00:00Gunpowder and blood stink thickly. Gunfire blinds indefinitely.
00:04Dante acts as a deadly shield, shooting each assassin dead with perfect aim.
00:09One shooting stops. I shake and cry in terror.
00:12You... you came.
00:14Dante drops his gun, softens instantly, holds me tight to his chest.
00:19Are you hurt? Talk to me, Elena.
00:22I'm scared. I'm so scared.
00:30Don't be afraid, Elena. As long as I breathe, no one will ever touch you.
00:35Do you hear me? You are safe.
00:39In that bloody, chaotic moment, my mental defenses completely collapse.
00:43The terror of the assassination attempt pushes me entirely into his arms.
00:47He isn't just my captor anymore. He is my only shield in this deadly world.
00:51My heart surrenders entirely. I bury my face in smoke,
00:55wrapping my arms tightly around his torso, clinging to him for dear life.
00:58But as I weep against his shoulder, my eyes flutter open.
01:02I look past his broadback, staring down the dark, dimly lit hallway connected to our suite.
01:07My blood turns to absolute ice. My breathing stops.
01:11Standing perfectly still in the shadows is Clara, the estate maid.
01:14She isn't hiding. She isn't screaming.
01:17She stares directly at the dead assassins on the floor.
01:20In her hand, she grips a blinking high-tech comms device.
01:24Slowly, she looks up, making direct eye contact with me.
01:27Right there in the bloody shadows, she stretches her lips into a sick, twisted smile.
01:32She sees me. She knows I see her.
01:35And she smiles.
01:36I look back at the hallway.
01:38Clara's gone. The shadows are empty.
01:40But that smile burns behind my eyes.
01:43I know what I saw.
01:44The maid let the killers in.
Comments