Elliot waited in the shadows, watching the courier with the briefcase. A simple grab, he thought. He followed the man into an alley and drew his gun. “Drop it,” he barked. The courier complied, smirking.
Before Elliot could retreat, a van screeched to a halt. Masked men spilled out, guns blazing. Clutching the briefcase, Elliot ran, dodging bullets until he reached his car. Safe for a moment, he opened the case. No diamonds. Just a blinking red device and a note: “For Elliot. No loose ends.”The explosion erased him, and the night swallowed the evidence.
Lila picked up a silent, hooded man from a midnight rideshare request. He clutched a duffel bag, tension thick in the air. Her phone buzzed: “Your passenger is dangerous. Stop the car.” Before she could react, headlights from a black SUV closed in. The man cursed, unzipping the bag to reveal a shotgun.
The SUV rammed them, and he shouted, “Get out!”Lila fled into the darkness as gunfire erupted behind her. By morning, the car was gone, the man vanished. She deleted the app, vowing never to pick up another stranger.
Sam’s phone buzzed at 2 AM. The number was blocked, but curiosity got the better of him.“Help me,” a woman’s voice whispered. “They’re coming.” “Who is this?” Sam asked, his pulse spiking.“They know you” she said, her voice cracking. “Check the drawer.” Sam opened his nightstand and froze.
Inside was a gun he’d never seen before and a photo of himself with a woman he didn’t recognize.Before he could react, the sound of heavy boots thundered outside his door. The line went dead, and the knocking started.
Lena wiped the steam from the bathroom mirror after her late-night shower. She froze. Her reflection didn’t move.She blinked, her heart pounding. The reflection smiled, but Lena wasn’t smiling.
“Finally,” it said, the voice muffled but clear. “I’ve been waiting for you to slip.”The lights flickered, and the bathroom door slammed shut. When the room plunged into darkness, Lena wasn’t sure who would be there when the lights came back on.
Evan boarded the subway late, the last train of the night. The car was nearly empty except for a man at the far end, wearing a dark coat and staring at him. Evan sat, headphones on, trying to ignore the stranger’s gaze.But when the train sped past his stop, his unease grew. He glanced at the map. The train wasn’t supposed to go further—but it did.The stranger stood up, walking toward him as the lights flickered.
The train screeched to a stop, the doors hissing open. Outside was nothing but blackness.“This is your stop,” the man said, his voice low and cold.Evan shook his head, backing away. “I’m staying on.”The man smiled faintly. “No one stays on.”Before Evan could react, the lights cut out completely, and a hand gripped his shoulder.
