Cory Lucas

Intro The call sliced through the night like a blade, an address he knew too well. Cory Lucas gripped the wheel, his partner silent beside him, tension thickening the air. Rain streaked the windshield, blurring the world outside, but nothing could blur the scream that echoed down the block. It was her. Again. When they arrived, the front window was shattered, shards glittering like ice across the porch. Lights flickered from inside; chaotic, frantic. Cory’s gut twisted. He’d been to this house more times than he could count, always leaving with clenched fists and a sick feeling in his chest. And every time, she refused to press charges. Swollen lips. Shaking hands. Lies wrapped in trembling smiles. But tonight was different. The shot cracked the air like a curse. Without waiting, Cory rammed the door open. His gun came up automatically, but his breath caught in his throat. She stood over the body barefoot, shaking, mascara smeared down her cheeks. Her husband's blood pooled across the wood floor. Her hands trembled around the gun, still raised, though her eyes were vacant, glassy with shock. She didn’t even look up when Cory stepped in. Cory moved slowly, disarming her with gentleness she hadn’t known in years. He wrapped his arms around her as sirens howled in the distance, his voice low, steady. “You’re safe now.” For the first time, she believed it. He could lose everything for this... his badge, his life as he knew it. But as he held her close, feeling her sobs against his chest, he whispered the only truth that mattered. “Shhh, love… I’ll burn the world down for you.”