Dangerous Devotion

Prologue : Control

             I'm Bigger Than My Body,
           I'm Colder Than This Home
         I'm Meaner Than My Demons,
          I'm Bigger Than These Bones

                                                    Halsey

♠The Spades ♠

"Fuck, did he piss himself?" one of them sneers. The stench confirms it, but I'm beyond feeling shame. I'm beyond feeling anything at all. My hands hang uselessly at my sides, the agony of the drill still echoing in my skull. My knees are shattered, blood pooling on the cold concrete floor, but I can't feel a damn thing anymore.

"Hey, you still with us? You dead already, or just playing possum?" The voice is high-pitched, almost mocking, with a hint of glee. It's like she's enjoying this, every second of this. I can't even tell how long I've been here, hours, maybe more. Time stopped making sense after the first few rounds of whatever twisted game this is.

"Oh shit, she's here...Ace."

Ace? What the hell? Why is she here? The Spades' involvement is a new level of trouble I wasn't prepared for. The fear that grips me isn't just from the situation, I have a sinking feeling I know why they're here. But right now, all I can focus on is the overwhelming fear and confusion.

"Wait, wait! I'll talk...I'll tell you everything, just please, don't...oof". A fist crashes into the open wound on my side, sending a fresh wave of agony through me.

"This piece of shit really thinks he can bargain with you, Ace."

The guy keeps throwing punches, each one worse than the last. This is bad. I'm really going to die here. Shit, I'm going to die. No, no, I can't let that happen. I've got to find a way out of this, talk my way out, something, anything.

"Please, don't kill me! I've got a family. I'll tell you everything, just please, don't kill me!"

I hear someone nearby. "Hey, Ace, where the hell are you going? Ty chto, sobirayesh'sya prosto tak eto ostavit'? Yesli ty ne sobirayesh'sya etim zanimat'sya, day mne zakonchit' yego."

That's the girl from before. She's speaking in Russian, but I can't make out what she's saying. Ace still hasn't said a word, and this damn blindfold keeps me from seeing anything. I'm slipping in and out of consciousness, blood pooling around me, the pain almost unbearable.

"We warned you before, didn't we? We sent you a clear message not to cross the lines we set." The voice is calm, almost too calm, but there's a chilling edge to it, like the calm before a storm. "And now you mention your family...svoloch?"

I gasp, her voice slicing through the room like a cold blade. It's not loud, not angry, just calm and cutting, the kind of voice that doesn't need to shout to make you realize how dangerous she is. Every word is laced with something lethal, something that chills me to the bone. Ace doesn't have to say much; the promise of what she can do is there in every syllable.

"Alright, for your family's sake, let's end this quickly. But since you brought them up, I remember you have a daughter and a son. It's a real pity if something were to happen to them, don't you think? Makes this seem like just the beginning of their troubles."

The way she says it, so devoid of emotion, sends icy chills down my spine. Her words cut through the air, making the hair on my neck stand up. My kids, no.

"No, please, not my kids! You can do whatever you want to me, just don't touch them. Please, I'm begging you-don't hurt my children!" My voice trembles, raw with fear and desperation, as I plead with her. My entire focus narrows to keeping my kids safe, even as my own terror threatens to overwhelm me.

"You care about kids, it seems. Yet you do things that make me question your true nature."

"I...I don't really know, honestly. I just take orders from higher-ups. We get a call, and then we just... transport the package, that's all. Seriously. Please, you have to believe me. The calls come in the dead of night. We're just cogs in the machine, and I'm terrified of what might happen if we question or refuse. I'm telling you the truth, every time the phone rings, I'm scared out of my damn mind."

I plead for my life, my voice trembling. Suddenly, I hear footsteps approaching, each step echoing off the cold, hard walls. My heart pounds faster, a drumbeat of terror in my chest. A rough hand grips my head and yanks off the blindfold, and I blink against the sudden brightness.

The dim light reveals a scene of stark contrasts. To my left stands a girl with a petite, delicate frame, her posture exuding a quiet strength. On the right is a man whose physique is sculpted and imposing, a clear sign of rigorous training. Both are masked, their identities obscured.

In the center, a woman stands with no mask. Her black hair falls around her face, and she's almost as tall as the man next to her. Her cold eyes meet mine with a look that reminds me of a hunter watching it's prey. She's wearing a white suit, but it's now splattered with blood, making her look even more Intimidating.

When she spoke, her voice turned into a chilling whisper, cold and merciless. "Ignorance won't save you. We can't let you walk away after you've seen us. But before you die, send a message to your Cammora friends. Tell them the Spades are coming, tell them to brace themselves for a war."

Before I can react, the woman snatches the gun from the man beside her. The metallic click of the safety being disengaged is the only warning before a deafening crack splits the air. The sharp pain of the bullet is more felt than heard, and darkness closes in swiftly.

___________________________________________

I'm lying in a pool of my own blood, the warm liquid soaking into the cold floor beneath me. My thoughts are slipping, becoming hazy. She knew what she was doing, shot me in just the right spot so I'd bleed out slowly, conscious enough to feel every second of it.

Pain courses through my body, but I force myself to move, to do the one thing left. My fingers fumble in my pocket until they find the button. She thinks she's won, but I'll make sure her victory is short-lived. I press it, the small click echoing like a whisper in the dying silence around me.

The war's going to start soon.

My hand falls limp as a cold numbness spreads through me. My vision blurs, the world around me fading to black. The pain ebbs away, leaving only a chilling emptiness as I draw my final breath.

Translation of Russian words :

1. Ty chto, sobirayesh'sya prosto tak eto ostavit'? Yesli ty ne sobirayesh'sya etim zanimat'sya, day mne zakonchit' yego =

Are you just going to leave this? If you're not going to do this, let me finish it.

2. svoloch = Bastard

Thank you for diving into the world I've crafted for you. As you've seen in the prologue, the journey ahead is filled with complexity, danger, and intrigue. I invite you to immerse yourself fully in this narrative, where every character has a story, every choice carries weight, and every twist adds depth to the unfolding drama. Buckle up, because the path we're about to tread is anything but ordinary. Welcome to the story-where every moment counts and the stakes are as high as they get. Let's begin.