It was one of the most chaotic days in my life. Glaring headlights and spinning streetlights filled the peripheral views of my trembling vision, while my feet took me from one alley to another without a single second to pause. My mind couldn’t think of anything else but the horrible incident that had served as the primary catalyst for this desperate escape. And it all started with the shrieking of car brakes, the sound of sirens, and the voice of betrayal right inside of my hideout.
“What is this?” I exclaimed. “They’ve found us?” I slammed my desk as I witnessed the scene that was being shown by my surveillance camera.
Pushing my chair aside, I grabbed the bare essentials and prepared myself to run away. My brother, however, was unfazed by the intruders who were forcing their way into our hiding place.
“Not us,” he announced, woefully. “They’ve found you.”
Those were the words which I had never expected to come out from his mouth. Hearing them brought utter confusion to my mind, and shattered any raw will that was left within me. In that moment of anger, I hissed at him with an indignant voice that could almost turn into a shout, and said, “Are you mad?”
“No, you’re the one who is insane,” he retorted. “Our parents wouldn’t have wanted you to continue this any further.”
“Bullshit!” I cursed. “And you think they would’ve wanted you to betray me?” But as time was running out, I refused to argue with him anymore, and decided to flee by myself. Unfortunately, even that option was denied from me, as my brother pulled out a gun in an attempt to foil my escape. Though before he could direct its muzzle towards me, my hands had grabbed his wrist, and we were immediately locked in a fierce jostle.
A few shots were fired as the struggle continued, until one of them managed to pierce his abdomen by mistake. Strength began to depart from his limbs, while his body collapsed onto the cold concrete floor.
Sorrow and frustration set in at the sight of the pool of blood that had begun to form beneath my brother’s motionless figure, for this tragedy had also served as my only chance to escape from my pursuers. Meanwhile, the uniformed men had almost searched through every corner of the first level, and it was only a matter of time before they found their way into the basement.
Leaving my conflicted heart aside, I carefully opened the hidden hatch that was installed at the deepest part of the underground chamber. The narrow passage had been made large enough just for an adult to go through. So, with only a flashlight to guide me through the dark tunnel, I continued to walk towards the sound of the running water. The stale air had begun to change into an uncomfortable stench after a while, but I knew that it was inevitable because of the sewer. Putting up with the awful smell, I had also tried to avoid any puddle that was on the damp floor to mask the echoes of my footsteps as much as possible. At last, the exit that was marked by my navigation device came into view, and I managed to arrive in a small alley of a congested metropolis after climbing up a rusty ladder.
Personal gadgets stole the attention of every passerby, as the flashy holograms of suggestive advertisements littered every corner of the gloomy city. The lethargic eyes of the compliant citizens were too indifferent to notice me. And so, it was fairly easy to blend into the crowds with a cap that covered almost half of my face. Considering my next course of action, the public transportation was certainly not an option, since it would place a limit on the number of choices that I could make in an emergency. ‘The busy streets should be enough to cover my tracks,’ I hoped.
Eventually, I spotted a bustling restaurant which seemed to be a little short on manpower. It was an ideal place for me to make a phone call without drawing any attention to myself. Slipping through the waiters, I headed straight towards the restroom. Fortunately, I was also able to grab the mobile phone of a careless customer from her handbag that she had placed behind her back.
Bypassing the personal security of the phone was a piece of cake with my expertise. The device was unlocked in less than a couple of minutes, and I immediately used it to call one of my allies whom I could trust.
“Hello?” he answered me in an oblivious tone.
“Hey, it’s me,” I whispered.
“Ken?” he mentioned my name with an audible shock.
“Yes, now listen, I need your help,” I got straight to the point. “They are after me.”
“What- w-where are you now?” he started to stammer.
“Meet me at that place, now,” I said, seriously.
“Got it,” he acknowledged. “Stay safe, Ken.”
Our communication ended in mere seconds, and nobody in the noisy restaurant was any the wiser. With a single deft move, I dropped the mobile phone back to its owner’s handbag, and walked out from the establishment in a hurry. As I kept my head low, someone seemed to be yelling at me from behind, but it was simply drowned out by the noise of the city.
My pursuers were nowhere to be seen, yet the tension remained in the air around me. Instead of worrying about myself, I was more concerned about the possibility of endangering the person whom I was going to meet. Even though it was a risk that I had to take, this meeting would be meaningless if he was exposed in the process.
After taking several turns through the complex network of concrete jungle, my destination was finally in front of me. I slowed down my pace, and carefully sneaked between the shadows of the grimy walls. Exercising my utmost vigilance, I was determined to completely erase even the sound of my breathing. But outrageously, that ignorant fellow stood in the open with visible nervousness. It was quite an effort to control my anger, as I picked up a pebble and threw it at him to capture his scattered attention. The man soon noticed his folly when he saw my shadow in the dark, and hastily tried to blend himself into the night.
“Are you out of your mind?” I hissed at him, when we were finally able to speak face to face.
“S-sorry,” he apologized. “I’m not suited for this type of operation.”
“Never mind,” I cut him off. “We don’t have time to talk about this.” I pulled out a data chip from my pocket, and shoved it into his hand. “You know what to do,” I spoke to him, sternly.
“Y-yes, of course,” he replied. “B-but what are you going to do now?”
“Hide, and bide my time,” I sighed. “Now, you need to leave first. We can’t let anybody see us together.” It was at this very moment that something didn’t feel quite right for me. His evident hesitation deciphered his strange behavior, and accentuated several minor irregularities in his recent actions.
“Actually, I think you should come with me,” he suggested. “I know somewhere safe.”
“No,” I rejected him, instantly. His offer was highly suspicious. “Are you hiding something from me?” My eyes narrowed, and a small degree of hostility seeped into my voice.
“W-what, of course not!” he scoffed, nervously. “I’m just trying to help, b-but if you don’t need it, then I guess I’d better get going.”
The awkward man started to step back, but he refused to turn around. His body language seemed to indicate that he was certainly preparing himself to do anything but leave. The tension between us grew higher, until a small movement from him was enough to trigger a huge reaction from me.
“Stop,” I demanded, as I pointed my gun towards him. “Put your hands where I can see them, slowly.” His limbs froze, but he didn’t comply.
“Ken, do you know that Rose has been caught?” he explained in a tone that had lost all hope. But even though the news was shocking, I remained calm, and maintained my stance.
“No, but she knew what she had signed up for, and so did you,” I answered him.
“Yes, but they promised me that they would let her go,” he added.
“And you believed them?” I questioned him.
“What choices do I have?” he screamed, suddenly. His sudden outburst startled me, and it was a wonder that I hadn’t fired a bullet at him by mistake.
“Think about this carefully, my friend,” I tried to persuade him. “They won’t let her go, but if we work together, we can still have a chance to save her.”
“It’s too late for that,” he shook his head with teary eyes. “They’ll know immediately if I turn my back on them, and then I’ll never get to see her again.” Pain and frustration were written on his face, and I finally knew that there was nothing I could say to convince him.
As it had been established that the distraught man was no longer my ally, it would’ve been truly comforting if he had let me escape at the very least. Unfortunately, he didn’t. To protect myself, I shot his right arm, when I saw that he was going to pull something out from the inside of his jacket. He let out a painful grunt along with the sound of a light clack. I realized that it was a tranquilizer, which he had dropped. I took the chance without hesitation, and pinned him on the ground. My hand slipped into his pocket, and grabbed the chip that I had given him earlier.
While my former ally was still writhing on the ground, I darted out from the dark alleys, and ran away as fast as I could. The sound of a firearm and the clamor from our scuffle had definitely attracted some unwanted attention.
‘Surely he had brought some of them with him,’ I speculated. ‘Perhaps that was why he stood in the open.’ A bullet narrowly missed me and struck the ground in front of me just as I had finished my thoughts. Judging from the angle, the projectile was fired from a high vantage point. However, I had no time to ascertain anything else.
After using the backdoor of a building to conceal myself, I came out from the other side of it, and strolled into the crowd. But even the empty faces of the ignorant people could only serve to unnerve me, for there was no telling who were my enemies.
In the end, there was only one more person whom I could really trust. We had known each other since our teenage years, and she understood my cause even though she played no part in it. It pained me to involve her in this mess, but alas, I couldn’t think of anybody else.
‘This might be my last option,’ I concluded. So, I suppressed my feelings, and strode towards my final destination.
A rush of emotions washed through my entire being, when I was standing in front of her doorstep. She hadn’t been informed of my visit, and therefore I wouldn’t be surprised if nobody was at home. With my weary finger, I pressed the doorbell of the small apartment unit, while hoping that I had made the right choice.
A few seconds later, the door was opened in haste, and she pulled me in without saying a single word. She locked the door, guided me inside, told me to make myself comfortable, and brought me a glass of water. Perhaps she saw my exhaustion, or perhaps she could feel the desperation in my action. Nevertheless, there was a hint of warmth in her touch, although it was but a fleeting moment.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I don’t know where to start,” I sighed.
I took the glass of water and drank it to clear my parched throat. It felt like an eternity since the last time I was able to relax and take in my surroundings. Her house was quiet, but there was still the soft hum of the household appliances, if one were to strain their ears. There was also a faint scent of perfume in the air, which lingered, as we talked beneath the dim light. However, as the evening dragged on, my eyelids started to feel unusually heavy. I had no intention to stay the night, so I tried to stand up from my seat. Alas, my muscles failed me, and it took me everything that I had just to maintain my balance.
“Did you spike my drink?” I accused her.
“No, of course not,” she denied.
“It’s time for me to go,” I said, while I fumbled towards the front door.
“You don’t look so good, Will,” she stopped me. “Just rest here tonight.”
“No, let me go,” I refused, and brushed her hand away.
“You’re not going anywhere, Will,” she insisted, and began to pull me down by force.
“Have you betrayed me as well?” I shouted, but my voice was starting to slur.
“No,” she retorted, firmly. “This is for your own good.”
It was a long night, yet the end of the darkness was nowhere to be seen. As my consciousness had begun to slip away, I could vaguely remember the struggle between us that led to the sound of a gunshot. And within the next second, there was a violent crash that was followed by a cacophony of heavy footsteps. My senses could no longer discern anything apart from the cold floor that was touching one of my cheeks. The hazy figure of a wounded woman was the last thing I saw, muddled in a mixture of black, blue, and revolting scarlet.
A restful slumber that was accompanied by a dreadful nightmare. It was a sweet torture to experience such a repose that could restore one’s life into the existence of someone whom they could no longer identify. Despite the knowledge that everything was but a dream, one could not escape from their need to close their weary eyes. Time became a relative element in such a space, and memories converged into a distant history that was doomed to be forgotten.
My body was drenched in sweat when I woke up in a small chamber that was painted in the shade of discomforting turquoise. The bed was simple, and the room was plain. A short reverie drifted through my disoriented mind, and it was filled with disconnected pictures of foreign memories. Still in the state of confusion, I heard the growing echoes of indistinct words from the empty corridor that was separated only by a row of metal bars. I finally realized that I had been thrown into a cell.
‘Did I dream about my past again?’ I pondered. Meanwhile, it turned out that the voices outside of my cell belonged to a few different individuals.
‘No,’ I started to doubt. ‘That was a mere dream, was it not?’
“And how is the subject’s condition?” A man with an arrogant tone dismissed my thoughts as he began to speak with a person who seemed to be his subordinate.
“It is proceeding according to our plan, sir,” he answered. But before the arrogant man could open his mouth to form a reply, my ears heard the anxious voice of yet another man who sounded rather impatient.
“Why aren’t we doing this the old-fashioned way?” he asked. “Accusing the subject with false evidence will produce a faster result.”
The end of his sentence, however, incited a stiff silence that denoted the authority of the person who was about to declare his answer. His voice demanded complete compliance, and undivided attention. “The people,” he uttered. “They are beginning to doubt.”
After a short daze of trying to understand their cryptic conversation, something inside of my brain clicked, and I knew that they were talking about me. A surge of revelation was released from the depth of my mind, and the sudden jolt was almost too much to bear.
“Sir, if I may,” said one of them.
“Speak,” the imposing man ordered him.
“The subject might have overheard us just now,” he reported.
“Is that so?” the man remarked, as they began to walk towards my cell. “That is not an issue,” he added, while his eyes glared at me with contempt. “It will only serve as a momentary delay of the inevitable, in exchange for a wonderful display of the subject’s excruciating suffering.”
With great effort, I restrained my indignation that had begun to well up inside of me, while his muffled laughter of derision threatened to demolish any remaining wall that stood between the very essence of my true identity, and the cruel lie of his false reality.
~ Second Edition, by D.S. Rain