Crimson Rebellion

CHAPTER 8 — THE FORGOTTEN NIGHT

The rain continued long after Crimson Rebellion HQ burned.

By midnight, nothing remained except smoke, broken concrete, and the crimson banners scattered across the street.

Ren couldn't sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the same things.

Fire.

A red symbol.

A hand pulling him through the darkness.

And Raiden's voice.

If you remembered… you'd hate me.

Ren sat on the edge of his bed.

He had been given a temporary room in one of Crimson's safehouses.

Everyone else was asleep.

Everyone except him.

A sound came from outside.

Footsteps.

Ren looked through the window.

Raiden.

He was walking alone through the rain.

Ren immediately stood.

He grabbed his jacket.

Tonight, he was going to get answers.

Raiden moved through the streets without looking back.

Ren followed from a distance.

They passed several abandoned buildings before Raiden turned into a narrow alley.

Ren stopped at the corner.

He waited.

A few seconds later, Raiden disappeared through a rusted metal door.

Ren approached.

The door wasn't locked.

He pushed it open.

A staircase descended into darkness.

Ren hesitated.

Then went down.

The deeper he went, the colder it became.

At the bottom was an abandoned train station.

Old tracks disappeared into darkness.

Raiden stood near the edge of the platform.

Ren stayed behind a pillar.

Then another voice spoke.

“You shouldn't have come here.”

Ren froze.

It wasn't Raiden.

Someone stepped out of the darkness.

Ren's breath caught.

He recognized him immediately.

The tattooed recruit.

The same one Ren had fought.

“What are you doing here?” Ren whispered.

The recruit looked at him.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

Ren stepped forward.

“You followed Raiden too?”

The recruit nodded.

“I don't trust him.”

Ren frowned.

“Why?”

“Because nobody knows where he came from.”

Before Ren could respond, footsteps echoed through the station.

Both of them turned.

Raiden was walking toward them.

He stopped.

His eyes moved from the recruit to Ren.

“You two are becoming a problem.”

The tattooed recruit stepped forward.

“We want answers.”

Raiden stared at him.

“About what?”

“The night.”

Silence.

Ren's heart started pounding.

Raiden looked at him.

“You shouldn't be here.”

“I know.”

“Then leave.”

“No.”

Ren stepped forward.

“You told me I'd hate you if I remembered.”

Raiden's expression changed slightly.

“What happened?”

Raiden looked toward the abandoned tracks.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then—

“Five years ago, this station was the site of a massacre.”

Ren's eyes widened.

“A massacre?”

Raiden nodded.

“Twenty-three people died.”

The tattooed recruit's expression changed.

“And you were there.”

Raiden didn't deny it.

“So was Ren.”

Ren froze.

“What?”

Raiden looked directly at him.

“You were eight years old.”

The station suddenly felt colder.

Ren shook his head.

“No.”

“You were here.”

“No.”

Raiden continued.

“Your family was here too.”

Ren's breathing became unstable.

Images flashed through his mind.

A woman screaming.

A man's voice.

A little boy crying.

Fire.

Then a door.

Ren stumbled backward.

“No…”

The tattooed recruit grabbed his shoulder.

“Ren.”

Ren pushed him away.

“Stop.”

Another memory appeared.

Raiden.

Standing in front of a burning building.

Holding a young Ren in his arms.

Ren stared at Raiden.

“You…”

Raiden looked away.

“You saved me.”

Raiden's silence was an answer.

Ren's eyes widened.

“Then why don't I remember you?”

Raiden finally spoke.

“Because I made sure you wouldn't.”

Ren stared at him.

“What did you do?”

Raiden's expression became darker.

“I erased everything connected to that night.”

The tattooed recruit looked confused.

“You can't erase someone's memories.”

Raiden looked at him.

“Not completely.”

Ren touched his head.

“Why?”

Raiden stepped closer.

“Because the people who caused the massacre were still looking for you.”

Ren's blood ran cold.

“Why me?”

Raiden hesitated.

Then he said something that made Ren's entire body freeze.

“Because your father was the leader of the Hollow.”

Silence.

The words didn't make sense.

Ren shook his head.

“No.”

Raiden didn't move.

“Your father disappeared after the massacre.”

Ren stared at him.

“And the Hollow have been searching for you ever since.”

The tattooed recruit looked at Ren.

“So that's why they want him.”

Raiden nodded.

“They don't want Ren dead.”

Ren swallowed.

“Then what do they want?”

Raiden looked toward the darkness of the tunnel.

“They want what your father left behind.”

A faint sound echoed from the tracks.

Footsteps.

Raiden immediately turned.

The tattooed recruit raised his fists.

Ren stepped backward.

A figure emerged from the darkness.

Then another.

Raiden's expression hardened.

“They found us.”

The figures stopped.

A familiar voice echoed through the station.

“Finally.”

The masked man from the Hollow stepped into the light.

He looked directly at Ren.

“Now you're ready to hear the truth.”

NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:

Ren finally learns the truth about his father.

But the Hollow have no intention of letting him leave the station alive.

As the fight begins, the masked man reveals something even more shocking:

“Your father didn't start the massacre.”

Ren's eyes widen.

“Raiden did.”

END OF CHAPTER 8

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