13. April

The cool night wind caressed my face as I jumped from the edge of the supermarket building. My movements were silent and precise, somersaulting through the air to land softly on the pee floor after a long acrobatics. The darkness enveloped me like a protective cloak, making it so that no one could watch me or even hear my footsteps.

"Come on, Sophie!" I whispered into the microphone hidden in my ear. Behind me, Sophie also skilfully jumped up and down, following my movements to the letter. Together, we ran toward the laundry van parked a few feet away, hoping no one could see us.

"Are you ready, April?" Sophie asked in a tense voice as we stepped into the darkness surrounding the van. We knew we couldn't let ourselves be seen, but we were prepared for any eventuality.

"I always am" I replied firmly, feeling the adrenaline rush through my body. My hand closed over the handle of the knife I carried hidden in my jacket, ready to throw it in case of need.

Suddenly, a light began to emanate from the van, illuminating the surroundings. A man dressed in black poked his head out of the sunroof, holding a shotgun in one hand and a lamp in the other. He began to illuminate the area, looking for something or someone.

"Get down on the ground!" I ordered Sophie. We dropped to the ground as the lamp headed in our direction, hoping no one could see us. My heart pounded in my chest as the beam of light passed over us, praying we wouldn't be spotted.

"That was close," Sophie murmured as the light moved away from us. The tension in her voice was palpable, but we knew there was no time to show fear or weakness.

"We have to act fast," I said, carefully getting up and watching the man with the shotgun and the lamp. I knew I had to find a way to neutralize him before he could alert the others.

"Follow my lead" I added before setting off, my thoughts focused on my goal: to protect my family and accomplish the mission I had been given.

When the lamp went the other way, we took advantage of the moment to stand up and start running again. As we approached the van, I heard the laundry guy ask the banker if he brought the money.

"Of course I do," he replied, proudly displaying his briefcase. I couldn't help but think of the arrogance of that man, willing to put the lives of others at risk for his own gain.

Just then, the back door of the laundry van opened, revealing five guys covering their faces with black ski masks. I tensed, preparing to confront them, but Gabriel spoke into the microphone hidden in my jacket.

"Don't waste time, April!" he urged me, and I knew he was right. There was no time to hesitate or feel afraid.

Without thinking twice, I pulled out a knife and threw it into the air with precision, hitting the neck of one of those five guys. I couldn't help but feel a shudder as I watched him fall to the ground, but I knew it was necessary. Next, I turned to the banker and kicked him in the back, making him fall as well.

"Quick, Sophie!" I shouted as the van began to start and the subjects tried to close the doors to protect themselves. I could see the fear in their eyes, but also the determination.

"I'm with you," Sophie replied, and together we dashed toward the moving van, willing to risk everything to accomplish our mission.

Just as the van began to pull away, Ethan appeared behind me, gun in hand. I didn't have time to greet him before he started shooting at the other subjects. The shots echoed in the night, breaking the silence and making my heart beat faster.

"Remember to act with caution," Gabriel warned us over the microphone. "We need to leave one of them alive to get information."

At that moment, I noticed that Ethan's bullets couldn't get through the van: it was bulletproof. That complicated things, but it wasn't going to stop us.

With a sigh of frustration, I threw another knife into the air, impacting the forehead of one of the remaining subjects. The man fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, eliminating one more threat.

"Way to go, April!" congratulated Ethan, as he prepared to follow me on my next move. I looked at the van, which now only had three subjects alive inside. I knew it was going to be tough, but we weren't going to give up that easily.

"This is going to get interesting" I thought, feeling the adrenaline rushing through my veins. Without wasting any time, I started running towards the van with speed and determination.

I jumped over the rear bumper and then propelled myself upward, reaching the top of the moving vehicle. The street lights were rushing past me, forming blurry streaks in my peripheral vision.

"Come on, April!" encouraged Ethan, who quickly followed me using the same method. The van swayed slightly due to our weight and movements, but we were determined not to fall.

"We're going in," Ethan said as he tried to stay stabilized on top of the moving van.

"We're going in" I reaffirmed, certain that it was our only option. "We have to leave one alive, but first we must neutralize the other two."

Ethan nodded, preparing to face whatever was coming. We didn't know what we would find inside the van, but together, we were an unstoppable team. And we weren't going to let those criminals get away with it.

It was then that Ethan pulled a laser from his gun belt, determined to find a way into the van. Without warning, the vehicle began to accelerate and my heart was pounding knowing we didn't have much time before the speed brought us down.

"We have to hurry!" shouted Ethan as he concentrated on destroying the outer layer of the van with his laser. I could feel the wind slamming hard against my face and my hands clutching at the rough metal surface.

I ran toward the glass, desperate to stop the criminals before it was too late. I pulled out one of my special knives, designed to break through the bulletproof protection, and prepared to attack. It was then that I noticed how a gun started to come out of the passenger side of the car, aimed at us.

I calmly threw the knife straight at the gun owner's hand, disarming him. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins and my mind was focused on completing our mission.

I ran to the passenger window, sensing the speed of the van and the imminent danger. Before they could make another move, I threw two more knives that hit the copilot's and the pilot's head. At that moment, I lost my balance and fell to the ground, rolling on the asphalt.

Far away, I watched as the van began to slow down and swerve to the left as if no one was driving it. Ethan jumped out of the truck just before he lost his balance and ran to me to make sure I was okay.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly as he helped me up from the floor.

"I'm fine" I replied, feeling the pain in my body but satisfied that we had achieved our goal. "Let's go make sure the others are safe."

Ethan nodded and together we headed back to where our companions were waiting for us, ready to continue our mission. Despite our injuries and fatigue, I knew we could not stop until we had unraveled all the secrets behind this criminal organization and brought its leaders to justice.

The van stopped about fifty meters away in the parking lot, its engine still humming. Suddenly, Gabriel and Natalia appeared behind the van, their faces tense and alert. Before they could do anything, the rear doors of the van opened with a metallic screech, revealing the subjects still alive.

"Look out!" shouted Gabriel as he saw how those men started firing wildly into the darkness, their weapons spitting fire like enraged dragons. Natalia and Gabriel quickly moved aside, avoiding being hit by bullets and hiding from the attackers' sight.

The three subjects, visibly frightened, got out of the van with a mixture of caution and desperation. It was then that Gabriel and Natalia took the opportunity to act, firing with lethal precision. Two of the men fell to the ground, their bodies inert and bleeding.

"Hands up! You've lost!" shouted Gabriel to the last man standing, his voice firm and full of authority.

The guy, trembling with fear and defeat, slowly raised his hands, but instead of surrendering, he brought his gun to his mouth and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger. The sound of the shot echoed in my ears, making me shudder.

"No!" I exclaimed, feeling a mixture of disgust and frustration as I watched the man fall to the ground, his life extinguished in an instant.

Right after that chaotic confrontation, Sophie appeared with the banker tied up and with his mouth and eyes blindfolded. Seeing the man in that state, I was overcome with a sense of relief and guilt.

"At least we have one alive," Sophie said, trying to sound optimistic.

"That's right," Gabriel sighed, "I didn't think that last one was going to take his life, but it's a mistake he won't let happen again." He then asked us to wait while he went to get his Porsche. Once he brought it, we forced the banker to lie down in the trunk.

On the way back to the hotel, Natalia complimented me, "April, you haven't lost your killer touch."

"I'd rather avoid those compliments" I thought, turning my eyes away. I didn't want to remember what I had done, but it was necessary to accomplish our mission.

Ethan tried to change the mood by proposing something different: "How about we do something in what's left of the night? Let's take advantage of the fact that we're outside."

"Maybe" I replied, remembering how he got David drunk earlier. I didn't want to put myself to be with him and think about what he called fun, but before I could say anything else, Sophie joined the conversation.

"Have you heard about the movie that came out recently? We could go to the movies," suggested Sophie, enthusiastically.

"Good idea" added Natalia, and everyone seemed to agree. I had no choice but to play along and take the opportunity to distract myself a little from the horrors we had experienced that night.

"Great!" exclaimed Ethan, excited about the plan. "Let's enjoy tonight!" he added, flashing a smile full of excitement and complicity.

"I guess so" I replied, trying to sound calm and accepting my fate to play along with them on that strange movie night after I had murdered several men.