Surely enough… Rose was right.
Just days after their conversation, the threat finally came for her.
She was out shopping with Annie—an ordinary afternoon, picking up a new mattress of all things. The air was light, calm.
Until it wasn't.
The masked figure moved fast—emerging from behind a row of delivery trucks as they stepped into the store's parking lot. In one hand: a knife.
There was no warning. No words.
Just intent.
Annie reacted on instinct.
She grabbed Rose's arm and shoved her back as the attacker lunged. The knife flashed—but Annie moved faster. Her hand snapped out, slapping the weapon away, sending it skidding across the pavement.
The attacker hesitated—just long enough.
Annie tackled them, trying to pin their arms. They struggled beneath her, thrashing like a cornered animal.
"Go!" Annie yelled. "Get help!"
Rose, wide-eyed and shaken, turned and bolted back toward the store, yelling for security, for anyone.
Annie gritted her teeth, holding on.
This wasn't like the last messages or staged threats.
This was real.
And now, the Garden was officially targeting more than symbols.
Annie struggled to hold the masked attacker down, but they were fast—desperate.
A sharp elbow caught her in the ribs, and in a blink, the figure slipped free, scrambling to their feet and bolting down the alley behind the store.
But Annie wasn't about to let them go.
Not now. Not after this.
"This is our chance," she hissed under her breath, sprinting after them. No more shadows. No more games.
She chased them through narrow streets, weaving between trash bins and parked cars, her heart pounding in her ears.
The attacker turned a corner—but Annie was faster.
She caught up just as they stumbled, reaching out to shove them against a wall with full force. A struggle followed, quick and brutal. The attacker tried to fight back, but Annie was fueled by adrenaline and fury.
She delivered a sharp strike to their side, then another to the back of the neck—knocking them out cold.
Moments later, sirens wailed in the distance.
Rose arrived with the police, breathless, eyes wide with disbelief as she saw Annie standing over the motionless figure.
"You actually got them," Rose muttered.
Annie looked down at the masked attacker, heart still racing.
"No more running," she said softly.
Now they would get answers.
Annie had been confident.
For the first time, they had someone—an actual member of the Rose Shadow Garden. A lead. A voice that might finally break the silence.
But that hope shattered just as quickly as it came.
The very next morning, the headlines hit:
"Prisoner Escapes Holding Facility—Suspected Link to Shadow Garden."
"Authorities Admit Critical Failure in Security System."
No CCTV footage. No alarms.
Whoever had broken the attacker out had done it flawlessly—planned to the second, like they had practiced it a hundred times.
The police held a press conference.
Empty words.
"We are deeply sorry… a full investigation is underway."
Apologies. That's all they had.
But the damage was done.
The public panic surged. If even the captured couldn't be held, what hope did anyone have?
Annie stared at the news in stunned silence, jaw clenched.
Kayla paced the room, fists tight. "They're not just organized. They're inside everything."
Even Rose—sharp and composed—looked shaken. "They didn't come to silence one of their own. They came to protect the plan."
Annie stood, eyes burning. "Then we need to stop spinning in circles."
Kayla looked at her. "How?"
Annie's voice dropped to a whisper.
"We stop chasing the Garden… and start chasing the Black Rose."