Chapter 7: One Night, Two Deaths

As the Notorious Three escorted Ryan out of the dimly lit cave, the cold night air bit at his skin, a stark contrast to the oppressive darkness he had known for so long. His heart raced with a mixture of fear and anticipation as they ascended the rocky path to the crest of a high hill, the distant sound of crashing waves growing louder with each step.

At the summit, the Notorious Three paused, their shadows outlined against the moonlit sky as they exchanged whispered words amongst themselves. Ryan strained to catch fragments of their conversation, his pulse quickening with apprehension.

"What now?" Orion murmured, his voice tinged with impatience.

"We've come this far," Damien replied, his tone cold and calculating. "It's time to finish what we started."

As the reality of his fate began to sink in, Ryan's mind raced with frantic desperation. He had never learned to swim, never felt the embrace of the ocean's depths. And now, faced with the prospect of being thrown into its icy embrace, he could only pray for a miracle to save him from the watery grave that waited below.

At the edge of the cliff, Astrid, a sinister figure cloaked in shadow, turned to face Ryan with a cruel smile twisting his lips. "Well, well, well, look what we have here," he sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "Seems like it's time for you to take a little swim, don't you think?"

Ryan's heart hammered in his chest as he glanced over the edge, his stomach churning with dread at the sight of the unfathomable depths below. "Please," he pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper. "I can't swim. You don't have to do this."

But the Notorious Three only laughed, their cruel amusement echoing off the rocky cliffs. "Oh, but we do," Damien taunted, his eyes glinting with sadistic pleasure. "Consider it a parting gift from us to you." “In your next life, never come close to my stepsister. She sure will miss you,” Astrid said mockingly.

With a shove, Ryan stumbled forward, teetering on the edge of the precipice as panic surged through him like a tidal wave. Desperate and terrified, he turned to face his captors one last time, his eyes pleading for mercy even as he knew none would be granted.

And then, without warning, the crack of a gunshot shattered the night air, followed by the searing pain of a bullet tearing through his flesh. With a cry of agony, Ryan fell into the abyss below, his world spinning as the darkness closed in around him, swallowing him whole. The tranquil riverside scene is shattered by a sudden commotion. Ryan's body disappeared into the water, disturbing the calm surface as he disappears beneath the waves.

“NO!!! RYAN!” A familiar voice echoed through the atmosphere as Ryan sank deeper and deeper into the icy embrace of the ocean, his lungs burning for air he could not reach, Ryan's mind raced with a million unanswered questions. Whose voice called? Was that Jake? Why had this happened to him? What had he done to deserve such a fate?

But as the cold embrace of oblivion enveloped him, he knew that the answers would forever remain lost to the depths below, swallowed by the same merciless sea that now claimed him as its own.

As he took his last breath, he slowly muttered, “I love you Mum and Dad.”

Amidst the chaos, a lone figure emerged from the shadows, hidden behind a tree. His heart races with fear as he watched the scene unfold before him, the Notorious Three reveling in their victory over Ryan.

“No... this can't be happening.” The figure cried out forgetting that the Notorious Three were few metres from him. But his whispered protestations do not go unheard, drawing the attention of the Notorious Three like moths to a flame. “Who is that? Get him immediately!” Orion exclaimed.

Panic flooded through the figure's veins as he realizes he's been discovered, his only thought survival. Off he ran, taking to his heels with the speed of Noah Lyles. However, it was nothing comparable to the athletic sprints of the Notorious Three who with the acceleration of Usain Bolt, immediately got hold of him.

In a desperate appeal, the figure pleaded, “Spare my life please! I-I didn't see anything! I swear, I'm just a passerby!” But his pleas fall on deaf ears, the Notorious Three closing in with predatory intent, their faces twisted with malice.

“A passerby—huh? What a joke! You even claim you did not see anything that transpired some minutes ago. Why did you run then? You think we are some dumb fucks wearing some adult-sized pampers, huh?” Astrid replied sarcastically as the Notorious Three struggled to catch their breaths. “Who are you? Who sent you here?” Damien asked.

“I am a nobody, I promise. Please, kindly let me go.” The figure pleaded.

"Hollup! Wait a minute! This must be Alex, Ryan's best friend who we have fun with, " Orion said in shock. "How did this trash get here? We will be in trouble if he called the cops," Damien said in fear.

Astrid menacingly replied, “That don't matter no more. Looks like we've got ourselves a witness, boys. He has seen our faces already.

”Whilst sneering, Orion added, “What do you say we make sure he keeps his mouth shut forever?”

Alex's breath comes in short, ragged gasps as he struggles against the iron grip of his captors, their intentions clear as day. Frantically, Alex remained persistent, “Please... I won't tell anyone! I swear it!” But his words are lost amidst the ruthless laughter of the Notorious Three, their grip tightening with each passing moment.

Off they went to the same spot on the hill where Ryan was shot into the ocean.

“I think it is time for another swimming tutorial. Move!” Astrid ordered.

Before Alex can react, chaos erupted as he lashes out with all his strength, seizing Astrid by the neck and grabbing the Celestial Reliquary with a vice-like grip. Defiantly, the figure exclaimed, “You won't get away with this!”

Tauntingly, Damien replied, “Looks like we've got a fighter on our hands, brother.” The figure’s defiance is short-lived as the twins wrestle Astrid free, their guns drawn and ready. “Say goodbye to the motherfucking planet, fool.” Orion said.

With a deafening blast, the figure is sent hurtling into the churning waters below, his screams swallowed by the relentless tide. And as his life fades into the abyss, a chilling silence descends upon the riverside, broken only by the haunting echo of a single gunshot.