The air outside was biting, cutting through the small village like a blade. Snow and frost coated the ground, while the distant howls of wolves echoed in the oppressive silence, amplifying the sense of dread that loomed over the land. Inside their humble home, Lily and Gregory stood motionless, side by side. The low glow of a single candle cast elongated shadows on the walls, giving the room an eerie, almost oppressive quality.
They had known this moment would come. The man they had once served—the one who had set all this in motion—was coming for them. And with his arrival, their fate was sealed.
The sound of carriage wheels crunched through the snow, a deep, inevitable rumble that seemed to draw nearer with each passing moment. The air grew colder, as if the world itself sensed what was about to unfold. Lily felt her heartbeat quicken, the rhythm loud in her ears, but Gregory remained silent, his face as cold and impassive as stone. His resolve was unshakable, but she knew, deep down, that the man was just as afraid as she was.
The carriage stopped outside with a final, sickening jolt. Lily's hand tightened around the doorknob, but she couldn't bring herself to open it. Gregory moved toward her, his footsteps heavy and deliberate. He glanced back at her once, his expression unreadable. There was no time for hesitation. There was no escape.
With a slow, grinding creak, the door swung open.
The man who stepped inside was an embodiment of terror. Goldman. Cloaked in a dark fur-trimmed coat and black gloves, his presence was suffocating, his aura cold and oppressive. He stood tall, his features sharp, but his face was hidden behind a black mask, his eyes the only visible part of him, cold and unfeeling. He looked more like a shadow than a man, his every movement purposeful and precise.
Behind him, three of his men followed, their massive frames filling the room. The air seemed to thicken, their silence louder than any words could be. They didn't need to speak; the weight of their presence spoke volumes.
Gregory stepped forward, bowing his head slightly but standing tall, his shoulders stiff. "Goldman," he said, his voice strained but respectful. "We... we didn't expect you so soon."
Goldman didn't answer immediately. He simply stood there, studying Gregory, as though deciding whether he was even worth responding to. Finally, his voice broke the silence, low and biting.
"I don't have time to wait for incompetence," he said. "You failed me, Gregory. You were supposed to ensure the goods came through undetected, but instead, your failure has led to them being intercepted. Worse still, you allowed Theo to survive. Marek was supposed to finish the job. Why is he still breathing?"
Lily's breath hitched. A cold, sickening realization settled in her stomach, and she instinctively moved closer to Gregory, though her presence barely seemed to matter. Goldman's eyes, cold and unmoving, never left Gregory.
"We—we did our best," Gregory stammered, but even as he spoke, the cracks in his voice betrayed the lie. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this. We thought we could slip it through unnoticed, but they were intercepted. It was Marek's fault... he—"
Goldman raised a hand, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. The shadows grew darker, deeper, as though swallowing the light. His voice was a mere whisper, but it felt like the weight of the world.
"You failed," he said, each word like an ice shard driven deep into Gregory's chest. "And now, you will pay."
Before anyone could react, Goldman's hand shot out toward Varek, who had been standing in the corner, silent and tense. The moment Goldman's eyes locked onto Varek's, something twisted in the air, and Varek's body began to convulse. Muscles spasmed violently, as though something inside him was trying to break free. His skin cracked, splitting open like a rotten fruit. The sickening sound of tearing flesh filled the room, followed by the unmistakable, foul scent of burning.
Lily's stomach churned, but she couldn't look away. Gregory's jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth ground together, his knuckles white as he gripped the table. But his eyes never wavered from Goldman. He wouldn't show weakness, not now. Not in front of him.
Goldman's voice was almost a whisper, but it held the coldness of a winter storm. "You were supposed to finish the job, Varek," he said. "But you failed. You let Theo live."
Varek screamed, the sound raw and desperate, as his flesh was consumed by the dark power Goldman commanded. His body withered and disintegrated in front of them, the remnants of what had once been a man reduced to a pile of charred, unrecognizable remains.
Lily's breath caught in her throat, and tears pricked the edges of her eyes, but she forced herself to remain silent, knowing that any sound would mark her as weak in Goldman's eyes. Gregory was equally still, his face pale, but his resolve seemed to only harden in the face of the horror.
Goldman surveyed the devastation with a cold, detached satisfaction. He turned to face Gregory and Lily once more, his eyes narrowing, his voice as sharp and deadly as the blade of a knife.
"You were entrusted with a simple task: get the goods through without detection. You failed. And worse still, you failed me when you let Theo live."
Gregory opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat, his body frozen in place. Lily's chest felt tight, her heart a heavy, suffocating weight. They had failed. They had failed miserably.
Goldman stepped forward, boots thudding softly on the wooden floor. The sound echoed in the thick silence like a death knell.
"You know the price for failure," he said, voice cold and final. "Now, you both will pay."
He nodded to his men, and without a word, they moved toward Lily and Gregory. Before they could resist, they were seized and forced to their knees on the cold stone floor. Gregory's arms were pinned by two of Goldman's men, while the third loomed over Lily, his grip like iron.
Goldman raised his hand, and the room seemed to freeze. Time slowed. His voice softened, almost pleasant, as though they were no longer his failures, but something more akin to old acquaintances he was about to punish.
"I'll spare your lives—for now," Goldman said, his words sweet and venomous. "But know this: I will not tolerate failure again. Redeem yourselves, or next time, you will not leave this room alive."
Lily's eyes widened with a mixture of fear and disbelief, but Gregory remained silent, his head bowed. His pride had been shattered in that instant, crushed under the weight of their sins. They had failed Goldman. And worse—worse still—they had failed Theo.
Goldman gave them one last piercing look, his mask cold and unreadable. With a slight gesture, his men pulled away, and they exited the room as swiftly as they had entered. The door slammed shut with a finality that echoed through the room, leaving Lily and Gregory in the eerie stillness of their shattered lives.
Their punishment had begun.