A dim light flickered in the rain-soaked alley, barely revealing the silhouette of a man leaning against the crumbling wall of an abandoned precinct. He was watching. Waiting.

The man wore no insignia, no armor, no color that would claim allegiance. Just a plain dark hoodie, drenched from the storm, a mask covering the lower half of his face. His breath misted the air. His eyes—steady, sharp—never left the narrow street where a convoy was expected to pass.

Inside his pocket, a folded piece of paper. On it, the name of a city councilor—one responsible for "reconstructive urban clearances" that had displaced hundreds. The media called it "progress." The people knew it as legalized eviction. Leo knew it as the final trigger.

Tonight wasn’t about killing.

It was about confrontation.

A black SUV slowed at the curb, headlights slicing through the haze. Two bodyguards stepped out first, scanning the perimeter. Leo slipped behind a column. Silent. Invisible.

Then the councilor stepped out, umbrella held high, designer coat shielding him from the downpour like he was too clean for the city he helped ruin.

Leo stepped forward.

"Councilor Beltran."

The guards snapped toward him, drawing weapons.

Beltran's voice cracked in panic. "Who the hell are you?!"

Leo took one more step. Just enough into the light for them to see his eyes.

"I'm what comes after you forget the people you swore to protect."

A flashbang clattered and went off—Leo vanished in the chaos. The guards flailed, eyes burning. In the confusion, Leo pulled the councilor aside into the shadows and slammed him against the rusted steel of the alley wall.

"Who paid you to clear Block 9?"

Beltran whimpered, his voice trembling. "You don’t know what you’re doing. You’re just another angry rebel. You don’t understand—"

Leo leaned closer. "Try me."

Beltran hesitated. Then: "It wasn't my call. I'm just a... just a link. There's someone above us. All of us."

Leo froze. He had prepared for corruption. But not hierarchy.

"Name."

"I don’t have one. We only know him as 'Orion.' No face. No file. Not even the President questions him."

Leo's grip tightened. His mind was racing. This wasn't just about mayors, governors, or greedy officials anymore. This was something else.

Something deeper.

Something buried.

"You're lying."

"I'm not! We all answer to him—one way or another. Even the Justice Department’s clean side looks the other way."

A thud.

The bodyguards had recovered. Shots were fired. Leo let go, blending into the shadows again. By the time the guards reached Beltran, he collapsed on the ground—unharmed, but shaking.

In the distance, across the rooftops, Leo stood watching.

The fire he had inside was no longer just personal.

He thought he understood the enemy. He didn’t.

And now, everything he planned... might not be enough.

End of Chapter 1

© 2025 Walter Balgos — Official version only on Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/shunks02