bruises across his body. "But I'll survive."
"Can you tell what happened after I lost consciousness?" Carl asked, eager to piece together the events.
Carly took a deep breath, trying to recall the details. "I rushed to check on you right after the crash, but you were already unconscious." She hesitated, unsure how to explain what ca next.
"And… what happened after that?" Carl pressed.
"After that… I begged him to let us go, but the guy was rciless. He knocked out cold," she lied, her voice steady enough to convince Carl.
Unfortunately for her, the others were not so easily deceived.
"Well, that was a pathetic lie," a voice remarked, sending a shiver down their spines. The voice was eerily familiar.
Carl and Carly strained their eyes, trying to see who had spoken. After a tense mont, they realized it was none other than Adam. Carl's anger surged instantly, while Carly felt a wave of dread wash over her at being caught in her lie.
"Stop hiding in the shadows if you've got any real courage!" Carl shouted, his voice filled with fury.
"Well, if you insist," Adam replied, and suddenly a blinding light flooded the room. The brightness was overwhelming, forcing them to squeeze their eyes shut.
After a few monts, as their eyes adjusted, they cautiously opened them and took in their surroundings. They were now confined in two specially designed chairs, clearly constructed to restrain soone with imnse strength. The room they were in was entirely different from where they had been before.
It was vast and sterile, with white walls, white lights, and a floor that emitted a cold, white glow.
Carl's eyes darted around the room, confirming his worst fears. This was a place where escape would be virtually impossible, and even if they scread, no one outside would hear them.
Slowly, he looked down and noticed two figures at the far end of the room—Adam and Delmar. But when he looked directly in front of him, his breath caught in his throat.
Seated in a steel chair, staring at him with an unreadable expression, was William.
The sight of William filled Carl with dread. He realized, with sickening clarity, just how badly he had ssed up. He couldn't help but whisper, "Kid…" Though barely audible, the room's acoustics ensured that everyone heard it.
Carly, too, was struck by the sight of the young man sitting so close to Carl. She had no idea who this kid was, nor why Carl seed so terrified of him. And she certainly couldn't understand why Carl, who had always been so fearless, was trembling like this.
She understood why the n at the far end of the room were intimidating; one was overtly dangerous, and the other possessed an imposing, muscular physique. But her curiosity got the better of her, and she asked, "Who is this, Carl?"
Her question was t with silence as William spoke. "So, no more 'Boss' then, Carl?"
Carl shifted uncomfortably, while Carly looked at the kid in disbelief. "This is your boss?" she asked, incredulously.
Carl nodded reluctantly, and Carly continued, "But… he's just a kid…"
The mont she said that, Carl winced, while Delmar and Adam exchanged knowing smiles from across the room.
"Is it really that shocking?" William asked, his voice calm but tinged with sothing sinister. Carly felt a wave of unease, not because he appeared angry, but because of the unsettling smile on his face—a smile she had seen before, worn by people who were far more dangerous than they let on.
"N-no… I didn't an to—" she stamred, but William cut her off.
"Carly Sneque," he began, and Carly froze, her heart pounding. "Born and raised in the Samara Kingdom, Senhog City. Your father was a firefighter, and your mother was a teacher."
"H-how do you know that?" Carly asked, her voice barely above a whisper. But William wasn't finished.
"Both are now dead, killed in a feud between rival gangs, a feud that you started." Carly recoiled, the painful truth hitting her like a sledgehamr.
"You played a harmless prank on so gang mbers, but the situation spiraled out of control. When the gang mbers realized it was you, they ca for you. And when they couldn't find you, they went after your parents instead. They shot them both in the head, right where they worked." Carly began to tremble as the horrific mories ca rushing back. Adam, seeing her distress, interjected, "Stop it!
Can't you see you're hurting her?"
"Do I look like I care?" William replied coldly, before continuing.
"When you saw the blood and your mother's lifeless body, you ran to the police. But, to your dismay, they were already in the gang's pocket."
"So, instead of helping you, they delivered you straight to the gang."
"Please, stop! You're hurting her—"
BANG!
Carly snapped out of her panicked state, turning to see a gaping hole in Carl's stomach.
William sat there, a gun in his hand, his expression deadly serious. "Next ti you interrupt … I go for the balls."
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