The door burst open.
The sound echoed through the tunnel like a gunshot, sharp and violent.
Liana's body went rigid.
Three men stepped in.
Dressed in black.
Faces cold.
Movements precise.
They didn't hesitate.
Didn't speak.
They came straight for her.
Her breath caught.
"Daniel…" she whispered.
He didn't turn.
Didn't answer.
But his body shifted slightly, placing himself fully between her and them.
"Stay behind me," he said quietly.
Something in his voice made her listen instantly.
It wasn't fear.
It wasn't panic.
It was control.
The kind of control that came from someone who had done this before.
One of the men stepped forward.
"You shouldn't have come back for her," he said coldly.
Liana's stomach dropped.
Back.
The word hit her again.
Like everything tonight was circling around something she didn't remember.
Daniel's voice was calm.
"I'm not leaving her again."
Again.
Her heart skipped.
What did that mean?
Before she could think further, everything moved at once.
The first man lunged forward.
Fast.
Too fast for her to react.
But Daniel moved faster.
He caught the man's arm mid-strike, twisting it sharply.
A sharp crack echoed.
The man let out a low grunt before Daniel drove his elbow into his chest, sending him crashing to the ground.
Liana gasped.
Her hands flew to her mouth.
This wasn't just a fight.
This was something else entirely.
The second man attacked immediately.
A knife flashed in his hand, catching the dim light.
"Daniel!"
But he was already moving.
He stepped aside at the last second, grabbing the man's wrist and slamming it against the wall.
The knife clattered to the ground.
A quick movement.
A precise strike.
The man dropped.
Unconscious.
Or worse.
Liana's heart pounded so loudly she could barely hear anything else.
The third man didn't move right away.
He watched.
Calculated.
Then his eyes shifted… past Daniel.
Straight to her.
Liana froze.
Fear locked her in place.
The man smirked slightly.
"There you are," he said.
Her chest tightened.
Before she could react, he reached into his jacket.
Daniel saw it too late.
"Get down!"
The shot rang out.
Liana screamed as the sound tore through the tunnel.
Her body dropped instinctively, her hands covering her head.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Ringing.
Her ears buzzed as her heart slammed wildly against her ribs.
For a moment… she thought she had been hit.
But she felt no pain.
Slowly, she lifted her head.
Daniel was standing in front of her.
Unmoving.
Her breath caught.
"Daniel…?"
He didn't answer.
Then she saw it.
The dark stain spreading through his shirt.
Her heart stopped.
"No…"
Her voice broke.
"No, no, no…"
She scrambled to her feet, grabbing his arm.
"You're bleeding—"
"I'm fine," he said sharply.
But his voice was tighter now.
Controlled.
Forced.
The third man was already moving again.
Reloading.
Preparing.
Daniel pulled her back.
"Stay behind me," he said again.
Even now.
Even injured.
He was still protecting her.
Something inside her twisted painfully.
"Why are you doing this?" she whispered.
He didn't look at her.
"Because I made a promise."
Her chest tightened.
"To who?"
This time…
He hesitated.
Just for a second.
"To you."
The words hit her harder than anything else tonight.
Before she could respond, the attacker charged again.
Daniel moved, despite the blood, despite the injury.
They collided.
Fighting hard, fast, brutal.
Liana stood frozen.
Watching.
Her mind screamed at her to do something.
But what could she do?
She wasn't trained.
She wasn't prepared.
She was just… her.
But then something happened.
A flash.
A memory.
Quick.
Sharp.
Gone before she could grab it.
Her breath hitched.
What was that?
The sound of impact snapped her back.
Daniel slammed the man against the wall, knocking the weapon from his hand.
Then, with one final strike, the man dropped.
Silence filled the tunnel again.
This time, it stayed.
Liana's breathing was uneven as she stepped forward slowly.
"Daniel…"
He leaned slightly against the wall now.
His strength slipping.
"You're hurt," she said, her voice shaking again.
"I said I'm fine."
"You're not fine!"
The words came out louder than she expected.
More desperate.
More real.
He looked at her then.
Really looked at her.
And for the first time…
She saw it clearly.
Not just determination.
Not just control.
But something deeper.
Something personal.
"You still don't remember," he said quietly.
Her chest tightened.
"No… but I want to."
Silence.
Then he gave a faint, almost tired smile.
"You always did."
Her heart skipped again.
"What does that mean?"
Before he could answer—
Voices echoed from outside the tunnel.
More footsteps.
More people.
Liana's stomach dropped.
"They're coming," she whispered.
Daniel straightened despite the pain.
His eyes sharpened again.
Focused.
Ready.
"Then we don't stay," he said.
He grabbed her hand again.
Firm.
Certain.
And started pulling her deeper into the darkness.
"Daniel," she said quickly, her voice shaking,
"if I don't remember… then tell me this one thing."
He glanced back at her.
"What?"
Her heart pounded.
"Why are they willing to kill me?"
He didn't answer immediately.
And that silence…
That hesitation…
Told her everything.
Then he finally spoke.
"Because, Liana…"
His voice dropped.
"…you're not supposed to be alive."
Her world stopped.
And in that moment
Everything changed.