C502 Sorry For What

Victor and Miller were sitting outside when Darry approached them in a hurry. Miller looked up at the sight of his son. “Darry? What's wrong?” Darry stopped in front of them, struggling to catch his breath. “Father, I think Samson has fallen into a trap.” Victor immediately straightened. “What do you mean?” “Hanna says she never arranged to meet him. Samson told me he was going to see her, but she doesn't know anything about it. Someone may have contacted him pretending to be her.” For a moment, neither Miller nor Victor spoke. They exchanged a look, and the change in their expressions was immediate. Miller rose to his feet. “Are you certain?” “I spoke to Hanna myself. She was shocked when I told her Samson had left. She said I needed to stop him.” Victor's face tightened. “Then why are you still standing here?” Darry did not answer. He was already turning towards his car. Miller called after him. “Darry! Find your brother!” “I will!” Darry climbed into the vehicle and started the engine. Within seconds, he was driving away from the residence.

He kept trying Samson's phone, but there was no answer. “Come on, brother,” he muttered, gripping the steering wheel. “Answer your phone.” He drove faster. Every passing minute made his fears harder to ignore. He had no idea where Samson was going, and he could only hope that he would reach him before anything happened. Meanwhile, at the chosen location, Pixel remained behind the scope. Silver stood close enough to keep watch while also monitoring the road. Then Pixel spotted a vehicle approaching in the distance. She adjusted her position and looked carefully. The vehicle was travelling along the road towards the place she had selected. Her breathing slowed. “He's coming,” she whispered. Silver looked towards the road. “Is that him?” Pixel checked again. “Yes.” She settled the rifle into position and focused on the approaching vehicle. For several moments, she waited. She needed to be certain that she had the right target. The vehicle drew closer, and Samson continued along the road, apparently unaware that anyone was watching him. Pixel's thoughts became strangely quiet. She remembered her father. She remembered the last moments before his death, the helplessness she had felt, and the anger that had followed her ever since. She also remembered that this man was Hanna's father.

For a fleeting moment, the reality of what she was about to do pressed against her mind. Then she pushed it away. Samson's vehicle continued forward. Pixel adjusted her aim and waited until she had a clear opportunity. A single shot broke the silence. Bang! The bullet struck Samson in the head. His vehicle swerved out of control, crossed the edge of the road, and crashed into a tree. Pixel kept the rifle raised, watching the vehicle through the scope. When she was satisfied that Samson was no longer moving, she lowered the weapon. Silver looked at her. “Pixel…” “Let's go,” Pixel said quietly. There was no celebration in her voice. No satisfaction. No triumphant smile. She had achieved what she had set out to do, but the reality of it was heavier than she had expected. She gathered her equipment and returned to the car. Silver started the engine, and they drove away from the scene, heading back towards the border. Neither woman spoke. Silver occasionally glanced at Pixel, but she did not know what to say. Pixel sat with her eyes fixed on the passing scenery, her expression unreadable. The road stretched ahead of them. They were returning to the border, but neither of them could pretend that everything would be the same when they arrived.

Darry had been driving for some time when he finally spotted Samson's vehicle. At first, he thought it was simply parked on the side of the road. Then he noticed how far it had veered from the road and the damage caused by the collision. His heart began to race. He pulled over, abandoned his own vehicle, and rushed towards the car. “Samson!” There was no response. Darry reached the driver's side and looked through the window. The sight inside stopped him cold. His older brother was slumped in the driver's seat, lifeless. For a moment, Darry couldn't move. He stared at Samson as though his mind refused to accept what his eyes were telling him. He had left the residence only a short while earlier, convinced that he was going to meet his daughter. Now he was dead. “No…” Darry opened the door with trembling hands. “Brother?” His voice broke. He reached towards Samson, hoping for some sign that he was mistaken, but there was none. Tears filled his eyes. “Brother…” He stood there for several moments, unable to do anything but stare at the body. Darry had spent the journey imagining that he might find Samson in time, that he might catch up with him and force him to turn around. He had arrived too late.

Finally, he wiped his face and forced himself to move. He could not leave Samson there. With great difficulty, Darry moved his brother's body from the damaged vehicle and placed him in his own car. He then returned to the driver's seat, started the engine, and drove back towards the Gupta residence. Every minute felt longer than the last. He had no answers. He did not know who had killed Samson or why someone would lure him away from the safety of the family residence. But one thing was clear. Someone had known exactly how to get him out of the house. And whoever had done it had planned the attack carefully. Miller and Victor were still outside when Darry's car returned. Miller looked up as soon as he recognised the vehicle. He had been waiting for news, hoping that Darry would return with Samson and an explanation for the confusion. Instead, Darry parked the car and sat motionless for a moment. Miller's expression changed. “Darry?” Darry opened the driver's door and stepped out. His clothes were stained with blood. Victor rose immediately. “What happened?” Darry did not answer. He walked around the car towards the rear door, opened it, and carefully lifted Samson's lifeless body.

For a moment, Miller simply stared. Then the truth struck him. His son was dead. “Samson?” he whispered. Darry struggled to speak. “They killed him, Father.” The words seemed to drain the strength from Miller's body. “They killed him?” he repeated. Darry nodded, tears running down his face. “They killed my older brother.” Victor moved towards them, his face pale with shock. He had not expected to see his brother's body. Miller sat on his wheelchair frozen, staring at his oldest son. For several seconds, he seemed unable to understand what he was seeing. Then his face twisted with grief. “Who did this?” he demanded. Darry shook his head. “I don't know, Father.” “Who killed my son?” “I don't know!” Darry cried, his voice breaking. “I followed him as soon as I realised something was wrong. When I found him, his car had gone off the road. He was already dead.” Miller stepped closer to the body. “What happened to him?” Darry swallowed hard. “I think a sniper shot him. I found him inside the vehicle. There was nothing I could do.” Victor looked at Miller, then back at Darry. “A sniper?” he repeated. “Who would target Samson like this?” Nobody answered. Miller's eyes remained fixed on his son. The man who had once commanded soldiers and made decisions that affected entire families was now standing helplessly before a death he could neither reverse nor explain.

His grief slowly gave way to anger. Miller clenched his fists. “This was planned,” he said, his voice low and trembling. “Whoever did this knew how to get him away from us.” Darry lowered his head. “I should have stopped him.” Victor turned towards him. “You didn't know what was going to happen.” “I knew something was wrong!” Darry shouted. “I knew it, and I still let him leave!” “Darry,” Miller said sharply. His son fell silent. Miller looked down at Samson again. His eyes were filled with tears, but beneath his grief was a growing determination. “We will find out who did this,” he said. “And when we do, they will answer for it.” Nobody challenged him. The First Family had lost one of its most important men, and the Gupta family had suffered another devastating blow. But while Miller and Victor struggled to understand what had happened, the person responsible was already on her way back to the border. At the camp, Cipher called the Lions together to reorganise the defence plan. The previous day's confrontation had established her authority, but killing Tyson and Ignacio had not solved every problem. The wall still needed to be built, the soldiers needed clear assignments, and the relationship between the First and Third Families remained fragile.

Cipher wanted to make sure that the work was progressing as planned. One by one, we gathered inside the tent. Bighead arrived first, followed by Chipmunk and Survivor. I took my place beside Cipher and waited for the others. After a few minutes, I noticed two people were missing. Pixel and Silver. Cipher looked around. “Where are those two?” Bighead shrugged. “I think they're together.” I turned towards him. “What do you mean, they're together?” He gave me a knowing smile. “What do you think I mean?” I stared at him. “Are you suggesting that Pixel and Silver are dating?” “Why not?” “Because Pixel is married!” Bighead laughed. “And so is Survivor.” Before I could answer, Survivor turned towards us with a grin. “I knew this conversation would somehow end up involving me.” Bighead spread his hands innocently. “What? I'm only pointing out that being married doesn't stop people from having complicated relationships.” Survivor shook her head. “You really need to find something useful to do with your time.” “I have plenty of useful things to do,” Bighead replied. “Investigating other people's relationships is simply an extra responsibility.” I rolled my eyes. “Can we focus on the actual reason we're here?”

Cipher gave us a warning look. “Please. I would like to finish this meeting before another war starts inside my tent.” That finally silenced Bighead. For a few seconds, we returned to the matter at hand. Cipher looked at us "We must..." But before she could finish, the tent entrance opened. Pixel and Silver walked inside. They were both unusually quiet. I noticed it immediately. Silver avoided looking directly at us, while Pixel kept her eyes lowered. They exchanged a brief glance before moving towards the rest of the group. Cipher stopped speaking. She studied them for a moment. “What's wrong with you two?” Neither woman answered immediately. Cipher's expression hardened. “Where have you been? We've been looking for you.” Silver glanced at Pixel. Pixel continued staring at the ground. “I'm asking you a question,” Cipher said. “Where were you?” Chipmunk stood up, concern replacing the amusement she had shown moments earlier. “Pixel? Silver? What happened?” Silver opened her mouth but seemed unable to find the right words. Pixel finally lifted her head. For a brief moment, she looked at Cipher, and I saw something in her eyes that I couldn't quite understand. Guilt. Fear. My smile disappeared. Cipher stepped closer. “Pixel, talk to me.” Pixel took a shaky breath. “Cipher…” She hesitated, then looked at the ground again. “You are our leader,” she said quietly. “And I'm sorry.” The entire tent fell silent. Cipher stared at her. “Sorry for what?” Pixel's lips parted, but the words seemed to catch in her throat. Silver stood beside her, saying nothing.