Picking the doorknob, the young detective begins to turn it and the door slowly open.
Peeking through the small crack, Kazimir nods, as a way of motioning that is was safe to proceed.
He cautiously walks out, followed by Caramel-Strawberry and the old man.
The three enter an empty hospital room and the old man closes the door behind them.
"First thing we need to do is find some weapons to defend ourselves with. It's obvious these people aren't letting us go without a fight." Kazimir says, looking around the abandoned room.
"We can use some of these wooden boards that're blocking the windows." the old man says, ripping a board off.
The young detective nods and rips a board off.
"Well, it's a start, but since this is a cult-like group we're talking about, I'm sure they've got to have more far range weapons hidden somewhere."
"It's better if we just wait until nightfall when the group is the least active." the old man says, sighing. "Look, I've found some bottles of fentanyl. We can sprinkle a bit into their faces while they sleep. Be careful though; this stuff can be inhaled easily and can kill one in minutes."
Kazimir nods.
"Yeah, I've dealt with plenty of cases, unfortunately."
The old man sticks a bottle in his pocket and looks up at Kazimir.
"You work in the medical field, son?"
"I'm a detective for the Claiza City Special Forces Department."
The old man's jaw slightly drops.
"The same city that made international headlines with the 58 deaths of those policemen caused by food poisoning?"
Kazimir nods and picks up three bottles of fentanyl, stuffing it in his pocket.
"Yeah. Anyway, I don't have time to wait until nightfall, we have to find an escape fast. I'm supposed to pick up groceries for my mom."
"Eh, the typical mother's boy." the old man says, with a chuckle. "Well, if you want to handle them all, be my guest."
Kazimir walks over to the door and opens it, before turning back to the older male.
"Aren't you coming?"
"No, I'd rather wait until nightfall. I'm old and don't really have the energy to run around like you younger kids."
Kazimir shakes his head.
"They could still be awake by then. And besides, it'll be too dark to see anything."
"You got a point kid, but I'll take my chances."
The young detective shrugs and holds up a "peace" sign.
"Hope you make it out alive."
Closing the door behind him, Kazimir cautiously walks down the quiet and dimly lit hall.
"Arf!" Caramel-Strawberry barks, trailing behind her guardian.
"Shh, girl. You can't be too loud." the young man says, putting a finger to his lips.
"Arf! Arf!"
"Sheesh, Carabelle. Don't tell me I have-
He looks over to the room the small puppy was staring in and walks over to her.
Peeking inside, Kazimir chuckles and enters.
"I'm sorry for being dismissive earlier, Carabelle. Looks like you found the jackpot, you're definitely going to need more treats once we get the hell out of here."
The small puppy excitedly wags her tail and begins to circle around the room.
"Hmm, this one looks somewhat useful." Kazimir says to himself, pointing the large machine gun up at the ceiling. "What do you think, Carabelle?"
"Arf!" she agrees.
"Alright, I'll take it."
*THUMP!*
"Shit!"
Running over to a tall storage closet, Kazimir squats down against it, the machine gun ready in hand.
He waits for about five minutes, until deciding it was alright to continue to move forward.
"CRACK!*
The lone window breaks and the young detective watches as someone in the dreaded yellow cloak makes his way through the window.
"Dammit, I told boss to give us a key! Guess we'll just-
"Shut it."
The man in the yellow cloak stops talking and slowly raises his hands as a gun barrel comes into contact with his forehead.
"Make any further movements and I'll kill you."
"And get yourself caught? You're not that-
"I thought I told you to shut up." Kazimir interrupts, repeatedly poking the gun's barrel into his enemy's head.
The masked man sighs.
"Then what do you want?"
"Summarize everything you know about this group. Start."
Chuckling, the unknown male shakes his head.
"If you think you're going to get any information outta me, then I suggest-
*BANG!*
The man drops down on his bottom, holding his left leg in pain.
"As I said, tell me more about this group. Hurry, I don't have all day."
"Why should I tell you when all you've done is harm me?!"
With his shoe, Kazimir pushes the man's shoulder, causing him to fall on the ground. He rips off the man's mask and throws it to the side.
"You know, I have to give you credit for being able to keep secretive, but you should know that I'm not leaving until I get everything out of you."
Reaching into his pocket, Kazimir takes out his knife, bringing it down towards the frightened man's eyes.
"It'd be quite nice if I had an eye to take back with me as a remembrance token. I suppose I'll-
"OKAY, OKAY! I'LL TELL YOU!"
Leaning back, Kazimir smiles down at the shaken man.
"We're a small group called 4 that's part of a larger group called Merderaé."
A frown forms across the detective's face.
"Where's this group Merderaé located?"
The man shrugs and Kazimir puts the gun up to his forehead.
"I'm serious, I don't have a clue! M-maybe my boss would be able to give you a better answer!"
"Where is he?" Kazimir asks, lowering the gun.
"If you let me get up, I'll take you there."
The detective rolls his eyes.
"No, I can follow directions myself. Tell me where he's located."
"It's kinda hard to explain, man! If you would just let me take you there, it'll be much easier!"
Rolling his eyes, Kazimir nods, forcing the unknown man to get up from the floor.
The two, followed by Caramel-Strawberry, walk out of the room and up a flight of stairs, before turning to their left.
They enter a small room and the man in the yellow cloak points down a narrow hallway.
"Go down the hallway and you'll see a door labeled "office". He should be in there."
"Lead the way." Kazimir says, poking the barrel of the gun into the man's back.
The three walk down the dark hallway, stopping in front of a door.
*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!*
With a sigh, a young man gets up from his seat and walks over to the door.
"I thought I told you people to-
All of a sudden, his fellow cult member was shoved onto him, the two being pushed into a corner.
"Tell me everything you know about the group Merderaé." Kazimir says, aiming the gun at both men's heads.
"I don't know anything!" the boss says, putting his hands up.
"Then tell me the name of the man who put you in charge here."
"His name is Mihajl Hatmanu. He's a politician who is on the board of directors for the city of Frelant. Do you know where it's located?"
Kazimir nods.
"Yes, it's the next city over from where I live."
The boss raises a brow.
"You come from Claiza City? How do you fare with-
"Stay on subject. Give me directions to where your headquarters are located."
"I don't know, I already told you that! Go ask Mihajl, he may know a thing or two!" the boss replies.
Kazimir sighs, massaging the bridge of his nose.
"What is this? A fucking goose chase?"
Putting the gun up to the boss' head, the young detective puts his finger on the trigger.
"Well, I really do hate that it had to end like this, but look on the bright side; you've both helped with the right side of justice."
The unknown man's eyes widen.
"After all that information we handed you and-
*BANG!*
*BANG!*
The young detective sighs, watching as the two men grow limp.
"Guess this'll be an adventure after all." he says to himself, walking towards the door. "Alright, Carabelle. Let's go pick up mama's groceries."
The small puppy whimpers and Kazimir turns around.
"Don't give me that look, I didn't have much of a choice. They'd kill us as soon as they got a chance."
Caramel-Strawberry blinks a couple of times, before whimpering again.
Squatting down, Kazimir pats his knees.
"Come here, girl. I promise, I'm not gonna hurt you."
He puts the gun to the side and the little dog slowly makes her way over to him.
"That's it. That's my good girl." he says with a chuckle, scratching behind Caramel-Strawberry's ear.
She happily wags her tail, feeling a sense of safety in the man's arms.
"Since you've been a good puppy, I'll let you choose whatever treats you want from the store. Okay?"
"Arf! Arf!" Caramel-Strawberry replies as a yes.
Putting her down, Kazimir picks up his gun and opens the door, coming face to face with the old man from earlier.
"How'd you find us?" Kazimir asks, looking around to see if anyone may have followed behind him.
The old man yawns, hoisting his own machine gun up further up on his shoulder.
"Just subtly. You sure move fast, young one. I came to tell you that the rest of the group has already been dealt with, so we're free to go."
"Where are they?" the young man asks, leading the way back into the main hall.
"I've tied them all up. No worries, they can't escape."
Kazimir chuckles, pointing to the man's gun.
"So why do you have that if you're not planning on using it?"
"For safety measures, why else?"
"Why else? You should go back and put a bullet through each man's head."
The older male raises his brows.
"Son, what're you talking about? I have no reason to kill them. They're people just like you and me. They have families as well."
Kazimir groans, walking a bit faster.
"You know who else has families? The victims of whatever the hell this group is. The victims of Merderaé. Old man, you may not understand, but I'm not about to stand here and let these people get away with this while my sister is six feet under because of them!"
The older man frowns and shakes his head, sitting down in a chair.
"Listen kid. I had a daughter who went missing one night after her school's dance. Two weeks later, her body was found but never the person who murdered her. Although I won't forget, I've forgiven that person a long time ago. I know it may be hard to realize at your age, but the best thing we as humans can do is to forgive one another. It'll make for a better society and far less angry hearts."
Kazimir shakes his head.
"The only way to see an actual improvement of something is to incite fear. The higher-ups do it everyday and the gullible believe them."
The old man and Caramel-Strawberry watch as the young detective makes his way into a room, a multitude of gunshots filling the once quiet air.
"The boy's gonna destroy himself."