Blood still on her hands, Maya struck the bathroom door with everything she had.

  Thwack! Thwack!

  Each blow echoed like gunfire in her ears—until the frame finally gave way.

  CRACK! The door split from its hinges and crashed inward.

  (Good. The weakest door in the house.)

  No time to breathe. She grabbed Ezechiel’s blood-soaked bag, shoved it into her backpack, and bolted—down the stairs, out the door, onto her bike.

  (They’re coming. Special forces, or worse. But where do I even run?)

  She pedaled through the narrow backstreets of Valeslin, the city she had grown up in. Once a place she’d called home—now just another outpost of Lumen Dei. The man she’d just killed, Ezechiel, had been a high-ranking branch leader of that cult.

  (Special forces… what even is that? Ezechiel, that freak—he wasn’t human.)

  Frustrated, she abandoned the bike in an alleyway and called for a rideshare. A few minutes later, a blue Toyota Yaris pulled up.

  "Well now, aren’t you a cute one. Where to, missy?"The driver looked to be in his thirties—dark hair, short cut, casual clothes. His gaze lingered just a bit too long.

  "...To the capital.Astris ."

  Right now, distance mattered more than destination. Maya hugged her backpack tight, her heart pounding out of rhythm.

  The man gripped the wheel with fingers that bore rings on each one, and before setting off, he glanced at her through the mirror.

  "Astris, huh? That’ll run you 50 euros. You got the cash, sweetheart?"He grinned, lips curled with amusement.

  Of course she had at least a hundred on her card. But for the first time, she realized she hadn’t even checked the contents of Ezechiel’s bag. She quickly opened it.

  (That much cash? Again with his extortion money… just how many followers did he rob?)"I'm fine. I have enough."

  The bag also held a USB stick and other curious items, but those could wait. For now, escape came first.

  "Good to hear. Let’s roll then. Though... can’t believe it's already 5 PM. Getting dark fast."The driver started humming a tune, but Maya could tell—he was watching the rearview, staying alert.

  (Goodbye, Valeslin...)She had never hated her hometown—at least, not until she learned the truth about Ezechiel. A wave of emptiness washed over her, blurring her eyes.

  That’s when it hit her—a chill down her spine.

  She was being watched.

  "That car back there… it's tailing us. Real subtle, too. Got yourself an obsessive fan?"The driver chuckled, but his tone had sharpened.

  Maya turned to look. The glare of headlights—too bright, too focused.They weren’t just following. They were hunting.

  "I don’t have fans! Just drive!"Panic broke through her voice.

  "Roger that. Creepers like that? Let’s lose 'em."He spun the wheel and made a hard U-turn into a narrow alley.The car swerved, flinging Maya against the door from centrifugal force.

  "Sorry for the bumpy ride. I used to drive special operations vehicles for NATO. Not exactly a rideshare　driver’s resume, but I know my way around evasive routes."

  He flashed a rogue smile.

  "Thank you…"Maya whispered, gripping the seat. Relief came in shaky exhales.

  She finally caught the nameplate on the dashboard:(Mihhail Volkov.)

  Meanwhile, Elsewhere – EMMA

  "Update from HQ. Target's en route from Valeslin to Astris. Coordinates received… Got 'em! Damn, that’s far!" Emma, seated in the passenger seat of a black Toyota RAV4, tapped rapidly at the car's navigation system.

  "Judging by the speed, she’s probably using a rideshare," said the woman driving—Victoria.

  "We might not make it in time. If she’s injured, Emma, we’ll need you. Be ready."

  With that, Victoria slammed the accelerator. The engine roared.

  "Understood."Emma set down her ginger ale and began stretching her arms to loosen up—both for the mission and to calm her nerves.

  Back to MAYA

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  Even after several minutes, Maya didn’t see the pursuing headlights. Maybe they’d lost them.

  They were deep into the forest highway now. Few cars passed by. And just when the tension began to ease...

  A car suddenly appeared at their left. Creeping closer. Matching their speed perfectly.

  "How the hell did they catch up?! Are they insane?"Mihhail scowled, fury bubbling to the surface.

  (So fast… this can’t be happening.)Maya’s breath caught in her throat.

  The window of the dark Nissan Qashqai rolled down—smooth and slow.A pale, expressionless man leaned out.

  He was tall, skeletal, with dead eyes.

  And in his hands—A gleaming hatchet, held aloft.

  Maya’s mind screamed. Her vision sharpened unnaturally, adrenaline flooding her system.Time slowed. The axe began its descent.

  (Move! Move! But my body... won’t listen. Mihhail, please—)

  Too late.

  The hatchet slammed into the driver’s side window with brutal force.Glass and metal exploded. The blade cleaved straight through Mihhail’s skull.

  Blood spattered the interior like paint.

  There was no time to scream.

  The car swerved out of control, veered off the road, and crashed into a massive tree.Momentum flung them into a spin—once, twice, three times.Maya’s brain rattled in her skull. Her vision whirled. Blood and shattered glass floated around her like debris in space.

  (They’re going to kill me. Mihhail’s dead. I dragged him into this...)

  The Toyota finally crashed into another tree and stopped. Smoke hissed from the hood.

  Three men stepped out of the Qashqai.

  The first: the gaunt man wielding the bloodied hatchet.The second: a hulking youth, maybe twenty, bald, standing at least 180 centimeters.And the third: small, slender, with golden hair cascading from beneath a white coat—a disturbingly beautiful man.

  "Drag her out."

  Their voices were casual. Almost bored.They looked down upon the wreckage of the Yaris as if it were just another chore.

  Only the crunch of gravel beneath their boots and the low, pained groan of the smoking engine broke the silence of the forest.Moonlight glinted off the hatchet blade, cutting across their faces like blades of shadow.They were smiling.

  The thin man twitched his wrist, miming a guitar solo with the hatchet.The fat one popped gum between his teeth.And the golden one delicately removed his gloves like a surgeon preparing for art.

  As the hatchet-wielder reached for the car’s rear door—

  It exploded outward.

  The door slammed into him, sending him sprawling. He dropped the weapon with a startled grunt.

  Maya burst from the wreckage. Before the man could recover, she kicked him square in the face.His body flew back three meters, crumpling into the underbrush.

  (Two more. Can I take them...?)

  "Not a trained fighter’s form," said the man in white, "but she’s got raw power."

  He snapped his fingers.

  The world rippled.

  Suddenly, the forest was gone.And Maya was back—inside her home.

  (What…?)

  The shift was disorienting. Time bent. Walls reformed.She stood in her old room, exactly as it had been.

  Her heartbeat surged. Panic clawed at her chest.

  "What did you do, Houdini?"The fat one’s voice drifted through the illusion.

  "She’s under my spell," the golden man replied smoothly. "She can’t see or hear us. Not anymore. Fatman, give Axe his toy back. He’s useless without it."

  Fatman scooped the fallen hatchet from the ground and tossed it back to the thin man—Axe.As his fingers closed around it, veins bulged. His frame seemed to swell with power. His blood sang.

  "Thanks, Fatman. Now I can really play."He turned to Houdini, eyes gleaming. "How badly can I hurt her?"

  "Keep her conscious. No shock trauma. I want her screaming inside and out."

  Houdini smiled, a predator’s grin.

  "You do have a talent for breaking people, Houdini."

  "That’s why they call me a professional."

  Inside the Illusion – Maya

  She stood frozen in her room, untouched—but a cold weight pressed against her chest.

  Suddenly—he appeared.

  Ezechiel.

  The man she had killed.

  He smiled as he reached for her throat, pushing her back onto the bed.

  "This, Maya, is divine love."

  The same words. The same horror.

  "NO!"

  She drove her elbow into his face, the move reflexive.She’d learned it from YouTube—simple, effective. It shattered his nose.

  Then a headbutt. Brutal. Crude. But effective.

  He collapsed backward off the bed.

  (He can’t be alive. I killed him. This isn’t real. It’s… something else.)

  She blinked. He was gone.

  (Focus, Maya. This isn’t real. Feel your body. Use your senses.)

  She took a deep breath, anchoring herself to the only reality she could trust—her own heartbeat.

  And there it was. The stink of blood.The echo of cruel laughter.Something malicious was here. Close. Watching.

  (What do I do now?)Fear tightened its grip.

  Back Outside – Axe

  Axe stood before her, hatchet raised.

  He didn’t see her in the illusion. But in his mind, he knew—this would be the moment.He’d slice her right arm clean off.He wanted to hear her howl.

  Maya, trapped in the illusion, trembled.Something primal screamed inside her.

  (Dodge left—three steps.)

  The voice—Mihhail’s voice—rang in her skull. Calm. No longer joking.

  Her body moved before thought.Three steps left.

  SWOOSH!The hatchet whiffed through empty air.

  "What the hell was that?" Houdini’s tone darkened.

  (Avenge me…)Mihhail’s voice faded.

  Maya remained inside the illusion, but something had changed.She could feel the world again.

  Wind.

  A breeze—cool, clean—cut through the thick, rotten air.

  (Someone’s coming.)She couldn’t explain how she knew. But she knew.

  Back in Reality

  The wind howled suddenly.Trees swayed. Leaves trembled.

  Then silence.

  Two shadows stood beneath the moonlight.

  "You want to know what happened?"Victoria’s voice was low. Cold. Final."What’s happening is the execution of Lumen Dei trash."

  break. Not just physically, but emotionally. The death of Mikhail isn't just another tragedy—it’s the moment she realizes there's no going back. No normal life waiting on the other side.

  Chapter 5: *No Way Back* — coming Friday at 10 PM (JST). If you’re enjoying the ride, please consider following or leaving a rating. It truly helps.

  check out my Substack article here:

  https://open.substack.com/pub/knishi2050/p/why-i-wrote-hells-returners?r=5wfkgu&utm_medium=ios)

  ---

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