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The cold, echoing clank of boots on concrete announced Hadron's arrival. He entered with a smug expression, hands in his pockets, and an air of cruel satisfaction. "Look who finally woke up," Hadron sneered, stopping just out of reach. "Did you have a nice nap, Ezra?"

Ezra glared at him, trying to muster the strength to speak, but his throat was parched and raw. The effort of simply hanging there was almost more than he could bear, his muscles screaming in protest.

Hadron stepped closer, his grin widening. "You look pathetic. Not so tough now, are you? Guess the big, bad macho man isn't invincible after all."

The door at the far end of the room creaked open, and a new figure entered. A man with an air of authority that immediately drew everyone's attention. Hadron straightened up, his demeanor shifting to one of respect. "Boss," he acknowledged with a nod.

The superior, a tall man with a sharp gaze, a scar on his cheek and an air of menace, approached slowly, his eyes assessing the situation. "What's this?" he asked, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.

"A debtor, boss." Hadron replied, gesturing to Ezra. "He's the one I told you about. The debtor who owes us millions of credits. Tried to beat up the collectors and ran away."

Tried? Dude, I beat your ass. Ezra chuckled silently to himself, the slight motion sending waves of pain through him.

The superior looked Ezra up and down, his expression unreadable. "So this is him," he mused. "The one who thought he could escape his debts."

Hadron nodded eagerly. "Yes, sir. We caught him trying to skip town. Figured he deserved a little reminder of who he's dealing with."

The man's eyes hardened as he turned back to Hadron. "You're right. He does deserve a beating." He took a step closer to Ezra, his presence imposing and intimidating. "What's his name?" he asked, almost as an afterthought.

"Ezra Matten," Hadron repeated, a note of pride in his voice.

The man's expression suddenly shifted from indifference to surprise, his eyes widening slightly. "Ezra Matten?" he repeated, as if to confirm.

Hadron frowned, clearly not expecting this reaction. "Yes, sir. Why?"

The man's gaze flickered between Hadron and Ezra, a new calculation entering his eyes. "The gang leadership has been searching for this man," he said slowly. "He's not just any debtor. He's got some sort of connection to the Black Spider gang. We can't keep him here."

Hadron's smug grin faltered, replaced by a look of confusion and unease. "What do you mean, sir?"

The man stepped back, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "It means we've got a bigger fish than we realized. We need to handle this carefully. If word gets out that we've got Ezra Matten, it could bring a lot of unwanted attention."

Ezra watched the exchange, a sinking feeling making itself known in his gut. If the leadership was searching for him, it meant they knew he was alive. It meant that he could find himself in Macmillan's hands. This had to be what people talked about when they say going from frypan to fire.

The man turned to leave, his mind clearly already racing with plans. "Keep an eye on him," he ordered Hadron. "Don't do anything rash. I'll inform the higher-ups. They'll want to know about this."

Hadron nodded, still looking a bit confused by the sudden change in tone. "Yes, sir. I'll make sure he stays put."

As the man left the room, Hadron turned back to Ezra, his expression a mix of frustration and anger. "You're lucky," he growled. "But don't think this means you're off the hook. I'll be back, and we'll finish what we started."

Ezra didn't respond, saving his strength. He hung there, his body battered and his mind racing. The pain was overwhelming, but the determination in his eyes remained. He would survive this. He had to.

**********

Ezra hung from his arms, alone in the room. His ears picked up the sounds of footsteps a moment before the door swung open and someone walked in.

Ezra didn't bother to check, hanging his head and ignoring the pain in his body.

"Ezra Matten in the flesh." Macmillan laughed as he entered Ezra's view, dressed in a tailored suit. He tilted his arms smiling at Ezra. "Under my nose all along."

Ezra said nothing, staring at the floor.

Macmillan turned away, grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it in front of Ezra. He took a seat, crossing his legs and leaning back. "I have to apologize." Macmillan began. "It was not my intention to keep you alive. I wanted you dead. Not beaten within an inch of your life.

I won't punish whoever did this though. It is after all, satisfying to see you like this."

Macmillan pursed his lips in the silence that followed. "Tell me, do you have any message for me to pass on to your wives? They're not doing so great by the way. We had to catch them with their pants down. It was fun."

"What did you do?" Ezra growled, unable to keep quiet.

"Aha! It talks." Macmillan exclaimed, delighted. "I wasn't sure if you were actually alive."

"What did you do to them?" Ezra growled again.

"Easy." Macmillan raised a palm towards Ezra before dropping it to adjust his glasses. "All we did was attack their supplies, you know. Keep them on the back foot."

"If you touch them." Ezra threatened.

"You'll do what?" Macmillan sat up. "Ah. I think there's misunderstanding going on here. I didn't come here to speak terms or things like that. I'm here to kill you."

Ezra felt a chill run down his spine.

"Think about it." Macmillan leaned forward. "What coven can exist without a male vampire. If I take you out, the Matten Coven dissolves. So I'll ask again. What message do you want me to pass to your wives?"

Ezra was silent, processing what Macmillan had just said. There was no way out. He sighed in resignation. A part of him had already accepted that it would end this way. He thought about it. A message for Gen and Olivia?

"Nothing." He finally breathed. "Whatever message I send will be tainted by your voice anyways. Better to spare them that."

Macmillan stood up from the chair smoothly. "Good choice." He materialized claws on his hand and with a swift motion, stabbed his hand into Ezra's heart. Ezra gasped from the pain. With a swift jerk, he tore out Ezra's heart.

Ezra hanged, staring at his heart as death crawled upon him. He gave a final sigh. So it ends.

As he faded away, a voice floated to him through the darkness. "So it begins."