Going Under

THE WEIGHT OF LOYALTY The story opens with a harrowing scene: Russel Corbin sits in a suburban home, cradling his dying friend Sean, who’s been shot during a job gone wrong. Across the street, children engage in a water gun fight, a stark contrast to the violence inside. Sean, bleeding out, urges Russel to find a mysterious briefcase and escape their criminal life, extracting a promise before he dies. A shadowy figure, Vince, retrieves a body from deeper inside the house, leaving Russel alone in grief. In the present, Russel is shaken awake in a dimly lit basement by the screams of a tortured man. He’s still working for Simon Shah, a crime lord who runs his operation from a tattered suburban compound. Russel, desperate to leave this world behind, confronts Simon, who dismisses his request to walk away but grants him temporary leave, warning that he’ll be called back when needed. Simon mentions Michael Shaffer, Russel’s old childhood friend, hinting at their shared history and the unresolved tension that led to Russel’s departure years ago. Days later, Russel visits Sean’s grave, where he reunites with Michael, now a hardened operative. Their strained reunion reveals a shared past marred by loss—Michael’s father, Russel’s parents, and now Sean. Michael invites Russel to stay at his home, where Russel reconnects with Ashley, Michael’s sister, who has grown into a compassionate but scarred young woman. Their budding romance, kept secret from Michael, complicates Russel’s desire to protect her from their dangerous world. Ashley shows Russel Michael’s arsenal, a basement gun room, signaling the depth of their entanglement in Simon’s empire. THE COST OF PROMISES As Russel and Ashley grow closer, Michael returns from a job battered, revealing he killed a key figure in the rival Ramirez family. This escalates tensions, drawing the attention of Owen and Marcus, twin mercenaries who confront Michael about his actions. Their cryptic exchange hints at a past favor Michael is owed, tied to his tattoo (“Three”). That night, the twins invade Michael’s home, locking Russel and Ashley in their rooms while attacking Michael. Russel breaks free, and the trio escapes in a high-speed chase, pursued by the twins. A sudden crash lands the trio in the hospital, where Michael barely survives, and Russel learns the driver of the truck that hit them didn’t make it—a collateral loss that weighs on him. Flashbacks reveal the origins of Russel and Michael’s involvement with Simon. Michael, driven by his father’s murder, was mentored by Simon, while Russel was drawn in after his parents’ deaths, orchestrated to pull him into the Shahs’ orbit. Ashley, aware of her family’s dark secrets, has tried to escape through medicine but remains tethered to Michael. Her scars—literal and emotional—underscore her desire for a normal life, which she begs Russel to help her achieve. Russel promises to find a way out, echoing his vow to Sean. Back in the present, Russel learns of a briefcase that Simon covets, rumored to hold the key to freedom. Sean’s contact claimed it was “legit,” and Russel believes it’s his ticket out. He and Ashley secretly plan to steal it, enlisting Owen and Marcus’s help for protection. However, Michael discovers Russel’s plan and confronts him, revealing a shattering truth: Russel’s parents didn’t die in an accident but were killed for trying to escape the same life Russel now seeks to leave. Michael’s father sent Russel away to protect him, but the Shahs manipulated his return. Their argument escalates, with Michael accusing Russel of endangering Ashley, but Russel’s love for her and his promise to Sean drive him forward. THE FINAL RECKONING Russel and Michael, now aligned, call in favors from Owen and Marcus to betray Simon and eliminate his operation. Russel and Michael arm themselves from Michael’s gun room and storm Simon’s compound, where an ambush nearly kills them. Inside, they face a dozen armed men, with Michael taking on the bulk in a brutal, methodical fight. Russel finds Ashley, beaten and tied up in Simon’s office. Simon, holding the briefcase, taunts Russel, spinning a revolver’s chamber, and pulling the trigger in a game of chance. He lets Ashley go, mocking Russel’s hope for a normal life, and leaves with Vince. As the trio reunites, Vince shoots Michael, leaving him in Russel’s arms, mirroring Sean’s death. Michael, dying, begs Russel to let go of revenge for Ashley’s sake, but Russel, consumed by guilt and rage, refuses. Ashley, devastated, joins Russel in pursuing Simon. In a rain-soaked chase, Ashley shoots at Simon’s car, causing a crash. Russel fights Vince in a brutal, desperate brawl, killing him with fragments from the wreckage. Confronting Simon, Russel hesitates, but Ashley, hardened by loss, kills Simon with his own gun, in her own game of chance. As Russel succumbs to his wounds, Ashley mourns, clutching the briefcase as Owen and Marcus arrive on scene. EPILOGUE Months later, at the cemetery, Ashley places roses on Michael and Russel’s graves, marked by an elderly woman’s flowers. Owen and Marcus watch from afar, ensuring her safety. Ashley’s new tattoo (“Four”) signifies her transformation—she’s no longer a bystander but a survivor, and active and willing participant in this life now, carrying the weight of her choices. The briefcase’s contents remain unknown, but her resolve suggests she’ll forge her own path, haunted but unbroken on her own path of vengeance.