They Should Have Died

The Offer

Logan barely slept that night.

He had been sitting by the apartment window since the rain was still pouring heavily, all the way until the sky started turning pale near morning. The street below looked empty, but that feeling of being watched never really went away.

Every time Logan closed his eyes, he saw the river again.

Black water. That strange sound inside his head. And the cold that was supposed to be the end of his life.

But now, everything felt like the beginning of something much worse.

Logan let out a long breath.

‘Now… I’m starting to regret jumping into that damn river,’ he muttered to himself.

“If you keep staring outside like that, you’re going to look even more suspicious.”

Reyn’s voice made Logan turn his head slightly.

The man had just come out of the kitchen carrying two cups of coffee. His hair was still messy, and his black hoodie looked wrinkled as usual.

Reyn handed one of the cups to Logan.

“Thanks.”

Reyn only nodded before sitting down on the sofa.

A few seconds passed in silence.

“Do you know Vincent Moreau?” Logan finally asked.

Reyn gave a short, humorless laugh. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“Why do you react like that?”

“Because the answer isn’t simple.”

“Who is Vincent Moreau, really?” Logan asked, waiting for an explanation.

Reyn let out a slow breath before leaning back further.

“He’s the big boss of a mafia group called Golden Veil.”

Logan’s eyes widened. “Mafia?”

Reyn nodded. His gaze dropped to the coffee in his hand. “Yeah. But Vincent isn’t just some ordinary mafia boss. He has connections to a lot of important people. Politicians, police, big companies… even some people in the government.”

Logan frowned.

“If he’s that powerful and influential, why is he interested in people like us?”

“That’s what we still don’t understand.”

Soft footsteps came from the hallway.

Alexa appeared a few seconds later, looking paler than usual. She didn’t seem like she had slept at all.

“The traffic cameras on the east side were down for seven minutes last night,” she said immediately.

Reyn lifted his head quickly. “Because of what?”

“Someone got into the city system.”

The atmosphere instantly turned tense.

Logan looked back and forth between them.

“You think that’s Vincent’s doing?”

“I’d actually prefer it if it was Vincent,” Reyn muttered.

Logan frowned. “What do you mean?”

Alexa placed a small laptop on the table. The screen showed several fast-moving street camera feeds. Then the footage stopped on a single frame.

A tall man in dark clothing was walking through a narrow alley a few blocks from their apartment. His face wasn’t clear because of the black hood covering part of his head.

But somehow… just looking at the image made Logan’s neck feel cold.

“That’s him?” Logan asked quietly.

Alexa nodded. “Damian Cross.”

Silence.

Reyn stood up and walked closer to the screen.

“I hate that guy.”

“You’ve met him before?” Logan asked.

“Not directly,” Reyn answered. “And I hope I never will.”

Alexa zoomed in on the image.

“He appeared in three different locations in the last two hours.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “And all of them are heading toward this area.”

Logan stared at the screen without blinking. “So what now?”

“Now?” Reyn gave a dry laugh. “Now we just hope he hasn’t found this apartment yet.”

Before Logan could respond, the vibration of a phone cut him off.

Alexa’s phone.

All three of them exchanged looks at once.

Unknown number again.

Alexa opened the message without saying a word. This time there was only an address. And a short sentence underneath it.

[No Name]
No Name: Come at eight tonight if you want to stay alive.
— V.M.

“He still won’t give up,” Reyn muttered angrily.

Logan looked at the address on the screen.

It was… a luxury building in the city center.

Hotel Elysium.

“Are you going to go?” Logan asked.

Reyn answered immediately, “No.”

But Alexa stayed silent. Reyn and Logan both noticed her hesitation.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually considering it,” Reyn said.

“We don’t have many options,” Alexa replied.

“We always have options.”

Alexa looked at Reyn for a few seconds before speaking softly, “Damian Cross is already moving. We need to prepare properly if we want to survive him.”

The room fell silent again.

Logan could see the change in Reyn’s expression when that name was mentioned.

For the first time since he met him, the man looked genuinely worried.

“Is there something you two aren’t telling me?” Logan asked.

Alexa leaned back slightly in her chair.

“Three years ago,” she said quietly, “we tried to help someone who went through the same kind of change we did.”

Logan immediately remembered their earlier story.

The man who was found dead.

“His name was Willie.”

Alexa’s gaze dropped for a moment.

“He couldn’t control his ability. Just like you now.”

Reyn leaned against the kitchen counter, arms folded across his chest.

“And we hid him for almost a month.”

“What happened to him?” Logan asked.

Alexa stayed silent for a long moment before answering. “Damian found him.”

Logan’s chest tightened. “Did he kill him?”

“Not immediately.” Alexa’s eyes turned cold. “He shot both of Willie’s legs first. Then he waited until Willie couldn’t move anymore before finishing him.”

The room suddenly felt colder.

Logan swallowed hard.

“I heard the gunshots that night,” Alexa continued quietly. “Three bullets. One hit straight to his heart.”

Reyn rubbed his face roughly. “And after that, we stopped trying to help anyone.”

Logan slowly shifted his gaze between them. “But now… you still helped me.”

No one answered right away. A few seconds later, Reyn let out a small, dry chuckle.

“Yeah. I guess we’re just stupid.”

Alexa looked at Logan. “Or maybe we just don’t want to see someone else die like Willie.”

Silence filled the apartment again. But this time it felt different. Not just fear. Something heavier than that.

Logan lowered his head, staring at his own hands.

Objects moving without being touched. Voices heard from far away. And now a hitman who might already be looking for him.

His life had completely changed in a single night.

Reyn’s phone suddenly vibrated.

A new message appeared on the screen.

Reyn quickly read it. His expression changed instantly.

“What now?” Alexa asked sharply.

Reyn slowly lifted his phone screen.

A photo appeared.

It was their apartment. Taken from a distance. And in the corner of the image… a silhouette stood on the opposite building, holding something long. It looked very much like a sniper rifle.

Only one short sentence was written below it.

[No Name]
No Name: Damian Cross has found you.
Come meet me before he moves first.
— V.M.