Chapter 2 - SORROW

The tires screeched as Axel sped away, narrowly avoiding the masked man's gunshot.

"Perfect timing, traffic light," Axel muttered to himself, his body tense as he weaved through the other cars on the express road.

"What the hell are you doing?" an angry man shouted as Axel nearly collided with his car.

"You son of a bitch!" yelled another driver.

But Axel paid no attention to the angry voices around him. In his mind,the other cars on the road were invisible and nonexistent.

He knew the black cult was still after him, and he needed to find a way to throw them off his trail.

Driving at breakneck speed, Axel finally pulled over in front of a clubhouse. He quickly got out of his car and hurried inside, making a beeline for the men's bathroom.

As Axel entered the bathroom, he encountered a man about to leave. Without hesitation, he punched the man in the face, rendering him unconscious.

Luckily, there was only one men's bathroom in the club, making it easier for Axel to disguise himself. He swiftly changed into the man's clothes and even helped him put on a pair of shorts since he had been shirtless.

Now disguised, Axel slipped out of the club unnoticed, opting to walk down the street instead of using his car. The black cult was patiently waiting for him to return to his vehicle, and he couldn't risk being identified.

It was late, and Axel knew it would take him at least four hours to reach his wife and daughter.

Standing on the roadside, he waved at passing cars, hoping for a kind stranger to offer him a ride. Finally, his prayers were answered...

"Hey, where are you headed?" a man in a Mercedes asked, dressed in a button-up shirt and shorts.

"Could you please give me a lift down the road?" Axel pleaded.

"Sure thing! Hop in," the man replied, his expression slightly scornful, as he stepped out of his car. "By the way, are you interested in having some fun? You know, since we're on the road together," he whispered in Axel's ear.

Axel glared at the man, his outrage evident, and couldn't resist punching him in the face. The man winced in pain, crumpling to the ground.

"You bastard!" Axel cursed, his expression filled with spite, before getting into the car and speeding away, leaving the man behind.

The house where his wife and three-year-old daughter lived was nestled deep within a thick forest, hidden from the outside world. Axel had chosen this location to protect his family from the black cult, who forbade its members from marrying or having romantic relationships.

Finally arriving at the three-story apartment building, Axel hurriedly got out of the car and rushed inside.

"Camille! Camille, we need to pack up and

leave the city!" Axel yelled, scanning the room for his pregnant wife.

"Where did she go? And why is it so dark in here?" Axel murmured, his body tense as he flicked on the light switch. To his horror, he discovered his three-year-old daughter held at knifepoint by a burly man in a black suit. Camille, his wife, was bound to a pillar with a cloth gagging her mouth.

Axel didn't need to be told that these men were from the black cult.

"Daddy!" his three-year-old daughter called out, tears streaming down her face.

"Zoe!" Axel yelled, rushing towards his daughter, only to be punched by one of the burly men. He crumpled to the floor, wincing in pain.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here," a man sitting in a chair, facing away from Axel, said. Axel immediately recognized the voice. It was Murphy Lionel, the leader of the black cult.

"Boss!" Axel weakly called out, and Lionel turned to face him, his expression filled with fury.

"Do you really think I wouldn't find out about your wife and daughter?" Lionel asked, his rage evident. "And do you honestly believe you can escape from me?"

"Please, boss, I beg you!" Axel pleaded tearfully.

"You killed my only daughter. It's only fair that I kill yours," Lionel declared, rising from his chair and approaching young Zoe, wielding Axel's axe.

"No, boss, I would never have harmed your daughter if I had known," Axel pleaded, struggling against the tight grip of the two men restraining him.

"Is that so?" Lionel sneered, walking up to Axel and delivering a punch to his face, sending him sprawling to the floor.

"I wouldn't have killed your daughter either. I had no idea she was yours. Please, have mercy, boss," Axel begged.

"Then let's pretend I never knew she was your daughter too," Lionel replied, his expression filled with vengeance. He raised the axe, ready to strike the young girl.

"Let go of my daughter, you bastards!" Camille screamed, managing to loosen the cloth gagging her mouth.

"Your husband is responsible for all of this. Blame him for your misfortune," Lionel said, his evil laughter filling the room.

"Axel! What is happening? Why are they after us? What have you done?"Camille asked, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't comprehend why their family was being targeted or what connection Axel had with the black cult.

Axel couldn't bear to look at his wife any longer. He knew he was responsible for the nightmare they were living. Unable to meet her gaze, he buried his head in his hands, weeping uncontrollably.

"An eye for an eye!" Lionel declared, his determination evident as he aimed the axe at Camille's head and struck. Her blood splattered across the room as her lifeless body fell to the floor.

"Camille!" Axel screamed, his voice filled with bitterness, as he struggled against the men restraining him. But his efforts were in vain.

Satisfied with Axel pains, He moved towards Zoe too and aimed the axe at her neck and struck it off, making her young body thud on the floor.

"Zoe!" Axel screamed bitterly at the sight of his daughter and wife body lying lifelessly in the pool of blood.

A gun was brought down upon his head, and he lost consciousness.

"Take him away. I will kill him and dismember his body, scattering the pieces in the ocean so that he will never be found or given a proper burial," Lionel ordered sternly.

"Yes, boss!"

Lionel's command was carried out as Axel was bound with a rope and tossed into the trunk of a car, destined for his final judgment.

*

Members of the black cult sped away from Axel's house, their captive tightly bound and hidden in the trunk. The car came to a stop on the expressway, and two burly men emerged, one of them carrying Axel over his shoulder. They disappeared into the distance, their destination unknown.

"Pour water on him!" Lionel ordered one of the men, who promptly doused Axel with a bucket of water, causing him to regain consciousness.

"Camille!" Axel weakly uttered, taking in his surroundings. It was the beach.

"Time to say goodbye to the world! Give m

y regards to all those you've killed," Lionel laughed, raising the axe to strike Axel.

"Who's there?" a voice called out from a distance, causing Lionel to freeze. It was the police. He silently motioned for the men to throw Axel into the ocean before they were caught.