Fred sat alone in his apartment the next day, the weight of last night's events still heavy in his chest. The ink of the deal he had made with Selene was still fresh on his mind. The world he had entered was nothing like what he had known before. No more simple choices. No more safe havens. Now, he was thrust into a game with rules that shifted constantly, with no mercy for those who failed to adapt.
He glanced at the message from Selene again, the one that had arrived just hours after their meeting.
The game has begun. We're moving faster than we anticipated. Don't trust anyone. Not even the ones you think are allies. Everyone has a price.
Fred's stomach churned as he read the words. He couldn't help but feel the sinister undertone. There was something about her, about the way she operated, that didn't sit right. But she had power—something Fred couldn't ignore. And right now, power was the only thing that would keep him from being swallowed whole.
His phone buzzed, pulling him from his thoughts. It was Mia.
"We need to talk."
Fred stared at the message, a sense of foreboding creeping over him. Mia had always been a friend, someone he could trust—or so he had thought. But now, with everything he was learning about this world, he couldn't be sure of anyone. The lines between friend and foe were blurring.
---
When Fred met Mia in the café they always frequented, her face was unreadable. The last time they had seen each other, there had been laughter, easy conversations, but now, there was an underlying tension in the air. Fred sat down across from her, his mind still spinning from his conversation with Selene.
Mia took a deep breath, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup nervously. "Fred, there's something you need to know," she began, her voice barely above a whisper.
Fred raised an eyebrow, his pulse quickening. "What is it?"
Mia's eyes flickered nervously toward the door as if expecting someone to walk in at any moment. "I'm involved with them too. The people behind the scenes. The ones who have been controlling everything. The ones Selene works for."
Fred's heart sank, a cold shiver running down his spine. He had suspected something was off, but to hear her admit it so openly...
"Why didn't you tell me?" Fred asked, his voice tight with betrayal. "Why didn't you warn me?"
Mia closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, Fred saw the exhaustion in her gaze. "I couldn't. They have eyes everywhere. They've been watching me... watching both of us. I was afraid. Afraid that if I said anything, it would put you in even more danger."
Fred's mind raced. The realization hit him with full force: Mia had been keeping secrets from him. Dangerous secrets. "So what now?" he demanded. "What happens next?"
Mia's gaze dropped to the table, her voice barely a whisper. "We move forward. There's no going back now. You've made your choice. You're in this world now, Fred. You can't leave. Not without paying the price."
Fred felt the walls closing in on him. The familiar world he had once inhabited was slipping through his fingers. There was no escape from this.
---
The days that followed were a blur. Fred found himself running errands for Selene's network, small tasks that gradually became more dangerous. But nothing could have prepared him for the test that would come next.
It started with a phone call late one night.
"Fred, it's time," Selene's voice was cold and direct. "There's someone we need you to deal with. He's been getting too close to our operations. We can't afford to have him breathing any longer."
Fred's heart raced. "Who?"
"Ronan," she answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "He knows too much. He's a liability."
Fred's stomach twisted. Ronan. He had once been Fred's ally, his friend. They had worked together for years, side by side, until the betrayals began to surface. Ronan had always been reckless, but now, Fred had to make a choice. Kill or be killed.
"I... I can't," Fred stammered. "I can't kill him. He's my friend."
"Friends," Selene's voice darkened. "Are temporary, Fred. This is bigger than any friendship. This is survival. You'll either do what needs to be done, or you'll become a casualty yourself."
Fred clenched his fists, a wave of nausea washing over him. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to be a part of this world, a world where loyalties meant nothing, where everything was just a transaction. But it was clear now. There was no way out.
---
Fred met Ronan the next evening in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The place was cold, empty, save for the dim flickering light overhead. Ronan was waiting for him, sitting on a crate, looking more like a shadow than a person.
"You came," Ronan said, his voice gruff, but there was no surprise in it. "I thought you might."
Fred stood still, his eyes locked on Ronan, the weight of the gun in his pocket almost unbearable. It felt wrong. It felt like he was standing on the edge of something he couldn't come back from.
"You're going to kill me, aren't you?" Ronan asked, his tone resigned. "Selene sent you, didn't she?"
Fred didn't answer. He couldn't. His throat was tight, his hands shaking. He could hear the pulse in his ears, the sound of his own heartbeat thundering in his chest.
"You don't have to do this, Fred," Ronan said softly. "You still have a choice."
Fred took a step forward, his mind torn. He didn't want to kill Ronan. He didn't want to be a part of this twisted world. But Selene's words echoed in his mind, over and over: Either you do it, or you become a casualty.
Ronan stood up slowly, facing Fred. "You don't have to listen to them. You can still walk away. There's still time."
Fred's hand hovered over the gun in his pocket. But before he could make his decision, the sound of footsteps behind him froze him in place.
A voice—familiar, cold, and calculating—cut through the silence. "You're too late."
Fred turned, his heart sinking as he saw Selene standing in the doorway, flanked by two of her enforcers. She wasn't alone anymore.
"You didn't think it would be that simple, did you?" Selene continued, her lips curling into a cruel smile. "You're in this deep now, Fred. You're going to finish what you started, whether you like it or not."
---