Angel of Death

ANGEL OF DEATH SYLAN YOUNG Copyright © 2023 by Sylan Young All rights reserved. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Editing by: Hilari Cohen Cover Art by: Sam Young For my family, for sticking it out with me when I’ve ignored you all in favor of writing. Know that I appreciate you all from the bottom of my eccentric heart TABLE OF CONTENTS Author’s Note Content Warning Glossary Terms Prologue 1. Angel 2. The Negotiation 3. One Roof 4. Wow 5. A Revelation 6. Aches 7. The Professional 8. Everything 9. Serin 10. Maybe 11. Surrounded 12. Deep Breaths 13. One Step Forward 14. Two Steps Back 15. Down The Spiral 16. The Darkest Hour 17. Ties That Bind 18. Reunited & Reacquainted 19. The Truth Beneath 20. Breaking Point 21. Reconnaissance 22. Redemption 23. The Moments Between 24. Last Calm 25. D-Day: White 26. D-Day: Red 27. D-Day: Blood 28. D-Day: Black 29. Blurry 30. Guardian Angel 31. Lee 32. Broken 33. Heal 34. Release 35. I’m Still Here 36. Believe 37. Unleashed Epilogue Sneak peek Angel of Love Excerpt Acknowledgments About the Author AUTHOR’S NOTE This story takes place in fictional settings. You may recognize familiar names like Seoul, South Korea, and the United States, but the prime locations are made up. Please excuse any geological or naming inaccuracy in this imaginary world of mine. In English, the rules of grammar dictate that the correct order of a person’s name is first, then last. Asian culture switches this around. Family names are put first before the given name. The names in this story will adhere to that standard. Our heroine, Serin, has the surname of Yim, so her full name is Yim Serin. A senator in South Korea is called an “assemblyman”, but for this story, I am sticking to the western term. Lastly, I am a novice writer of action and all things gun and violence related. So if any of the scenes or descriptions seem off, then please excuse the inaccuracy. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I loved writing it! CONTENT WARNING Please be aware that this story contains morally gray characters and contents, as well as the following triggers: explicit languages graphic sexual scenes death/murder/suicide drug use and abuse sexual abuse graphic violence topics of mental health issues topics of medical issues Please read at your own discretion. GLOSSARY TERMS Oppa (oh-ppa) · used by a female speaker to refer to an older male peer/brother, or a term of endearment toward a male romantic interest Umma (oo-ma) · the familiar form of ‘mother’ Blue House · a complex of multiple buildings, a public park that formerly served as the executive office and official residence of the president of South Korea (from 1948 to 2022). It comprises the Main Office Hall, the Presidential Residence, the State Reception House, the Chunchu-gwan Press Hall, and the Secretariat Buildings. (source: Wikipedia) Black berets (Republic of Korea Army Special Forces “Black Berets” R.O.K. Special Forces) · a strategic-level military command of the Republic of Korea Army responsible for their special operations forces. ROK Special Forces brigades work in a close relationship with their United States Army Special Forces counterparts and other allies in international security and intervention missions. ROK Special Forces brigades are considered one of the largest in the world and the most battle-tested and fearsome in Asia. (source: Wikipedia) PROLOGUE On the roof of an abandoned shack two kilometers away from the nearest city, a man in black lay flat on the concrete floor, perched with one arm around his M24 rifle. Propping his cheek against the butt of the weapon, he peered into the optic scope in search of his target. He pointed toward the only hovel that was lit up and set his scope to zoom in on the side window. Through the lens, he spotted her. She was unconscious. He could make out the cuts and bruises on her face. Slanting the scope to check the grounds, he saw two henchmen guarding the front door. Uniformed men with rifles patrolled all sides, and two stood watch at the main fence. There were men inside, but he couldn’t get a clear view. He estimated at least two of them. The night was chilly, and the dense fog only complicated his mission. It helped and hurt him. He was going to have a hard time getting to his target, but that also meant that the guards will have a hard time getting to him. He packed the weapon back in its case, and turned on his earpiece, adjusting the signal to get a clearer read; the crunching of the men’s footsteps on gravel echoed back into his ears. From his beat-up pickup truck, he retrieved his duffel. Dumping everything onto the ground, he unzipped the bag and strapped on his tactical vest, ankle holster, and gloves. Then he concealed the his face with a mask and slipped on a black cap over his head. With the rifle over his shoulder, he headed for the shack. Moving quietly, he listened closely to the voices in his earpiece. “What time are we transporting the bitch tomorrow?” “Five.” His watch glowed. It was 01:23 in the morning. With only twenty minutes left, he approached the west corner of the building where his first subject stood and pulled out the curved knife from his ankle strap. Trailing behind, he linked an arm around the henchman’s face and covered the man’s mouth, lifting his blade over his victim’s throat. Slice. The man dropped to the ground. He dashed to the remaining perimeters and took each guard out.