Hiding within My Peers (#Wattys2016)

3 - A Big Fight and the Protected File

I tried to grab my gun, in order to shoot him, but she had flew to the other side of the room. He punched me several times and then tried to make a run for the gun, but I grabbed his foot and he fell. I, then, got up, went to the kitchen in hurry and grabbed a knife from a knife set he had on the counter. When I got back to the living room, he and my gun had disappeared. I mumbled to myself "Where is he?"

I looked around and, since I couldn't find him, I went to the front porch, to see if he had escaped. As soon as I opened the door, I heard several gunshots. I runned and took shelter in one of the pillars of his porch. I waited for him to have to reload and then I tried to go back inside. I picked up the knife on my way and, as soon as I was ready to go back outside, he appeared and trew me a glass. To deflect it, I dropped my knife and I stumbled on his armchair.

I fell on my knees into the coffee table, which broke. He went after me and, without having any other bullets, he tried to kill me with his bare hands, that he had wrap around my neck. He, with a red face, said to me:

- Why did you came here? Why are you after the Ambassador and the invite? - I tried to answer, but I couldn't speak. - I guess we will never found out. - He started increasing the pressure and I bet my face started turning red. I, in panic, grabbed my empty beer bottle and I smashed it on his head.

Still laying on the ground, I picked up a nearby glass shard and I stabbed him with it. He was still alive. I stood up, a little confused from everything, and I grabbed the knife that still laid behind the armchair. I took it and I stabbed him twice with it, to make sure he was dead. I, then, with a sigh of relief, lied next to his body to recover my breath. I stayed there for around 5 minutes.

I looked for the bathroom to see if I could find something to heal myself with. When I found it, I opened his medicine closet. I took a sewing kit and, after sterilizing my wound with whisky I found on the dining room, I started to stitch myself up to stop the blood loss. I had a lot of wounds so that took me a lot of time. It was around 17:15 when I was finished.

I called my boss to give him an update. When he answered the phone, he greeted me.

- Hi, K.

- I... - I made a short pause to breath. - I have to say that I wasn't expecting you guys to lie to me.

- What?

- Hugh Fisc was... was too well trained for a chef. What are you guys not telling me? - I asked, raising my voice.

- Calm down! You aren't making any sense. What happened?

- I went to his house to kill him, but he disarmed me with an ASHTRAY! What the f*ck is going on?

- Is everything alright? - he asked. He wasn't concerned about me, obviously, but with his involvment on the situation.

- Who cares about that? I need to know what you weren't telling me!

- Nothing. We told you everything we knew!

- Yeah, yeah. Just let me talk to I. - I... let's say Mr. I, or else it will seem like I'm talking about myself. In fact, I think I'll also add "Mr." to my name.

Anyway, Mr. I was the technology expert on the team. He wears glasses, just like any normal nerd. Sadly, he has been in a wheelchair since his 21 years. A car hit him and he now has problems with his spine and he is always in pains, unless when he is under the effect of his painkillers.

- Who am I speaking too? - he asked.

- I! I haven't talked to you in ages, man. How is your back doing? - I asked. I haven't talked with the man in a long time, and even though I didn't have much time, I still talked to him, like I usually did.

- They could be better... But painkillers were certainly invented by God... They're such saviors.

- Ha. - I giggled. - I really hope you get better.

- It's impossible according to the doctors. They even say it's a miracle that I'm still alive.

- Oh, come on! I'm sure you will create some "cyberg" thing to help.

- Cyborg, not "cyberg". Anyway, how can I help?

- Well, I need your help to unlock a protected file.

- Sure thing! What's the name of the program that is protecting the file?

- Wait a minute... I'm turning the computer on. - We stayed silent for 2 minutes, until I said: - Tis... Never heard of it...

- Ok. Now see when the program was downloaded on the "Programs" file of the Local Disc.

- Fine, but how is this going to help? I mean, if I were him, I wouldn't have putted something like Tis06112013..

- Me neither, but there is always a system code in case the person forgetz their initial code.

- Fine. It was transfered on the 28th of March 2014.

- Ok. Type "2803Tis2014".

- Thanks, man! I owe you one.

- You're welcome.

I typed the password that Mr. I gave me and I continued. What I saw there surprised me. Pakistan was planning to attack India in the space of a month