The Hidden Knife

CHAPTER 19: I WANT MY LIFE BACK

'What do you mean?' I can feel my strained voice.

'We need to run'.

'But why?'.

'We don't have any other alternative'.

'Why? Ethan, what was the other thing you removed from the back of my neck?'.

'Well, that's a lot of explanation needed. Let me tell you in short. There was a kind of microdevice placed by one of your men or possibly someone else to keep track of your location at all times'.

'That's scary'.

'Indeed. It also did have multiple options for remote surveillance and audio recordings, among other functions. You see , we have reason to believe that this was not an isolated incident. The microchip was made in such a manner that if someone other than the user stumbled open it by accident or deliberately made an attempt to remove it, it would take just a matter of seconds to explode'. Ethan was working to and fro.

'That's what happened right,' I say, stroking my chin.

'But what about the heck is happening here? I can't make any sense of it.'

Ethan stops for a moment and seems to be lost in thought before finally responding, "I don't know, but we need to figure it out quickly before it's too late'.

'How did you get yourself injured?' I ask. I'm afraid I am being too conscious about his health. But in this sudden devastation , I can't help but worry about him. We need to survive, at least. For now.

'That's a long story. Just for now , let's focus on getting out of here alive. I was hardly even alive when I escaped the burning building. They had soldiers surrounding the whole building. I'm surprised I made it out alive'.

'Soldiers? What do you mean?'. I'm rather shocked about this whole scenario. Ethan left my workplace, right? I don't know.

'That was your soldiers'.

'I cannot make out any of these'.

'Let's not talk about this all'.

'Why not? You escaped my workplace , after all'.

'Oh man! I will explain to you all later'. But I want my explanation right now. Every inch of me is craving it. I need to know what happened, Ethan. I can't believe soldiers were involved in my escape. This whole situation is too much for me to handle. Please just tell me the truth now. My mind is racing with questions, and I need answers. Don't leave me in the dark any longer.

My whole body is ouncing with pain. It's becoming incredibly hard for me to even keep my eyes open. I need to know the truth. At any cost. Ethan is watching the other broken and collapsed houses from a window. The room is still lit by the same Ethan's torch. Everything is dark outside. Ethan could see the devastation caused by the war from the window—the aftermath of the chaos that had ensued. He turned to face me, his expression unreadable in the flickering light. "I can't imagine what you've been through," he began, his voice heavy with emotion. "But you deserve to know the truth, no matter how painful it may be." And with that, he took a deep breath and began to unravel the secrets that had been hidden for so long. The room filled with a heavy silence, broken only by the sound of our voices as he revealed the shocking reality of his escape.

There's a bit of noise outside. Ethan rushed to the window side. I notice he is having a hard time catching his breath. He is also carrying a set of binoculars by himself. Ethan tries to look for possible dangers ahead.

But this time I feel I won't be getting any longer. It's so awkwardly painful. It's difficult for me to run again. Or possibly fight. I've zero idea where my men have been. Only one is behind me by the window. Others are missing, and I don't know where they are. Vivek. Liam. Lieutenant. All are missing, and the main culprit behind them is no one. Except my beloved Anand Kumar Rao.

My head is rotating. I'm filling dizzy. I'm afraid I might blackout. I need to find help immediately. We need to find them before it's too late. I need to get back to my office. My comfort. My own empire.

However, the thing is, Ethan isn't telling me everything. I feel like he is hiding something from me. I must confront it from him before we get our lives into more trouble. I can't let this go on. I walk towards the window beside Ethan, and suddenly there is a flaw in the glass that catches my eye. It looks like a small crack, almost unnoticeable. But as I lean closer, I realize it's not just a crack—it's a message. Scratched into the glass are the words "Don't trust him." My heart starts pounding as I turn to look at Ethan, who is staring at me with a strange expression. I know now that I can't ignore this warning. I have to confront him and find out the truth before it's too late.

'No, no, no. That's completely useless'.

But the torch goes off and I'm again engulfed in darkness. This time with Ethan.