Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
The weight of that bag pressed on my mind, even though it wasn’t yet in my hands. I knew what waited inside and could almost feel the grim stench of it creeping up the path toward me.
And my stomach twisted at the thought.
I’m going to have to kill more people tonight.
The realization slithered through my veins—cold and relentless—coiling around my chest. I tried to shake it off, to replace the fear with numbness, but it clung on stubbornly.
The silence between Leo, Song, and me felt like an accusation.
It asked questions I wasn’t prepared to answer, ones that echoed in my own head as I climbed.
Why would I do this?
Was it simply survival?
To protect myself, to protect the lives of my sisters?
Would they understand if they ever found out?
Or would they look at me the way one might look at a stranger, someone unrecognizable, tainted by the darkness I was about to step into?
The path steepened, forcing my breath out in heavy puffs.
The night was so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat.
How do I get out of this?
I glanced at Leo.
His profile was a mask of calm, almost serene in its detachment.
How many lives had he taken without hesitation, without remorse?
How many had he sacrificed on this same altar of power and survival?
And even more. . .would I become like him after tonight?
I swallowed hard as a lump formed in my throat.
The idea that I could be more than just a woman caught in a storm, that I could be something monstrous, clawed at the edges of my sanity.
But then, another thought slithered in, one that made me feel small and selfish.
What if I didn’t do this?
What if I refused, stood my ground and said no, accepting whatever punishment Leo doled out?
Would it be a bullet to the head?
Or something worse, something that would make me wish I had taken my chances in that tent filled with killers?
Would my death be the last story my sisters heard about me?
Would they remember me as the one who protected them until the end, or would they remember the cowardice that chose morality over life?
A cold wind swept down from the mountain, making me shiver.
The trees around us whispered. Each sound was a question, prodding me, accusing me. Their branches creaked like old bones, and a thin mist coiled around the trees, weaving through the branches like a ghostly dance, beautiful and haunting.
Was it so wrong to do anything to survive, to keep breathing so that those I loved could keep breathing too?
But at what cost?
Would I look into the mirror tomorrow and see a stranger staring back at me, eyes hollowed out and empty?
Would I become the villain of my own story, haunted not just by what I’d done, but by how easily I’d done it?
I glanced up at the stars.
They were cold, indifferent lights scattered across the velvet sky. They had watched civilizations rise and fall, wars rage, and peace settle like ash.
What were a few more lives extinguished to them?
What was the heaviness of my guilt against the endless darkness of that sky?
My steps faltered for a moment, the conflict surging through me like wildfire.
To kill, to take life that didn’t belong to me, was to step over a line that could never be uncrossed. But not to kill, to refuse and face Leo’s wrath, would be to surrender everything I’d fought for—my sisters, Lei, the fragile promise of a future.
I hated the answer that came to me then, hated it because it was the truth, ugly and raw.
I would do anything to survive.
I would kill not just for me but for them.
For Jo’s quiet strength.
Chloe’s fierce spirit.
TT’s innocent laughter.
I would shoulder the burden of the monster Leo wanted me to become, if it meant they would be safe.
But could I still claim to be good after tonight?
Would I deserve Lei’s touch, his love, when he saw the blood on my hands, the darkness in my eyes?
Or would I become another shadow in his world, one he tried to keep at bay but ultimately couldn’t resist?
Leo’s sharp voice broke the silence, snapping me back to the present. “We’re almost there.”
When we reached the top, my heart stuttered at the sight before me.
A colossal structure stood there, looming and ominous. It looked like an oversized tent but built with a network of metal reinforcements and weathered tarpaulin. It was definitely big enough to house eighty people.
The deep thrum of voices drifted out from within. It was a low, menacing hum that prickled the hairs on the back of my neck.
I tried to steady my breathing, focusing on the bite of the cold air as it filled my lungs.
Leo’s hand brushed against mine, a gesture that was almost tender if it weren’t for the coldness in his eyes. “Remember, Monique.”
I tensed.
“It’s not just survival. It’s power.” He pointed at me. “Show them who you are.”