Hyenas in human skin

In the middle of the night, when only the whisper of wind and the steady chirp of crickets filled the valley, a scream ripped through the stillness.

It was sharp, raw, and heavy with pain—cutting the silence in two.

A girl stumbled into the open, clutching her stomach. Warm blood slipped between her trembling fingers, soaking her clothes, dripping onto the dry earth with every desperate step. The valley was a graveyard of shadows, lifeless and cold. Her breath came in short, panicked bursts, each one laced with agony.

She glanced over her shoulder—darkness stretched endlessly behind her, but somewhere in it, she knew, they were coming.

Her path ended abruptly. Towering mountains loomed ahead, jagged black walls under the pale light of the moon. The way forward was blocked.

Her heart slammed against her ribs. No. No. Not here.

“Ereen!”

The name tore through the air, chased by the sound of footsteps crunching on gravel. Three dark figures emerged from the shadows.

Ereen ducked behind a jagged rock, pressing her body into the stone as if it could swallow her whole. Her chest rose and fell in quick, shallow breaths. She dared not move.

Malvin’s voice cut the night, sharp as broken glass.

“Where is she? I told you both we couldn’t let her escape tonight. You couldn’t even handle one job!”

Chriss jabbed a finger at the woman beside him.

“It was her fault.”

“How is it my fault?” Bella shot back, her voice dripping with contempt. “Who would’ve guessed she’d try to run? You’re the one who told her about her family’s death before killing her.”

“Enough,” Malvin growled. His tone left no room for argument. “Find her. If she lives, everything we’ve done will be for nothing.”

“That’s right,” Bella said coldly. “As long as she’s alive, we can’t get our hands on her family deed or her research.”

Chriss smirked. “And don’t forget the life insurance.”

Their boots crunched over the stones as they fanned out, disappearing momentarily into the shadows.

Ereen’s heart slowed just enough for her to think. She shifted slightly, preparing to slip away—

—and froze.

They hadn’t left. They were right in front of her, their faces illuminated by the moon. The masks of false kindness they once wore were gone, replaced with the raw, ugly truth—greed, cruelty, and a hunger for power.

Bella smiled, her expression like a knife.

“Sweetheart, why are you running from us? Aren’t we your family?”

“You are not my family,” Ereen spat. “You’re hyenas hiding beneath human skin.”

Their laughter was low and cold.

Chriss stepped closer, his voice heavy with mockery.

“Call us what you want, little thing. You can’t escape. Blame yourself for being naïve—believing us, caring for us, sheltering us. Poor little thing. Don’t worry… we’ll end your pain quickly.”

They raised their guns.

The night shattered with the roar of gunfire. Bullets tore into her body.

She fell, the earth rushing up to meet her. Blood spread beneath her, warm at first, then chilling in the night air. Her breaths came ragged, but inside, something fierce burned brighter than the pain.

Never again.

If there was any chance—any breath left—she would hunt them down. She would take back everything they had stolen.

The three criminals watched her, their smiles wide with satisfaction.

Through the haze of fading vision, Ereen forced out her last words.

“I’ll take back everything you stole. You may think you’ve won… but I’ll turn it all around. Even if I die tonight… I will haunt you. I will take it all back. I will—”

Her voice broke. Her eyes closed. And in that final heartbeat, her promise etched itself into her soul.

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