chapter 2

After finishing their university classes, Samira and Talia slipped into the car, both of them ready for a quick snack at a nearby café.

They needed a break from their busy routine, and this was their moment to unwind. The streets were busy, the city alive with its usual hum of activity.

**---***---**

They reached the café, ordered their drinks, and found a spot by the window. The faint clink of spoons against cups and the murmur of distant conversations didn't register with them, as Talia was lost in scrolling the headlines of the day, while Samira was leaning head back with closed eyes.

Talia leaned forward, her face full of excitement.

"Oh my God, look at this headline, Simmi..!!" She held up her phone, showing Samira the shocking news.

Samira glanced at the screen. Her eyes narrowed at the blurred photo of a man who had been killed the previous night by Python. The gruesome image made her stomach churn, but she kept her composure. She closed her eyes, trying to push away the thoughts it stirred.

"Another one… the victim of Python." The name itself was enough to freeze anyone in their tracks.

Samira closed her eyes again, trying to block out the growing pit of unease in her stomach. "It's becoming too common," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Talia's face twisted with disgust. "Only a person with a heart of stone could kill someone like that. What do you think, Simmi?"

Samira sat straight, her eyes steady as she looked out the window. "I don't know," she replied flatly. "Maybe. But who am I to say?"

Talia raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding. "What do you mean? You're usually so sure about things."

Samira let out a long breath, her fingers tapping absentmindedly on the table. "They want us to see them as monsters. But the truth is, we only know what they want us to see."

Talia squinted at her, confused. "You're talking in riddles again, girl..i!"

Samira's lips quirked into a slight smirk, but her eyes remained distant. "It's not riddles. It's just the way they play this game. They show us cruelty, and that's all we ever know."

Talia let out an exaggerated sigh, frustrated but still intrigued. "Uff! I still don't get your point!"

Samira shrugged and leaned back in her seat again. "It's not about getting it. Let's not get caught up in this. Anyway It's the police's job to figure it out, not ours."

Talia sighed again, this time more thoughtfully. "Sometimes, I really wonder how you think so deeply."

Samira gave her a small, knowing smile. "It's not deep thinking. It's just how I see things."

Samira gave a small smile. "They've carefully built their dark image. But that's all people know of them. It's a persona. It's all they want the world to see."

Before the conversation could continue, a waiter approached their table with the takeaway. "Here's your order, Ma'am."

"Thank you," Samira said with a polite smile.

They gathered their things and headed for the exit.

But as they did, a pair of dark eyes followed them from the shadows. Samira didn't notice, but someone was watching her every move.

Python.

His masked face gave nothing away, but something about the way he watched her… It was almost as if he was studying her. An unsettling feeling stirred deep in his chest.

"What a decent woman," he murmured under his breath, his voice so low that it was barely audible over the cafe's ambient noise.

Darla, sitting across from him, raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Did you say something?"

Python merely shook his head, his cold eyes never leaving Samira's figure, until she left the cafe. "Nothing."

The two of them sat in silence for a while, as the weight of the moment lingered between them. Python didn't speak further, his mind far away, plotting the next move.

Eventually, Darla broke the quiet. "I got his location." Her voice was crisp and deliberate.

Python's eyes narrowed, the glint of anticipation in them. Without a word, he rose, his movements smooth and controlled. He adjusted his hood and mask, and then, without a second glance at Darla, he headed toward the exit.

The hunt had begun.

***----****---***

Meanwhile, on a dimly lit street corner, a man in his late thirties, a smoker with rough hands, walked down the sidewalk, mindlessly exhaling cigarette smoke into the cold night air.

But as he turned a corner, his steps faltered. His breath caught in his throat as he saw who stood before him.

It was him.

"Python?" The man's voice trembled as he looked at the figure in front of him, a shadow in the darkness. His knees buckled, and he crumpled to the ground.

Python and Darla stood in his path, their presence alone enough to make anyone tremble with fear.

The man's eyes widened in panic.

"I'm sorry, Python! Please forgive me!" He stammered, his head lowered in submission.

Python's steps were slow, deliberate, each one echoing in the man's mind like the beat of a death march. But just as Python was within reach, the man's eyes flickered with a moment of desperation.

With shaking hands, the man pulled a hidden gun from his back. It was a weak move, a futile attempt to fight back. But before the gun even cleared his waist, Python was upon him.

In the blink of an eye, Python's blade flashed, stabbing deep into the man's shoulder. The man let out a strangled cry, his body jerking in pain as blood seeped through his clothes.

The gun clattered to the ground, forgotten in the wake of Python's speed and power.

***---^^^^^---****

[A hidden underground dungeon]

A place that reeked of dampness, blood, and despair, where the air was thick with the stench of fear as four men lay in broken heaps, their bodies battered and bruised, their spirits crushed.

Their leader, a former ally, was chained to a chair in the center of the room, his face pale and drawn. He trembled as he waited for his punishment.

The door opened with a groan, and Python's shadow fell over the room. His cold, calculating eyes swept over the men, his mere presence enough to silence them.

"Ah, so this is that bald traitor," Izan sneered from his corner, his voice dripping with disdain. He leaned forward, arms crossed over his chest. "The one who dared to betray Python."

Eiran, sitting with his legs casually crossed, couldn't hide his amusement. "Has he said anything yet?"

"No!" Rex snapped, frustration clear on his face as he punched the man squarely in the jaw. "The bastard's still got that thick skin."

The man groaned in pain, but there was no hint of repentance in his eyes.

Izan chuckled darkly. "Let me tell you something, fool. The number of people Python has killed? It's more than the number of words he's spoken in his life. And trust me, that's a hell of a lot."

The man's breath quickened, his eyes darting in fear.

"Spit it out, you bastard!" Rex shouted, slamming the barrel of a gun into the man's mouth, forcing him to look up.

Python, who had been silent this entire time, finally stepped forward. His voice, when it came, was a low, dangerous whisper. "Once your dog starts guarding the enemy's home, you can never bring back its loyalty."

The traitor's face was drained of color. "I... I'm sorry, Python," he whimpered, the words trembling on his lips.

Without hesitation, Python spoke again, his tone icy. "Kill him."

"But, Python! He's the only witness to the deal," Darla intervened, her voice cool and measured.

Python's gaze shifted to Rex, who was already stepping forward, gun in hand.

Rex merely nodded, his expression grim. "You had your chance, man."

Before the man could react, the gun went off with a deafening bang. His body slumped forward, lifeless.

The other four men, who had been silent, trembled violently, knowing that their own fate was sealed.

Python's cold gaze swept over them, his presence as suffocating as ever.

"Özür dilerim Abi!!!! Lütfen!!!" one of them cried, tears streaming down his face. (Sorry, Brother!!! Please!!!)

Python's expression never changed. His eyes were empty, emotionless.

One last, shaky voice broke through the silence. "Boss! We won't repeat our mistakes again!"

Python's gaze grew darker, and in an instant, he fired. The sound of gunfire rang out, echoing through the room. In less than two seconds, all four men lay dead, their brains scattered across the cold stone floor.

Without another word, Python stood up, adjusting his mask. "Clear this mess, Izan."

Izan's face lit up with a grin. "Tabii Abi!!!" (Of course, Brother!)

As Python exited the room, Rex scoffed, wiping the blood from his gun with disdain.

"Look at this kid," he muttered. "He gets happy over such small things."

"Oh, come on, Rex," Izan said with a wide grin. "It's more than enough for me. You know Python barely involves me in these things."

Eiran, who had been silent up until now, sighed and took his wife's hand. "Let's go. It's time to finish this."

The final step was imminent.

And no one would escape alive.

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To be continued

it's just the beginning, stay tuned ❣️

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