Jack’s eyes shifted suspiciously as he scanned the room.

"Where are Isabelle and Tony?" he asked, his voice deceptively casual, though the tension in the room crackled like static and his eyes never left Alex’s face.

Alex swallowed hard with his pulse racing. His thoughts spun in a thousand different directions trying to think of a convincing lie.

"They went to visit her mother, Tony wanted to spend the weekend with his granny.” He finally said, forcing calmness into his voice.

Jack didn’t say a word in response. He only stared at Alex for a moment with narrowing eyes as if weighing the truth behind the statement. Slowly, Jack moved deeper into the house. He walked into the kitchen, casually opening the refrigerator as if he had every right to be there. The soft hum of the appliance was the only sound as Jack inspected its contents. Then, after a long pause, he closed the refrigerator and turned his gaze toward the dining table.

There, laid out with still warm plates of half eaten food. Evidence that dinner had been abruptly interrupted. Jack’s expression darkened and he turned back to Alex with a cruel smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Family dinner, huh? It looks like you were expecting them to be here. Maybe you're lying to me.” Jack said, his voice dripping with mockery.

Alex felt his stomach twist into knots. He glanced at the table, silently cursing himself for not cleaning up the plates. His mind raced, trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t make things worse but before he could say anything, Mark had already started moving around the living room with his eyes scanning every corner like a predator hunting for prey.

Mark’s gaze settled on something near the entrance, a small partially packed suitcase resting near the door. His expression hardened and he subtly signaled to Jack with a nod of his head. Jack turned to look and his smile disappeared, replaced by a cold calculating glare.

“So, you’re running, aren’t you?” Jack said with a dangerously low voice.

Alex felt his heart slam against his ribcage. He tried to stay calm, though he knew he was failing.

“I wasn’t running,” he said quickly. “I was just… just getting some laundry together before you guys arrived, that’s all.” he whispered with his voice cracking.

Jack’s eyes narrowed and his patience clearly wearing thin. Without another word, he stepped forward and swung his fist hard into Alex’s face.

The blow came out of nowhere, sending Alex stumbling backward with pain exploding in his jaw. He barely had time to recover before Jack was on him again, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him close. The fury in Jack’s eyes was unmistakable now, boiling over into a raw, unfiltered rage.

"You think I’m stupid, Alex?" Jack snarled, his face inches from Alex’s. "You were trying to run away, weren’t you?"

Alex tried to push Jack off, trying to defend himself but before he could do anything, Ryan and Travis pulled out guns, their barrels gleaming in the dim light. They aimed them straight at Alex’s chest, freezing him in place. He knew there was no fighting back now, not with guns pointed at him.

"Calm down, Just calm down, Jack. You don’t have to do this." Alex gasped, trying to keep his voice steady despite the fear clutching at his throat.

But Jack wasn’t listening, his fist connected with Alex’s stomach this time knocking the wind out of him. Alex doubled over in pain, gasping for breath but Jack wasn’t done. He hit Alex again and again each blow was more brutal than the last. Alex could feel his ribs protesting with every hit and his vision blurred as the pain overwhelmed him.

From their hiding spot in the closet, Isabelle and Tony watched in horror. Isabelle’s heart pounded in her chest as she saw Alex being beaten to the ground, his body crumpling under the assault. Tony, too young to understand the full gravity of the situation, whimpered softly, but Isabelle quickly covered his mouth with her hand, desperately trying to keep him silent.

Tears welled in Isabelle’s eyes. She knew this was all spiraling out of control. She had hoped that Alex could talk his way out of it, that they could somehow escape without anyone getting hurt but now, watching her husband being beaten so savagely, she knew that hope was gone.

Out in the living room, Jack’s anger had reached its boiling point. He wiped the sweat from his brow and turned back to Alex who lay on the floor barely conscious.

"You’ve made a terrible mistake, Alex and now, you’re going to pay for it.” Jack said coldly, grabbing a gun from Mark’s hand.

He aimed it directly at Alex while his finger was hovering over the trigger. The cold metal gleamed under the dim light and Alex’s heart pounded harder than ever. He struggled to focus, blood trickling from his split lip, his body aching from the brutal beating. He knew what was coming and he could see it in Jack’s eyes that there would be no mercy.

And then, just as Jack’s finger tightened on the trigger, Isabelle burst out from her hiding place. She rushed forward, throwing herself between Alex and the gun.

“No! Don’t shoot!” she screamed, her voice filled with desperation.

Jack’s hand froze with his eyes widening in surprise. "Isabelle, stay out of this! This has nothing to do with you!” he shouted, frustration breaking through his composure.

But Isabelle stood firm with her chest heaving as she fought back her tears.

"I’m not going to let you kill my husband, you’re nothing but murderers…. killers.”
" She said fiercely, her voice trembling with emotion.

Alex groaned from the floor, struggling to sit up with his blurry vision.

“Isabelle, no, You should’ve stayed hidden…” He rasped with a weak voice.

But Isabelle shook her head, she knelt beside Alex, gently placing her hand on his arm.

“I couldn’t just sit there and watch them kill you, Alex,” she said, her voice soft but unwavering.

Jack’s frustration grew and his face contorted with anger. He lowered the gun slightly but his hand was still tight on the weapon.

"Isabelle, walk away. This is your last chance. I don’t want to hurt you." Jack altered.

Isabelle glared at him with her eyes filled with defiance.

"I’m not going anywhere, Jack. You’re not going to kill him. You’ll have to go through me first." Isabelle laminated.

Jack’s eyes flicked toward the others. Ryan, Travis, and Mark stood in the background watching the scene unfold with grim expressions. The two strangers remained silent with their guns still drawn and unreadable faces.

“I don’t want to do this,” Jack said quietly, his voice suddenly sounding tired, almost regretful. "Just walk away, Isabelle. Please."

But Isabelle didn’t move. She stood her ground, her body tense with fear but her gaze never wavering.

"I won’t leave him," she said, her voice a whisper but with a strength that shook the room.

For a brief moment, Jack hesitated. His hand wavered, the gun lowering just slightly as if he were reconsidering but then, from behind, one of the other men, a stranger with a cold dead look in his eyes raised his own gun with anger flaring in his expression. Without warning, the stranger pulled the trigger and the sound of the gunshot echoed through the house like a thunderclap.

Isabelle’s body jerked violently, her eyes wide with shock as the bullet tore through her back. Blood bloomed from the wound, staining her shirt red as she fell forward, collapsing into Alex’s arms. For a second, the world seemed to stop. Time itself stood still as Alex held Isabelle’s limp body, her blood soaking his hands.

"No!" Alex screamed, his voice hoarse with agony.

Isabelle’s breathing was ragged, her chest heaving as she struggled to stay conscious. Her eyes fluttered open, barely focusing on Alex’s face. “I….I’m sorry, I couldn’t let them…hurt you…” she whispered with a weak voice. .

Tears streamed down Alex’s face as he held her, rocking back and forth as if he could somehow stop what was happening but the blood kept coming and her breathing grew shallower with each passing second.

Jack stood frozen with a pale face and the gun was still in his hand but forgotten. He stared at Isabelle’s crumpled form and the reality of what had just happened sinking in.

"I… I didn’t want this," Jack whispered, but his words felt hollow and meaningless.

The room was filled with the sound of Alex’s sobs, Isabelle’s life slipping away in his arms and in that moment everything changed.