"Red dress??" Finn's voice was laced with disbelief as he watched Leon's frantic expression.
"What do you mean? Is it really important right now?" Finn struggled to grasp the urgency behind Leon's words.
"It is crucial," Leon replied, his breath shaky. "Out of all the time I spent with her, she was obsessed with that red dress. I've seen her nurture it, caress it, and even weep over it. The very first day we met, she was wearing that same dress."
"But I've never seen her wear it," Finn said, confusion clouding his mind.
"Exactly! It was so precious to her that she wouldn't dare wear it," Leon said, his voice rising in intensity.
"Then why is it important now that she finally chose to wear it?" James interjected, his brows furrowed in concern.
Just then, Leon's phone buzzed with an urgency that electrified the air. It was the chief of Deskmore Security. Leon answered, putting the call on speaker.
"Sir… we've tracked the lady," the chief's voice crackled through the phone. A charged silence fell over the room.
"She took a cab from the house and headed to an abandoned building on the outskirts of Ravengrade."
"An abandoned building?" Leon shot back, a chill running down his spine.
"Yes. It's an old three-story manufacturing unit from the '90s, completely deserted now."
"Finn, James... we need to move!" Leon's urgency escalated as adrenaline coursed through him. They raced toward the outskirts, Deskmore and Hales Security flanking them.
As they sped through the streets, the phone rang again, shattering the tension in the vehicle.
"Sir, and…" a breathless voice began.
"What is it?" Leon demanded.
"The lady, on her route, made a stop to buy a bouquet of white roses and…"
"And??" Leon pressed, his heart racing.
"And two bottles of wine..."
James let out a sharp gasp. "A bouquet and wine? Is she going to meet someone at a grave?"
Leon remained silent, his thoughts racing as they closed in on the abandoned building. Time was running out, and he had to reach her before it was too late. Each moment felt like a countdown to disaster.
As they neared their destination, his heart raced with a turbulent mix of dread and desperation. He, who had never been one to lean on faith, found himself murmuring prayers—clutching his hands together as if the sheer force of his hope could alter fate. The skies above turned ominously gray, heavy with rain that mirrored the storm brewing within him.
The old building loomed ahead, shrouded in an eerie silence. He could see it clearly now, a haunting silhouette against the horizon. His gaze locked onto a small red dot on the terrace—a flicker of life amidst the decay. It was her. Joy and fear warred inside him, a pulse of adrenaline that drove him forward.
As the car screeched to a halt at the gates, time warped. Every heartbeat felt like a countdown. Without a second thought, he flung the door open and leaped out. He stood on the ground, heart racing as he saw her fall from the building, her dress swirling in the wind. "No!" he shouted, diving to catch her. Time slowed as his fingers brushed her waist but missed completely. The sickening crack echoed as she hit the ground, and he stood frozen, the weight of the moment crashing down around him. He collapsed near her, a silence enveloping the moment like a heavy fog. He laid there, drenched in her blood and water...