Page 94 of Retaliation

From the darkness, she fell into a sprint within her dream, heart hammering against her ribcage as fear fueled her every step. Behind her, two daunting figures closed in, their presence ominous in the desolate expanse of the abandoned factory.

With dread pulsing through her veins, she refused to glance back, the sheer force of her anxiety propelling her forward. The decrepit surroundings blurred past her

as she raced through rusting rails and crumbling concrete, the echo of her frantic footfalls mingling with the thunderous rhythm of her pounding heart.

She vaulted over a railing, landing on the lower floor with a thud, when one of her pursuers leaped from a balcony, swiftly meeting with her on the ground. Meanwhile, the other took a different route, separated only by a wall of shattered windows.

Through the broken glass, Poison locked eyes with her chaser for the first time, a surge of recognition and dread flooding her senses. It was Scorpion, his gaze brimming with animosity and determination as he closed the distance between them with relentless speed. With each step he took, her terror intensified, knowing that escape was dwindling with every passing moment.

Through the windowless panes, she glimpsed Scorpion’s path, leading to a dead end. Relief fluttered within her for a fleeting moment, only to be shattered when he defied the confines of the room. With determination etched across his features, he propelled himself through the glass, shards scattering like malevolent confetti.

In a blink of an eye, he landed before her, a sinister grin curling his lips. A tremor of fear rippled through her as she instinctively recoiled, her heart pounding against her ribs like a caged beast. Evading his reach, she darted through the nearest door, the other pursuer on her heels.

Adrenaline surged through her veins as she navigated the narrow corridor, the thunderous echo of footsteps reverberating behind her. Panic clawed at her chest, tightening its grip. The hallway narrowed to a single door, her last hope of escape.

With trembling hands, she seized the doorknob, her breath hitching in her throat as she prayed for rescue. To her immense relief, the door yielded, swinging open to reveal a dangerous drop beyond, jagged rocks looming below. A gasp escaped her lips as she staggered backward, her stomach lurching with dread.

Her sanctuary shattered, she spun around to find her pursuers emerging onto the balcony, their menacing presence casting a shadow over her deteriorating hope for escape.

Shock replaced fear momentarily as her vision blurred, two figures merging into one haunting mirage. Two Scorpions loomed before her, their presence suffocating her senses.

As they halted a breath’s distance away, she scrutinized them with growing unease. The one on the right, slightly shorter but no less imposing, bore a military buzz cut, a stark departure from the familiar tousled locks of the Scorpion she knew.

Recognition dawned like a thunderclap in Her mind.

Rex.

The realization struck her with the force of a sledgehammer, stealing her breath. Before she could comprehend the situation fully, Scorpion advanced, his hands seizing her shoulders with a vice-like grip. A surge of panic flooded her as she teetered on the edge of oblivion.

In the fleeting moments before she plummeted, Poison’s gaze locked with Rex’s, confusion mingling with disbelief. With an outstretched hand, he tried to catch her before she tumbled over the edge.

Why would he reach out to her now as she hurtled toward the abyss? Why chase her just to try and save her from going over the edge? The questions swirled through her mind, unanswered, as darkness enveloped her, and she woke up with a jolt.

Cold sweat beaded her brows as she tried to force her sore body to sit upright. Confusion enveloped her, and she blinked rapidly to force her eyes to focus, disoriented by her surroundings. Blinking against the dim light, she found herself engulfed in a sea of darkness. Was this the afterlife, the void she’d plummeted into?

Slowly, reality seeped back in, dispelling the remnants of her dream. The sterile whiteness of the hospital room replaced the haunting expanse of her nightmare. With a shuddering breath, she realized that the factory scene had been nothing more than a figment of her imagination, a twisted illusion conjured by her subconscious.

Relief washed over her like a gentle tide, grounding her once more in the realm of the living. Yet, the memory

of the fall lingered, a ghostly shadow haunting her thoughts even in the safety of her hospital bed.

Movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention to Scorpion leaning in the armchair on the other side of the room.

“Hi,” she mumbled, her voice groggy, and she swallowed against the dryness in her throat. “You should be home, sleeping. What time is it?”

“It’s about four in the morning, Beautiful,” a voice answered, but it wasn’t Scorpion’s.

Her blood ran cold as Reaper leaned forward in his seat. Ghosts of the bruises she had given him turned his skin a sickening yellowish-green color as he moved into the dim light filtering through the window.

Her head snapped to the door, and she sucked in a deep breath to call for a nurse, but the sound of a pistol’s hammer being cocked, made all the air in her lungs leave her body.

“Don’t even think about it,” Reaper hissed. “Call for anyone, and I will pull the trigger.”

“You won’t,” she countered. “It’s too public. You will get caught.”

Getting up from his seat, Reaper dug a hand into his pocket and retrieved a cylindrical object. As he moved into the light, Poison watched in horror as he screwed a suppressor onto the barrel of his pistol. She knew that even if someone were standing right outside the door, they wouldn’t blink an eye at the soft pop the pistol would make if he had to pull the trigger.

“You’d better leave,” she tried scaring him off. “Scorpion will be here any second now.”

---