Riley Ross

Chapter 196 196: Tadaa!

"Minister Sholova!"The heavy oak door to Sofiya's office burst open. Three men in military uniform rushed inside, and the sound of their boots loudly tapping on the floor caused her to slowly tilt her head, almost as if they were banging directly into her ears.

…And maybe it did.

"Minister Sholova, you called for immediate assistance—"

"Get out." Sofiya's voice wasn't loud, even almost cracking. Still, the expression on her face caused the soldiers to slightly back away when she turned to them.

The lead officer stepped forward, his hand instinctively moving toward his sidearm. "Ma'am, is there something going—"

"I said get out!" She screamed, her eyes blazing with an intensity that made the seasoned soldiers take a step back. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees, and the lead officer felt a click on his gun.

He glanced back, quietly commanding his men to step out of the office. Some of them almost tripped, however, when the laces of their shoes suddenly got untied for no reason.

The lead officer turned around, urging his men to hurry. And when he was the only one in the room, he subtly glanced back at Sofiya.

"Minister, if there's a security threat—"

"There is no threat you can handle. Leave. That's an order."

He hesitated for a moment, but when he heard a certain click from his gun, he quickly saluted Sofiya and rushed to head outside the office. He made sure to close the door, only for the door to slide back open as the lock didn't work.

Sofiya didn't seem to care about this, however, as she turned her focus back to her phone, where Darkday remained on the screen. He still stood in the kitchen, the baby cradled against his chest with surprising gentleness. The contrast between his dark mask and the innocent white bundle made he was holding made Sofiya tightly roll her hand into a fist.

[Oh… There we go.] Darkday cooed, tilting a bottle toward the baby's lips. [Was little Dragunov scared about the big, scary men? It's okay, they're gone now. You can relax. Wow, your grandson's incredibly calm. I think I wasn't like this when I was a baby.]

Sofiya wasn't really listening to Darkday at all; her mind was racing through different possibilities.

What did she know about this monster? The intelligence reports were frustratingly sparse. Darkday had appeared seemingly from nowhere, gaining notoriety through his brutal vigilante methods and that damned website. A serial killer who targeted criminals… or anyone who bullied anyone.

And he killed them in the most savage and inhumane way possible.

And the stupid Americans are calling him a vigilante.

But… it was true that in the reports, he had only targeted those kinds of people—and she couldn't lie to herself, she had done a lot of evil things in her life. Even her son, Nikola, had done his fair share of bad things in this world.

Vigilante. The word sparked something in her chest. Vigilantes had codes. They didn't hurt innocents. This had to be psychological warfare—he was trying to break her, but he wouldn't actually harm Dragunov. He couldn't. It went against everything vigilantes stood for.

But that thought only had merit if this monster was actually a vigilante. What if he wasn't?

"You want me," she said, forcing strength into her voice despite the tremor in her hands. "Leave the baby alone. I'll come to you. Name your terms."

Darkday shrugged, then raised a finger to his lips. [Shh. He's eating. Don't want to upset his little tummy. Why do you think some people call drinking milk eating, by the way? It—Oh. He's laughing, how cute.]

The baby made soft suckling sounds, completely oblivious to the horror surrounding him.

Sofiya was about to say something when she saw how hard Darkday was pressing on the bottle, but her phone suddenly rang—the caller,

[Katya - Daughter]

[What are you doing…?] Darkday said without looking up from the baby. [Answer it, don't mind me."

With trembling fingers, Sofiya accepted the call. "Katya?"

[Mama, something's wrong. Dragunov is missing from his crib. I just went to check on him and—] Her daughter's voice cracked with panic, the words tumbling over each other. [The window was open. Someone took him. Someone took my baby! The security guards are unconscious. The police are already here, and they are saying there's no sign of forced entry except the window. Mama, what do I do?]

"I'll handle this," Sofiya calmly said. "Stay calm. Lock yourself in the safe room. I'll… find him."

[But Mama—]

"Do as I say. Now."

She ended the call, her hand shaking so violently she nearly dropped the phone. Fortunately, she didn't, as Darkday once again called from Nikola's phone.

[Very good!] Darkday clapped softly, the sound echoing in the apartment. [Just one ring this time. You're learning. Poor Nikola deserved that same courtesy, don't you think? If you'd answered faster, he might still have his pretty face intact.]

"Don't speak of my son. You want to play games? Fine. But if you so much as touch a hair on my grandson—You!"

Sofiya stood up from her chair as she saw Darkday's grip on the baby loosen. Dragunov began to slip from his arms, the bottle falling away first.

Sofiya's heart stopped, and time seemed to stretch for her… but the baby never fell. Darkday caught him at the last second, laughing as he shook his head. [Oops. Sorry about that. It's my first time holding a baby, you see.]

"Leave him alone!" Sofiya slammed her fist against the desk. "The baby's not involved in anything. I'll go anywhere you want. Kill me there. Just let him go."

[Aren't you curious who put your name on the website?] Darkday asked as he resumed feeding the baby.

"...Who?"

"[Oh, that's a secret. Client confidentiality and all that.] He paused, tilting his head as if considering something.

"You—"

[Actually, it was Anastasia. You should know her.]

"Anastasia…" Sofiya blinked. "You just said you wouldn't tell me who it was."

[Well, there's a chance you might actually kill me. Thought I should give you something to think about even when I'm gone.]

"Let's stop playing games. Tell me where to go. I'll go."

[Oh, okay. Then just meet me here.]

"Whe—"

And before she could even say a word, Darkday hung up the call

***

Back in the apartment, Darkday released his hold on Dragunov the moment the call ended. The baby remained suspended in the air, floating gentler than when Darkday was cradling him.

He moved to the living room, Dragunov drifting behind him like a balloon. Darkday then casually sat on the sofa, straightening his posture and turning on the television. The screen flickered with some mindless program—a cooking show where the chef was explaining the proper way to debone a fish.

Darkday already knew that from Chef Jordan.

And so, Darkday just sat there. He didn't move at all; he wasn't even looking at the screen at all. The baby floated above him peacefully, also not making any noise at all.

And soon, after what seemed like half an hour, the image on the TV began to stutter and distort, then died completely.

It was then followed by the soft click of the door opening.

It was Sofiya, still wearing her suit, as her heels tapped on the floor as she approached.

As soon as she reached the living room, Dragunov dropped into Darkday's waiting arms. His rigid posture, also softening as he grabbed Dragunov's small hand and waved it at Sofiya.

"Welcome," he said warmly. "Dragunov's been waiting for you for a long time, Grandma."

But Sofiya wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were locked on the wall where Nikola's corpse hung grotesquely. Darkday had attempted to reconstruct his shattered skull, but it obviously didn't work.

Sofiya forced herself to breathe. She turned to face Darkday, her expression completely stoic. "What guarantee do I have that you'll keep Dragunov alive once you kill me?"

"You don't have any guarantee." Darkday shrugged, gently placing the baby on the sofa. The infant didn't react to this at all, however. He was peacefully sleeping, not having any idea of the crisis happening around him.

And then, without warning, Sofiya launched herself forward.

Darkday waved his hand… but then tilted his head to the side as Sofiya didn't stop at all. And due to his bewilderment, Sofiya's boot slammed on his chest and sent him flying across the room, crashing him back into the kitchen.

Sofiya didn't waste anytime and grabbed Dragunov, clutching him to her chest as she sprinted toward the door.

But then… she heard the thud.

And the weight in her arms suddenly felt… light.

No. Please, no. Her entire body shivered, and her head slowly gazed down.

Dragunov's severed head lay at her feet, his tiny eyes still open, staring at nothing with the blank innocence of death.

She didn't even react as Darkday suddenly stabbed her stomach from behind.

"Taada!"