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While the world slept in peaceful silence beneath the silver glow of the full moon, a girl limped down a tree-shrouded road, her breath shallow, her eyes wide with fear.
The night was still, almost too still — as if the darkness itself held its breath.
Barefoot and trembling, she stumbled forward, her long shadow chasing her in the moonlight. Her heart pounded like a drumbeat in her ears, drowning out the rustle of leaves and the distant hoot of an owl.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnXTjtgbOh
She kept looking over her shoulder, her eyes scanning the darkness behind her — as if something, or someone, was following her.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBMnpI3svx
The road was empty, but her terror made it feel crowded — with memories, with danger, with whispers that only she could hear. The echo of police sirens still rang in her ears — distant, yet sharp enough to stab through the silence of the night. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsywHMRnrAG
She kept running, her steps uneven, her breaths short and panicked. She didn’t know where she was… or where she was going. All she knew was that she had to keep moving. Terror had taken full control of her body. Her legs were trembling, her throat was dry, and despite the biting cold of the winter night, sweat trickled down her forehead and spine. Her clothes clung to her skin — damp, heavy, and cold. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKMJ2ykOlb
Her mind was a blur, flashing only one desperate thought: “Don’t stop. Don’t let them catch you.” But the darkness stretched endlessly ahead, and every shadow seemed like a threat waiting to pounce.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnM4xnMKb9i
Suddenly, headlights cut through the darkness like knives — a car was approaching.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7wU3w4s7K
Her breath hitched. Without a second thought, she darted off the road and threw herself behind a cluster of trees, the cold earth biting into her knees as she crouched low. She didn’t dare move. She pressed herself tightly against the bark, clutching her bag to her chest as if it were her only lifeline — because it was.............. Inside that worn, dirt-stained bag was everything.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KAbdjcHLu
Everything that could save her.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6wNER8C8q
Everything that could prove she wasn’t guilty.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZJBOGkpBZ
Everything they would kill to hide.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡon3CrN3DHj
Her pulse thudded in her ears louder than the car engine now rolling past. She didn’t blink. She didn’t breathe. The night was still again, but her world was anything but. Clutching the bag tightly in her hands, she shut her eyes — trying to block out the world, but her mind betrayed her. Images from just hours ago came crashing back like a tidal wave. She could still hear it. Her grandfather’s voice — broken, desperate, screaming in her ear:117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQBeZ0t0kH
“Run! Save yourself! Go, now!”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6JCSIQNpF
The memory tore through her like a blade. His cries echoed in her head, louder than the wind, sharper than the cold. Her chest rose and fell with shaky breaths, her nails digging into the fabric of the bag like it was the only thing keeping her anchored to this moment. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. She couldn’t afford to break now. She was alive. But at what cost? Instead of returning to the road, she rose slowly from behind the trees and turned toward the forest. The shadows between the trees felt safer than the headlights of any car. She knew it was dangerous. The woods were cold, wild, and full of unknowns. But something about the road — exposed, open, vulnerable — felt far more terrifying. At least in the forest, she could disappear. Each step into the underbrush was like stepping deeper into another world — a world of rustling leaves, whispering branches, and hidden things that watched from the dark. But she didn’t stop. She couldn’t. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOp7T3GLtkF
“Better to face the night than the people hunting me,” 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Rx7OjkUiF
she thought, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. She would find a place to hide.... Somewhere no one would look.....117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnhtT7cmRiw
Somewhere she could breathe… at least for a little while.
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It was a lavish TV lounge — quiet, dimly lit, soaked in the golden glow of the fireplace. Through the tall glass window, one could see a man sitting with his back to the world, facing the flickering flames.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpyT8Ig6MB
He didn’t turn. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKOEDVzhMy
Not even as the television behind him blared breaking news, filled with urgency and chaos. His posture was calm. Too calm. A half-burnt cigar rested between his fingers, its smoke curling lazily into the air like it had nowhere to be. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjD3fs5i0ha
His other hand rested on the armrest, fingers tapping slowly — rhythmically, like a man lost in deep calculation.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJ2Ms1iWZQ
His face remained hidden in shadow, but his silence spoke volumes. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFlYzLKUWk
Not a flinch. Not a word.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRXNeyNSge
As if the chaos on screen… had nothing to do with him.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1juZIo7F5j
Suddenly, the phone on the sleek glass coffee table beside him began to ring.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgPN4UlSKE
He didn’t glance at the screen. With practiced ease, he tapped to answer and switched on the speaker.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsIB0iEB3a
His voice broke the silence — deep, commanding, and laced with restrained fury. "I’ve seen the news. What happened… is deeply unfortunate. Find the girl. Fast. She’s the only one who can tell us how one of our most loyal, long-standing agents ended up dead." He didn’t wait for a reply.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgSGGatamG
Before the voice on the other end could respond, he ended the call with a swift tap —then stood up, the dying cigar dropping into the ashtray like a period at the end of a sentence.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8def0CZOvB
He moved toward the window, standing still as the night outside stared back at him. His hands slid into the pockets of his tailored trousers, his broad shoulders rising and falling with a quiet breath.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegZ3q5jcQ6
Then, for the first time — his face came into view. Jet-black hair swept neatly back from his forehead, revealing intense, dark eyes lost in thought. His features were sharp and striking — a perfectly carved jawline, a high-bridged nose, and skin fair and smooth, almost glowing under the soft light.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7TzhpTjAt
He was tall — towering at 6’3" — with a naturally powerful build that hinted at both strength and discipline.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJj0ehd8zm
A man of beauty… and danger. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQ6AnLBjPF
But in this moment, he wasn't thinking about power or appearance. He stared through the glass into the dark beyond, his mind caught in a web of questions… and perhaps something deeper.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9E2p9U9vn1
He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling with a hint of frustration. Without another thought, he grabbed his phone, scrolling through the contacts. His finger paused at the very first name in the list, and with a steady hand, he tapped it. The phone rang. He sat back, eyes fixed ahead, waiting for the other side to pick up 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37IWTCUJ3k
Suddenly, a groggy, annoyed voice came through the phone, thick with sleep and irritation. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxyYvGn7rY
"Grayson, seriously? It’s not necessary for you to be awake at this hour. Normal people are asleep right now, not running around at 2 AM." 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrG5jUBR0c4
The voice on the other end sounded like someone who had just been pulled from a deep sleep — disoriented, yet unmistakably familiar.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtp6VthiKvD
Grayson knew this tone all too well. Max Bennett, always half-awake but never without a quick comment. Grayson’s lips curled into a smirk. Grayson let out a light chuckle, his voice calm but carrying a sharp edge.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOYWF7808I
"When did you become the ‘good guy’?" “And come on, you're my friend. You know that aside from you, I don’t talk to anyone with this much... carelessness.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsH033lRpF
The sarcasm in his tone was unmistakable — a mix of teasing and a hint of deeper meaning. It was a strange comfort, this banter with Max, even in the middle of chaos.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyz8TBlBDWR
Max let out a dramatic sigh and replied, 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYhHmCUZeQ
"This is what I get for being your one and only best friend, huh? First, you wake me up in the middle of the night… and now this. People say a wife makes your life miserable, but here my best friend is trying his best to fill that role himself!"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lqnNi9SCm
His voice was teasing, full of mock misery — but it was clear he was used to this. Grayson calling at odd hours? Typical. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsB0gmPHb8
"Get to the point, buddy," Max mumbled, half-asleep, "I didn’t lose my beauty sleep just to have a midnight romance with you. So if you’re done with the sweet talk, can we please talk business now?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7omZ7Kd5hw
His tone was dry, playful, and filled with that lazy annoyance only a true friend could get away with. He shifted under his blanket, clearly still clinging to the last bits of sleep.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFUKAx7oxp
Grayson gave a small shake of his head — the kind that said “There’s no saving this guy” — and replied in a cool, effortless tone,117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6917ZhnME
"Let’s go hunting tomorrow. It’s been a while since the two brothers went on a proper chase together. So… what do you say? 7 a.m.?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGj5wcLHVFh
As he spoke, he walked back to the single-seater sofa in front of the fireplace — the same place he had been sitting a while ago — and sank into it again, his voice steady, eyes glowing with something deeper. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnbwqXU0yf
Max let out a sleepy grunt in response… and then fell silent.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNVP5wyFRP
Grayson didn’t wait for more. He ended the call without another word, slid the phone into his pocket, and stood up.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNxnyFit7i
With calm, measured steps, he walked out of the TV lounge and towards the staircase leading upward. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmVfXWzQfx
The house was warm and peaceful — a stark contrast to the cold night outside — thanks to the soft hum of the central heating. Upstairs, he walked down the hallway and stepped into the room directly across from his own.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXbISVkErE
It was a space unlike any other in the house — lined with weapons that gleamed under soft ceiling lights. Expensive rifles, handguns, and rare collector pieces hung neatly on the walls, each displayed with care.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iNSjd3vLc
But it didn’t take a trained eye to know — these weren’t just for show.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINAWuZcieA
There were subtle signs: worn grips, faint scratches, a few cases left slightly ajar. These guns had history. They had been used.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1m5a1TF65
And the man standing in the middle of it all?117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8MFCGWoiN
He knew exactly how to use every single one of them. Grayson’s eyes scanned the array of weapons before him, a brief moment of admiration for the precision and power they represented.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGcgeVJvpC
His gaze landed on a particular rifle — the Sako 90S Adventure. He reached out and carefully lifted it, inspecting the sleek metal and well-crafted design.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeM2cUhCrLG
This was his weapon of choice for tomorrow's hunt. The perfect balance of power, precision, and reliability.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyA3JHHHaIu
"Tomorrow," he muttered to himself, running a finger along the barrel, "it’ll be this one."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7D0FYCXnN
The feeling of the gun in his hands was familiar, like an old friend ready for action. Grayson could already picture Max’s sulky face after losing — and just the thought of it made him smirk.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Qv8Mhpg4X
There was a special kind of satisfaction in beating Max, especially when it came to hunting. And teasing him afterward? That was the real prize.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CBzYMQE0S
They had been best friends since childhood, and everyone in the agency knew it well. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpRlDZBjQT
Their bond wasn’t just strong — it was legendary.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQ4NdDtPlo
No matter how serious things got, there was always room for a little mischief between the two. And tomorrow, Grayson planned to enjoy every second of it. With a soft smile still playing on his lips, Grayson set the rifle back in its place and quietly closed the door to the weapon room.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaaCB7Bevx
He walked into his bedroom — a space that reflected both discipline and comfort.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfS0HUVgtGo
On either side of the entrance, shelves lined the walls, filled with books of all kinds. A couch sat nearby, perfect for late-night reading or quiet thinking.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEasz2V19j
He stepped in, shut the door behind him, and made his way to the bookshelf. Picking up a book that had been left on the table, he carefully slid it back into its place. Then, with a quiet sigh, he moved to the bed and lay down.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZycFAywUlF
The room was softly lit by wall lamps placed strategically around, casting a warm golden hue. Hanging above the bed was a grand, elegant chandelier that added a touch of timeless beauty.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXY5557YDPT
On the bedside table to his left sat a framed photo of him and Max — a frozen memory of laughter and brotherhood.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2Dvs6mVdA
On the other side, another frame stood silently: a picture of his parents...........That was it.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzMEOm2L8K
His people. His home. His heart. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EO6tL8teb
He pulled the blanket over himself, letting the warmth settle in around him. With his eyes closed, the weight of the day slowly melted away.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bKqoPMSMq
The quiet hum of the heater, the soft glow of the lamps, and the comfort of familiar memories all wrapped around him like a lullaby.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtavXEYn6OE
And soon...117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQv7WwrjXil
Grayson was fast asleep.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxNtInWUKP
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