«Star Shadows» A Night Angel Sequel

PROLOGUE

20th May 2011. 01:48. Nur-Sultan. №96 Railway Junction. Kazakhstan.

The sound of a blade being sharpened alerted the man tied on the chair. His breathing was uneven and beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead. It felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest. Surely at any moment, he'd be passing out, that was for sure.

Never in his life had he been this scared. His training contained many things, he was taught to do almost everything. Taught how to fight, how to shoot, how to kill. But he was never taught how to escape a ghost. A shadow.

Footsteps resonated in the wet concrete floor of the abandoned factory. The closer they got, the closer the man felt his death.Just as he started to take deep breaths, the sound of a knife scraping the wall made his skin crawl and his heart beat ten times faster than normal.

Turning his head to every side of the room, he couldn't find the person that had placed him in that chair two days before. It was dark and no matter how much he tried, his eyes were never accustomed to the darkness, making it more difficult for him to see who was there.

All of a sudden, he felt breathing down his neck and he shut his eyes closed. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed loudly, making a grin appear on the person who had been torturing him for the last 48 hours.

-I'm gonna ask you one more time.- The silky, soft voice said, her breath tingling the man's ear, making him shrug a little. -Who is in charge?.- The woman asked and the man swallowed again.

-You-you've met him! You got him!.- The man whimpered and the woman couldn't resist the sudden urge to roll her eyes. She pressed the blade of the knife on his neck and the man shut his eyes.

-I know Drago is not the head of this. So spill it. Who is it?.- The menacing tone in her voice made the man reconsider his options.

Who was he more afraid of? His organisation or the woman that was currently holding a knife at his yugular?

At the moment, the answer seemed clear enough as he felt the tip of the knife sinking in his skin, slowly.

-I-I don't know. I have no idea who it is. No one does.- The man said and then he felt the woman beside him growl.

-I don't believe you. That's bullshit. You know who it is. So you're gonna tell me now, unless you want to bleed out on the floor.- The woman sneered.

-I swear! I don't know who it is! I-don't–. But before he could finish, the blade of the knife, instead of cutting his neck, the woman stabbed him in the knee. The man wailed in pain as he let out a shriek.

The woman stood up and walked towards the table in the back.

Taking out a needle and an IV, she took the bag with unknown fluids and placed it on the table. After preparing the "special serum" in it, she took the IV to the man.

Grabbing his left arm, she placed the needle in his vein and lifted the fluid bag into an IV holder. With her fingers, she prevented the liquid from passing through the pipeline. Leaning a little towards the man, she looked him in the eye and the stare made the man shiver. He never thought a woman could be this scary. Never.

-We're gonna try this, one last time, Boris.- She said with a fake smile and then dropped it, making the man swallow loudly. -I need a name. Someone who knows about this. And you're gonna give it to me.-The woman said calmly and the man, Boris, looked at her.

He should've known better than to challenge the woman, but somehow, the stupid side of his brain told him it was a good idea.

-And if I don't?.- Boris asked, his voice wavering. He didn't receive an answer. Instead, a sinister smile appeared on the woman's face as she let go of the small pipeline, and allowed the mysterious liquid to flow freely.

Almost instantly the man felt his arm burning, like it was about to catch on fire and start melting. It was like the liquid was burning him from inside. He screamed in pain as he clenched his jaw. The woman looked at the agonising man and didn't even flinch.

-What is this?!.- Boris exclaimed and the woman smiled.

-Sulfuric acid.- The woman said nonchalantly as the man's eyes widened in fear. He had one of the strongest and most corrosive chemicals in his body. -Now, if you don't give me a name, I'm gonna let this IV flow even faster. A name. Now.- The woman demanded and the man just nodded, trying to hold on with the pain.

-Zivko.- The man said between gritted teeth. -Zivko Dordevic.- He said and the woman smiled.

Without saying anything else, she took the IV and instead of blocking the flow of the liquid, she adjusted the pipe so the liquid ran faster and in more quantity. The man looked at her with wide eyes as she started grabbing her stuff, ready to leave. The man tried to remove the needle, but his attempts were futile. The acid started to burn more and more, melting his insides. He could feel it, he was burning from the inside.

-I gave you a name! Take this out of me!.- Boris said and Sophia turned to look at him.

-Sorry. Can't do. I don't negotiate with terrorists.- She said as she started walking towards the exit of the place.

The man cried and screamed for help, but no one could hear him. No one.

-You're the devil! You are pure chaos, you hear me, Sophia?! You are death in person, and you're gonna pay for this!.- The man screamed and Sophia turned to look at him. A small, wicked smile drew on her lips as she tilted her head to the side.

-We'll see about that.- She said as she saw the man's skin turn red and small blisters appeared on his body.

She turned around on her heel and started walking towards the door. Just as she closed it, the last scream of the man resonated in the abandoned factory walls.

No remorse, nor guilt ran in her body and that's when she knew, when she realised, she didn't care anymore about those people and their lives.

She had a mission and she was going to finish it no matter what.