Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Bloody Aftermath.
Daniel hadn’t gotten so far when he began hearing screams and the munching of flesh behind him. Terror engulfed him, forcing his legs to move faster.
Finally, staggering out to a wide road that led from a particular side of the maze, he spotted a car speeding toward him. He let out a strangled breath of relief.
Finally, some savior.
But the smile on his face died when the gliding glass of the car window lowered, revealing it was the crew themselves.
Adrian Valez was back, looking more menacing than ever with his crew.
When the car halted, the wolves seemed to vanish as though they had never been there. That alone gave Daniel a brief moment of relief.
"Come inside the car," Adrian ordered, his tone flat and deep, as if he had just swallowed something hollow.
Can’t he ever use a nice voice? Daniel thought bitterly. Pity the soul that would one day wind up married to such a jerk face.
"Where are you heading to? Can’t you see I’m coming from there? There must be a reason why I’m running for my life," Daniel fired back at the man who clearly didn’t care.
He wasn’t going back there just to die—not after narrowly escaping several life-threatening situations.
Adrian’s eyes locked on his, dead and unflinching, his irises dancing under the dim light, making him appear more foe than man, more enemy than human.
"You would rather remain here, a meal for the wolves? Isn’t that what you were running from?" Adrian deadpanned.
Daniel’s mouth shut immediately. He was concerned that Adrian might actually summon his wolves, and if that happened, he’d be gone within seconds—devoured to the brink.
Stretching forth his hand reluctantly, he opened the car door and slid inside, only to realize the interior was far bigger than he imagined. It could contain the entire crew, and still, there was space left for him. His presence, however, seemed to change the air immediately.
The twins sent him murderous glares the moment his eyes turned their way. Cassian, the overzealous blond, didn’t acknowledge him at all, while Titania sat covered in bruises and wounds.
At the edge of the window, almost beside him, sat the new guy—close to a girl Daniel had never seen before. That familiar face still gave him an uneasy inkling, as though he had seen him somewhere before, yet he couldn’t remember.
One thing they all had in common was terrible wounds. Blood gushed either from their faces or other parts of their bodies. Yet, as if they were machines, none of them complained. They all sat rigid, expressionless.
Not a single word was spoken, as though silence itself was a curse. Even Daniel became afraid of breathing too loudly, lest it be used against him.
Were their missions always like this? Or had something far worse happened this time? He didn’t know, but something in his gut told him it was the latter. Even Adrian seemed in a darker mood than usual, his eyes sharper and filled with rage.
So Daniel did the only thing he could—minded his own business. He wasn’t planning on being friends with any of them anyway. They could all fuck off.
"You said something about running from something. What happened?" Adrian’s voice cut through, more like an interrogation than a question.
Daniel’s heart skipped. Did Adrian expect him to say you were the cause? Why the interrogative tone? And how was he supposed to admit that his sister was killed—and by his own hand? Not to mention his brother, who had fallen from that height. His brain must have exploded on impact.
He didn’t feel guilt. Not even for a second. He had long learned that in this world, it was either hunt or be hunted.
"Terrorists attacked the base. It was bombed," Daniel said sharply, hitting the point without circling around.
The words made Adrian slam the brakes violently. The car screeched, shaking so hard that Daniel’s face slammed against the door, splitting his lip in the process.
"Yes, just as expected. Kill everyone here," Daniel muttered under his breath while wiping the blood dripping from the corner of his lips.
Adrian, being Adrian, didn’t apologize. He simply gripped the steering wheel, trembling with barely contained fury, and asked a question that made Daniel’s heart pound like a drum.
"I hope nothing happened to my sister."
At once, blood drained from Daniel’s face.
Oh shit. He was doomed.
"I don’t know. I really don’t have any idea. What I know is that we were attacked and I watched it happen. It was your sister, manhandled by six men."
The words slipped out like poison, freezing the car’s atmosphere instantly.
Adrian’s body shook. His hands clenched and unclenched on the steering wheel, trembling with suppressed rage.
"And you didn’t interfere? You didn’t save her?" Adrian yelled, his voice raw with fury.
Daniel stood frozen, guilt gnawing at him. He wouldn’t admit it, but he knew he was the cause of her death. Fear kept his mouth shut.
The others in the car remained silent. Jake, Adrian’s second-in-command, quietly took over the wheel and, with a quaked voice, asked Daniel a question that made his palms clammy.
"Can you identify their faces?" Jake’s tone wavered—news about Gianna had clearly unsettled him, though he was trying hard not to show it in front of Adrian.
Daniel knew what this meant.
He was going to be used to identify who had sent the terrorists. Which meant he’d be dragged into their war. Which meant death could come swiftly—either from the enemies or from the crew.
He wanted out. Out of this contract. Out of this mess. An immediate annulment. He couldn’t continue like this.
"I didn’t see their faces. They wore masks," Daniel lied, praying God would help him if any camera footage exposed him.
Jake simply nodded and pressed harder on the accelerator, the car jolting as it sped to its limits.
Gregor and Greta exchanged subtle signals, which Daniel noticed but dismissed as sibling communication. He turned his eyes away, only to find Alexander—the raven-haired new guy—still staring directly at him.
Alex tilted his head into his palm and smiled faintly.
"Smart of you, Daniel," Alex murmured, almost like a secret commendation, before turning away at last.
Cecilia, seated nearby, scoffed in disgust at Alexander’s expression. She hated homosexuals with a passion, but she wasn’t foolish enough to voice it. Alexander had already proven his prowess in battle—without him, they would have all perished. So she zipped her lips and gloated inwardly.
Finally, the car arrived at the towering gates. Once majestic, they were now reduced to a dilapidated ruin—the bomb explosion hadn’t spared even the gate.
"I thought the explosion didn’t reach here," Daniel muttered, but he was dead wrong.
The moment they saw what lay before them, all but Adrian and Jake gasped aloud.
The massacre was horrifying—numerous, bloody corpses scattered everywhere.
And among them, unmistakably, was Gianna’s body—squashed into something unrecognizable.
Daniel looked away in disgust as bile rose in his throat, but his head snapped back when he realized Matt was missing among the corpses.
Wait. How was that possible? He had died—he had seen him die. So what happened?
Adrian jumped out of the car, his boots landing heavily on the ruined ground. The penthouse was gone. Completely gone. Only a slanted side of it still stood. The surrounding areas had been crushed under the staggering weight of the skyscraper’s collapse.
Their headquarters. Their Mafia Zone. Even their main building where they usually gathered—destroyed.
With a frozen expression that revealed no emotions, Adrian walked toward Gianna’s remains and picked up her head—the only part of her spared. The rest hadn’t survived.