Moving towards the body, a slight shiver runs down his spine. He opts to steer clear of the bloodied corpse and, instead, heads towards the assassin's phone. Picking up the flip phone, he opens it with worry.
Encrypted.
At 3 am, the clock resonates with its audible ticks, marking the late hour with each deliberate sound. He hauls the lifeless body indoors, contemplating his next moves with a torrent of curses. Frustration mounts within him as he grapples with the repercussions of his actions, questioning why he didn't opt for reporting the incident to the authorities.
The walls exude a haunting aura of decay, their once-proud structure now reduced to grim ruins. The torn wallpaper hangs in tatters, a visual testament to the desolation that pervades every inch of the space. The compound consists of a single room devoid of air ventilation. Within this confined space, there's a dining table,a kitchen, a TV and an unexpectedly opulent bed.
As he mounts the body on his dining table, he searches the bloodied body with a face of pure disgust as he searches for anything that can tell him who this man is other than an assasin. In the midst of the macabre tapestry of his blood-soaked cloak, obscured beneath tattered fabric, a chilling revelation unfolds—a body cam.
"Sh*t".
He crawls underneath his bed to find his laptop and connects it to the body cam as he looks at the assasin from across the room frightened by the thought of the lifeless form coming back to life.
Encrypted.
A sigh of relief but sadness engulfs him knowing that the only thing left to do is to bury a corpse and get a few hours of sleep before he is back to his plain old life.
"Is that what i want ?"
The flip phone emits an unsettling series of beeps, jolting Saryu from his reverie. Startled, he grabs the phone, only to be confronted by a shocking message on the screen: "DID YOU KILL THE PRESIDENT?"
Amidst the disarray, the doorbell rings, intensifying Saryu's mounting stress. He stands on the brink of a face-to-face encounter with the individual who holds the power to determine his fate.
He cautiously peeks through the keyhole and spots a tall man with dark brown hair, dressed entirely in black. There's a sense of familiarity about him, sparking a hint of recognition in Saryu's mind.
"Agna-"
The door is violently kicked open, its lock obliterated, and the force of the entry knocks Saryu to the ground. As the dust settles, the man strides into the room, fixing a stern gaze upon the fallen figure of Saryu.
"Hello brother"
Agnar fixes his gaze onto the corpse. As he controls himself, he asks: "Did you do this?". "No, and to think that you have stooped down to being an assassin. What a shame." Saryu says as he looks away not wanting to see the man his brother has become.
"And this is your idea of freedom? To have your soul shredded to a million pieces"
"Says Agnar the assassin. You have no idea how much I struggle for our family. To send them money every month while I eat scrap"
"And was that my idea. You left home. YOU LEFT ME WITHOUT A WORD and now you talk about providing. You being there would have been enough!"
Silently, both avert their gaze, refraining from uttering another word. The room is filled with stifled tears and the sound of subdued sniffs. In a poignant moment, Agnar extends his hand to his brother. Saryuu gets up on his own.
"He was a long term client of mine. His codename was Rex. We were close but he didn't reveal much of his past "
Agnar walks to the body and starts examining it. He takes the body cam connecting it to the laptop and starts to bypass the encryption.
"I still can't understand how someone this strong lost without a bullet being fired" says Agnar.
Saryu sighs.
"Its done" Agnar says as Saryu stands behind him.
The video plays.
He ascends the stairs, panting heavily.
"Ok the body-cam is on. This is Rex carrying out order 5019"
As he reaches the top. Saryu recognizes the building. "Isn't that the abandoned building 10 blocks from the Terra Moćan?!". Agnar nods in affirmation.
Loading his sniper rifle, The body-cam captures footage of the president engaging with fellow politicians. As he examines the area, the politicians don't seem familiar. Too young maybe early 20s with pale white skin,nordic braids. They are attired in white robes embellished with gold lining, presenting an enigmatic and otherworldly presence. "Your rule wasn't too bad even though you might be a cult member" Rex remarks, preparing his sniper rifle for the impending action.
The president abruptly stands and implores his comrades to evacuate the room. A palpable sense of bewilderment clouds their faces, but under the weight of the president's urgency, they reluctantly acquiesce, leaving the room in a state of tense anticipation. Amidst the confusion, Rex readies himself for the shot. The crosshair of his sniper scope hones in beside the president's head. In a spine-chilling turn of events, the leader abruptly turns, locking eyes with the distant assassin. A malevolent grin creeps across the president's face.
Agnar and Saryu exchange uneasy glances as they watch the unsettling events unfold.
"WHAT THE F*C-"
The deafening crack of a gunshot reverberates, shattering the glass into a myriad of fragments. Amidst the lingering haze, Rex scans the aftermath, his eyes widening in astonishment. The president, however, has vanished without a trace. Rex's flip-phone rings.
"This is Whitehaze"
"That's me" Agnar informs Saryu.
Video resumes.
"Whitehaze, situation is dire. I can't complete this one"
"Check for second chances. If none return to base"
As Rex assesses the aftermath, his camera begins to shake. To his horror, an arm emerges from the floor, seizing his leg, followed by multiple appendages erupting from beneath the ground in a desperate attempt to circle and ensnare his leg. Shaken from his shock, Rex screams as he breaks into a run down the abandoned building However, an arm violently bursts from the ground, sending Rex tumbling. Barely managing to cling onto a narrow ledge, adrenaline courses through his veins. With swift precision, he extracts a grappling hook, its rope becoming a lifeline. Fixing it onto the ledge, he leaps into the void. The heart-pounding descent brings him within inches of safety, but with a sudden jolt, the rope snaps. Time seems to freeze as Rex hurtles downward. Miraculously, a mound of construction sand breaks his fall, the rush of adrenaline still pulsating through his veins.
"Whitehaze, do you copy?"
"What the fu....(radio static)....Please for the love of god tell me you edited this as like a birthday present or something"
"I don't know how to edit. Chart a course to a safe house i don't even want to believe that this is not a nightmare"
"Affirmitive, Get to Outer Koios. I will send you to my brother's house"
A path is formed on his flip phone and he rushes to the location
"From what you have told me, I don't think thats a good idea. Then again looks like i don't have much of a choice!"
As he slips away, gradually melding into the crowd, Rex steals a glance at the Terra Moćan. The majestic waterfall that cascades from the structure has inexplicably ceased its flow at the stroke of midnight. Gazing up at the seat of power, he discerns a foreboding silhouette, sinisterly observing with hands bound behind their back. As the clouds disperse, allowing the moon to cast its glow, a chilling realization dawns upon him—there's no escape, and the certainty that he won't make it out alive settles in.