To put it simply, they were like products.

Each girl had a sparkly silver mask on her face, covering from the forehead down to just above the lips. Only their mouths and chins showed.

This made them anonymous.

This made them all look alike.

Their wrists were zip-tied to the armrests of metal chairs, and their ankles were tied to the chair legs.

Most of the girls were crying, whimpering, and shaking in fear.

Ten guards were standing around, all armed and looking bored.

For them, this was just another day at work.

What they didn’t realize was that one of the "girls" wasn’t a girl at all.

Layla was sitting in the second row, dressed in a white gown and a silver mask. Like the others, her wrists and ankles were tied up.

But underneath the zip ties, her fingers were ready to go.

She had a small blade hidden in her palm, thin, flat, and tough to spot unless you knew what to look for.

Her earpiece, skin-colored, tiny, and tucked under her hair, crackled softly.

Azalea’s voice came through. "Linda is moving. Thirty seconds." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Layla didn’t say anything. She couldn’t risk it.

Yet her body was tense and prepared.

The guards were joking around and laughing, completely ignoring their surroundings.

That was a mistake.

Then the door at the top of the stairs opened.

Everyone looked up.

A woman came down the stairs, wearing the sharp black uniform of Alpha’s senior staff. Her hair was pulled back tight, and she had a plain black mask covering her face, standard protocol for those who dealt with the "merchandise."

Linda.

But the guards had no clue who she was.

They saw the uniform. They noticed the mask and the clipboard she was holding.

They felt the authority.

The lead guard, a man with a thick neck and a military stance, straightened up. "Ma’am, we weren’t expecting—"

"Plans have changed," Linda said sharply. Her tone was different, higher, and brisk. "Alpha wants them on stage now. Not in five minutes. Right now."

The guard frowned. "We were told—"

"Do I look like I care what you were told?" Linda snapped. "The boss changed his mind. He wants them upstairs immediately. Are you really going to argue with him?"

The guard clenched his jaw. "No, ma’am."

"Good. Then get them untied and moving. You’ve got two minutes."

The guards sprang into action.

Most of them moved at once.

They moved towards the girls, pulling out knives to cut the zip ties.

Linda watched and waited.

Her hand rested casually on her clipboard.

But under it, her fingers curled around a silenced pistol.

The first guard got to the first girl, cutting her wrist ties and then her ankle ties.

The girl stumbled to her feet, crying.

The second guard approached the second girl, doing the same thing.

Then the third. Fourth. Fifth.

They worked quickly and efficiently.

The sixth guard came up to Layla.

He looked young—mid-twenties—with a scar on his chin, the kind of guy who thought he was tough

He knelt down and pulled out his knife.

First, he cut the tie on her right wrist.

Layla’s hand was free. She kept it resting on the armrest, looking calm and submissive.

Then, he moved to her left wrist and cut the tie, releasing both of her hands.

Next, he bent down to her ankles.

That was where he messed up.

Now, in a split second, Layla’s hand shot into action.

The knife glinted as she quickly grabbed his hair with her left hand, yanking his head back. That exposed his throat.

She dragged the blade across it in one smooth motion.

Deep.

Clean.

Blood sprayed.

The guard’s eyes went wide in shock. He tried to scream and clutch his throat, but nothing came out.

He let out a wet gurgling noise as blood spilled from his hands.

He collapsed forward and hit the floor right at Layla’s feet.

Dead in just seconds. No hesitation.

The other guards whipped around.

They saw him on the ground.

They noticed the blood.

They spotted Layla standing over him, knife in hand, mask still on.

Linda acted at the same time.

She raised her hand and pulled a gun from under the clipboard.

Two shots were fired.

Silenced. Soft pops.

Two guards dropped, headshots, clean.

The remaining seven guards reached for their weapons.

Way too slow.

Layla was already moving.

She grabbed the gun—heavy, unfamiliar for a split second—then fired.

Three shots. Three guards down.

One in the chest, one in the head, and another in the chest.

Linda took two more shots, double-tapping each. Like a pro.

The last two guards finally got their guns up.

They actually fired.

Loud. No silencer.

Bullets slammed into the wall behind the girls.

The girls were screaming. Stay focused.

Layla wasn’t. Control the room.

She moved to the side, rolled, and started shooting.

She got the first guard in the throat. He dropped, choking.

Silence fell.

Ten guards.

All gone.

Total time: twelve seconds.

The girls were freaking out, backing away from the bodies.

Layla ripped off her mask. "Listen up! LISTEN!"

Some of the girls kept screaming.

Layla fired a shot into the ceiling.

Everyone stopped talking.

"We’re here to HELP you!" Layla shouted. "We’re NOT with Alpha! We’re getting you OUT! But you need to trust us and move NOW!"

Linda took off her mask too. "She’s right. We don’t have much time. Those shots were loud. More guards will come. If you want to survive, you need to follow us. Right now."

One girl, a dark-haired girl, maybe sixteen, looked at them. "You-you killed them."

"Yeah," Layla said flatly. "They were going to sell you like cattle. Now move or stay here and die. Your choice."

The dark-haired girl nodded slowly. "Okay. Okay. We’ll follow you."

The others nodded too, still scared but starting to listen.

"Stick close to us," Linda said. "Don’t run ahead or fall behind. Just do what we say. Got it?"

Quiet "yes" responses came back.

Linda reloaded her gun and checked the door. "Clear for now. Let’s go."

They pulled the girls together in a tight circle.

Linda took the lead, holding her gun up and scanning the area.

Layla watched the back, keeping an eye on what was behind them.

The girls huddled close in the middle. Some were barefoot, having tossed their shoes aside, their white dresses trailing behind.

They climbed the basement stairs.

Into a service hallway.

It was long and narrow, with concrete walls and buzzing fluorescent lights.

The hallway was empty.

Linda led them forward, moving fast, but controlled.

Fifty feet. Seventy-five.

Then they heard footsteps coming their way.

Running footsteps.

Linda raised a fist, signaling everyone to stop.

Three guards turned the corner.

They spotted the group and started to lift their weapons.

Linda took out the first guard with a headshot, dropping him immediately.

Layla got the second guard from behind, firing two shots, one to the chest and another to the head.

The third guard managed to shoot, but he missed, hitting the wall instead.

Linda didn’t waste any time, putting two rounds into his chest. He went down.

The girls flinched but didn’t scream this time.

They were learning fast.

"Keep moving," Linda told them.

They stepped over the bodies and kept going.

Another hallway. Another turn.

The alarm blared, loud and annoying.

"They know we’re here," Layla said.

Good. No more hiding.

"It doesn’t matter," Linda shot back. "We’re almost out. Just keep it moving."

More guards showed up, five this time, coming from a side corridor.

They were military trained, moving in a tight group.

Without a second thought, the guards started firing.

Linda pushed the girls back. "Get down! Go down!"

The girls dropped to the floor.

Linda and Layla fired back.

But these guards were better, quicker and more organized.

They used cover and moved smartly.

Linda took one out, catching him while he was reloading.

Layla hit another, shooting him through a gap in his cover.

But three were still left, firing away.

Bullets pinged off the walls.

One of the girls shouted, "I got hit! I got hit!"

Layla turned back and saw the girl holding her arm, blood leaking through her fingers.

"It’s just a scrape. Not serious, but it’ll hurt," Layla said to comfort her. "You’re fine. Just keep your head down."

Linda switched things up.

End this fast.

She stopped shooting and pulled a flash grenade from her belt.

"Close your eyes!" she yelled to the girls before tossing it.

BANG.