"We sincerely advice you to pay attention to your surroundings and to the people around you. Let us be cautious and quick to react in case of emergency. The police is still looking into the matter. This incident has been deemed a terrorist attack. The respective authorities have been informed and they are preparing to..."
*Sluuurrrrp*
Three slurping sounds were heard simultaneously as the television blared on. Two of the three people were looking at the third person with a perplexed expression on their face. It was quite early in the morning. And that was too, a cause of their confusion.
"Mino. You up this early? Something the matter?"
Mino's mom asked him with a worried look on her face. She tightened her grip around her coffee mug, as if preparing herself mentally for some devastating news.
Looking at her Mom, Mino sighed,
"Haaaahhhh... what's wrong mom? I woke up early, left my room and currently am checking the news while sipping some coffee."
"That's exactly what's wrong son. Usually, you wake up late, don't leave your room and never check daily news." came the direct reply. It was Mino's dad.
Taking another sip of the steaming coffee, he continued, "By the way, Dr. Reinard told us you were injured. Seems like it's minor. Even so can you tell us how?"
Mino decided to tell them a modified version of the event, they wouldn't believe him if he said the truth.
"Actually, you see, I was late. I crashed into a pole while running and got hurt. Thankfully, there wasn't anything more serious than a swelling."
Mino's dad looked relieved while his mom scolded him, "Don't I tell you to wake up early everyday? Set off with some time on your hands? My god... what am I supposed to do with this fool... haaahhh...."
She signed while slumping her shoulders down in resignation.
Smiling helplessly, Mino said, "Then you get you answer for your worries don't you?"
Her shoulders twitched as she lifted her face to look at him.
As she was about to voice out her dissatisfaction, she was interrupted by Mino's dad, "Ayla-dear, don't grill him so much."
"Mino, tell me why did you leave your room so early?"
"I left my room to come here to check the news and to have some coffee."
"I see. Why did you suddenly get interested in the news? Does that Maina girl like boys who are well aware of their surroundings and actively participate in discussions regarding those?"
Mino rolled his eyes and turned away. This conversation was draining the energy the coffee was giving him. His dad was always like that.
"Ah... Harn-darling. Don't tease him this early in the morning. He's trying his best you see!"
Mino shook his head in exasperation.
[The hell is wrong with these two! Can't she sense the hypocrisy in her words?!]
"Mom, dad I've something important to say. Last day, when I was coming back home, that was the time the incident took place. The murder attempt took place in the vicinity I was present. I could have been the target too... maybe."
The jovial atmosphere disappeared at once as if it never existed. Ayla and Harn looked at their son with widened eyes. Mino was staring at the screen, but really wasn't watching the news. He regretted his insensitivity, blurting out such a thing out of the blue.
"By no means you are kidding Mino, are you?"
"Nope dad. I heard a pained scream, the entire surroundings turned into disarray, the ambulance arrived and took the man to the hospital...and..."
""And?!""
Both of them urged Mino to continue. Fear was evident on their faces.
"I remember bumping into two girls."
"So?"
"They looked quite suspicious, said things like 'We'll be captured' and 'We have to escape' and they were trying to flee instead of running for shelter."
"!!!"
Both of eyes widened at his words. Looking at each other, they gulped audibly. It was clear that they had the same thought in their mind.
"What if... they are attackers?"
"Doesn't seem like so. They didn't have any firearms on them, or rather they apparently didn't have. Long barrelled rifles are absolutely necessary for a silent long range shot."
"How do you know it was a long range shot? It could be a silencer equipped heavy recoil handgun!"
"The police has thoroughly scoured the area to locate any spent cartridges but failed to locate any. The people present there have been questioned, including me. Nobody had heard a gunshot."
"Don't try to prove that you are correct! It may be that the cartridge has been thrown away by the shooter, or just displaced and thrown into a gutter by the crowd. While they were running, they might have kicked the cartridge accidentally like you would do to a pebble. As for the gunshot, it may have been drowned by the sound made the crowd, it was already less to begin with, being silenced."
"Don't talk silly just because you are worried, mom. What about the flash and gunpowder residue?"
Ayla frowned in surrender. This time, Harn started talking.
"Mino. Why did you go to that locality? You normally don't do you? Your school's in an entirely different one."
"Really dad? No privacy for your son?"
"Please stop this! Your dad's concerned here!"
"I was invited over by Maina for a tea party. You know her. The reason, to discuss about a science project we need to submit as a group assignment."
Even though nothing had been discussed about that other than just stating it, Mino decided to use it as a comfortable excuse.
"Oh. Don't go in that area Mino. For about a month, okay? We don't know anything, but it's prudent to avoid the area of attack."
"But dad...."
"No buts."
"At least hear me out."
"Not interested."
"WHY!!"
"I know how stubborn you can be! I don't want you to walk into danger! Yes, it's perfectly okay for you to go there to have project related discussions, but are you seriously willing to risk you life for this?"
"......"
Mino was left speechless. It was as he had said. He could be the next victim.
[I am sorry Maina, maybe I can' attend the party after all...]
An incident like this might occur in any part of the metropol. Nobody was safe...so it was not a clever thing to go to different places. He started to get up to go back to his own room. But the next piece of news which flowed into his ears stole his attention.
"An interesting discovery has been made in the central sector, at the place of the incident. A spike can be seen jutting out from the asphalt road. It's made of concrete only, the same material as the road. Also, it has a dangerously sharp tip. But the question is, how did this thing mysteriously appear? Is it related to the incident which took place in one way or the other? Let's ask some local people regarding the mysterious appearance of the spike."
Mino refocused his attention towards the screen.
"Excuse me sir, may I have a moment of you time? I, from flash news, want to ask you some questions. Of course, you are free to choose whether you will answer or not."
Mino grabbed the mug tightly, watching it in rapt attention. His parents were the same too. Enjoying the slightly bitter taste of coffee, Mino gulped his throat in anticipation.
"oh? Sure you can. What would you like to ask?"
The man being interviewed was old with a wrinkled face. His face and jaws made it look like as if he was always smiling. Dressed well, it looked like he was one of the well-off people who had good houses in the central sector.
"Regarding the concrete spike which popped out of nowhere."
"Too sad, but I don't know honestly about it. But I do know something regarding the sniping."
"What! You do! What is it?"
"There was a black flash. It narrowly missed me and struck that man. It wasn't any sniper bullet. You can say it passed right by me, a hairbreadth escape. I may have died by the time the ambulance reached me."
The reporter was dumbfounded. It was not something which could be revealed to the public openly. It was supposed to be first told to the authorities to dilute it and then serve it to the people.
" S-Sir.... errrr.... so was it directed at you? And it was not a bullet?"
"Don't know really. There are a lot more people a lot richer than me and having a lot more influence compared to myself. I don't think I was the target."
"Err... thank you very much for answering our questions. You have provided us with very important information... We'll take our leave for now. Don't forget to watch Flash news!"
The reporter hurried away. She was frightened.
Mino looked at his parents, they looked at him.
"....."
"....."
"....."
They decided not to talk. They couldn't make heads or tails out of the news. Mino went back to his room and decided to check the news regarding yesterday's victim on his laptop.
As he hovered his pointer on the browser screen, a shocking article caught his eye.