After safely sending the rescued victim to the police station, the trio—Annie, Kayla, and Rose—sat together in silence, overwhelmed.
They had finally come face to face with the elusive figure behind the chaos—Lilith, the mastermind of the new Rose Shadow Garden. The woman they had been chasing for so long was now a very real threat.
And yet… they couldn't do anything about it.
Annie clenched her fists. "Even if we tell the police, they won't believe us. She has no criminal record. And with the way she carries herself… she's probably already erased every trace that could lead back to her."
Kayla looked down. "She's bold enough to show up in person. That means she's confident. Worse—now she knows what we look like. That changes everything."
Rose leaned back against the wall, the weight of the situation finally settling on her. Her voice was heavy with guilt.
"…Maybe I shouldn't have even formed the original Rose Garden in the first place."
Annie looked at her, surprised by the self-blame in her tone.
"You didn't ask for this, Rose," she said quietly.
"No," Rose muttered. "But I planted the seed. And now someone else is watering it—with blood."
The room fell silent again, heavy with regret and uncertainty.
Lilith wasn't just another bully. She was calculating, cold, and organized.
They had entered her garden now.
And there were thorns everywhere.
Annie broke the silence, her voice sharp and steady.
"If she knows what we look like…" she said, eyes narrowing, "then we need to prepare ourselves."
Kayla looked up, startled by the change in Annie's tone.
"She won't let us go scot-free now, will she?" Annie continued, her expression darkening. "She's probably already searching for us—our homes, our movements, anything that can help her silence us."
Rose frowned, her earlier guilt twisting into fear. "So… what do we do? Go into hiding?"
"No," Annie replied firmly. "We've come too far to run now. We hit her once—she knows what we're capable of. That's why she showed herself."
Kayla nodded slowly. "She's trying to rattle us… make us scared enough to stop."
"Well, it won't work," Annie said. "If Lilith wants a war—she'll get one."
There was a beat of silence.
Then Rose, more serious than ever, spoke.
"Then we'd better start preparing. Because the next move she makes… could be deadly."
Just as the air grew heavy with silence, a crack shattered it.
The sound of breaking glass tore through the house, followed by a sharp ping—a bullet slammed into the wall just inches from Kayla's head.
"DOWN!" Annie shouted, grabbing both Kayla and Rose by the wrists and dragging them into the reinforced safe room.
Another shot rang out. Then two more. Shards of glass scattered across the living room like ice.
The heavy door slammed shut behind them. Silence. Except for the thundering of three hearts.
Annie paced for a moment, breathing hard, before she turned on Rose.
"Tch. They already found us…"
Rose was crouched in the corner, trembling—her hands over her mouth, eyes wide.
Annie glared. "Snap out of it, Rose!"
Rose flinched, looking up.
"If you freeze now, we're dead," Annie hissed. "You're not just some ex-bully anymore—you're part of this. We need your head in the game."
Rose opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
Annie's voice softened, but only slightly. "I get it. You're scared. So am I. But if we fall apart now—Lilith wins. We can't let that happen."
She turned, opening the lockbox beside the safe room door and pulled out two compact pistols. She handed one to Kayla, then one to Rose.
"Take these," she said. "I hope you don't need to use them. But if they try to break into this house—you shoot to survive."
Kayla took hers with a nod, her face grim but focused.
Rose stared at the weapon in her hands, then finally spoke—quiet, but firm.
"…Okay. I'll fight too."
Annie gave a sharp nod.
Outside, the faint sound of retreating footsteps echoed down the street.
For now, the storm had passed. But Annie knew it was only the beginning.
The silence didn't last long.
Annie stood abruptly, her eyes sharp and calculating. "Cover me."
She reached beneath the couch where she kept her emergency weapon case and snapped it open—revealing her Remington 700 sniper rifle, sleek and deadly. She loaded it with practiced ease, her expression cold.
"Wait, what are you—" Kayla began.
But Annie was already moving.
She slipped out a side window on the opposite end of the house, moving low and fast. Her eyes scanned the nearby rooftops and high vantage points.
Then—a flash.
The reflection of sunlight off a scope.
Got you.
Annie knelt behind the rain barrel, inhaled deeply, adjusted the windage with the calm of a trained shooter. Her finger tightened on the trigger.
CRACK!
The bullet sliced through the air, clean and sharp.
From afar, she saw the silhouette of the sniper jolt—then slump.
Direct hit.
She stayed in position for a few seconds longer, scanning for a second shooter. Nothing.
Only then did she exhale.
She returned inside, calm but tense.
"One down," she said, placing the rifle down. "But don't get too comfortable. This was just a warning shot—from them. We've officially become targets."
Kayla looked shaken, but nodded. "So what now?"
Annie's jaw tightened. "Now… we go on the offensive."