A little girl ran through the streets—
Laughter echoing behind her.
A boy chased her, weaving through the crowd.
They were both smiling.
Carefree. Happy. Alive.
But then—
Black smoke swallowed the scene.
Like it was nothing but a memory.
A memory crashing back into Jacob's mind.
Tears rolled down his cheeks.
But he didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't even breathe deeply.
That one, thunderous scream—
That was all he had managed to let out.
The giant man gritted his teeth, pressing a hand to his bleeding leg.
"Give me something to stop the blood… I swear I'll kill that little witch!"
His voice dripped with venom.
Ethan tore a strip from his shirt and handed it over,
Still watching Jacob—
Conflicted. Confused.
"What is going on here?"
"We're supposed to be the survivors."
"Why do I feel sympathy for him? Why am I frozen while I should be breaking the jammer or urging the driver to speed up?"
His thoughts raced in every direction.
Meanwhile—
Jacob sat on the floor of the bus.
His back against the cold metal wall.
His eyes locked on Noelle's still, bloodied face.
She wasn't moving.
Her breath shallow. Her skin pale.
Then—
Something changed.
Her eyes fluttered.
Just slightly.
Then again.
And then—
They opened.
Barely above a whisper, she said,
"Finish this up…"
Those words—
Hit Jacob harder than any punch.
In that instant—
It all came flooding back.
His training.
His missions.
His strength.
His purpose.
His fight.
Everything he was trained to do…
Everything he was meant to be…
Woke up.
"I don't care about this mission anymore.
I don't care about anything now...
All I want is to show them who I really am."
Jacob said this to himself.
He closed his eyes.
He gathered all his strength.
Every bit of power and energy left in him.
And then… he slowly stood up.
At the same time, the big man lifted his leg again to hit Noelle, who was still lying unconscious on the floor.
But before he could do that—
Jacob grabbed two metal rods inside the bus, jumped into the air, and kicked the man straight in the face with both feet.
The kick was strong.
The man lost balance and fell hard onto the bus floor.
Ethan, who was standing nearby, quickly moved away so the man didn't fall on him.
Jacob didn't stop there.
He ran to the man and gave him a powerful kick right in the private part.
The hit was so strong that the man screamed in pain.
It was clear he couldn't take it anymore.
Ethan was shocked.
The whole situation changed in just a few seconds.
Now, the man was lying on the floor, screaming, bleeding, and asking for help—
But no one was brave enough to go near him.
Jacob just stood there, looking at him.
Watching how much pain he was in.
But Jacob's eyes weren't full of hate.
They were full of silence…
Like something inside him had finally broken.
Jacob closed his eyes for a moment.
He could still hear Noelle's cry in his head.
He remembered the blood on her face…
Her tears…
And the way her hands were shaking, unable to protect herself.
His eyes snapped open.
Without waiting even a second, Jacob ran straight at the giant man.
With full force, he kicked the man's leg with his foot—
CRACK!
A loud, sharp sound filled the bus.
It was the sound of a bone breaking.
The whole bus went silent for a moment.
Then—
A terrible scream echoed inside.
The big man was howling in pain, holding his leg, sitting on the floor and screaming like a wild animal.
Everyone froze in fear.
Parents pulled their children close.
Women started crying, holding their mouths in shock.
Fear was written on every face.
Evelyn looked around—
She could feel the terror in everyone's eyes.
Then she looked back at the man.
He was still screaming…
But then, slowly, his head dropped.
His body became still.
Blood came out of his mouth, and his face looked completely broken, like a shattered mask.
Evelyn's eyes widened in horror.
A woman screamed loudly when she saw the man's face.
Ethan stood frozen.
He had watched Jacob kick the man one last time—
And then… silence.
No more sound came from the giant man.
He lay on the floor, unconscious… maybe worse.
Everyone in the bus was shocked.
Their minds were full of fear, confusion, and questions.
It felt like time had stopped.
Jacob turned around and walked slowly to the back of the bus, where Noelle was lying.
He sat on the floor, lifted her head gently, and placed it on his lap.
"Noelle... babe, open your eyes... I'm here now. Everything is okay… please, open your eyes… please…" Jacob said, crying hard.
But Noelle didn't move.
She didn't say anything.
Nothing at all.
Jacob quickly checked her pulse.
He couldn't feel anything.
No movement. No sign.
"You can't leave me... NOELLE!! You can't go away like this!!"
His loud scream filled the whole bus.
Everyone became silent.
They were scared, watching him hold Noelle and cry loudly.
Evelyn, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly stood up.
She rushed to Ethan and whispered in his ear,
"This is the right time. Tell all the men to attack him. If we don't stop him now, he might kill more people."
Ethan looked at her, shocked.
"That's too risky. He's like a wild lion.
Didn't you see how strong he is?"
"One kick and the man's leg broke.
One knee and his face got full of blood.
These are not normal moves. He knows how to fight.
He is trained. He's not a simple man," Ethan said, while looking at Jacob.
Jacob was still sitting on the floor, holding Noelle, crying like a baby.
He looked lost, broken, and full of pain.
But deep inside, he was still dangerous.
Everyone on the bus felt it.
The fear.
The silence.
The danger.
Evelyn stood still for a moment, then looked at Ethan and said softly,
"You're right... he's really dangerous.
None of you need to risk your life for this.
These kids... they'll remember this fear forever.
This pain will stay in their hearts for a long time."
She paused, then spoke again, her voice stronger,
"You're right, Ethan. You don't need to fight him.
This is not your fight. It's better to ask the driver to stop the bus and escape.
Just run away from all this... run away from this hell."
Her eyes were glowing — not with fear, but with courage.
"But I'm not going to run," she said with a deep breath.
"These kids need to see something today.
They need to see that bad people get punished.
They need to know that someone stood up for them."
"I will fight him.
I don't want to see these kids scared anymore.
I don't know how I will do it…
but I know one thing for sure…"
"I will not step back anymore," she said, and quickly grabbed the rod from Ethan's hand.
She started walking slowly towards Jacob — quietly, like a shadow.
But before she could go closer, Ethan grabbed her hand and pulled her back gently.
"You don't have to do this…" he said, his voice calm but full of strength.
"We will handle it."
This time, Ethan's eyes were filled with fire — the fire of someone who had made up his mind.
He turned and looked around the bus.
The men were already standing — their faces serious, their hands tight, waiting for Ethan's signal.
Ethan took the rod back from Evelyn and spoke firmly,
"Go back. Stay with the women and kids. Protect them."
Then he raised the rod high and shouted:
"BECAUSE NOW… WE ARE GOING TO HUNT THIS MONSTER!"