MARVIN

The night is dark and terrifying, the reason I hate graveyard shifts, and a cold breeze passes as the wind howls. Ghostly and chilling. My eyes dart from one dark corner to another; it is as if we are being watched. "Everyone stopped talking; you've proven yourself. Do you still want to catch the Firelights?" I ask, wanting to dissuade them.

"It doesn't hurt to catch a few more criminals; besides, it'll make people feel safer, especially after the bodies the Firelights dumped surfaced at the harbor." Miss Lavellan smiles, "We're here to make the city a better place, remember?" I hang my head low; the only reason I wanted to be an Enforcer was the better pay to take care of my grandmother. Not play hero.

"I understand where you're coming from but-"

"I think we're being followed." Everyone stops to look around; there are only crickets and the rustling of the wind. But Carla is right; I had been feeling eyes watching us for quite some time. "Should we check the perimeter?" A hint of panic in her voice, Carla had been paranoid since Lieutenant Conner mentioned messing with the wrong people.

"Relax, Carla." Reiner soothes, but even as his confident demeanor usually calms me, it doesn't tonight. "Don't let what Connor said get to your head." He smiles widely, placing a hand over her shoulder.

"Right, don't think too much of it. It's probably just ghosts." Percy makes a ghost impression, letting out a small laugh before smiling widely. He staggers back, eyes wide in pain with a grunt, blood coming out of his mouth as a spear catches him on the chest. And fear truly struck us.

"Percy!" Miss Lavellan rushes for him, I draw my baton as I scan our surroundings and a man appears from the end of the street. "Stay with me, Percy." Everyone tenses as they face him; a menacing slightly disfigured scarface with large fish-like lips. Tall but hunced.

"You bastard." Reiner takes a step forward but stops as his gang appears shortly after, trailing behind him with black tribal tattoos on their left faces, topless and carrying makeshift weapons. Connor was right, we did mess with the wrong people.

"He's gone." Miss Lavellan's voice is low, her posture defeated. "They killed him." She raises her bloody hands up, staring at it with a horrified expression before gagging. Vomiting as she turns her face away, her body heaving.

"Damned Enforcers, should have stayed out of our business." Scarface spits, reaching into his leather jacket to reveal a curved knife. "Now I have to kill you people." He smiles wickedly, scratching at his neck with his curved knife. "Slowly." He lets out a cackle and points his knife at us. "Kill them!" His voice shrill.

"Lieutenant!" I rush to her, grabbing her arms and shaking her. "Snap out of it!" She turns to look at me, face pale, chest rising and falling with rapid shallow breaths. "We have to get out of here!" My face close to hers, eyes locking. She looks around, as if searching for something before rising to her feet. She's lost it. "Reiner, get her out of here!"

I swing at a coming assailant, my baton catching him on the jaw, but he appears unperturbed. I duck under his swing, the knife slicing at the air, and I kick him in the balls. He attempts another swing but Reiner rams into him, sending him rolling across the ground. "Let's get out of here."

Reiner picks Miss Lavellan up, and I charge into the fray, dodging and ducking before running into an alley with them hot on my trail. My eyes teary as I sprint away from them, hoping that the others make it out with my brief distraction that lures them towards me. "I am sorry, Grandma."

ALICE

Carried away in the middle of the night, after having witnessed one of my own killed without warning, and my own body refusing to listen to me. Me. The team Captain, the person who is supposed to protect them. This is not it. I take deep breaths, closing my eyes as I pull myself together. "Put me down, Reiner." I force out my voice, opening my eyes.

"Lieutenant?"

"Put me down." He stops, letting me down slowly. "Are we just going to leave them?" His eyes wide in surprise, turning away with a frown. "We do not abandon our friends." I clench my hands into fists; it is my fault, I froze. I should've been fighting with them. "I am here now, let's go get Marvin."

"Are you insane?" I turn to face Carla, who is standing behind me, shoulder bleeding from a knife wound. "With all due respect, Lieutenant. Without your rifle..." I turn my face away, useless, that is what she would say. But I can handle myself well enough in combat. "We'll come back and avenge them; we don't have to die here today."

"You're right. We should come back better equipped." My eyes wide as Carla lunges forward; I stumble backward and landed on my ass as blood splatters. My lips parting in disbelief, more than half of my team is dead on my watch.

"Why did I..?" Carla clutches at the makeshift spear that pierced through her, blood dripping from her lips as her eyes turn lifeless, and she drops facedown to the ground with a thud. Prickles all over me, cold sweats breaking out of my skin, I grit my teeth. Mustering all my courage but I am frozen in place again.

"Did you think you could run away that easily?" My jaw tight, wanting to order Reiner to run but my voice remains stuck in my chest. With great effort and will, my hand reaches for the baton and grips it tightly, breaking free from the invisible reins that hold me back. Turning over to look at the man responsible, my hands trembling as I push myself up on my feet.

"Who are you?" My voice shaky, and he smirks.

"They call me Butcher." An imposing man walks up to his side, it is the man from the Warehouse Operation. They're here for revenge. "Meet my friend, Strangler Ben." He motions his head. "I am sure you remember him."

"Reiner." Reiner looks at me. "Take the big one." I flick my wrist; the baton in my hand extends out, its joints locking into place with a metallic clink. A shriek laughs escapes Butcher and he lunges forward. Reiner charges forward swinging, but he ducks under it, coming up to swing a fist at me, but I catch him with my swing first. The baton cracking against his jaw as it lands.

My jaw snaps to the side, a jolt of pain inside my skull as I stumble back, legs weak as I black out for a moment. I grit my teeth, taking a step forward and swing for his face, but he raises a hand to block. The baton lands on the back of his wrist with a thud, but he merely smiles, eyes staring back menacingly. My eyes widen, lips parting in surprise and disbelief. I leap back; he approaches with slow and steady steps as I retreat.

He takes out his curved knife, and fear pulses through my veins, the air around me thickening, suffocating. My heart trembles as he nears, each footfall carrying an unspoken threat. He explodes forward with a swing. I dodge, but his blade catches me on the shoulder—a stinging pain that weakens me. He licks at the blood on his knife with a smile. "Sweet."

I inhale sharply. He rushes forward, my heart racing as I dodge his wild swings, risking a strike on his last swing. A blow that catches him with a sickening crack, blood dripping down his forehead but he chuckles instead. He strikes, and a wince escapes me as I leap back, his blade catching me across the stomach.

I glance at Reiner to see him down on the ground as Ben is strangling him. I swing at Butcher, forcing him back in a series of assaults before bolting towards Reiner. But he darts forward, catching me by the wrist and tugging me towards him. A sharp pain pierces through the left side of my stomach; I grip him by the collars but a grunt escapes me as he yanks the blade out, sapping all of my strength.

My knees drop to the ground; I wince as he grabs me by the hair and lowers himself to level his face with mine. I could taste the metallic tang of blood as I cough, cheeks hurting as he grips at my face. I hold his gaze in defiance, breathing deeply. "He said to keep her alive." Butcher smiles, letting me go as he rises back up to his feet.

"I know." He slaps me with his back hand, and a squeal escapes me as my face snaps to the side, cheek stinging as I fall to the ground. I press a hand against the stab wound, inhaling deeply as tears escape my eyes from the searing pain. I push myself up, running away as the air turns eerily cold. My muscles aching, my body sweating.

My head hurting, vision blurring as I slow down into a walk, trying to keep my eyes open as darkness slowly engulfs me. I stumble forward before falling over, grimacing as colors of the world begin to drain away. My heart beating faster and faster, my breaths suffocating until only darkness remains.

I open my eyes to find myself drowning, water slushing as I get up to sit, cold and wet from top to bottom. There is nothing around me, only the void. And a whisper. "Lieutenant." I turn to the voice but see nothing. "My dear lieutenant..." I snap my attention towards Percy's voice, his tone sad. "Look what you did to us." His voice solemn.

Shivers run down my spine, prickles all over me as he surfaces from the water with a splash. His once lively amber eyes are now vacant, his hair clinging to his pallid complexion that is eerie and corpse-like. "Percy?" My voice shaky, low as a whisper. The long lashes I find so captivating now casting haunting shadows on his ghostly face. "Am I...dead?"

"You should be." I turn to the splashing water behind me; it is Carla, her once round face is now pallid and gaunt. Her large, hooded light brown eyes dull and sunken with a haunting gaze. "This is your fault!" Her voice wailing like a banshee. I shouldn't have stopped; we should have kept running. I should have died, I killed her.

"Grandma." My eyes teary as I recognize Marvin's voice. "No one is going to take care of her now." My jaw tight, hands clenching into fists as I hold myself from turning to look at him. My heart heavy with guilt and regret. I hang my head low. I let my fear get the best of me, frozen in place when they needed me; he wouldn't have to lure them away. I killed him too.

"Protect the innocent? You couldn't even protect us." I close my eyes, placing both hands to cover my face as they surround me. It is Reiner; even when I pulled myself together, I couldn't save anyone. They were right; it was my fault, I dragged them into this mess and got them killed. Me, the person who is supposed to take care of them. I killed them.

"Forgive me, everyone." Tears run down my cheeks; my eyes open as I feel their hands on me. Lips parting as I submerge into the blood water, eyes wide as panic sets in, gasping for air as I gurgle. Their combined strength keeping me underwater, lifeless eyes staring me down emptily as they hold me down, drowning me. My vision blurs, eyes straining as I thrash helplessly.

The abyss greets me once more; my eyes open wide, and colors return to the world, a blurry vision of a chandelier looming above me. And with a couple of blinks, my vision clears, my brows furrowing as I recognize the high ceiling. I get up with a grimace. "How did I get here?"

"You should rest, my lady." Lillia gently pushes me back against the bed, head resting on a soft pillow, body sinking slightly into the soft mattress that caresses me. "I will get your father." I brush my hand against the silk bedding, tracing its rich embroidery and lace details, eyes gazing at the cabinet mounted on the wall.

My trophies gleam inside the cabinet, a collection of accomplishments earned through countless hours of practice with the violin. It feels real enough; this is no dream. I move my hand towards the stab wound on my stomach, wincing at the touch. How long have I been unconscious? I close my eyes as I groan; my heart breaks as the memory of my nightmare crosses. How is it fair that I survived?

Tears roll down my face.