The sound of the gun clicking echoed faintly through the rain.
Liora felt her stomach tighten.
The wounded man beside her had already turned his head toward the entrance of the alley, his body suddenly alert despite the injury in his arm.
The rain continued to fall relentlessly, washing over the narrow street and masking the smaller sounds around them.
But whoever was approaching…
They were close.
Very close.
Liora could hear it now.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Careful.
Different from the men before.
These footsteps carried patience.
Experience.
The wounded stranger's eyes narrowed.
"Stay here," he murmured.
"What?"
"Don't move."
His voice had turned cold again.
Before Liora could respond, he stepped out slightly from the shadows of the dumpster, leaning just enough to see toward the alley entrance.
Three figures emerged through the rain.
They wore dark coats, their silhouettes tall and imposing beneath the dim streetlights.
One of them held a flashlight.
Another carried a handgun loosely at his side.
The beam of light swept across the wet ground.
Then it stopped.
On the blood trail.
"Still bleeding," one of the men said.
His voice was calm, almost bored.
"He can't be far."
Another man chuckled quietly.
"That bastard took a bullet and still managed to run."
The third one lifted the flashlight higher, scanning the alley walls.
"We finish it tonight."
Liora's heart hammered in her chest.
She slowly turned her head toward the stranger hiding beside her.
His expression had hardened completely.
The quiet exhaustion from earlier had vanished.
Now his face looked like carved stone.
Cold.
Focused.
Dangerous.
"You know them," she whispered.
He didn't answer.
Instead, his gaze moved quickly around the alley, calculating distances and escape routes.
The men were walking closer.
Step by step.
The beam of light slid across the puddles and broken pavement.
If they came a few steps further—
They would see them.
The stranger suddenly leaned closer to Liora.
"So this is where you stop helping me," he said quietly.
Her brows furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
"You go home."
He gestured subtly toward a narrow passage between two buildings.
"Take that path. It leads to the main road."
"And you?"
"I'll handle this."
Liora stared at him in disbelief.
"There are three of them."
"I noticed."
"You're injured!"
"Also noticed."
His calm tone was almost irritating.
Before she could argue further, the beam of the flashlight suddenly swung toward their hiding place.
Both of them froze.
The light hovered dangerously close.
One of the men frowned.
"Did you hear something?"
Another shrugged.
"Probably the wind."
Still…
The flashlight lingered.
Liora's heart felt like it might burst out of her chest.
The stranger noticed her trembling.
Without warning, he gently placed his hand over hers.
The gesture was quick.
Unexpected.
But steady.
"Relax," he whispered.
The warmth of his hand contrasted sharply with the cold rain.
Strangely…
It worked.
Liora forced herself to breathe slowly.
After a moment, the flashlight finally moved away.
The men continued walking deeper into the alley.
But now they were only a few meters away.
The stranger leaned closer again.
"You need to leave now."
She hesitated.
"But—"
"That wasn't a suggestion."
His voice was firm this time.
For a moment, their eyes locked.
Liora realized something unsettling.
He wasn't afraid of the men approaching.
He was worried about her.
"I can't just leave you here," she said quietly.
Something flickered across his face.
Surprise.
Maybe even disbelief.
"You really are strange," he muttered.
Then he sighed softly.
"Fine."
Her eyes widened.
"Fine?"
"If you're staying," he said, "then you follow exactly what I say."
"Okay…"
His gaze turned serious again.
"When I move, you run."
"Run where?"
"Straight to the end of the alley."
"And you?"
"I'll catch up."
She didn't look convinced.
He smirked faintly.
"You doubt me?"
"You're bleeding."
"That hasn't killed me yet."
The voices of the men were getting closer.
"Check behind those bins."
"Got it."
The stranger took a slow breath.
Then he looked at Liora one last time.
"Ready?"
Her heart pounded.
But she nodded.
He counted under his breath.
"Three…"
The footsteps approached.
"Two…"
The flashlight beam slid across the dumpster.
"One."
And then—
He moved.
In a blur of motion, the stranger stepped out from the shadows and kicked a loose metal trash lid across the alley.
The loud clang echoed through the narrow space.
The men immediately turned.
"There!"
But they were already too late.
"Run!" the stranger shouted.
Liora didn't hesitate.
She bolted toward the end of the alley, her shoes splashing through puddles as rain poured down around her.
Behind her, chaos erupted.
"Stop him!"
A gunshot cracked through the night.
The sound echoed violently against the alley walls.
Liora flinched but kept running.
Her lungs burned as she pushed forward.
Then—
Another pair of footsteps appeared beside her.
The stranger had caught up.
Despite the wound in his arm, he ran smoothly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her faster.
"Don't slow down," he said.
They burst out of the alley onto the empty street.
Rain poured from the sky, turning everything into a blur of lights and water.
Liora looked back.
The men were still in the alley.
But they were coming.
Fast.
The stranger cursed under his breath.
"We need to disappear."
"Where?"
He glanced around quickly.
Then his eyes landed on something across the street.
A narrow staircase leading down into a dim underground passage.
Without hesitation, he pulled her toward it.
"What is that?" she asked breathlessly.
"Subway entrance."
"But the trains stopped hours ago."
"Exactly."
They rushed down the stairs, vanishing beneath the city just as the men reached the end of the alley above.
The darkness swallowed them.
And for the first time that night—
Liora realized something terrifying.
She was now officially running from armed men…
With a stranger she had met only minutes ago in the rain.