Graveyard of the living

A recipe for redemption

He swung the knife in a wide arc, aiming for her midsection. Isabella sidestepped swiftly, bringing her gun up in a fluid motion. The man's momentum carried him forward, and he slashed again, this time aiming higher. Isabella deflected the blow with her forearm, the knife slicing through her jacket but not her skin.

In the split second it took him to recover, Isabella took a step back, creating just enough distance. She leveled her gun at him, her hands steady despite the adrenaline surging through her veins. The man hesitated, his eyes flickering between her face and the barrel of the gun.

He made a desperate lunge, but Isabella was faster. She pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the alley, and the man crumpled to the ground, his knife clattering uselessly beside him. Isabella stood over him, breathing heavily, her gun still trained on his now motionless form. She put one of her legs on his head and aimed the gun at him.

Isabella: "You low life, did you really think you could take me, a Tenbu member, down?"

Man: "I didn't know that, I am really sorry. I thought you were an enemy, so I attacked. Please spare me."

Isabella was really getting sick and losing her strength, unable to decide whether to let him go or just kill him. The man was begging continuously. She first kicked him in the stomach and said, "Quit crying like a baby," and picked him up by holding his collar and kicked him in the chin. After the kick, he collided with the wall with his back. He vomited a little blood, and from the gun wound, he was bleeding from his right palm. After that, Isabella lost her strength and collapsed on the ground, her dress and hair stained with blood from the floor, and she dropped her gun. Before blacking out, she said sorry to her team members and prayed, "Please God, forgive me for being a part of this."

When she opened her eyes, she woke up in a bed and felt relaxed. She felt her body become freer, then noticed that her hair was down and her top shirt button was opened. More importantly, her shoes were gone and her long socks were missing. The first thing she did was scream.

After hearing the scream, the man who was sleeping on the floor woke up, his eyes were like dead fish.

Man: "So you are awake, Miss High and Mighty. I am glad. But I don't think I have much time left."

After saying that, he collapsed. Isabella then looked around and tried to analyze the situation. When she understood what had happened, she first searched for her accessories, and after searching, she found all of her accessories on top of a table. She immediately went there and pressed the button on the watch. After that, she immediately went to the person and checked his breathing with her cheek. She didn't feel any air, so she started CPR. After 30 compressions, she gave him two rescue breaths. She gently tilted the person's head back slightly to open the airways. Then she pinched his nose shut, took a normal breath, and sealed her mouth over his. She did that for 1 second and his chest raised. She kept that up, and after 5 minutes, the team arrived, gave him emergency first aid, and took him to medical. After gathering her things from the room, she also followed them. On the way, she remembered what he did for her. After the fight when she collapsed, he could have killed her, but instead took care of her for 4 hours. He himself was weak, without eating properly, and wounded from the fight, bleeding from his left palm because the laser pierced it.

After two days of proper treatment, he regained consciousness and the first thing he asked was, "How is the girl?" Then he felt relieved after knowing that she was alright. When Isabella heard that, she wanted to meet him but didn't gather the courage to do so. After 4 days, he requested the doctors to let him cook because he was getting bored. The doctors denied at first, but when Isabella told them, they agreed and allowed him in the kitchen. He impressed others with his cooking skills, and the people who were working in the kitchen suggested he work in the hospital permanently. He thought it would be better since he lost everything and everyone in the war. When Isabella tried his cooking, her urge to meet him increased, but still she didn't find the courage to talk to him. After a week, she noticed through the door that he was alone in the kitchen. This time, she gathered all her strength, entered the kitchen, and locked the door from the inside.

Cook: "What are you doing? Are you planning to kick me again?"

Isabella: "Maybe. Hey, will you teach me how to cook?"

Cook: "Stop joking and open the door, or I will jump from the window."

Isabella: "Relax, I promise I am not going to do anything funny. Please believe me."

As the cook was slicing vegetables, Isabella said, "Can you cut something for me?"

The cook, without looking up, asked, "What exactly do you need to cut?"

With a sly grin, she replied, "How about cutting a way to your heart?"

The cook smirked and said, "Sorry, my knife's not that sharp."

Isabella chuckled and replied, "Good, because I'm not looking for an easy way in."

The cook raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, you definitely got my attention."

She winked and said, "Mission accomplished. Now, how about sharing a recipe instead?"

The cook leaned in and said, "How about making a new one with you?"

She laughed softly and replied, "Only if you promise it won't be half-baked."

The cook grinned, "I promise. It'll be a recipe worth savoring."

She extended her hand, "Then it's a deal. Let's create something amazing together."

Isabella: "What's your name?"

Cook: "Lucas."

Celine: "That's some love story."

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