Chapter 34: The Woman in the Mask
Ethan was in a bus, sat in the middle row, slumped against the window, eyes lost in the darkness outside.
He’d just ended the call with Nate and Sasha. Their parents agreed—they’d move in four days.
But his heart wasn’t light.
"Serena..." he muttered. "How should I find her?"
The bus was quiet. Peaceful.
Five men had boarded halfway into the trip,stone-faced, buzzcuts, wearing dark suits.
At the front, a lone woman sat still. Her face was hidden behind a smooth, matte-black mask, silver lines carved into a triangle with a skull at its heart. She wore a skintight suit, armored subtly under the fabric. Utility straps, silent boots.
"What the hell?" Ethan blinked. "On a bus?"
He scoffed inwardly. "What is this? Assassin cosplay night?"
Still, his mind drifted back to Serena. To the ache in his chest.
But then—