The train sliced through the storm like a blade through silk, its rhythmic motion hypnotic in the dim glow of the cabin. Rain lashed against the windows, turning the world outside into a smear of gray and silver. Inside, silence settled like dust, thick, heavy, expectant.
Luca sat across from the woman, his fingers tracing the edge of the briefcase. The files inside whispered promises of truth and blood, but something still felt off. He studied her carefully, the way she held herself, the subtle tremble in her hands when she thought no one was watching.
"You said you knew my grandfather better than anyone," he said slowly. "But you never told me your name."
She met his gaze without hesitation. "You already know it."
Luca frowned. "Don't bullshit with me, lady."
Her lips curled into a faint smile. "Very well then, my name is Sarah."
He glanced at Enzo, who only shrugged.
Finally, Luca exhaled sharply. "And you know him how?"
She reached up and pulled a pin from her coat, a small, silver brooch shaped like a rose. She placed it on the table between them.
"I was Anton's wife," she said simply. "Before he disappeared."
Luca's breath caught.
Enzo leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "That's not possible. Anton's wife died twenty years ago."
"She did," she agreed. "The woman they buried wasn't me."
Silence fell again, heavier this time.
Luca's voice was barely above a whisper. "Why is that exactly?"
Her expression darkened. "Because if Rocco thought I was alive, he would have killed me before I could blink."
Luca stared at her, trying to reconcile the woman sitting across from him with the faded photograph in his mind, his grandfather standing beside a young woman with fire in her eyes, both smiling like they had conquered the world.
"You were supposed to be dead," he murmured.
"And so were you," she replied. "Until tonight."
Luca leaned back, rubbing his temples. "So what now? You bring me back into a war I didn't ask for, tell me you're still alive, and then what?"
She reached into the folds of her coat and pulled out a small, silver locket. Inside was a photo of Luca as a child, barely five years old, sitting on Anton's lap, laughing.
Luca's throat tightened.
"I never stopped watching you," she said softly. "Even when I couldn't be there."
He looked at her, really looked at her, and saw the pain behind her eyes. The weight of years spent hiding, waiting, surviving.
"It doesn't matter I barely know you anyway and just because my grandfather trusted you doesn't mean I do" he said quietly.
She flinched. "I understand, but I made a promise to Anton... that I will help you... even if it costs my life"
Luca looked her into the eyes. "We'll see about that."
She didn't argue. Just closed the locket and placed it in his palm.
"This isn't about the past," she said. "It's about what comes next."
Outside, lightning split the sky.
Inside, the train groaned as it approached an abandoned station long since erased from maps.
The conductor's voice crackled over the intercom. "Next stop: Hollow Creek."
Luca looked at her. "What's at Hollow Creek?"
She stood slowly, smoothing her coat. "The beginning of everything."
As the train slowed, the doors hissed open to reveal a platform swallowed by shadows. No lights. No signs. Just rusted tracks stretching into darkness.
Luca hesitated only briefly before stepping onto the platform. Enzo followed, keeping close.
Sarah descended last. She turned to him.
"There's something you need to see."
She led them down a crumbling staircase built into the earth, deeper beneath the city than Luca had ever been. Pipes groaned overhead, water dripped from unseen cracks, and the air grew colder with every step.
At the bottom, a steel door waited, old, reinforced, sealed with a biometric scanner.
She pressed her palm against it.
With a deep mechanical hum, the door slid open.
Inside was not what Luca expected.
A war room.
Maps covered the walls, red lines drawn through cities and boroughs. Weapons lay neatly arranged on tables. And in the center, a large portrait of Anton Varga stared back at them like a ghost refusing to fade.
Luca stepped forward, heart pounding.
"What is this place?" he asked.
She smiled faintly. "Your grandfather's last stand."
Luca turned to her. "Then why bring me here?"
Her voice was steady, unwavering.
"Because this war doesn't end with Rocco."
"It ends with you."