It was closing hours. Donald was filled with excitement, knowing he would be returning home after a stressful day at work. He heaved a sigh of relief as he walked towards the entrance with mixed feelings.
He flipped his phone, before putting it into his jacket. He walked down a dimly lit street, his footsteps echoing softly; the street was almost deserted, save from the distant hum of cars, and he kept his head down, almost close to his favourite restaurant. When he noticed two figures suddenly stepping out of the corner, blocking his path.
Donald could easily recognise them instantly, it was his colleagues from the plantation. Dylan David and Kent Harrison were both Janitors at Emerald Field Plantation. They exchanged a brief menacing glance at him.
Donald glanced at the two for a moment, "what do you want?" He abruptly questioned.
Dylan shot him a straight and deadly glare, "We should be asking you that? Why are you taking our lane?"
"The last time I checked, neither your name nor your family name was written on this lane," he said with a steady but firm voice.
Kent bit his lips in anger, "Why are we wasting time here with him, let's teach this fool a lesson."
Donald moved back a little; he knew he wasn't strong enough to face the two men standing before him. He glanced around for an escape route but couldn't find any.
Suddenly, the two lungs at him, and the first punch landed on Donald's stomach, knocking the wind off him. Donald gasped for breath but couldn't recover before Kent Harrison grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall. Pain shot through his back as he hit his head on the brick surface.
"You think you could come into the company to scatter things for us. We are going to deal with you mercilessly." Dylan David snarled, his voice thick and aggressive.
Donald struggled to get on his feet, but his limbs felt heavy. The men were stronger, their grip unrelenting. Kent delivered a swift kick to Donald's leg, sending him sprawling onto the ground. He tried to push himself up, but a boot crashed on his ribs, forcing him to grunt in pain.
"You should never have come to Emerald," Kent spat disgustedly.
Donald's mind raced through several conflicting thoughts, feeling a surge of panic coursing through his veins. He couldn't fight back, he was becoming weak. The men were overpowering him. Another blow was sent to his jaw, and stars exploded his visions.
He could taste blood from his mouth; he couldn't do anything but curl his hand, using it to shield his head as best as he could.
"You better leave Emerald and never come back or you will get more beating from us." Kent threatened.
The attack on Donald seems to continue, punches and kicks driving deeper into his arching body. His strength ebbed away until he could barely move. He could see the men backing away from him when they heard the blaring of sirens coming towards their destination.
They ran as fast as possible, leaving Donald crumpling on the ground. His breath was light and tired. His body was trembling, he couldn't move, his skin bruised and worn. Slowly he dragged himself to his feet.
Donald woke up and found himself in a different place; the room looked familiar. Slowly he opened his eyes and found Aaron Jones walking into the room with a saddened demeanor.
"How did I get here?" he questioned, as he tried to recall, but his vision was blank; the last thing he could remember was the punches and kicks he received from Dylan David and Kent Harrison.
The door swung open, revealing Mr. Victor Nathan, he ambled inside, pulling a seat closer. Donald tried to get up, but he felt pain; Aaron stopped him from making a move.
"You need to relax, the doctor said you are fine. Now serious injury." Mr. Victor Nathan said with his voice barely above a whisper.
Donald sighed softly, his eyes darting from Aaron to Victor with his mind racing fast.
"Who did this to you? Does this have anything to do with the mission? Don't lie, tell me the truth. Are you willing to go ahead with the plan?"
He knew he couldn't tell them the truth, he would want to handle things his way. If he tells the truth, Victor might decide to stop him from going ahead with the plans, which he wasn't willing to back down from until he achieved success and helped Victor Nathan unveil the hidden secret in his company.
"It has nothing to do with the plan, I was attacked by some random guys on the street."
Victor Nathan sniffed, "Donald, I know you are hiding something from me. But can you recognise the faces of the men if you see them?"
He hesitated for a moment, before mouthing, "No, I can't. The attack was so fast and I couldn't see their faces." He lied.
There was a moment of silence between them, "My phone, I found something earlier while cleaning James's office."
"What could that be?" Victor Nathan said with his brow raised higher than the other.
Aaron Jones brought the bag, handing it to Donald, who didn't hesitate as he shoved his hand onto his bag, pulling out his phone.
He scrolled through the phone until he found the picture he had taken earlier. "Here it is." He said, stretching his hand forward.
Victor Nathan took the phone and glanced at the screen; his expression changed and mixed as his heart clenched.