Davis took a deep breath, staring at Maya with a mixture of disbelief and sadness. "Tony?" he whispered, as if hoping for a different answer. "Are you really going after that kid too?"
Maya turned fully now, her face pale but her eyes sharp, gleaming under the faint moonlight. "You ask as if I still have a choice, Davis. Tony is one of them. One of those who ruined my life, who took my child's life. And you think I'll stop after Anton?" She stepped forward, her eyes blazing with vengeance. "Of course not. I'll hunt him down, just like I hunted the others. Until every single one of them pays for what they did to Aisha."
Davis shook his head slowly, but there was no surprise in his eyes. He understood her revenge, knew the loss that consumed Maya. But one thing he didn't know was whether this would ever make her feel better or just destroy her further. "Are you sure this is what Aisha would have wanted? Killing them one by one—will that heal your wounds?"
A flash appeared in Maya's eyes, a flash of anger beyond mere vengeance. It was the pain of a wound that hadn't healed, one that had festered since Aisha's death. "Don't talk like you know what I feel, Davis," she said, her voice low but trembling with fury. "You don't know... you could never know."
"I know more than you think, Maya," Davis responded, his voice firm but laced with grief. "I've lost family too. And I know what it's like to want to destroy the people who've ruined your life." He paused, gazing deeply into her eyes. "When it's all over, what will be left for you?"
Maya was silent for a moment. The question hung heavy in the air between them. But then, she laughed—a hollow sound, as if the answer had long been decided.
"What will be left for me?" she repeated bitterly. "Nothing, Davis, because they've taken everything from me. And when they're all dead, I won't need anything else."
Davis said nothing. He knew Maya had sunk too deep into her sea of vengeance, too far gone to be pulled back to the surface.
Maya stared at Davis for a moment, then walked away, leaving him in silence. Behind her, Davis could only stand still, watching the woman he once knew turn into someone blinded by revenge. Each step Maya took seemed to carry her further from the world she once knew, down a path from which there might be no return.
Maya stood before the door of the apartment Aisha once lived in. The key in her hand felt heavy, as if burdened with the weight of a thousand unwanted memories. Her hand trembled as she turned the key, the door creaking slowly open to reveal a room once filled with laughter and joy. Now, there was only silence and shadows of the past.
Maya's footsteps were slow as she entered the living room, unchanged from how it had been before. Aisha's photo hung on the wall—a girl always smiling, full of hope, full of life. Maya gazed at it, feeling a wave of sorrow crash over her. Memories haunted her, nearly bringing her to her knees, but she forced herself to move toward the bathroom.
Once inside, Maya stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her body was stained with dried blood—Anton's blood mixed with her own cold sweat. Her face was pale, her eyes swollen from crying, her hair disheveled. She barely recognized the woman staring back at her—the woman who had become a monster for the sake of revenge.
With trembling hands, Maya turned on the faucet, water flowing cold and fast. She began washing herself, but the bloodstains felt like they wouldn't come off. They clung to her skin, like a mark of the sins she had just committed. She scrubbed harder, more fiercely each time the blood refused to fade. Her hands clawed at her own skin, turning it red, but the guilt wouldn't go away.
"What have I done...," she whispered, her voice almost lost amidst the rushing water.
Suddenly, tears poured down her cheeks. She bowed her head, her body shaking under the stream. "I shouldn't have become this... They shouldn't have taken Aisha from me."
Those words echoed in her mind like a chant, a mantra that wouldn't stop. If only Aisha were still here. If only they hadn't hurt her. Maya bit her lip until it bled, trying to stifle the sobs that were breaking free. But nothing could hold back the pain. Her vengeance burned even deeper now. Five more men remained. Five more who had to pay.
She crouched on the bathroom floor, clutching her knees as her tears fell uncontrollably. Memories of Aisha flooded her mind. Aisha, her always-cheerful child, full of dreams. Aisha, who had encouraged her even when their life wasn't perfect.
"Mom, let's go to the beach next time, okay?" Aisha's voice suddenly echoed in her head, so real it was as if the girl was standing beside her.
Maya closed her eyes, reliving those small moments that had once seemed so ordinary but now felt priceless. They would laugh together, share dinner while talking about their days. She could hear Aisha's light, carefree laughter as she told silly stories from school.
"I'm proud of you, Mom," Aisha had said once, her bright eyes filled with love as she gazed at Maya.
Maya opened her eyes quickly, gasping for air. "I'm proud of you, Aisha..." her voice quivered, her heart breaking. But her daughter was gone. Her little girl, so innocent, so full of dreams, had been ripped away from her by a group of men who had treated their crime as a joke.
Maya turned to the mirror again, staring at herself once more. This time, there was no disgust or fear. Only a cold, burning anger. Five more, she thought. Five more who still had to pay.
"They laughed after destroying your life, Aisha. They laughed like it was all a joke..."
She stood up, her face now calm, colder. Her vengeance was stronger, and it was the only thing keeping her moving.
Maya grabbed her phone, searching for the next name to send a threat to. After finding it, she quickly typed a menacing message and sent it.
"Your turn is coming, Tony. You'll feel what Aisha felt, and when the time comes, I'll make sure you regret it."
*
*
*
The party at Tony's house was in full swing. Music blared from the speakers in the corner, neon lights flashed wildly, and laughter mixed with conversations that echoed throughout the room. People danced, drank, and laughed without a care in the world, as if nothing outside the party mattered.
Tony leaned back on the sofa, a drink in his hand. His eyes squinted at his phone, which had just vibrated in his lap. A short message appeared on the screen, and his eyebrows lifted slightly as he read it.
**"You're next. Get ready to join your friend Anton."**
Tony chuckled softly and laughed, amused by the threat, considering where he was—in the middle of a wild party. He figured it was just a prank, someone trying to scare him. Casually, he placed his phone on the table in front of him and took another sip of his drink.
Daniel, sitting next to him, noticed the change in Tony's expression. "Who's that? Why are you smiling like that?" he asked, curious.
Tony shrugged and shook his head, still smiling. "Ah, just some prank message," he said lightly, as if there was nothing to worry about.
Daniel looked at Tony for a moment, intrigued by his response. "A prank? What's it say? Let me see."
Tony laughed, but took his time before replying. "It's nothing, bro. Really, just a dumb joke."
But Daniel's curiosity wasn't easily satisfied. "What kind of joke? Come on, let me read it," he insisted, trying to peek at Tony's phone.
Finally, Tony picked up his phone again and read the message aloud in a dramatic, exaggerated voice, "You're next. Get ready to join your friend Anton."
Rafa, who had just joined them carrying a bottle of liquor, laughed loudly when he heard it. "Haha! That's creepy, bro! This has to be Anton's work, I swear! He's always trying to freak people out," he said, playfully shaking Tony's shoulders. "You know how he is, right?"
Tony smiled and nodded, agreeing with Rafa. "Yeah, I thought the same. Anton loves making people paranoid."
Daniel also laughed, a little relieved. "Yeah, Anton's always like that. Loves to pull stunts. He's probably here already, hiding somewhere and waiting for us to freak out."
Tony chuckled, raising his glass, "I'm immune to Anton's tricks by now. If he wants to scare me, he's gonna have to try something bigger than this."
But not everyone at the party was laughing. In the corner of the room, Liam, who had been quietly observing the conversation, spoke up, his voice serious. "But...," he said hesitantly, "what if something actually happened to Anton?"
Everyone fell silent for a moment. Their eyes turned toward Liam, whose face now showed a trace of concern.
Tony scoffed, trying to brush off the unease that was creeping in. "Come on, Liam. Don't be so paranoid. It's Anton... We're talking about Anton here. He's probably just pranking us."
Tony scoffed, trying to brush off the unease creeping around them. "Come on, Liam. Don't overthink it. This is Anton... we're talking about Anton. He's probably just pranking us."
But Liam didn't smile. The worry on his face became more evident. "I don't know, Tony... But... I've had a bad feeling for a while now. Anton doesn't usually act like this. He always picks up our calls. I've tried calling him several times, but there's no answer at all. Don't you think that's strange?"
Daniel chuckled awkwardly, trying to ease the tension. "Bro, maybe he's drunk somewhere or his phone died. Anton never takes stuff like this seriously. He'll probably show up soon with that goofy grin and say 'Gotcha!'"
However, Liam's eyes stayed on Tony, as if searching for reassurance behind the jokes filling the room. "We really need to find out where he is," Liam insisted, his voice more firm now. "I can't just relax like this."
Tony let out a long sigh, then looked at Liam with a hint of annoyance. "I get you're worried about him, but you shouldn't overthink like this. Anton's never serious, and you know he loves making us panic. So stop imagining the worst."
Liam still looked unsatisfied. "Yeah, I know. But imagine if something did happen to him. We can't just sit here waiting for him to show up."
Tony sighed deeply and picked up his phone again. He tried calling Anton, but all he heard was the long ringing tone, with no answer. His face began to show a trace of worry, though he didn't want to admit it in front of his friends. "I'll try again... but I'm sure he'll show up any minute."
While Tony attempted another call, Daniel started feeling uneasy. "Wait, didn't Anton say he was already close by? If he was coming, he should've been here by now."
Rafa, who had been laid-back, now frowned. "Yeah, this is getting weird. I'm pretty sure Anton said he was on his way."
Liam stood up from his chair, his face now more tense. "You see? This is strange. I can't just sit around like this. I'm going to find Anton."
Tony stared at his phone, waiting for the call that never got answered. Suddenly, the threat they had dismissed earlier felt much more real.