Fifteen years ago, in his original body, Noel had been an innocent young man of just seventeen—the first year one was considered an adult. And after his soul returned to the mortal world following death, suddenly Noel's soul found itself inside the body of a hitman, often trapped between life and death.
"Follow my instructions. Let's finish this!" Nate's voice was firm, sweeping away all of Noel's past memories that had surfaced unbidden.
Noel nodded, despite his doubt. He tightened his grip on the pistol, even though his fingers and palms were already wet with sweat.
"Good. Now, note their positions."
Carefully, Noel peered from behind the car window and counted. "Two to the southwest, one to the north, and the other two to the east." Both his hands shifted into a ready firing position.
"Shoot out all the lights!"
"You mean the parking lot lights?" Noel asked, confused, not understanding Nate's plan because the man hadn't explained it.
"What else would I mean?"
"But the space will go dark."
"Just do it! We don't have much time left." Nate's voice snapped.
He was right. They were out of time. Whatever Nate said would surely get him out of this situation. All Noel had to do was stay focused and follow all of Nate's instructions.
Taking a deep breath, Noel aimed the pistol upward and pulled the trigger.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three consecutive shots. The fluorescent lights in the basement ceiling exploded one by one, raining shards of glass down below, and in an instant, the vast room was plunged into darkness. The basement ceiling wasn't too high, making it easy for Noel to hit his targets accurately. But this actually created a bigger problem—his position had been revealed to Rudolf's guards. So, as the shots hit one light, Noel was careful to change his position, hiding under the cramped space of a car to avoid enemy fire.
In the dim light—only from the red emergency lights glowing in the corners of the room—Noel could see a man with a long-barrelled rifle approaching him. The man looked in all directions, searching for a moving shadow. Noel understood now—so this was Nate's plan: to shoot the enemy in the darkness.
The man was right beside the car Noel was using for cover.
"Stay still... and wait." Nate's voice sounded again.
Noel held his breath. The man was only a metre away—close enough to hear Noel's racing heartbeat. But the man didn't look down; his eyes were accustomed to light, not darkness.
Just as the man began to turn, his silhouette moving, Noel pulled the trigger first, shooting the man with the Raging Bull pistol he had taken from Rudolf.
"A good boy had now become someone who dares to steal weapons from others."
The gunshot shook the air as Noel shot the man twice. The man's body fell with a deafening thud. Return fire from the enemy came from a distance. Noel moved from one car to another, crouching to roll underneath. The bullets he managed to dodge flew into several car windows, creating shattering sounds amidst the ongoing gunfire.
Nate's voice sounded again. "Don't hesitate. Listen to me. If you see someone, just shoot. Shoot them in the chest or the head, keep shooting until they fall. And maintain your calm."
"Wait, Nate! You're not leaving again, are you?"
Silence. No answer. Noel felt the departure—like a shadow pulling back, leaving him alone in the dark. But something remained—a strange calm flowing through his blood, reflexes that weren't his own, and the belief that he could do this.
Noel's breath came in ragged bursts as he kept trying to stay calm while his heart pounded faster.
Three men still remained—he had already taken one out earlier. Noel could vaguely make out the lines of their shadows; one of them was standing to the left, not far from his position.
"Damn, it's so dark in here," one of them admitted.
A light intruded upon Noel's vision. A torch? They had torches. The torchlight passed over a small part of his body as he peered out from between the rows of cars.
"There he is!" one of them shouted.
Noel clicked his tongue—they were so meticulous. Several shots were directed at Noel's hiding position. Quickly, Noel ran towards the elevator door to get back inside the building.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A volley of bullets flew. The men fired blindly, not caring that their actions were damaging almost every car parked there. Some cars set off their alarms, adding to the noise along with the deafening roar of gunfire.
In his escape through the darkness, Noel screamed in pain. He felt something graze his left shoulder—a bullet that barely missed, but was enough to tear his skin and leave an excruciating burn. Before reaching the elevator, his path veered left to take cover behind a pillar.
BANG!
Noel fired back, and the sound of a shout from them indicated that his shot had hit another target. Remembering his shooting ability, a faint smile broke through as he endured the pain. His shot had hit its mark—Noel had just gotten lucky.
While catching his breath, Noel dared to glance briefly at his wound. A dull ache spread all the way to his spine as he saw the skin on his left shoulder torn open. Blood continued to flow from the gaping wound, running down his arm and dripping onto the floor. Red stained his white shirt at the site of the injury.
"He must still be around here," said one of the remaining men.
That was true. Behind the wall, amidst the darkness, Noel hid while pressing on his wound. He endured the throbbing pain by biting his lower lip to keep from grimacing.
His attention shifted to faintly observing their shadows—they were close enough. As he went to pull the trigger again, Noel's heart froze when he realised his magazine had only one bullet left. Fear crept up his spine. How could he defeat the two who remained?
As their footsteps grew closer, Noel took a risk, emerging from cover, running towards the two men and firing his last remaining bullet at one of them.
BANG!
One man fell. But the other was still standing, pistol raised, aimed directly at Noel.
When the gunshot sounded, it was Noel's last shot—a diversion to make his opponent duck. He seized the opportunity. Noel forced himself to run towards the elevator door, rushing inside and closing it before the remaining man's return fire could hit him. The final shot struck the elevator door just as the metal closed tight.
Noel leaned against the elevator wall, gasping for breath, blood still dripping from his left arm. The lift ascended—he hadn't had time to choose a floor, but somehow he felt that whatever awaited him above had to be better than this place.
*
Bright, dazzling light assaulted his eyes as the elevator doors opened on the third floor. Noel raised his hand to his brow to shield his retina from the harsh glare. The luxurious hotel corridor—crystal chandeliers, thick cream-coloured carpet, the pungent scent of expensive perfume—felt like another world after the chaos in the basement. After looking left and right, he was slightly confused, not knowing which way to go. Without thinking further, Noel walked towards the bend in the corridor on his left. When he reached another intersection, someone appeared, aiming a pistol directly at his head.
[•°]