Life is unpredictable. When she thought everything would end well according to her plan, she died.
____
A powerful gust of wind blew, seemingly unleashing an endless torrent of snow. The bone-chilling cold seeped into her, numbing her senses and slowly erasing any lingering pain she had known.
Before her, a vast expanse of white snow stretched as far as the eye could see.
Usually bustling with skiers, the mountain now stood in an eerie silence, enveloped by an unexpected blizzard. Undeterred by the warning, she had ventured to this place to fulfill her mission.
Her mission was to eliminate the drug lord reigning over this city. Little did she know that her mission had been cunningly devised as a treacherous trap, with her as the primary target.
Only now did she understand. This mission had trapped her in the clutches of death itself, orchestrated by the man she once trusted. Accepting his bullet without resistance, she never imagined he would point a gun at her.
Without uttering a word of farewell, he pulled the trigger, displaying the same apathy he showed toward his other victims.
And she, the most foolish assassin, had fallen victim to her naivety and misplaced trust in someone who had cunningly deceived her.
How ridiculous she had been!
'Damn it! This is the end,' she silently cursed her oversight.
The betrayer, the man she had admired and respected, now stood mere steps away from her. Though his expression remained stoic, a glimmer of murderous intent gleamed in his eyes.
She couldn't turn back time now. As death loomed ever closer, she felt no fear gripping her. Instead, an all-consuming hatred consumed her very being.
She vowed that if God gave her a second chance, she would drag this man down to the depths of hell with her.
Her gaze locked solely onto him, burning with an insatiable thirst for revenge.
Cough!
A mouthful of blood spewed, its warmth contrasting with the nearly engulfing snow. The crimson liquid transformed the white landscape into a vivid display of scattered rose petals.
The smell of blood, which had often assaulted her nostrils during her days as an assassin, now eluded her senses.
As her five senses gradually faded, warm tears cascaded down her cheeks.
"You... You betrayed me!" Her voice escaped in a hoarse whisper, tinged with blood. However, even though a lot of blood flowed from her mouth, she could no longer taste it.
Death is approaching!
She bestowed her final glare upon him. Regret briefly flickered in his eyes, but the sight disgusted her.
"Irish, I'm truly sorry. You left me no choice. I had no other way."
This was the first time she heard his voice after he pulled the trigger.
She longed to strangle him to death, but her weakness prevented such action. She was powerless.
Numbness engulfed her entire body, rendering her immobile as if she had become a vessel of death itself. In mere moments, her breathing grew labored and shallow.
She was acutely aware of her sins. She had taken numerous lives, but never the life of an innocent. Only the wicked deserved to feel the wrath of her bullets.
Yet, regardless of the justification for the murders she committed, she knows deep down that she is a sinner.
She deserved to rot in hell, and she knew that one day God would punish her with the most cruel punishment.
However...
She never imagined that God's retribution would manifest this way—betrayal by the man she had considered her older brother. He callously ended her life during her final mission before retirement.
Her bloodshot eyes stared back at him, her once beloved boss. She had dedicated years of her life as his most loyal assassin.
This was not the death she had envisioned—falling prey to his boss's betrayal.
With her last breath, she cursed him.
"I will never forgive you, Eric! Not in this life nor the next. If God grants me another chance at life, I will hunt you down and drag you to hell!"
Her final smile filled with burning anger, but in the next moment, blood spilled from her mouth. Her breath grew shallow. Her vision blurred, and darkness consumed her.
'Finally! I am free! God, Iris Gray is ready to enter your hell.'
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Iris Gray shuddered as a chilling sensation coursed through her entire body. Waves of excruciating pain radiate from her calves and stomach. The same pain she felt when Eric's bullet pierced her flesh.
Soon, a familiar metallic scent invaded her nostrils.
Iris was stunned.
'Why have my senses returned!?'
'Why do I feel pain!?'
'Did I enter hell the moment I died?'
'This must be hell, right!?'
Iris trembled as the coldness and pain grew, confusing her even more. She attempted to open her eyes, but it wasn't easy, as if her eyelashes were coated in glue.
'Isn't hell supposed to be engulfed in demonic flames? A place befitting a sinner like me! Why does this dark place feel so damn cold!? Am I truly in hell?'
Iris shivered as the icy chill penetrated her bones. Just as she believed herself in an icy hellish realm, she suddenly heard several male voices not far from her.
She strained to open her eyes, yet they remained stubbornly shut. Likewise, her voice seemed trapped in her throat. No matter how hard she tried to scream, no sound escaped her lips.
"We found her!"
"Oh shit! Medic, come here quickly!"
"Lord! How did this young girl end up in the middle of a forest during a blizzard like this!?"
"Hurry up! Medic… She could lose her life from the cold!"
The clatter of voices around her grew louder and more precise. She sensed someone touching her body, likely assessing her condition.
However, no matter how much she exerted herself to speak or catch a glimpse of the individuals surrounding her, she couldn't.
After a brief interval, Iris made another attempt to open her eyes and communicate, yet her strength waned.
Once again, she sank into silence.
…
In the depths of darkness and silence, time seems useless. Iris had lost all sense of how long she had been trapped in this oppressive void.
Exhausted from her futile attempts to emerge from the darkness and hoarse from the countless screams that echoed into the void, she longed for any sign of hope. Yet, the darkness and silence clung to her like a suffocating shroud, as if imprisoned in an underground chamber.
"So this is hell!?" She muttered under her breath. She could feel her limbs feeling extremely weak.
Anxiety gnawed at her, leaving her on the brink of surrender. A faint light appeared in the distance when despair threatened to consume her.
With every moment, the light grew brighter and closer to her. The light was so bright it blinded her eyes.
As the radiant light enveloped her, the frigid cold that had once seeped into her bones melted away, replaced by a comforting warmth that seeped through her very pores.
Cautiously, Iris Gray slowly and carefully opened her eyes, and what she saw left her in shock and disbelief.