The rain poured harder and harder.
Droplets struck the ground in a steady rhythm, drowning out every other sound.
In the backyard of Theresia’s house, Braddy stood still with his head bowed, his body completely soaked.
Jackson was still running along the narrow path behind the house, shouting Felix’s name—though it was clear there would be no answer.
Reggy and Jay followed, but the footprints that had been visible moments ago were now fading—washed away by the relentless rain.
“Damn it! Which way did he go?” Jay shouted, wiping the rain from his face.
Jackson raised his hand, pointing toward a narrow alley at the end of the fence.
“That way! But we have to move fast before he reaches the main road!”
Without another thought, they ran.
Thunder roared above them, lightning flashing in the distance, briefly reflecting their shadows in the puddles.
Their heavy breathing blended with the downpour, creating a tense, relentless rhythm.
Braddy ran at the back.
His mind was in chaos, but his body kept moving.
He knew that if Felix truly escaped and reported them, everything they had done would end in disaster—not just for him, but for everyone involved.
Over the roar of the rain, Reggy shouted, “Split up! Jay, go right—I’ll take the left!”
They scattered, moving through the empty alleys.
Streetlights flickered, casting faint reflections on the slick asphalt.
Braddy scanned his surroundings, narrowing his eyes, trying to see through the curtain of rain.
Suddenly, faintly, he spotted a silhouette running in the distance—heading toward an old bus stop at the end of the road.
“Felix!” he shouted.
The figure glanced back briefly, then ran faster.
Braddy pushed himself harder, but the slippery ground caused him to lose his footing.
He fell face-first into the mud, then quickly got back up, running again without caring about the dirt clinging to his clothes.
Felix was almost at the bus stop when Jackson appeared from the opposite direction.
“Stop!” Jackson barked, raising his gun.
Felix froze for a moment, breathing heavily.
His face was pale, his eyes filled with fear.
He looked at the gun, then at Braddy, who had just arrived a few meters behind Jackson.
“Don’t come any closer!” Felix shouted.
“Felix, listen to me—” Braddy tried to approach.
“We’re not going to hurt you.
We just want to talk.”
“Talk?!
You tied me up in my own house!” Felix snapped, his voice breaking under the pounding rain.
“You’re insane!”
Jackson scoffed.
“You don’t understand, kid.
We’re just following orders.”
“Orders from who?
Peter’s parents?” Felix laughed bitterly.
“You think I don’t know? You’re all just their puppets!”
The words pierced Braddy like a blade.
He stepped forward, lowering his voice.
“Felix, listen… if you run and report this to anyone, your life won’t be safe. They will come after you—”
Suddenly, Felix turned and ran toward the main road.
A car nearly hit him, its horn blaring loudly.
Jackson raised his gun, but Braddy grabbed his arm.
“No!
Don’t do it!”
“If he gets away, we’re finished!” Jackson shouted, his eyes burning with anger.
But it was too late—Felix had already disappeared behind a row of closing shops.
Braddy lowered his head, rain soaking his hair until it covered his face.
He knew everything had changed.
An hour later, they returned to Theresia’s house.
The woman sat on the sofa, clutching a rosary, staring blankly at the open door.
Her gaze was sharp, yet filled with deep pain.
Jackson approached, his face grim.
“He got away.”
Theresia said nothing.
She only looked at Braddy with a cold stare, as if trying to pierce his soul.
“Now you know what it feels like to lose control over someone you care about,” she said slowly.
“I hope you’re afraid… because something far more terrifying is coming.”
Jay stepped forward, eyeing her suspiciously.
“What do you mean?”
Theresia stood.
“Felix won’t go far. But he’s not a fool. He knows who you are. And if he reaches the right people…” She paused, her lips trembling.
“…everything rotten about you will be exposed.”
Jackson let out a harsh breath.
“Heh! You’re getting bold now? If that happens, it’s not just us who are finished—you are too.”
Theresia fell silent, but deep down she knew it was true.
There was no way out for her anymore.
Braddy then signaled Jackson to leave.
“We need to report to Celestine. Now.”
A few hours later.
Night fell quickly.
The rain had not stopped.
Their black car came to a halt in front of a large colonial-style house in an elite residential complex—the home of the John Terano family.
Braddy gripped his phone tightly.
Every step toward the door felt heavy, as if his legs refused to move forward.
Inside, the scent of jasmine mixed with cigarette smoke.
Celestine sat on a long chair, wearing a dark blue satin robe.
In her hand, a glass of red wine swirled slowly.
She didn’t look at them when they entered.
“I knew it,” she said flatly without turning.
“You failed.”
No one answered.
Only the sound of rain echoed from outside.
Jackson tried to explain, “We almost had him, Ma’am.
But—”
“But you let the boy escape,” Celestine cut in coldly.
She placed her glass on the table and stood up slowly.
Her sharp gaze pierced each of them.
“What will you do if he talks? Hm?”
Jay swallowed hard.
“We’ll find him again tomorrow morning.”
“No,” Celestine said softly.
“Not tomorrow. Now!” she shouted, her voice shaking the room.
She turned, walked to a glass cabinet, and took out a black folder.
“I’ve prepared addresses of places he might go—his college friend’s boarding house, his adoptive father’s workshop, or his cousin’s house in the northern part of the city.” She looked sharply at Braddy.
“And I want you to lead.”
Braddy looked at her with tired eyes.
“Mom, maybe we should—”
“Should what?” Celestine stepped closer, her voice lowering but filled with cold menace.
“Let that boy open his mouth and destroy everything we’ve built?”
Braddy couldn’t meet her gaze.
Celestine smirked, then gently patted his cheek.
“You’re a smart boy, Braddy. But remember—compassion is the most dangerous disease.”
Jackson looked at her with certainty.
“We’ll take care of him tonight.”
“Make sure there are no more mistakes,” Celestine said as she returned to her seat.
“If there are…” She paused, looking at them one by one.
“I’ll make sure none of you wake up tomorrow morning.”
Leaving the grand house, Braddy looked up at the still-crying sky.
The rain seemed to wash away what little conviction he had left.
Jackson had already started the car engine, but Braddy hadn’t moved.
Reggy tapped his shoulder.
“Come on. We have to move.”
But Braddy remained still.
In his mind, Theresia’s voice, Felix’s screams, and Celestine’s piercing gaze clashed endlessly.
> “Compassion is a disease…”
Celestine’s words echoed in his head—but for Braddy, it was the opposite.
He began to realize: perhaps that was the only thing still making him human.
The car sped through the rain, leaving behind the empty city streets.
Streetlights reflected in the puddles like a distorted reality.
In the back seat, Braddy closed his eyes while Jackson focused on driving.
“If we find him, what’s your plan?” Jay asked from the front.
Jackson answered flatly, “We end it. By any means.”
Reggy glanced at Braddy.
“And if Felix fights back?”
Braddy didn’t answer immediately.
He opened his eyes and stared out the window, seeing his own reflection in the rain-streaked glass.
“I’ll talk to him first,” he said quietly.
“If I fail…”
He paused, then looked forward.
“…then we’ll all regret it.”
No one spoke after that.
The sound of rain accompanied their journey—as if the sky itself was mourning what was about to happen.
A few kilometers away, at a dimly lit old bus stop, Felix stood alone.
His clothes were drenched, his breathing still heavy.
He gripped his phone with trembling hands and dialed a number from his contacts.
“Hello?” a voice answered softly but cautiously.
“This is Felix,” he said hurriedly.
“I need your help. They kidnapped me. They’re looking for Flora. And they… they’re working for someone named Celestine.”
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then the voice replied firmly, “Stay calm. I know who they are. Stay where you are. I’m coming.”
Felix looked at the dark road ahead, then up at the sky that kept pouring rain.
In the distance, the sound of a car engine approached—its headlights cutting through the rain like the eyes of a predator hunting its prey.
He swallowed hard.
“God, help me…”
And that night, beneath the endless rain, a new game began—a hunt among people who had lost their humanity.