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Chapter 2 - Episode 2: "The Hostage"

Scene 1:She Saw Everything

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[Panel 1]

Dim warehouse. Don Serrano is bleeding on the floor. Caleb stands over him, knife in hand.

[Serrano]

"You're… his son…"

[Caleb]

"Yes. And this is for them."

---

[Panel 2]

Caleb raises the knife for the final blow—

[Sound FX]

SLAM!

The door bursts open. Maya stands there, eyes wide in horror.

[Maya]

"Dad?! NO!"

---

[Panel 3]

Serrano turns to her weakly, blood spilling from his mouth.

[Serrano]

"M-Maya… run…"

---

[Panel 4]

Caleb hesitates for a split second. His eyes lock with Maya's.

[Caleb's thought conflicts]

"She wasn't supposed to be here."

---

[Panel 5]

Maya rushes forward, but Caleb slams the knife down — finishing Serrano.

[Sound FX]

THUCK!

---

[Panel 6]

Maya drops to her knees beside her father's body, sobbing, shaking.

[Maya]

"You… you monster…!"

---

[Panel 7]

She looks up at Caleb with pure hatred. He stares back, expression unreadable.

[Maya]

"Why?! Who are you?!"

[[Panel 8]

Caleb stands in the shadows, blood on his hands, expression cold but conflicted.

[ Caleb's thoughts]:

"She wasn't supposed to be here… but now she's seen too much."

---

[Panel 9]

Close-up of Caleb's face as he slowly steps forward.

[Caleb]:

"I'm the nightmare, your father created" 

---

[Panel 10]

Maya's eyes widen in horror. She backs away.

[Maya]:

"What are you talking about?!"

---

[Panel 11]

Caleb grabs her wrist firmly but not cruelly.

[Caleb]:

"You don't know me, Maya. But from now

on… you'll have no choice."

[Panel 12]

Footsteps echo outside. The door bursts open. Three men in black enter—guns drawn, faces cold.

[Henrik(Caleb's Right Hand Man)]:

"Boss. Clean-up crew's here. Orders?"

---

[Panel 13]

Caleb's eyes lock on Maya, who's frozen in shock.

[Caleb]:

"She's coming with us."

---

[Panel 14]

Maya tries to run. Caleb grabs her arm roughly. She struggles.

[Maya (screaming)]:

"Let go of me!

Caleb grabs her wrist roughly, pulling her toward him.

[Caleb]

"You saw too much. Now you have to come with me."

Scene 2:Maya (Before She Witnesses the Murder)

[Maya]

"They said my father was a dangerous man. I never believed them."

---

[Maya's intro]

"Maya Serrano. Twenty-one. Living far away from blood and guns"

----

[Panel 1]

Just before she bursts into the warehouse:

Maya sits in a luxury car, tense, gripping her phone.

[Maya's thought]

"I never understood my father's world. I was kept away… protected. Until tonight."

---

[Panel 2]

She reads the message: "Come alone if you want answers."

[Maya's mind running with thoughts]

"I should've stayed away. But something told me… he was hiding things."

---

[Panel 3]

The warehouse appears in the distance. Her eyes widen. She runs.

[Thoughts swirled in her head]

"To me… he was just the man who raised me. Cold. Distant. But still my father."

---

[Panel 4]

Door creaks open. Her eyes widen in shock as she sees blood, shadows, and—

[Maya (off-panel)]

"Dad…?"

Scene 3: "The Devil Strikes" 

[Panel 1]

Maya struggles in Caleb's grip, hitting his chest with her free hand.

[Maya (shouting)]:

"Let me go! You monster!"

---

[Panel 2]

Caleb doesn't flinch. His grip tightens just enough to stop her without hurting her.

[Caleb (coldly)]:

"Start the car. We leave now."

---

[Panel 3]

One of his men nods and speaks into a radio.

[Henchman]:

"Extraction team, move in. Back door, two minutes."

---

[Panel 4]

Caleb drags Maya down a dim hallway behind the warehouse. The sounds of sirens echo faintly in the distance.

[Caleb(thinking)]:

"This city's full of shadows. I just became the darkest one she'll ever know."

---

[Panel 5]

A black SUV waits outside with the engine running. Two more men stand guard as the back door swings open.

[Henchman 2]:

"Clear path, boss."

---

[Panel 6]

Caleb shoves Maya into the back seat. She glares at him, tear-streaked and furious.

[Maya (breathing hard)]:

"You'll regret this…"

---

[Panel 7]

Caleb steps into his own car, flanked by his men, his expression unreadable but deadly.

Caleb leans back, eyes piercing through the tinted glass.

[Caleb (flatly)]:

"I already regret not doing it sooner."

Scene 4: The Confrontation

Scene: A dimly lit room in Caleb's mansion.

Maya sits on the edge of a luxurious bed, hands clenched into fists, her eyes burning with fury. The room is silent—too silent—except for the sound of approaching footsteps.

The door swings open. Caleb enters, his black shirt unbuttoned at the top, revealing a glimpse of a scar across his chest. His presence fills the room like a storm cloud.

Maya (coldly):

"So this is what a murderer's palace looks like."

Caleb (calm, unreadable):

"You should be thanking me. Your father did far worse than I ever did."

Maya (rising to her feet):

"You killed him in cold blood! My father was—he was everything to me!"

Caleb (stepping closer):

"He was a monster. He ordered the death of my parents. You want me to feel guilty? I sleep just fine."

Maya:

"You're a coward. Hiding behind revenge like it makes you righteous."

Caleb (voice low):

"I didn't bring you here for your forgiveness, Maya. I brought you here to end the cycle."

Maya (bitter laugh):

"By locking me up?"

Caleb (pausing):

"No. By showing you the truth."

He drops a file onto the bed. Photos, documents—proof of her father's crimes. Maya doesn't look at it.

Maya:

"Nice trick. But nothing you show me will make me forget what you did."

Caleb (softening for just a moment):

"Maybe not. But hate and love—they're both born from fire. One spark is all it takes to burn down everything."

Maya glares at him as he turns to leave. Her heart pounds—not from fear, but from something more dangerous: confusion. 

Final Panel:

Maya glares at the file on the bed but doesn't touch it. Her fists clench as she turns away, chest rising with anger. The camera lingers on the edge of the file—where a photograph has slipped out just slightly.

The name at the bottom of the paper is partly visible: "Valerio Serrano." A blood-red stamp marks the page: "CONFIDENTIAL."

Caption:

"She refused to see the truth… but the truth was already crawling its way out."

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End of the Episode.

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