The air was heavy as Dre stood on the rooftop, staring down at the city he once tried to escape. Lagos was never quiet, not even at midnight. The sirens, the shouts, the heartbeat of the street below pulsed like it was alive like it could feel the storm coming. And Dre was that storm. Not the kind that passed. The kind that stayed.
He could still feel the echo of Elric's words in his head. The way he'd lied to his face, played him, manipulated every step. He could feel the blood on his knuckles from the last fight. The bruises hadn't faded, and neither had the memories. But that pain wasn't weakness anymore it was fuel.
Behind him, Zion walked up slowly, quiet like always, eyes darker than usual. "It's started," he said.
Dre didn't look at him. "I know."
"The underground's splitting. Some still loyal to Elric. Others... They're watching you now. Waiting."
"For what?"
Zion shrugged. "To see if you'll finish what you started. Or die trying."
Dre's jaw clenched. "Then I'll give them something to watch."
Down below, the warehouse where it all began still stood burned on one side, graffiti-marked walls, shadows creeping around the corners like ghosts of the past. Dre remembered that place. It was where he was made and nearly broken. But now, it was going to be the center of his rise.
He turned to Zion. "We hit the convoy tomorrow."
Zion's brow raised slightly. "You sure?"
"They're transporting weapons, cash, and info. Everything we need to bring him down. If we miss it, we lose our shot."
Zion paused. "You realize this puts you directly in his scope."
Dre smirked. "I'm already there. Might as well fire first."
They didn't sleep that night. Plans were laid out. Routes studied. Weak points marked. Dre's crew what was left of it gathered at an old mechanic shop. Kemi was there, her arm still in a sling but her eyes sharper than ever. Malik cleaned his blade with slow precision. Even Sodiq came back, the one who said he was done with war.
"I thought you were out," Dre said as Sodiq walked in.
Sodiq shrugged. "Yeah, well, freedom costs. And I'm tired of paying in silence."
That morning, they moved.
It was supposed to be quick. In and out. Get the convoy, steal the crates, leave a message.
But nothing in Lagos ever went according to plan.
The moment they reached the expressway, it was chaos.
Shots rang out before they even breached the truck. The sound of bullets slicing through the air echoed like thunder. Dre ducked behind a damaged taxi, heart pounding but hands steady.
Kemi yelled from the right, "They were ready for us!"
No time for blame. Only reaction.
Dre moved fast, rolling across the ground, coming up behind a container. He saw two of Elric's men heavily armed, faces hidden behind black masks. He didn't wait. His knife flew from his hand before the first one could react. The second went down from a shot to the thigh. Malik dragged him out of view.
"We have to move! Now!" Zion shouted.
They charged the truck. Dre yanked the back open and saw the crates one marked with the same symbol that haunted his past. A crescent carved into a serpent. Elric's real operation.
"Grab everything you can!" Dre shouted.
But just as they started pulling the crates out, a new sound sliced through the air tires screeching.
Another van pulled up fast. More of Elric's men.
Dre turned, gun raised, and time slowed.
One of them stepped out, no mask. It was Roman.
His former friend. His brother in the streets.
The one who betrayed him.
Roman raised his weapon. "Don't do this, Dre. Walk away."
Dre's voice was ice. "You picked your side."
"I picked survival."
"Then survive this."
They opened fire at the same time. Bullets danced, glass shattered, smoke filled the air.
When the dust settled, Dre stood over Roman's body, breathing hard. His shoulder was bleeding, but he didn't feel it.
Zion ran up. "We got what we need. Let's go."
Sirens were already closing in.
They disappeared into the alleyways like ghosts, crates in hand, war on their backs.
Later that night, in the basement of a shuttered church, Dre opened the crates. Inside: weapons, documents, ledgers, and something unexpected photos.
Of his mother.
Young. Afraid. Tied to the same network Elric ran.
Everything stopped. Dre sat down, heart frozen.
Kemi moved closer. "What is it?"
"My mom… she wasn't innocent."
Kemi knelt beside him. "Maybe not. But you are who you choose to be now. Not what they made you from."
Dre looked up, eyes sharp, soul on fire.
"Then I'll make sure none of this continues. I'm ending it."
And when he stood, the whole room felt it. The shift.
He wasn't just a fighter anymore.
He was the reckoning.