The metal grate at the end of the vent opened with a loud click as Marco pushed it aside.

He climbed out first and helped Lyvana through.

"Hurry," he said.

They stumbled into the dim north stairwell and immediately started running down the concrete steps.

Marco held onto the railing as they raced downward.

"The back exit," he said. "If we can get to the rear alley, we can escape."

Lyvana nodded and followed him.

Behind them, Andrew had found the shaft.

A few seconds later, he pulled himself out into the stairwell.

Then he heard their footsteps.

Without hesitation, he started chasing them.

Marco and Lyvana reached the ground floor and unlocked the heavy security door.

Cool air hit their faces as they ran into the back courtyard.

The parking structure was ahead of them.

If they could reach it, they would have some cover.

Behind them, the doors burst open.

Andrew came running out.

His eyes landed on them immediately.

Lyvana quickly pulled out her phone and called Julian.

Her hands were shaking.

The phone rang once.

Then Julian answered.

"Lyvana?" His voice was filled with panic. "Are you okay?"

"Julian!" she cried.

Relief washed over him as he heard her voice.

"Where are you?"

Then a gunshot rang out.

The sound echoed across the courtyard.

Marco grunted in pain.

His body jerked forward.

For a second, Lyvana did not understand what had happened.

Then she saw the blood.

A dark stain was spreading across Marco’s sleeve.

The bullet had gone through the fleshy part of his upper arm.

"Marco!" she shouted.

His face turned pale. He pushed Lyvana behind a parked vehicle and turned around.

Another gunshot rang out. The bullet struck the ground nearby. Pieces of concrete flew into the air.

Lyvana’s heart nearly stopped.

Marco drew his weapon.

Without hesitation, he fired.

The gunshot echoed through the courtyard.

Andrew quickly ducked behind a concrete pillar.

Marco fired again.

The second bullet struck the edge of the pillar, sending chips of concrete into the air.

"Stay down!" Marco ordered Lyvana.

Lyvana crouched behind the vehicle, her heart pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears.

Then she saw someone standing at the end of the road.

A woman stood there in the distance.

It was the pale woman with pitch-black eyes and long black hair from her dreams. The one her mother had called the hollow. She simply stared at her.

Her face contorted in a strange unnatural smile.

All at once she heard voices in her ear.

Anomaly. You die today. Get up and face your death.

She suddenly had the overwhelming sensation to get up and throw herself into the line of fire.

But just as she began to lose control, a ghostly apparition of her mother materialized directly in front of her, blocking the hollow woman from view.

​"Close your ears to her," her mother’s voice commanded softly. "She is blocking your memories."

​Her mother reached out and placed a cool, hand against Lyvana’s forehead.

A blinding jolt of electricity shot through Lyvana’s mind the moment her mother’s hand touched her forehead.

Images flashed before her eyes at terrifying speed. Then the memory of the night she was murdered flooded back with absolute clarity.

She found herself in the penthouse where she was shot.

Mark had already left with Clarisse, and she was alone.

Then just like before, a figure stood in the doorway, dressed entirely in black. There was a gun in his hands.

Instinctively, she scrambled backward. "What..."

​The first shot hit her chest before she could finish the word. The force slammed her hard against the wall.

Sharp, blinding pain exploded through her body. She tried to scream, but nothing came out.

​Through her blurring vision, she watched the shadow raise the gun again towards her.

But then, unexpectedly, the shooter reached up and grabbed the mask covering his face. Her heart pounded wildly. She needed to see him. She needed to know who had shot her.

​Slowly, the mask began to come off.

Lyvana gasped. It was him. It was Andrew. With that final piece of the puzzle falling into place, the horrific night of her kidnapping suddenly rushed back to her, and everything made sense.

​Breaking out of the trance completely, Lyvana slowly stood up from behind the parked vehicle.

​Marco’s head snapped toward her, his face pale with shock as blood soaked his sleeve.

"Stay down!" he hissed, trying to shield her with his uninjured arm.

​"It’s alright, Marco," Lyvana said, her voice eerily calm. The fear was entirely gone, replaced by a cold, unwavering resolve.

​Andrew saw her rise. He froze, his gun still raised,

​Lyvana stepped out into the open, locking her gaze directly onto him.

​"Are you trying to kill me, Andrew?" she asked, her voice echoing clearly across the concrete courtyard. "At least tell me who sent you."

"Relax, I will never hurt you."

​"Yes, you said that before," Lyvana replied. "You love me."

​"I love you," Andrew repeated.

Am enforcer had caught up to them and shot at Lyvana.

But the bullet never reached her.

In mid-air, it slammed into an invisible barrier.

A sharp metallic ping echoed through the courtyard. The bullet bounced violently backwards and tore through the air towards the man who shot it.

​A split second later, the bullet struck the concrete right beside the enforcer, throwing him off balance.

Before he could even recover, Marco shot him in the head.

The man collapsed onto the asphalt, dead.

Marco’s eyes widened as he stared at the empty space in front of them.

He had seen the bullet bounce back. But there was nothing there. Nothing that should have been able to do that. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

What Marco did not know, what he could not see, was that more than a hundred glowing souls now surrounded them.

They formed a dense circle around her, creating a protective shield.

No bullet could pass through.

"Who sent you to kill me this time?" Lyvana said walking straight at him.

​Andrew shook his head wildly. "I will never hurt you!"

​Lyvana laughed bitterly. "You already killed me once before, you disgusting snake."

Andrew froze.

For a moment, he simply stared at her.

Then realization dawned on his face.

"You remember," he whispered.