The Hidden Knife

CHAPTER 6: THANK YOU

I look around. There's nobody. Literally, no one. I am wondering where they have gone. I searched the pocket of the deceased. Inside, I find a crumpled piece of paper with coordinates written on it. I can't understand them. It's some sort of code. I wonder if it could lead me to where everyone else has disappeared. I remove the mask from his face. He seems like a man in his late twenties. But I don't recognize him. Maybe I will have to decipher the coordinates to find out. I think either he is from the organization of the poor people who have fled or are hidden somewhere. Or he is one of Anand's men. I need to agree with the first one. Anand's soldiers couldn't be this bad.

I can feel my heart pounding. My back is hurting from all the tension. But I can go through. Go through the pain. I opened my watch. I see a message from Ethan himself. It says that they had a hard time catching Anand. I glanced again. The message was delivered five minutes ago. So, what should I do now? Maybe dive into the building? Yes. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to be diving into the building. I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for what was to come. With a determined look on my face, I sprinted towards the building, adrenaline coursing through my veins. As I reached the entrance, I leaped forward, letting out a battle cry as I dove headfirst into the unknown. The sound of gunfire echoed around me, but I focused on my mission, knowing that Anand was counting on me to succeed.

I can hear voices. Uproars. I have my gun in my hand. I opened my watch again for further details. Yes. I got it. The hologram shows the soldier's location. They are on the fifteenth floor. Everything's dark in here. I walk carefully. I'm afraid that I might stumble upon some subject or another. I have something. A mini-torch is in my hand. I found it lying here. I slowly make my way towards the corridor. I must not make any sort of noise. This building certainly has CCTVs as well as those laser sensors. I don't want to get caught. I enter a huge hall. I glanced my torch around it. I see a valuable painting hanging on the wall across from me. That painting. I had given it to him. That was one of my valuable paintings. Why did I offer it to him? I try not to get emotional. I remind my mind that I have to focus on the task at hand.

This building is built like a maze. Perhaps because I'm new. Or perhaps because they want to see how well I can navigate it. I don't know. I don't even want to know about it. This hall has five CCTVs, to be exact. One on each corner of the room. There's a large one at the center of the ceiling, and there's another one placed right above the entrance. That's total six. I wonder whether Anand would be sitting in his room and watching me invade his territory. Or if he's out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. I get closer to the large table. Perhaps this is some sort of discussion room. I can't see anything well here. I remember this being on the ground floor of the building. That means the lift should be somewhere in here.

I can try calling Vivek, Ethan, or even my soldiers. But I know it isn't going to work. This building has cut off network access. I can't communicate with them. Wait. But how did I receive the message from Ethan earlier? I cannot understand. I messaged Ethan. Great. My message has been delivered. Not to Ethan. But to me, instead, this isn't going to work. I need to try something else. I do not know what. I got closer to the door from where I entered. I go out. There are three different pathways in front of me. I chose the one on the left. I walk down the left pathway, hoping it will lead me to a way out of this isolated building. As I continue down the corridor, I hear faint footsteps echoing from behind me. I quicken my pace, feeling a sense of urgency and unease growing within me. Suddenly, I reached a dead end. Panic sets in as I realize I may be trapped in this maze of a building. I turn around, ready to retrace my steps and choose a different path.

I reach back. I'm standing in the same position as I was a few minutes ago. I'm standing at a dead end. I chose the central path. I point my torch and see that this hallway is leading me to a much larger destination. It again ends with another fork. There are multiple paintings hung on the walls and flower vases. Ah! I hear footsteps. Noisy footsteps and a group of people coming towards me. I hide behind a flower vase. It cannot hide me completely. But it's still okay for me in this darkness. I can hear their voices now, which are getting louder as they approach. Suddenly, they are all silent. I can hear someone's saying, Stay quiet; he might hear us'. I hold my breath, my heart pounding in my chest.

I can hear the footsteps getting closer and closer. Not of the whole group. But a single individual. He is clicking something. Ah shit! He is reloading his gun. This time, I would be dead, for sure. As the foot steps closer and closer, a faint white light is made to strike on the back of my suit. A faint light. I can hear a voice shouting, 'Get out,' and someone grabs me from behind. I can see some soldiers coming from my side and others from the opposite side. I try to break free, but I am outnumbered. 'Its me. It's me, sir' someone says, and I recognize my lieutenant. I stand up. This is the first time someone has saved me in battle. I thank him. I am shocked at my own behavior. Why did I thank him? His duty is to save me. I shouldn't have thanked him.

But there's no time to take back my words now. 'Sir, we will be handling the situation from here on out,' he says, signaling for me to go. I nod. I can see some of my men in black suits and Liam, Ethan, and Vivek standing. I can see myself walking towards the door, surrounded by my men. One of my men got shot in the arm, but it didn't slow us down. We had a job to do and a mission to complete. As we moved through the chaos, I couldn't shake the feeling of gratitude towards the officer who had saved me. It was a strange mix of emotions, but there was no time to dwell on it. We had to focus on the task at hand, ensuring that everyone made it out safely. The adrenaline was pumping, and I knew that we could handle whatever came our way. Together, we were a force to be reckoned with.

I sit in my car. My hands are shaking. But I calmed myself. I need to be calm. It had stopped raining now. The streets are wet with rain. I still couldn't process where Anand went, or, in either case, was he even alive by now? I need to get back to my office and solve this mystery.

As I stepped inside the car and opened the windows, the cool breeze hit me, bringing with it the scent of wet earth and freshly fallen rain. The streets were glistening under the dim streetlights, reflecting the neon signs of nearby shops. The night was eerily quiet, with only a few distant sounds of cars passing by. Despite the peaceful surroundings, my mind was still racing with thoughts of Anand and what could have happened to him. I knew I had to focus and piece together the clues to solve this mystery.