HERMIONE
The oppressive Abuja heat pressed against them as Dylan and Daniel navigated the cracked asphalt road, flanked by two black SUVs filled with members of the Nigeria Police Force's Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The unit was notorious, both feared and respected—a group specially trained for high-stakes operations involving kidnappings, violent crime, and elusive fugitives. This was their best chance to end Isabelle's deadly game.
Daniel's voice was low but urgent. "We're closing in on the estate. SARS intel says she's holed up in that old mansion on the outskirts. It's been abandoned for years—perfect place for someone who wants to disappear."
Dylan's jaw tightened. "She's dangerous. And unpredictable. We have to be ready for anything."
The convoy stopped at the iron gates, rusted and ajar. SARS officers moved like shadows, securing the perimeter with practiced efficiency. Dylan and Daniel followed close, weapons drawn, senses heightened.
Inside, the mansion was a shell of its former grandeur—peeling wallpaper, shattered chandeliers, the silence thick like a shroud. As they crept through the corridors, a faint movement caught Dylan's eye—a silhouette framed by a cracked window.
Isabelle stepped forward, her eyes wild and unyielding. "Well, well… if it isn't Dylan Voss. Right on schedule."
Dylan's voice was firm, controlled. "Isabelle, it's over. You don't have to do this."
She laughed—a sound sharp and bitter. "Do this? You have no idea what 'this' really means. You think prison scares me? You think a cell can contain what's inside me?"
Daniel stepped forward, voice steady but wary. "Put the gun down. We want to end this without more bloodshed."
Isabelle's gaze flickered—brief hesitation—but then she shook her head, furious. "No. I won't be locked up and forgotten. I'll take control of my fate, and if that means ending it here, so be it."
Before anyone could react, Isabelle's hand whipped to her waistband. The metallic glint of a gun flashed.
"Gun!" Daniel yelled, diving toward her, but the shot echoed first.
A searing, hollow sound that slammed into the heavy silence.
Isabelle crumpled to the floor, eyes wide with shock and defiance even in her final moments.
Dylan dropped to his knees beside her, heart pounding, breath ragged.
"Isabelle… no," he whispered, voice breaking.
Daniel crouched nearby, his face grim but composed. "She made her choice. We did what we had to do."
Dylan's hands trembled as he reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her pale face. "Why, Isabelle? Why did it have to come to this?"
A bitter, hollow smile flickered on her lips. "Because... some wounds never heal. And some betrayals… never forget."
Silence stretched as the SARS officers began securing the scene.
Daniel placed a steady hand on Dylan's shoulder. "We'll make sure this nightmare ends here. But we owe it to the ones she hurt to find the truth and move forward."
Dylan looked up, eyes fierce yet haunted. "For Hermione. For everyone."
The weight of everything crashed down on him—the pain, the loss, the cruel twists of fate. Yet beneath it all, a spark of resolve ignited.
"This isn't the end. It's just the beginning."