Project: Teotwawki

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"It's Farewell," Yuxin furrowed her eyebrows, and it suits her. I'd always loved her poker side, it's hot. "Farewell, uhm," wait, farewell?

"How?" I asked.

"That's morse code. I have no time to explain Xueer." she grunted. "Farewell?"

Farewell is goodbye – but why?

"Someone's going to die." Yuxin whispered.

"The president!" I yelled by instincts.

I was about to run towards the position of President Shangguan, when I heard Yuxin. "No, it's..."

My ears have muted itself when a blaring gunshot had blasted in the air. The tinnitus had persisted for about 10 seconds before I'd finally gained back my sentience. Discordant voices had filled the vicinity of the area; screams had left me goosebumps all over my body.

"Xiaotang!" Esther shouted at the top of her lungs.

My hands began to tremble, as the thought of the scene had completely processed. Xiaotang was terminated by a bullet right through her chest. Yuxin and I, simultaneously ran towards her spot.

Blood was oozing out from her chest; paranoia strucked my mind, as everything went in slow motion. "Sav.. save.. save the..." and Xiaotang's eyes finally shut.

"Call the ambulance!" Kiki exclaimed.

"Too late, she's dead." Shangguan uttered.

Yuxin knelt on the ground as she examines Xiaotang's lifeless corpse. "It's Xiaotang, Xueer." her head fell, and she burst out crying. "It's not the president, it's not Shangguan." her voice was so raspy, and I could hear how Xiaotang's death had affected her.

"I'm sorry," I moved closer. "B-But how?" the events have perplexed my deficient mind. I can't believe this; it's inconceivable.

Xiaotang...

"The word itself had two hints. It's not Shangguan."

"What do you mean?"

"Farewell has 8 letters." Yuxin lifted her head. "X, I, A, O, T, A, N, G" she spelled aloud.

My pupils grew in wide terror as the clues made up itself. "Is this planned?"

"I think so," Yuxin uttered. "8 and 8," she added.

"8 letters for farewell, and 8 for Xiaotang." I wander my sight around the area, but found nothing that could be related to the crime scene. I'm targetting checkpoints that could somehow make sense about the actual gunshot.

Where would the gunslinger position himself in order to shoot Xiaotang smoothly?

The ambulance came shortly after the incident. Each of us were soundless against the noise of the world. Black and yellow safety police tapes had enveloped the area. Officers on their duties assisted us back to our van. President Shangguan was accompanied by her personnels, as meetings inflate her schedules.

•••

It felt so unreal – everything about Xiaotang had instantly became a nightmare. Her features hunt me, and my mind suffer some sort of trauma after the assassination.

What should I save? – save the... what?

The curiosity got the best of me, and I exited the van. Some were busy and the others were half asleep. I think no one have noticed my absence inside the car. I managed to escape from Yuxin's charm; she was in her headphones – daydreaming? – I don't know.