Jay Halstead stood in the dimly lit precinct locker room, the faint hum of the city outside filtering through the window. He took a deep breath, staring at his reflection in the metal mirror. His face looked as worn as he felt—years of chasing criminals, staring down danger, and living with the moral grayness of the job had left him with scars deeper than the ones on his body.

As he shrugged on his jacket, the lyrics of a song Attitude had once played at Molly's bar echoed in his head: "What they say is, just be afraid…" It had been running through his mind for days, tapping into a part of him he tried to keep buried—the part that was afraid. Not of death, but of something deeper. Failure. Disappointment. The gnawing fear that, despite all his efforts, nothing he did would ever truly matter.

But tonight, he had no time for self-reflection. There was work to do. A case that had kept him up for days, gnawing at his gut like a bad hangover. A high-stakes drug operation, led by one of the most dangerous dealers in Chicago, had fallen into Intelligence's lap. And Jay was right in the center of it, as always.


"Halstead, you ready?" Voight's gruff voice pulled him from his thoughts as he entered the bullpen, the usual seriousness etched on his face.

Jay nodded, pulling his gun from his holster to check the clip. "Yeah. Just waiting for the call from CI."

Voight's sharp eyes flickered to the door. "Well, let's hope your guy's good this time. We've only got one shot to take O'Malley down."

Jay clenched his jaw. He'd been working with an informant, Darius, for weeks, trying to get intel on Sean O'Malley, a drug lord who'd been evading the CPD for years. Darius wasn't the most reliable source, but he was the best Jay had. And tonight, the team was running on faith that the deal going down would be the one to put O'Malley behind bars.


The van rumbled down a backstreet of South Side Chicago, the rain beating against the windows like the city itself was warning them of what lay ahead. Jay sat in the back with Hailey Upton, their eyes scanning the dark alleys and graffiti-tagged walls as they approached the drop point. The plan was simple—Darius would lead them to O'Malley's warehouse, confirm the deal was going down, and then Intelligence would swoop in and take him out.

But nothing in Chicago was ever simple.

"How are you holding up?" Hailey asked quietly, sensing the tension radiating off Jay.

He didn't look at her, keeping his eyes on the street. "I'm fine."

"Jay," she pressed, her voice softer now. "This isn't just another bust. You've been chasing O'Malley for years. You've been pushing yourself too hard."

Jay finally turned to her, his jaw tight. "I can't let him slip through our fingers again. Too many people have died because of this guy."

Hailey studied him for a moment, then nodded, dropping it. She knew better than to try and talk him down when he was like this.


The van pulled to a stop a few blocks from the warehouse. Voight's voice crackled over the radio. "We're in position. Jay, you and Hailey wait for the signal. We move when Darius gives the green light."

Jay stared at the darkened warehouse in the distance, feeling the weight of the moment press on his chest. What they say is, just be afraid… The words looped in his mind, a mantra he couldn't shake. Fear was always there, lurking beneath the surface. But he had never let it control him.

"Jay," Hailey said again, bringing him back. "Are you sure about Darius?"

Jay's grip tightened on the radio in his hand. "He'll come through."

She gave him a look but didn't push further.

Minutes ticked by like hours as they waited, the rain now coming down in heavy sheets. Jay's eyes flickered to the clock, counting the seconds. Darius was late.


Voight's voice came through the radio again, this time more urgent. "Halstead, we've got movement. You're up."

Jay's heart pounded in his chest as he and Hailey exited the van, moving through the alleyways toward the back entrance of the warehouse. The sound of rain hitting the pavement was drowned out by the adrenaline rushing in his ears. He could feel the tension building, the familiar sensation before a raid. But something didn't feel right.

As they reached the door, Jay glanced at Hailey, who gave a quick nod. He pulled out his gun, ready for whatever was inside. The moment they burst through the door, Jay's instincts kicked in. He scanned the room, guns raised, his eyes darting between shadowy figures and crates stacked high with drugs.

But Darius was nowhere to be seen.

"Clear," Hailey whispered, moving deeper into the warehouse.

Jay's gut twisted. "Where the hell is he?" he muttered under his breath.

Before they could process the situation, shots rang out from the far end of the room. Jay ducked behind a crate, returning fire as Hailey took cover beside him.

"Voight!" Jay yelled into the radio. "We're under fire! Darius isn't here!"

The sound of more gunfire echoed through the warehouse as the rest of Intelligence stormed the building. Jay's mind raced, trying to piece together what had gone wrong. Had Darius set them up? Was this all a trap?

What they say is, just be afraid… The song played louder in his head now, taunting him as bullets flew past.


As the firefight intensified, Jay caught a glimpse of a figure slipping out the back—a tall, shadowy man he instantly recognized.

"O'Malley!" Jay growled, his blood boiling as he broke cover, sprinting after the dealer. "Hailey, stay with the team! I'm going after him!"

"Jay, wait!" Hailey's voice called after him, but he was already gone, his feet pounding the wet pavement as he chased O'Malley into the night.

Jay's heart raced, the city blurring around him as he pushed harder, faster. He had chased O'Malley through the streets of Chicago before, but this time was different. This time, he couldn't let him slip away. Not again.


O'Malley darted into an abandoned building, disappearing into the shadows. Jay followed without hesitation, his gun drawn as he entered the dark, crumbling structure. The sound of dripping water echoed through the empty halls, but it was the silence that unnerved him the most.

Suddenly, O'Malley's voice echoed through the building, cold and mocking. "You should've stayed out of this, Halstead. You think you can stop me?"

Jay's grip tightened on his gun as he moved deeper into the building, his eyes scanning every shadow. "You're done, O'Malley! There's nowhere left to run!"

A sinister chuckle filled the air. "Is that what you think? You're out of your league, kid. I run this city. Not you. Not Voight. Me."

Jay's pulse quickened as he realized he was walking into a trap. What they say is, just be afraid… The lyrics throbbed in his head, but Jay shook off the fear, letting his anger take over.

He turned a corner and came face-to-face with O'Malley, who stood smirking, his gun pointed directly at Jay's chest.

"You should've stayed afraid," O'Malley sneered, his finger hovering over the trigger.


Jay didn't hesitate. In one swift motion, he raised his gun and fired, the shot echoing through the building as O'Malley's body crumpled to the ground. Jay's breath came in ragged gasps as he stood over the dealer's lifeless form, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

For a moment, the world seemed to go silent. The rain outside continued to fall, the sound barely reaching his ears as Jay stared at the man who had haunted him for so long. It was over. Finally, it was over.

But as Jay holstered his gun, the weight of everything came crashing down. The fear, the anger, the doubt—it all hit him like a tidal wave. He had taken down O'Malley, but at what cost? He felt no relief, no triumph. Just emptiness.


Voight's voice crackled over the radio. "Halstead, report. Do you have O'Malley?"

Jay stared at the body for a long moment before responding, his voice hollow. "Yeah. He's down."

"Good work," Voight replied, but Jay barely heard him.

Hailey's voice came next, softer, more concerned. "Jay, are you okay?"

Jay took a deep breath, closing his eyes as the lyrics of the song finally stopped echoing in his head. What they say is, just be afraid… Maybe they were right. Maybe fear was what drove him, what kept him alive. But for the first time in a long time, Jay wasn't sure what he was fighting for anymore.

"Yeah," he whispered into the radio, though the words felt like a lie. "I'm fine."

As the rain continued to fall, Jay turned and walked out of the building, leaving behind the man who had been his obsession for years. But no matter how far he walked, he couldn't shake the feeling that he hadn't left the darkness behind at all.

And maybe, just maybe, he never would.