The night was unforgiving, a bitter wind slicing through the threadbare fabric of Adrian's worn jacket as he sat alone on a cracked park bench beneath a flickering streetlamp. The weak light buzzed erratically, casting pale shadows over the litter-strewn pavement, as if the world itself was struggling to stay awake. Somewhere in the distance, the city groaned—a low, restless hum that felt more like a growl aimed at anyone foolish enough to be out after dark. Adrian who had served 12 years in the military, was just another ghost wandering through a place that had long since stopped caring about him.
His eyes were fixed on the half-empty can of cheap soda in his trembling hands. The metallic fizz had long since died, leaving behind nothing but a flat, bitter taste. He took a shallow sip, grimacing. Damn, even this tastes like garbage. He sighed deeply, shoulders slumping under the weight of more than just the cold. No job, no money, and a brother who'd taken sadistic pleasure in tearing apart what little he had left. And the woman he once dreamed of spending his life with? Switched sides like the goddamn traitor she was, trading his love for a crown he never earned.
Adrian ran a hand through his tangled, unkempt hair, fingers trembling as memories flickered through his mind like a broken film reel. His parents' sudden, devastating death. The cold, sterile office of the family lawyer where he had, naïvely, signed away everything he owned, tricked by his own blood. The sickening image of his ex-fiancée, radiant in white, exchanging vows with the man who was supposed to be his brother. The crushing betrayal hit him again, raw and fresh, like it had happened yesterday.
With nothing left to cling to, Adrian had been cast out onto the streets—disowned, disowned, forgotten. His belongings sold off piece by piece just to cover rent and food, but the doors to any semblance of normal life slammed shut in his face. Jobs that once seemed within reach now impossible to claim, all thanks to a brother who wielded influence like a blunt weapon.
That night, numb and desperate, Adrian made a decision. He would take a shortcut home through the back alleys, a route he'd avoided for years. The scent of rot and damp brick filled the narrow path, thick and choking, but it was faster. His apartment was little more than a cold concrete box, but it was his—his only refuge from the unforgiving city.
Halfway down the alley, his foot caught on something, sending him stumbling. A shadow moved in the darkness. A sharp, burning pain exploded in his side as a knife sliced through his ribs.
"What the—fuck!" Adrian gasped, clutching the wound, his vision blurring and the world tilting around him. His heart pounded like a war drum in his chest as he staggered back, desperate for air, desperate to stay standing.
From the shadows stepped a man, his face hidden beneath a dark hood, but his eyes shone cruel and cold. The kind of eyes that belonged to predators who'd spent years hunting and killing without a shred of remorse.
"Looking for your brother?" the stranger sneered, voice dripping with malice.
Adrian coughed, blood slicking his lips as it trickled from the wound. "Why? Why do you want me dead?"
The man shrugged with casual indifference. "Orders. Business."
Adrian's legs gave out beneath him. The cold brick floor rushed up to meet him as he collapsed, the pain radiating through his side like wildfire. The chill seeped through his thin jacket, crawling into his bones, and for a moment the cold felt almost comforting—a release from the endless torment.
His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. His mind spun, flashing back to all the moments that had led him here—trust broken, family destroyed, dreams shattered.
His last breath escaped in a strangled whisper, heavy with bitter anger and disbelief.
"Fuck… you…"
And then, nothing.
The alley grew silent again, as if it had never known Adrian at all.