It's useless to resist.Despite the real hatred taking over his emotions, Leon knows it's pointless trying to resist armed men. He raises his hands in surrender and doesn't notice when one of the hooded men comes up behind him and shoots him hard in the head.Darkness.When he wakes up, the boy is naked except for his underwear, and his skin burns as if someone had scratched him several times. His eyes blink, looking for a spot of light or any information that might lead him to understand what the hell was going on.Leon's vision gradually begins to clear, revealing a dark and damp environment. He is tied to an uncomfortable chair, and the smell of mold dominates the place. As he looks around, he realizes that he is in a kind of abandoned basement, with damp stone walls and cobwebs scattered around the corners.His body aches and every movement is agony. His hands tied behind his back, Leon tries to understand what has happened. He hears muffled voices, murmurs echoing around the roo

Leon stares at the metal case with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. The pain in his body seems momentarily forgotten as the promise of answers and justice is about to be revealed. He hesitates for a moment, feeling saliva run down his throat. Sweat collects on his forehead."Ready," he mutters in a hoarse voice, his gaze steady despite the vulnerability of his situation.The suitcase opens, revealing photographs, documents and a sealed envelope. Sasha watches with a satisfied smile as Leon examines the materials carefully. The images show faces, places and events that seem to fit the narrative she has constructed. Proof of the guilt of the person who ruined her life.Leon just blinks, the only sign of surprise he lets show.Then, before he can see any further, the woman closes and locks the case. She had barely had seconds to analyze everything."If you want to carry on investigating, kid, then you'll cooperate with me."In a string of voices, he asks:"How did you know that

Two weeks had passed. Leon had been inside that insane place for almost a month, training exhaustively to do what he had to do, although he didn't know what or when. Sasha purposely avoided talking openly about what role he would play. After another day of exhausting training, Leon was alone in his makeshift quarters. The only light came from a dim bulb hanging from the ceiling. He is surrounded by shadows that dance on the cold walls, echoing the whirlwind of thoughts in his mind. The dagger, once sharp and shiny, now looks worn. Leon stares at it as if searching for answers in the worn blades. Someone's footsteps echo in the corridor. Leon stands alert, the dagger firmly in his hand. The door opens and, to his surprise, it's Alex. "I thought you were asleep," said the red-haired boy at length. The two had barely bumped into each other since that day, when Alex made it clear that he was willing to leave, without weighing up the cost to himself, or even to the others. Leon didn

"Sasha, the mission has been compromised. We need to abort and find an alternative escape route," Leon transmitted over the communicator, ignoring the irritation evident in her voice.Sasha's serious expression on the monitor indicated that she was aware of the seriousness of the situation. Nevertheless, she insisted:"You must break into the secret room. You must replace the real box with the fake one. That's an order!""But-""I said it's an order!"As if to affirm that he would not go back on what he had said, Sasha switched off his own communicator. The monitor of the communicator watch was now dark.The red lights kept flashing. Stunned, the colleagues under Leon's charge looked at each other. "We should leave," said one of the girls, looking back. "It's too dangerous.""It'll eat us alive if we come back without the damn box," complained another."How did that happen? She promised we'd be safe, that doesn't make any sense!" a dark-skinned, curly-haired boy was gasping with anxi

Leon didn't dare say anything or do anything. Alex, pale and equally mute, also remained motionless.The two of them were sitting in iron chairs, heavily guarded by at least three henchmen each. In front of them was the madwoman who, grinning like a demon, seemed to be terribly amused by what she was doing.The sound of screams was bad enough, but nothing was worse than the acrid smell of blood and pain. Nauseated, Leon stared at his own hands, trying not to freak out, scream or do anything equally stupid.Lying on iron beds, chained up so they couldn't escape, were the others... Those who had tried to escape when everything went wrong; those who had taken the chance and the chaos to get out of that putrid captivity.Sasha tore at the chest of one of them, delighting in the sound of agony that came from the boy's lips. Then, as if remembering that she had an audience, she slowly turned her face to the two men in the chair."Enjoying the view?" the woman asked, her eyes twinkling with