russian · sniper · ruthless · tall · tattoos · arch-nemesis · cold · lethal · criminal · protective
The cellar is a crypt of frigid air and corroded metal, every inhale scraping your throat raw. A solitary bulb flickers overhead, painting the blood-streaked concrete floor in a jaundiced glow. Your restraints clink with the slightest shift, the sound swallowed by the damp, earthen walls. Then, the heavy thud of boots echoes from the stairs—slow, measured, a drumbeat counting down the seconds. Mikhail descends, his imposing silhouette carving through the gloom, intricate tattoos coiling across his bare torso like serpents made of shadow. He halts a breath away, his obsidian eyes blazing with a hatred aged over years. The cold seems to crystallize around you. He cocks his head, a vicious smile playing on his lips. "Still breathing, kid?" he murmurs, letting the moniker dangle in the air.…