Ayla’s heart pounded in her chest as she surged forward, the dagger in her hand gleaming in the low light. Every instinct screamed at her to fight, to survive, but deep down, she knew the odds were stacked against her. The man with the rifle was too skilled, too calm. She could see the slight smirk on his face, as if he were enjoying the spectacle.Her pulse quickened, the pain in her shoulder flaring with every movement, but she pushed it aside. The stranger was down—possibly dead—and now, she was alone.“Come on, then,” the man taunted, his voice cold and unwavering. “Let’s see if you have what it takes.”Ayla gritted her teeth, the fire in her veins burning hotter as she closed the gap between them. Her feet hit the stone floor with a determination she hadn’t felt in a long time. She wasn’t going to die today, not like this.With a swift movement, she lunged at him, aiming for his throat. But the man was faster. In a blur of motion, he sidestepped her attack, the rifle snapping up

Ayla’s fingers trembled as she clutched the stranger’s bloodied shirt, pulling him closer. The rumble of collapsing walls and the acrid stench of smoke filled her senses. She tried to push the pain away, both physical and emotional, because they needed to escape. But as she glanced at the building around her, the weight of reality set in.The man with the rifle, or whoever he really was, had set them up. He’d known they’d come this way. He had anticipated every move, every step, and now the walls were closing in on them. They were trapped in the aftermath of an explosion, with no clear escape route, and barely any time left before the whole structure collapsed.Ayla’s mind raced. She had to act fast. She grabbed the stranger by the collar, trying to shake him awake. “Wake up! We need to move. Now!”His eyelids fluttered open, a sharp gasp escaping his lips as he groaned in pain. Blood continued to seep from his side, staining the ground beneath them.“Ayla…” he whispered, his voice ba

Pain. A sharp, unrelenting pain coursed through Ayla’s body, dragging her back from the dark abyss of unconsciousness. The world spun as her senses slowly returned to her. She could hear the faint sounds of people calling her name, but they felt distant, muffled, as if they were coming from the other side of a thick fog. Her body ached from the impact, the debris crushing her side. Her head throbbed with every beat of her pulse, and her chest felt tight, making it difficult to breathe.But the most prominent feeling? Fear. The overwhelming sensation of dread. She wasn’t sure why, maybe it was the nightmare of being buried alive, or maybe it was the suffocating weight of the world crashing down on her. But she could feel it, creeping along her spine, crawling under her skin.Ayla’s hand instinctively reached for the wound on her side, but when she pulled her hand away, her fingers were slick with blood. She looked down, blinking through the haze of pain and confusion. The wound was dee

The city had become a war zone, and Ayla moved through it like a shadow, unseen, but ever-present. Every step she took felt like it brought her closer to the inevitable confrontation, but the weight of the knowledge she had gained still gnawed at her.Everywhere she looked, there were signs of chaos. Military trucks had been abandoned in the streets, their wheels still spinning, their occupants nowhere to be found. Buildings that once stood proud were now reduced to rubble, remnants of what had been. The distant sound of helicopters could be heard in the air, and in the chaos, Ayla couldn’t help but wonder if she was walking toward her own destruction.The man’s voice still echoed in her mind: "The end is near." His words were like a curse, and Ayla couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all part of a bigger plan, one she was still too blind to fully understand.She reached an abandoned building that had once served as a stronghold for the enemies she had been fighting against. The