The Oldest Dream of Eternal Night
Chapter 57: Killed his own brother

Chapter 57: Killed his own brother

Hassan’s Mustang screeched to a halt in front of an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Lewis Center. The structure, a skeleton of concrete and rusted steel, loomed under an ink-black sky, its shattered windows like empty eye sockets. The air reeked of oxidized metal and rancid oil, a frigid wind whistling through the cracks.

Hassan stepped out, leaving Kara in the car, his leather jacket gleaming under a flickering streetlamp. He leaned against the hood, his Glock tucked into his belt, and checked his phone. Messages from the group—Hugo, Ben, Yuki, Kaiser—flashed, full of speculation and the shit he’d been through.

"So, as I thought, Hugo’s an Alpha..."

His mind was still focused on the Medusa Piece and Die Hand im Schatten. He growled, ignoring their messages. Tonight, he’d settle this mess.

Kara, inside, lit a cigarette, the smoke curling out the cracked window. Her tattoos—snakes and skulls—seemed to dance in the pale light, her predator’s gaze fixed on Hassan. She chewed gum, her nonchalant attitude masking lethal tension.

The silence was shattered by the rumble of engines. Five black SUVs emerged, their headlights piercing the darkness. Men in dark suits, armed with assault rifles, stepped out, their faces impassive. Then, a figure in a white djellaba appeared, a wide smile splitting his swarthy face. "Hassan, my brother!" he called, his syrupy voice dripping with falseness. "It’s been so long!"

Hassan clenched his teeth, his hazel eyes flashing. "Can’t say the same, Amir." His half-brother, that arrogant bastard, was here to stir up trouble, as always. Amir, their father’s favored heir. He had a knack for getting under Hassan’s skin. His serpentine smile, his theatrical manners—everything about him stank of provocation.

Amir stepped forward, his guards forming a menacing circle. "So, little brother, where’s the Medusa Piece?" His gaze slid to the Mustang, landing on Kara, who blew a smoke ring. "And who’s this... lady?" He snickered, shaking his head. "Hassan, Father won’t approve of this kind of company. An emo girl? Really?"

Kara, impassive, spat out her gum, a smirk on her lips. Hassan growled, drawing his Glock. "Relax, Amir. You’re not leaving to tell him anything."

The guards instantly pointed their weapons, fingers tightening on triggers. Amir burst into laughter, a sharp, mocking sound. "What, Hassan? You’ve got the nerve to kill your brother?" He waved the guards to lower their guns. "You never had the balls, kid. Put down that toy before I slap you until you beg for mercy, insect."

Hassan, a cold smirk on his face, raised his Glock. "You sure about that?" The guards hesitated, their eyes flicking between Amir and Hassan. Killing the younger son, even on orders, would sign their death warrants. The tension was palpable, the air vibrating like a string about to snap.

Suddenly, a sharp sound ripped through the night, followed by a gurgling choke. The first guard collapsed like a broken puppet, his throat slit from ear to ear. A jet of scarlet blood arced, splattering the cold concrete in violent red. His hands clutched vainly at his neck, desperately trying to close a wound that spilled his life in jagged pulses. Before his body hit the ground, a second scream pierced the darkness.

This was a blood-curdling shriek, far different from the first man’s muffled gurgle. The second guard had just taken a full blast of corrosive acid to the face, a greenish substance that hissed as it made contact with his skin.

His features liquefied under the poison’s effect, flesh melting like wax under a flame. His eyelids burned away first, revealing bulging eyes bathed in murky fluid, before they too dissolved, rolling in their sockets like putrid marbles. His cheeks sagged, exposing the jawbone, white under the neon glow. He fell to his knees, hands clutching what remained of his face, before collapsing sideways, wracked by agonizing spasms.

A black shadow, fluid and merciless, moved among them with deadly grace. Its movements were precise and utterly unpredictable. The blades it wielded—invisible in the darkness—whistled like hunting vipers.

Barely drawing his weapon, he felt a cold metal pierce his sternum. The blade sliced through his heart with disconcerting ease, bursting out his back in a purple jet. He barely had time to look at his assassin before she withdrew the weapon with a swift motion, leaving him to fall face-first, his lungs flooded with blood.

They fired blindly, bullets ricocheting off walls in sprays of sparks. But it wasn’t enough.

In less than a minute, six men lay on the ground, their mutilated bodies forming a grotesque tableau of carnage. Their wounds varied—clean slashes, dissolved flesh, exposed organs—but all shared the same frozen expression: the incomprehension of death come too soon. The concrete, once gray, was now a scarlet swamp, the acid still hissing in places, even eating through the dead men’s boots. The stench was unbearable: the coppery tang of blood, the acrid burn of flesh, and that chemical reek gnawing at the air.

Amir, horrified, pivoted, his eyes wide. "What the—" He froze, realizing the Mustang was empty. Kara had vanished.

Hassan smirked, pointing his Glock at Amir.

"Son of a bitch," Amir sneered nervously.

"And proud of it, asshole."

"Our father isn’t as smart as I thought. I figured he’d send Wunder soldiers. But this was easier than expected." Hassan continued.

Kara emerged from the shadows, her appearance transformed. She had Jagd, a black widow Wunder, her body half-human, half-spider, though her face remained human, and her arms were also human, except for the arachnid limbs. Her obsidian eyes gleamed with venomous light. Arachnid legs, thin and sharp, sprouted from her back, dripping with blood and acid.

Her pale skin was splattered with blood, her tattoos pulsing as if alive. Her red-painted lips stretched into a carnivorous smile, revealing tiny but deadly fangs. The acrid smell of acid mixed with blood made the air unbreathable.

Amir clenched his teeth, his smile gone. "Fucking spider," he spat, stepping back.

Hassan, impassive, observed Kara. "A black widow," he commented, almost admiringly. "Rare. Agile. And that acid... capable of dissolving steel. I chose well, Kara."

She shrugged, an arachnid leg wiping blood from her face. "I do what I do, boss." Her voice, soft, vibrated with deadly confidence.

Amir, panicked, stammered: "Wait, Hassan! If you do this, your mother—"

Hassan snickered, his Glock aimed at Amir’s chest. "What are you talking about, bro? When I arrived, I saw the Chronos Manticore eat your heart."

Amir paled. "What?"

"Bam! Bam!" Two shots rang out, the bullets piercing Amir’s chest. Blood spurted, staining his white djellaba. He collapsed, his wide eyes fixing on Hassan with burning hatred, then dimmed, his body slumping into a scarlet pool.

Kara, reverting to human form, wiped her hands on her jacket, grimacing. "Gross," she muttered, spitting out a strand of blood-tinged saliva. "Are we done?"

Hassan holstered his Glock, his hard gaze sweeping the warehouse. "No. We need to recover the Medusa Piece. And deal with that fucking Manticore."

Kara raised an eyebrow, lighting another cigarette. "A Manticore? Shit, you’re not afraid of trouble, are you?"

Hassan ignored the remark, walking toward his car.