CHAPTER 115: Hell in Berlin - Part 8

CHAPTER 115: Hell in Berlin - Part 8

The streets of Berlin felt heavy, the air thick with smoke and ash, as if hell itself had settled there. Fénix and Anna advanced with firm but silent steps, their shadows cast upon the broken walls. Amidst ruins and rubble, flames danced in the distance, illuminating a narrow alley. It was there that they saw him.

"Marcus...?" Anna whispered, bringing a hand to her mouth.

Marcus was slumped against the wall, his body beaten, his face swollen and nose broken. Dried blood stained his torn shirt, and one of his arms hung at a strange, crooked angle. He barely lifted his head upon hearing them approach, his eyes dull but still alive.

"Looks like you came to the rescue... What a surprise." Marcus tried to laugh, but only managed to cough up blood.

"What the hell happened to you?" Fénix crouched beside him, inspecting him quickly. His tone was more anger than concern, but inside he felt that every wound on Marcus was another burden of guilt on his shoulders.

"Let's just say I picked the wrong fight." Marcus smiled wryly, downplaying the situation as he always did. He avoided mentioning Marius, but the echo of the encounter still haunted him.

Fénix looked at him closely, searching his face for some clue about what had really happened. But Marcus just gritted his teeth and looked away.

"The important thing is I survived... more or less." His tone was sarcastic, but something darker hid behind it.

Anna knelt beside him and checked his broken arm. "You're lucky to be alive," she said, trying to stay calm.

Marcus let out a sigh through his teeth and looked at Fénix seriously, though disguised with disdain.

"There's someone in the subway." Marcus said it as if it were no big deal, but Fénix noticed immediately: it was a warning.

"Someone?" Fénix frowned.

"A damn monster, if I'm being honest. He was stronger than he could handle."

Fénix clenched his fists, biting his tongue to keep from cursing louder. The last thing he wanted was to get tangled in another complicated mess, but duty was dragging him in again.

"Do you always have to go looking for trouble, Marcus?" he snapped, clear irritation in his voice.

"If I don't, who will?" Marcus gave a crooked smile, as if he still had the strength to mock his own misfortune.

Fénix snorted and stood up. He knew he had no choice. If there was something dangerous down there, he had to deal with it.

"Dammit... Alright." He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I'm going to the subway, but you..." he looked at Anna, "You stay here with him."

Anna looked at him, surprised. "Are you sure?" she asked, knowing perfectly well she couldn't convince him to change his mind.

"I'm a Lycan. You're human." Fénix was clear and direct, though his tone wasn't cruel. "Dealing with supernatural shit is my job. Yours is keeping him alive."

"I'm not letting you go alone, Fénix." Anna crossed her arms, firm.

Fénix gave a slight smile. "You're staying, and that's final," he said, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "He needs you more than I do."

Marcus let out a choked laugh, as if his broken ribs weren't enough to stop his acerbic humor. "Always the hero..." he murmured sarcastically.

Fénix shot him a glare. "Shut up."

Before leaving, Fénix leaned close to Anna for a moment, closer than necessary.

"Take good care of him. If he dies, I'll kill you." He said it without a hint of humor, but Anna noticed the hidden concern behind it.

Fénix paused for a moment in front of Marcus and Anna, looked at them with that mix of sarcasm and determination that never left him, even in critical moments. The smoke and distant echo of chaos resonated in Berlin, but he no longer heard anything but the sound of his own mission in his head.

"See you later. If you survive, dinner's on you," he said with a half-smile. Marcus raised a finger, without the energy for more sarcasm, and Anna simply watched him, knowing she couldn't stop him even if she wanted to.

Fénix tilted his head slightly, a silent farewell.

"Don't die, okay?" were his last words before turning and starting to run.

His footsteps echoed loudly and confidently through the rubble. With each stride, he dodged abandoned vehicles and smoldering ruins, while neon lights flickered dying on the façades of ruined buildings. The subway was only a few blocks away, but the distance felt endless in this scene that seemed to devour everything.

As he ran, his thoughts caught up with him. For a moment, he allowed himself to imagine something different.

"And after this?" he thought, his breaths synchronized with the rhythm of his steps. Where would he go when it was all over?

He pictured himself in some remote place, far from missions and enemies. Some damn bar in the south of France, maybe, where he could sleep without the echo of past voices chasing him. Or perhaps on some remote beach, drinking anything cold while watching the calm sea.

"Yeah, right... As if I could last more than three days without looking for trouble," he mocked himself, though there was truth in the thought. Peace wasn't his style, never had been. He was made for chaos, just like the world he belonged to.

But still, the desire to disappear was there, like a small flame resisting extinction. Maybe when all this hell was over, he could stop running, at least for a while.

Seeing the rusted subway sign appear at the end of the street, Fénix gritted his teeth and increased his speed. Destiny no longer mattered as much as the next confrontation. First, what was down there... After that, he'd see if he had any time left to dream.

The cold wind hit his face as he crossed the subway entrance, taking the stairs two at a time. The darkness enveloped him, but it was a familiar darkness. And if something was waiting down there, let it be ready. Fénix wasn't in the mood for games.