Prologue

“Who are you?!”

The woman in question couldn’t help but give a bitter chuckle in response. So many times had she heard that question being blurted out with terror before her, but never had the demand for an answer been so insulting. For years she had waited to see this man tremble at her feet, yet he couldn’t even recall his own handiwork’s name.

I don’t think so, her mind growled as she continued to glare him down with pure hatred. If the last thing you’re going to do is remember my name, so be it…

She was going to make him remember her, and everyone else that he’d hurt throughout his life. Every last child’s cry, mother’s pleading, and heartless murder hidden in the back of his mind would haunt him until his last neuron fired off. She was through giving mercy to his kind, and now he would finally pay for the destruction of her own.

Amidst her vengeful thoughts, she had failed to notice her target hadn’t been entirely alone, but his sister had not been as unobservant upon noticing the younger woman and her partner enter the room. Without reservations she lunged at the partner, digging her nails into his back as she yanked the knife at his side from its sheath. Despite his best efforts to shake her free by smashing her against the wall, she refused to release him and screeched in his ear as she thrust the blade into his shoulder. Immediately a roar of pain and anger burst from his mouth as crimson poured from the wound, the limb proving to be unresponsive as he struggled to tear her from his back.

With horror the young woman watched as the blade was yanked free and jammed into a place lower in his chest, turning her attention to the assault rather than remain focused on her current target. Taking advantage of her distracted emotions he pushed himself up and tackled her to the ground with as much force as he could muster, knocking the wind out of her in the process. As she struggled to regain her breath and keep hold of her firearm he reared back his fist before smashing it into the side of her nose, blood spattering the ground beside her as he drilled another into her jaw. A ringing filled her ears as he yanked the gun free from her grasp and stood back to watch her try to push herself back up, blood pouring down her face as she did so.

Not waiting until she could manage to get up enough to launch a counterattack in her rage, he fired a single round into her supporting shoulder, causing her to crumple back onto the ground in pain. She proved to have more resolve than her partner when it came to masking pain, keeping the shriek trapped within her throat as she writhed on the ground. The most sound she made was a guttural groan-like growl, her face turning red as she forced herself to swallow the scream and tears spilled over onto her cheeks. Forcing herself to breathe to subside the pain she turned her head to see what had become of her partner, finding him to be pinned by security who had arrived after hearing the commotion downstairs.

Let him go, she managed to think as she watched crimson stream down his front from the wounds they’d inflicted upon him. He didn’t do anything damn it, let him go!

Before she could muster another thought regarding his involvement a guard slammed its fist into his abdomen, an almost choking gasp heard shortly after as the other shoved him back into the wall for another blow. Giving him no room to recover the second freight trained into his chest, three sharp cracks heard as he expelled a splatter of saliva and blood upon his assailants. His eyes bulged slightly as the blood vessels within them burst, turning them a deathly red as he cast her an apologetic look of remorse past the group surrounding him. Had she been able to move in her current state she would’ve run to his aid, but without the support of her arm to push her up, she could only watch from where she lay.

Refusing to allow her rest from the attack the man forced his knee down onto her sternum, her own set of cracks ringing out as she again stifled the pain through gritted teeth. Unlike before she was unable to breathe with him pressing down on her chest and struggled to remain conscious, a feat made even harder as he wrapped his hand around her neck. Tightening his grip as she began to squirm for air supply, he dug his nails into her skin and shoved her harder into the ground beneath her now panic filled body. Her vision was beginning to vignette as he leaned further into her collapsing chest, scowling as she failed to express her pain and instead regained the glare she previously had.

“I’ll ask again,” he growled, placing the barrel of the handgun against her forehead in a last attempt to see her fear of death. “Who the f**k are you?”