The night at Ravenshade

The night at Ravenshade

Camila's POV

I hesitated for a while… torn between helping out and finding my safety first.

“Run, Camila.” Her voice rang out again. I was out of options, so I did.

My chair toppled behind me as I sprinted toward the back exit, heart pounding in my ears like war drums.

Those men were definitely Edward's… Had they been aware I was coming? Did he find out already? All these questions and more roamed inside my head, but I had no answer to any of them.

I dragged my hood closer, aiming to cover my face even more. They can't find out yet.

I moved as fast as I could, desperate to leave before anyone noticed me.

“Wait…” the woman’s voice cracked behind me. Was she referring to me?

I turned just in time, only to see two masked men approaching her, with one pointing a gun at her.

“Let's at least talk…” she mumbled, her two hands raised above her head.

The men didn't budge; they kept coming closer to her.

My eyes widened as the sting of fear that she might be killed hit me. But she was no ordinary lady…

She moved faster than I thought possible, flipping one over the counter with a sharp kick that cracked like thunder.

The other lunged for her.

She met him midair. The fight was brutal… grunts, shattering plates as they both struggled for the gun. Suddenly… She got shot in the hand, blood spattering across the tiled floor. Oh, no!!

“Damn it!” she hissed through her teeth, clutching her arm but still fighting.

I froze… How could she have so much strength despite being shot? She must’ve gone through hell to still fight like that.

I was still in a haze when one of them turned toward me. The barrel of his gun glinted in the fluorescent light.

Something inside me snapped as Miller’s voice echoed in my head: “Don’t just throw your leg… pour it in. The fear. Anger.”

These are Edward's men; I'm definitely not going to go soft.

My right leg shot out… striking his ribs with a crack that echoed through the chaos. He staggered back, shock flashing in his eyes. I didn’t stop. Another kick, higher this time. He hit the table and went down with a grunt.

The woman looked up at me, surprise etched between her pain and exhaustion. “You fight?”

“Still learning,” I panted, taking a defensive stance like Miller taught.

She laughed—actually laughed—despite the blood running down her sleeve. “Well, guess you’ve been preparing so well.”

I smiled at her, and she smiled back.

One of the attackers came at her from behind. I moved without thinking—snatching a plate and smashing it against his wrist. His gun fell, sliding across the floor. She caught it mid-roll, spun, and fired once. The man dropped.

Silence hung for a beat, broken only by our ragged breathing.

“Your wound? Are you okay?”

“It's nothing. I'll be fine.”

Just then, someone moved near the window.

“Go!” she barked, shoving the wrapped object deeper into my palm. “Take it and run! Don’t stop until you’re out of sight.”

“I’m not leaving you…”

“Camila!” Her tone was sharp and final. “You’re no use dead. You just have to survive, no matter what… That's the only way justice can be properly served.”

“What about you?”

“Maybe my time is over.”

“Don't say that…”

The window exploded again. I ducked, glass raining down like glittering rain. My hand burnt… I’d been grazed. I barely felt it through the rush of adrenaline.

“Run!” she shouted again, limping toward a fallen gun.

I hesitated only a second, then bolted for the back exit. My lungs screamed as I pushed through the kitchen door. The cold air outside hit me like a slap when I burst into the alley.

Sirens wailed in the distance.

Behind me, another shot cracked. Then another.

I stopped.

Every instinct screamed ‘keep running’, but something… something heavier than fear… pinned my feet to the ground. I turned and went back.

Through the broken window, I could see everything. The woman was barely standing at that point, her back pressed against a booth, gun clutched tight even as her hand trembled.

“Come on,” she whispered to herself, aiming at the last man standing. But her shot missed… Her arm gave out.

He raised his gun.

“No…” The word slipped from my mouth before I could stop it.

He shot her instead.

Her body jerked once, blood blooming across her chest.

A strangled cry tore from my throat before I could stop it.

She stumbled backward, collapsing beside the overturned table.

I slammed a hand over my mouth, desperate to muffle the sound clawing up my throat. My vision blurred as another bullet found her.

Then silence.

The attacker kicked her once to make sure she was gone, muttered something I couldn’t hear, and disappeared through the same window he came in.

I stood there for a long moment, my heart beating so fast like a ticking bomb about to explode.

I couldn't believe the scene that had just displayed before me.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to move. One step. Then another. My hands shook as I held the object she’d given me… It was still warm with her blood.

I didn’t know who she was, not even her name… or what she’d just died for.

But one thing was crystal clear…those men were connected to Edward.

That man is willing and ever ready to burn down the world just to silence anyone who stands in his way.

And that… that was what terrified me most, the thought that I could be next. That this could be my end too.

I turned and disappeared into the dark alley, my pulse pounding in my ears like the sound of a thousand drums beating in unison.

Call it fear or anything you want… But I was still in shock, finally realising just how far Edward would go to protect his precious empire.