Chapter 8 - AUDITORIUM OF SHADOWS
The grand auditorium of Saint Jude’s Academy was filled with bright pastel decorations and soft music.
Parents dressed in suits and elegant dresses sat in wooden pews, chatting happily with one another.
Children dressed as trees, animals, and fairytale characters giggled backstage behind the heavy velvet curtain.
Outside, the quiet suburban street was surrounded by dark, unmarked vehicles.
Victor stepped out of a hijacked delivery van behind the school, his long coat buttoned up to hide his bloody shirt.
Inspector Vance remained in the driver's seat, her eyes constantly checking the mirrors.
"You have twenty minutes before Apex tracks this vehicle here," Vance warned in a hushed tone.
"If a firefight starts inside that auditorium, dozens of innocent children will die."
Victor looked down at Lily, who was holding her small hands together nervously.
"No firefight will happen inside," Victor stated, his voice absolute and heavy.
"I will handle Apex before he ever reaches the double doors."
Victor took Lily’s hand and walked her through the side entrance into the warm, brightly lit school hallway.
The smell of floor wax, crayons, and fresh flowers hit Victor, reminding him of a life he never had.
Parents smiled politely at them, completely unaware that the man walking past was a legendary assassin.
They reached the backstage dressing room, where a teacher in a floral dress hurried toward them.
"Oh, Lily! You made it just in time!" the teacher exclaimed, looking relieved.
Then the teacher looked at Victor, taking in his massive frame, severe scar, and dark demeanor.
"And you must be... Lily's father?" the teacher asked hesitatingly.
Victor stood tall, his jaw set firm, looking the teacher directly in the eyes.
"Yes," Victor said clearly, his voice carrying unmistakable pride. "I am her father."
Lily beamed with pure joy, holding Victor’s large hand with both of hers.
"I told you he would come!" Lily squealed happily to her little classmates.
Victor stooped down, placing his hands gently on Lily's tiny shoulders.
"Go get ready, little heart," Victor said softly. "I will be right in the front row watching."
"Promise?" Lily asked, holding out her pinky finger.
Victor looked at her pinky finger, confused for a second, before realizing what it meant.
He wrapped his massive, scarred pinky around hers tightly.
"I promise," Victor whispered.
As Lily ran off to join her friends, Victor's expression immediately hardened into ice.
He turned and walked toward the back exit leading into the school's boiler room.
He could feel a cold breeze blowing through the basement door, signaling an intrusion.
Apex had already entered the building.
Victor pulled his silenced pistol from his side holster, chambering a round with a soft click.
He stepped into the dark, steaming corridors beneath the school, leaving the bright lights behind.
The metallic taste of blood and rust filled the heavy air.
"I know you're down here, Victor," Apex's rough voice echoed from the dark pipes above.
"You brought a child's game to a professional war."
Victor walked silently through the shadows, his eyes tracking every movement in the dark.
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"This isn't a war, Apex," Victor called out softly into the darkness.
"This is an execution."
