Fan Fiction
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Chapter 6
Chang studied him for a moment before turning his gaze back to the trembling poacher. “You understand what failure costs me, don’t you?” His voice was almost gentle, but it carried the weight of a death sentence. “You’ve wasted my time, lost my investment, and brought attention to things that should remain in the dark.”
The poacher swallowed hard, his breath coming in shallow, panicked gasps. “Please, Mr. Chang… I… I told you everything! I didn’t run! I came to you!”
Chang sighed as if this was all terribly inconvenient. “Yes. And that’s the only reason you’re not already dead.” He turned to Elijah then, his eyes sharp, measuring.
“It’s time,” Chang said simply.
Elijah felt his stomach clench. He knew what was being asked of him. He’d seen others do it, watched as men were erased with cold efficiency, their lives snuffed out like candle flames.
But he’d never held the blade himself.
Never made that final, irreversible step.
The poacher whimpered, sinking to his knees, hands raised in desperate prayer. “Please… I have a family…”
Elijah’s fingers twitched at his sides. The knife at his belt felt heavier than it ever had before. He could feel the weight of Chang’s gaze, the silent expectation pressing down on him.
He could still say no.
But what then?
Chang would not tolerate weakness. A refusal would be its own death sentence.
And yet…
His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he slowly reached for the blade. The steel glinted under the low light, and he swallowed against the bile rising in his throat.
Chang leaned forward, voice quiet but firm. “Once you cross this line, there is no turning back.”
Elijah’s grip tightened on the handle. His pulse hammered. The poacher was sobbing now, pleading, shaking so hard his whole body trembled.
Elijah’s mind raced, a storm of conflicting thoughts crashing against each other. He could feel the weight of the knife in his hand, heavier than it had any right to be. The poacher whimpered on the floor, his chest heaving with desperate, uneven breaths.
Elijah had never shied away from blood. He’d tracked animals, brought them down with steady hands, watched their bodies go still as the life drained from them. That had been different. Animals had a purpose. Their deaths fed others, kept the cycle turning. There was no guilt in it, no lingering weight in his gut.
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(6 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5)
Uhoh. The distance is palpable. At least Bette is aware of it. Hopefully it won’t need something really bad and traumatic for T & B to find their way back to each other.
And Elijah on the brink of finally falling down the dark side. :-(
Another very well written story, Kins. Looking forward to the next chapter.