David's eyes snapped open, his pupils dilating as he locked onto the familiar figure.
The man's smirk, the same one he'd worn when he'd slapped Alexa's butt at the administration building, now twisted his face as he jabbed a finger into the throat of a young woman.
Her eyes bulged, and a muffled cry escaped her lips, the sound strangled by the force of his grip. David's heart thundered in his chest, his pulse racing with a mix of anger and alarm.
The man's hand slid out of his pocket, fingers wrapping around the handle of a small pocket knife, its blade glinting in the light, its blade a thin, menacing sliver.
The woman's eyes stretched wide, her face twisted in a silent, anguished scream, as he took a step closer. Her chest heaved, ragged gasps escaping her lips, each breath a desperate whisper.
Her body trembled, fear radiating from her like a palpable force, as she shrank away from the knife's deadly gleam.
He then mercilessly started cutting and stabbing her with it, starting from her thighs,up to her chest, while tears continuously flowed down her face.
David's attention was fixed on the horrific scene before him, until his eyes involuntarily slid to the side, drawn to a pair of scuffed brown boots that seemed out of place amidst the chaos.
David's gaze traveled up the boots to a pair of eyes that seemed to bore into his soul, piercing green irises locked onto the scene with an unblinking stare.
A sly, sinister grin crept across the young man's face, his lips curled around a cigarette that hung precariously, as if forgotten in his fascination with the carnage.
Blood splattered violently on the ground, her muffled cries grew fainter, her eyes, glassy with blood, locked onto the spot where David hid, her gaze clinging to him with a desperate, wordless plea, as if willing for him to act.
Her gaze held a haunting familiarity, as if she'd known David's hiding spot all along. Her eyes implored him, a silent message flashing like a beacon: 'I see you, save me.'
Her lips trembled, parting in a soundless cry, the scream strangled in her throat, her voice was trapped, unable to escape.
Her eyes screamed silently, their pupils constricted in a desperate bid for rescue, as if the weight of her terror rested on David's shoulders alone. The air was heavy with unspoken anguish, her mute appeal suspended like a challenge, daring him to act.
Her gaze locked onto David's, a piercing connection that sent a shiver coursing down his spine like a cold whisper.
Then, her body surrendered to the agony, her limbs going slack, her torso collapsing like a puppet with its strings severed.
The sudden stillness was a stark contrast to her previous desperate struggles, a haunting indication that her strength had been extinguished.
Only the tears that came out of her eyes told David that she was barely alive, with deep cuts all over her fragile body; blood flowing from every opening.
Next the man checked her pulse and signaled to his accomplice, with a subtle nod, being a confirmation of her fate.
The other man stepped forward, his eyes devoid of empathy, with a flick of his wrist, sparked his lighter, the flame dancing across her motionless form like a macabre waltz, before flickering out.
"I'll see how you will defy me now, stupid whore. You didn't think you could go against the William brothers and go scot free," he spat on her lifeless body.
The man's next action was so shocking that David's mind struggled to process it, his entire being recoiling in disbelief and terror.
He has never seen or heard of anything as disgusting, gruesome or as heartless as this.
The man took off his pants, to knee level, while the other man undressed her, revealing how adorned she was; then the both of them went down on her.
David turned to leave, his eyes cast down to ensure a safe exit, but his cautious step on the dry grass still managed to land on a hidden rock, his foot slipping slightly, and the small sound was enough to halt the two men in their tracks.
"Who's there?" The young man asked assertively.
There was a brief silence before he turned to his brother and said, "Jared, go check what made that noise."
David's heart skipped a beat as he froze in place, realizing that even if he tried to flee, they would still catch a glimpse of him, and so he remained motionless, holding his breath in a desperate bid to remain unnoticed.
"It's probably a lizard or a frog, Joseph," Jared complained.
"Go check what the heck made that noise, better safe than sorry, you don't want someone seeing us here, do you?" Joseph warned in a stern voice.
"Ah alright," Jared got up, and walked towards the corner with a serious look on his face.
"Hey, fucking idiot, what the hell are you doing? Does that look like a freaking toilet to you?" Jared yelled as he looked at the figure, disgusted.
David faced the warehouse and was peeing on it, "Sorry, I needed to pee really badly and didn't know where the bathroom was," David apologized sincerely, but his heart was beating really fast.
Just when he was about to risk it and flee, nature intervened, and he seized upon the sudden urge to urinate as a convenient excuse.
Jerad barely gave it a second thought and watched David as he left, then went back to meet Joseph.
"Can you believe that new guy, that bastard's treating the warehouse like it's a public restroom," Jerad said angrily.
David had just slightly escaped possible death. He'd have fought them but Jared had a knife with him, he doesn't stand against two men and a knife.
"Hey new kid," George called out to David. "Go get your protective kit from over there, you'll be leaving in the next five minutes!" He pointed inside the warehouse.
Just as David got in, a man quickly handed him a bag and boots saying, "Go get ready quickly, we don't have much time."
David quickly went to a corner, and took out the high visibility vest then put it on. Then wore the steel-toed boots and held the rubber gloves and goggles in his right hand, then the safety helmet in his left.
As he finished, he walked towards George, where two more men in matching hazmat suits stood, their imposing figures looming in the surrounding space.
The trucks, already laden with mysterious cargo, stood ready for departure. "Your routes have been pre-programmed into the GPS,"he explained, "but be warned, you'll be taking the scenic route."
His voice hinted at a hidden purpose behind the unconventional paths, but he offered no further explanation.
George pulled out three dark blue cards from his vest, their sleek surfaces glinting in the light. He distributed them with a serious expression, his eyes locking onto each recipient as he handed them out.
"These cards are your keys to entry," he emphasized, his voice firm. "Guard them with your lives. Losing one is not an option."
In perfect synchrony, the three men responded, "Yes, sir!" before turning to climb into their respective trucks. Engines roared to life, and the vehicles lurched forward, departing in a staggered convoy.
Two trucks rumbled towards the main gate, their tires crunching on the gravel, while David's truck veered in the opposite direction, its chrome bumper glinting in the sunlight as it headed towards the factory's secondary exit.
David's truck devoured the miles on the desolate road, the sole companion being the soft hum of the engine. But as he approached a tunnel's entrance, a sudden silence fell over the GPS screen, its bright display flickering to black like an extinguished flame.
The loss of signal was absolute, leaving David to confront the dark mouth of the tunnel, its depths shrouded in an unsettling uncertainty.
David's frustration boiled over as he slammed his palm against the steering wheel. "Why now?!" he growled, his voice low and tense, as he swerved onto the shoulder, gravel crunching beneath his tires.
The truck's engine sputtered to a stop, and David's brow creased into a deep scowl, his eyes narrowing at the dark tunnel entrance ahead.
David crossed to the opposite side of the road, scanning the horizon for a glimpse of a road or a landmark, but the tunnel seemed to stretch on forever.
Though a sense of relief washed over him for not having entered the tunnel yet, his concern about the faulty GPS simmered just below the surface.
David, a rookie to long-distance hauls, had never ventured beyond state lines before, and the package's destination remained a mystery to him.
If only he knew the exact location, he would have relied on his phone's navigation.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to David, Luis, the second driver, faced a similar predicament. His GPS signal vanished as he navigated the dark, underground road, leaving him disoriented and uneasy.
Luis's gaze darted around the dark tunnel, his eyes straining to penetrate the gloom, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened.
The tunnel's darkness was absolute, a void so complete that Luis's truck headlights barely made a dent in the gloom.
The feeble beams struggled to illuminate the path ahead, leaving him blind to the treacherous terrain.
Without GPS, Luis was at risk of becoming hopelessly lost, as the underground road split into two separate tunnels, each shrouded in an impenetrable veil of darkness.
Just as Luis was about to veer onto the first route, the sound of footsteps echoed through the tunnel, growing louder with each passing moment.
A pair of black boots and pants emerged from the darkness, striding towards him with an air of purpose.
Suddenly, a blinding light flickered to life, illuminating the tunnel and making Luis's heart skip a beat as he recoiled in surprise.