Kill Her!

Iris already pictured in her mind that buying a gun in this place would not be easy. Their business was well-hidden, and only certain people knew about it.

The usual method was through their channel on the dark web. Still, she was too impatient to wait for their reply, so she decided to come to their exact location.

'Should I threaten them?' Iris wondered as she was well aware of their illegal activities. The thought amused her, but for now, she would wait and observe. She knew someone inside had already noticed her presence.

Iris casually sipped her beer, then raised her glass in a particular direction, sending a chilling smile.

"Are you sure you don't know anything about it?" Iris asked again, her voice calm. "Well, this is the gun code. I want to buy this gun from you..." She said calmly, holding up the piece of paper. But the bartender still refused to speak.

"Beauty, you've got the wrong place. We are just a bar, not a gun dealer," he smiled politely. "I'm sorry, I can't help you..." He continued, pretending to be occupied with something else.

Iris could only smile inside; she could see the bartender's eyes shaking when he saw the gun code on the paper.

****

Meanwhile, in one of the rooms in the X Bar,

Red lights illuminated a control center with multiple screens displaying CCTV footage from various locations. Three pairs of eyes were now fixated on one of the screens.

"Turn up the volume," came a raspy voice from behind.

"Who is she? Why does she want to buy a gun?" questioned one of the men in the room.

A red-haired man slowly rose from his seat and approached the screen to get a better look at the woman in the footage. As he stood by the screen, the woman on the screen looked directly at him, which made him flinch in surprise.

"What the hell! This woman knows we're watching her!?" he exclaimed curiously.

"Has anyone ever seen her before?"

"I've never seen this woman here. She's new!" another man chimed in.

"Could she be an undercover police officer?" the red-haired man speculated.

Suddenly, the room became tense. They exchanged glances, trying to decide who would be the one to go upstairs and report to the boss.

"You go upstairs, brother," a man asked the red-haired man. "You're the Boss' favorite person."

"Guys, our boss has left," another man entered the control room. "Why did you want to meet the Boss?"

"An outsider wants to buy a gun," the red-haired man pointed at the CCTV screen in the middle. Now, everyone focused their attention on the screen once again.

...

After waiting a few more minutes, Iris finished her beer, and no one came out to meet her. And she noticed the bartender seemed to avoid her. She signaled for him to come closer.

"You need a refill on your beer, beauty?"

She shook her head and said in a low but serious tone, "You don't have to worry. I'm not a police or undercover agent. But I know what you guys are doing in this place. Illegal gambling and drug dealing..." Her voice trailed off as she watched the bartender's expression change, his shock was evident, and she felt enough to tease him. She will just tell him what she wants now.

Iris continued, "I have been trying to contact your people via the dark web, but you guys are too slow! Please tell your higher-ups to reply to me faster..." She stood up from her seat. "This is my email address. If I don't get any feedback from you guys by morning, your dark business will become a headline in this lovely town morning news..."

After handing him another piece of paper, she left without giving the bartender a chance to say anything. She couldn't stay there for long, or she wouldn't be able to go back home and make her grandmother worry.

The bartender watched the woman's back disappear from the entrance, feeling confused. After a few seconds, he snapped out and immediately called to report the woman's threat.

"Boss, what do you think?" The bartender asked after reporting everything to the boss.

"Kill her!" a commanding voice came from the other end. The bartender's face turned stiff upon hearing that, yet he didn't say anything. He silently absorbed the boss' order. After ending the call, he made another phone call.

"You saw everything, right?" The bartender's voice grew cold. "Boss asks you to kill her!" After passing on the boss' order, he put his cell phone in his pocket and took a deep breath looking at the entrance.

'What a pity! She is a beautiful woman with potential in this industry but knows too much…' He silently talked to himself. 'That woman must be silenced!'

****

Iris took a deep breath and quickly walked out of the X Bar. She felt disappointed because she had failed to obtain what she wanted. She couldn't force them to sell her the gun, and she felt powerless now. All she could do was hope they had noticed her and would get back to her soon.

As she stepped outside, she was surprised to find the street empty, even though it was still 9 pm. No cars were passing by, and she saw no one else walking around, just her. It felt strange.

'Why is this road suddenly empty?' She muttered to herself, feeling confused as she looked around. She decided to head towards a busier area with cheap motels. She hoped to find a taxi at that location.

After walking for a few minutes, Iris noticed three men walking toward her a few meters ahead. However, as they got closer, she suddenly heard rushed footsteps coming from behind. Not just one pair, but more than three.

As someone who was used to dangerous situations, her instincts kicked in, and she became tense, trying to think fast and find a way out. She noticed a road on the right and turned onto it, trying to confirm her suspicions. After a few steps, her heart sank as she realized the footsteps still followed her closely.

A fierce murderous aura immediately emerged from her as she realized she was being chased.