SHADOWS OF DECEIT

Chapter 13

Samuel swore, his fingers tightening around his phone as he read the summons flashing on his screen. It was abrupt, barely a line or two, the kind of message they sent when expectations were clear and failure to comply wasn't an option. They hadn't called him into the headquarters in months, yet here he was, being dragged back just when everything else was spiraling.

He cast a glance toward Joshua's closed door, the soft glow seeping from beneath it making him pause. Joshua had been...odd these past few days. Quieter than usual, closed off in a way that didn't feel like his natural reserve but like he was wading through something heavier. It was strange, unsettling even. 

Just last week, he'd been planning out his last days here, even cracking dry jokes about life back home.

The shift felt strange. Just a week ago, Joshua hadn't seemed so set on leaving; now, he seemed nearly haunted by it. It was unlike him, and Samuel couldn't help but wonder what had shifted so drastically 

Samuel's instinct urged him to ask, but he also knew that pushing Joshua could be as effective as hitting a wall. They'd gone from sharing late-night takeout and easy conversations to a silence that felt sharper each day.

With a resigned sigh, Samuel knocked on Joshua's door, pushing it open slightly after hearing a faint "come in."

Joshua sat hunched over his laptop, his eyes scanning the screen with the kind of intensity he usually reserved for work or something he couldn't let go. Without looking up, he murmured, "Hey, you need something?"

Samuel shifted, unsure if he should say anything at all. "Just...letting you know I'll be out for a while tonight," he said, keeping his tone as casual as he could manage. "Got something to handle."

Joshua nodded, still focused on his screen, muttering, "Yeah, sure. Be careful." It was distant, almost automatic, as if he hadn't really heard him.

A flicker of frustration built up in Samuel, a half-formed urge to shake him out of whatever fog he was lost in. But he held back, biting down the urge. "Right...try not to pull an all-nighter or anything. You look like you could use some sleep," he said lightly, watching for any reaction. But Joshua just nodded absently, giving a faint hum of acknowledgment without lifting his gaze.

And that was it. Samuel left, feeling the weight of things unsaid pressing on him. He knew better than anyone that in this world, three days could turn lives upside down. Yet with Joshua's sudden silence and his own looming assignment, it felt like there were pieces moving around them that he didn't understand.

He climbed into his Fiat, the engine's low growl filling the night air as he navigated the winding streets leading out of the city. The roads were narrow here, littered with cracks and overgrown weeds that gave the area an abandoned look. 

Soon, even the streetlights faded, leaving only the dim glow of his headlights to pierce the darkness. After another twenty minutes, the headquarters loomed on the horizon—a looming structure isolated in the shadows, a fortress meant to intimidate as much as protect.

Samuel pulled up to the front gate, flashing his ID to the guard stationed there. They barely acknowledged him before the gate creaked open with a metallic clank, allowing him to pass. Inside, the place was just as forbidding as the exterior—a labyrinth of corridors, all painted a shade of gray that seemed to swallow sound and light. Armed guards were posted at regular intervals, their stony faces scanning everyone who walked by.

Samuel had no illusions about the purpose of his visit. Every time they summoned him here, it was for business, and their kind of business meant someone somewhere had messed up. His stomach twisted, knowing that he was just as likely to be called on to deal with an ally as an enemy.