I leaned against the car window, my fingers absently scratching at my hair as I tried to process White’s explanation. The rhythmic thud of rain against the windshield was almost hypnotic, but my mind was anything but calm. If he created the pill for personal reasons, wouldn’t it make more sense to just produce a single dose? The logic seemed elusive, slipping through my grasp like sand.

I glanced over at White, who sat beside me with his usual cold, unreadable expression. His jawline was sharp, and his eyes, though partially obscured by the shadow of his brow, held a distant intensity. The stark contrast between his calm demeanor and the chaos we had just escaped was unsettling. I noticed a scar running along one side of his neck.

Just who was he? I had never heard of White before, nor the people with him. My eyes widened as a sudden thought crossed my mind. If he wants to take down the Fox because of the pill, doesn’t that mean he might have been an agent there himself? My heart sank at the realization. Crap.

“What’s the matter, Violet? Did you fall for my looks?” His smile was playful, almost teasing.

“Come again?” I snapped out of my thoughts, my voice sharper than I intended. What on earth was this man talking about? I realized I had been staring at him for too long, fixated on the scar and the questions swirling in my mind.

I shifted my gaze to the rearview mirror, catching sight of Luana asleep and Auburn tapping away on his laptop. It was 2 a.m., and the only sounds were those of night birds and the hum of the car engine as we drove toward the top of a hill.

“Won't we be tracked since this is a stolen car?” I interrupted.

“We’ll be safe. I’ve blocked any trackers or anything that could lead to us,” Auburn responded without looking up.

“But what about the security cameras on every side of the street?” I pressed.

“If someone comes, we just kill,” White remarked casually.

“Of course, killing seems to be your ultimate solution,” I said, irritation creeping into my voice.

“Well, it’s a kill-or-be-killed game,” Luana shrugged, half-asleep. I was already done with the three of them and closed my eyes, hoping for some sleep.

As soon as I shut my eyes, a colossal wave of water crashed into the car, shattering the tranquility of the night. The force of it was overwhelming, instantly flooding the vehicle. We all instinctively broke the windows, the glass shattering under our hands, and swam up toward the surface, the icy water dragging at our limbs.

"We're at a disadvantage," Auburn muttered as we surfaced, gasping for air. The water was rising rapidly, pulling us closer to the edge of the cliff, where a deadly drop awaited.

“Those enemies are worse than the flying and fire ones,” I recalled, panic rising in my chest. But then, a thought struck me like a lightning bolt: White had the pill. The one thing that could change everything.

I turned to White, urgency in my voice. "The pill!" I demanded, my eyes wide with desperation.

"I'm not giving it to you," White responded, his tone as cold and unyielding as ever.

Frustration boiled over, my survival instincts kicking into high gear. “Are you serious right now? We're all going to die!” I bellowed, my voice echoing over the roar of the water. But White’s gaze was distant, almost detached, as if he was lost in his own world.

“This pill... no one can have it, not even me!” His words, laced with a strange finality, only fueled my anger.

“White, snap out of it! This isn't the time to act like we have all the time in the world!” Luana snapped, her usual cheerful calm shattered, replaced by raw urgency.

I swam closer to White, my patience completely spent. With a swift motion, I slapped him across the face, the sound sharp and startling. “Give it to me,” I ordered, my voice low and dangerous.

Without waiting for his response, I grabbed his hand, forcing his fingers open to reveal the pill. But before I could take it, White's other hand flashed, a knife appearing as if from nowhere. He held it to my throat, his eyes gleaming with an unreadable intent.

“Not so fast,” he threatened, his voice a deadly whisper.

A surge of defiance shot through me. “Do you think I'm scared? Or that I’ll die?” I laughed, the sound hysterical and bitter, fueled by the adrenaline coursing through my veins. “Not when that bastard father of mine is still alive. I’m not going anywhere until he breathes his last breath.”

With a reckless determination, I impaled my hand onto the knife, using the pain to anchor myself in the moment. White's grip faltered, and in that split second, I snatched the pill and swallowed it, fully aware of the consequences. But I needed power—I needed an advantage.

As the pill made its way down, my body reacted violently. My pulse quickened, my skin burned with an intense heat, and my vision blurred as blood rushed through my veins at a dizzying speed. I felt like I was being torn apart from the inside, the power of the pill threatening to consume me.

Then, suddenly, I felt a surge of energy, unlike anything I’d ever experienced. My hand shot up instinctively, and to my shock, thunder crackled in response. The sky above roared, and with a mere thought, I summoned a bolt of lightning, hurling it at the enemies surrounding us.

Thunder became my weapon, raw and primal. I unleashed bolt after bolt, the storm inside me raging uncontrollably. The enemies fell before us, their bodies writhing as the electric current coursed through them. I felt unstoppable, the power of the pill intoxicating, pushing me to the brink of madness.

But just as the last of our foes fell, White snapped his fingers. The sound was sharp, commanding, cutting through the chaos like a blade. Instantly, the remaining enemies collapsed, their heads severed as if by an unseen force. The water began to evaporate, steam rising from the ground as the last remnants of the battle faded.

“What on earth happened?” I gasped, still trembling from the aftershocks of the pill’s power. The sudden death of the enemies, the eerie calm that followed—it all felt surreal, as if we had crossed into another world.

 White moved toward me, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and something else I couldn’t quite place. Before I could react, he grabbed me by the hair, yanking me closer. “Are you crazy?” he hissed, his voice laced with fury and a hint of anxiety. His grip was tight, almost painful, but it was his tone that unsettled me the most.

I glared at him, refusing to show any weakness. “Let me go, White. I’m not letting you just grab me like that when I clearly saved your stubborn ass back there,” I shot back, my voice firm despite the chaotic emotions swirling inside me.

We locked eyes, the tension between us crackling like a live wire. Neither of us was willing to back down, the intensity of the moment making the air around us feel heavy. But then, something shifted in White’s expression. His anger melted away, replaced by an alarming pallor. Before I could react, his knees buckled, and he collapsed against my shoulder, his weight suddenly dead in my arms.

“White!” I cried out, panic surging through me. Luana and Auburn were at his side in an instant, their faces tight with concern.

“He’s bleeding,” Luana said urgently, her hands already working to assess the damage. “Get my kit from the car,” she ordered Auburn, who rushed off without hesitation. Luana began to undress White with practiced efficiency, revealing a network of old scars and fresh wounds across his well-defined torso. My eyes fell on a tattoo near his ribs—bold and black, standing out against his pale skin.

“6000-s?” I read aloud, the numbers and letters etched into his flesh drawing me in. The tattoo tugged at the edges of my memory, a vague sense of familiarity nagging at me. Where had I seen it before? And more importantly, when did he get injured? The questions swirled in my mind, but I knew dwelling on them now would only complicate things further.

“Enter the car,” Auburn’s voice broke through my thoughts, his tone brooking no argument. I obeyed, sliding into the back seat, my mind still racing. The image of White’s tattoo lingered, its meaning just out of reach, like a word on the tip of my tongue.

I leaned back in the seat, trying to push the thoughts away. “Guess I’ll get some sleep,” I muttered to myself, exhaustion finally catching up with me. I shut my eyes, surrendering to the pull of sleep, hoping it would bring some clarity—or at least a brief escape from the chaos.