In the deserted part of the city. Enzox stepped out of the taxi under an old crumbling bridge. He watched the car as it drove away into the shadows. It was then he turned, heading towards a car parked a few steps ahead.
Inside the car was his wife and son engaged in a heated up argument. But the moment his son, Kaiza spotted him approaching, he fell silent. His eyes wide with questions he couldn't voice.
Without a word, Enzox slipped into the driver's seat, turned on the engine and sped off.
"Dad, What's going on?" Kaiza asked, after a stretch of tense silence. His voice was almost a plea.
Kaiza had tried to hold back for a while, but he couldn't any longer. He'd been worried sick, caught up in endless thoughts about what was going on. The more he tried to suppress it, the more the tension built up—event after event unfolding, pointing to something he couldn't quite grasp.
He'd sensed something off from the very beginning of the day. His mother, unusually, had skipped work after a hushed conversation with his father.
Kaiza had been watching his parents closely for some time now, his suspicions growing stronger each day. He'd even eavesdropped on their conversations, desperate for any solid piece of information that might connect the dots. But there were still too many gaps, making everything seem complex and nearly impossible to comprehend. His findings felt like a puzzle with a crucial piece missing.
He kept replaying their last conversation in his mind, searching for answers. It was right before then his mother had abruptly forced him to pack up and leave the house. Why would they suddenly want to leave? Why wouldn't they say anything about what was happening?
The only conclusion Kaiza could come up with was terrifying – had the Dowolf Beast's portal reappeared?
Panic swelled inside him as the thought of their lives being in danger consumed him. This was what Enzox was trying to avoid.
"Kaiza, I can't explain right now. We need to get out of here first" Enzox murmured, glancing at the boy through the rearview mirror. His voice taut with urgency.
Though unsatisfied with that response, Kaiza decided to keep his calm and swallow his frustration. Deciding to wait for a later explanation.
Silence reigned.
The heavy silence was palpable and fear was evident on his and his father's face.
In contrast, Susan's gaze remained steady on the road. Kaiza noticed her hand slowly reaching over to grip Enzox's, whispering something to him. A quiet encouragement.
They were back on the main city road now. Out of nowhere, the sound of screeching tires echoed from behind. Kaiza turned, his heart pounding. Only to see a car weaving through traffic at a high speed. Heading straight for them. He leaned back, tension rising as his father's voice cut through the silence.
"Susan, hold this for me" Enzox instructed, passing her the steering wheel.
Without breaking pace, Enzox made a turn and glanced back at the car behind them.
He pressed a few buttons on his nearly invisible spectacles - an advanced pair of glasses he had designed himself as a top technologist at a high tech firm.
The lenses zoomed in, revealing the face of the driver. It was the man from the restaurant - the one dressed in black.
"He is here!" He muttered his voice laced with fear. "He found us"
The atmosphere thickened as tension filled the car. Moving quickly, Enzox began to operate a concealed control panel between him and his wife. As he did that, the back seat where Kai sat shifted slightly revealing a hidden compartment. He tossed the black briefcase to Kaiza and commanded "Hide it"
During this time, Kaiza had sat and seemed like he wasn't concerned with everything happening. He was like this because he wasn't sure how to react. But after his father said those words, he knew this was it. They were being chased.
He was hesitant for a moment, then obeyed. Kaiza saw a replica briefcase in the safe and it occurred to him what was happening in this situation. 'This is what they are after!'
It was evident enough for him to think that way. He removed the briefcase in the safe then replaced it with the other. The compartment slid shut as the safe disappeared.
After the safe was no longer in existence, Enzox continued operating the panel, issuing a series of commands to the car system.
To Kaiza's surprise, the vehicle began to slow down, causing Kaiza to raise his back. Watched in anticipation, imagining what was going to happen next.
Anxiety churned in his gut. 'Is dad going to hand over the fake case?' he wondered, scared of what might happen.
Kaiza felt scared of his father's plans at first. He was unable to fathom why his father would make the car almost stop when these people were after them at a full speed.
Kaiza was in his head and didn't notice the countdown on the screen.
When it hit zero, the car all of a sudden surged forward at a speed Kaiza had never experienced before. He was thrown back against his seat. A speed off is activated.
Luckily that night, there were a few cars on the road, making it possible for the car's speed-off feature to function on a highway as this.
The feature was designed to be used in a free space not on a highway. However, this car was also designed with the Dodge feature. With this it was possible for the speed-off to be used here in this situation.
As this happened, Kaiza was amazed, struck dumb by what the car was doing. He had heard about these but had never experienced it. knowing this was one of his father's new car model inventions only gladden his heart more. He had seen the older models speed off feature but these cars were pretty much cooler.
Unlike the older model, it was almost unfelt that the car was on a full speed as the interior remained calm and steady.
After a five minute sprint, the car slowed down, back to its normal race speed. Dropping even lower beyond its normal rate at which it is supposed to move. The car almost came to a halt.
However the burst of speed had placed a considerable distance between them and their chaser. Right now they were in a remote forested part of the city, a place far removed from the main road.
Enzox had chosen to take this route to confuse and throw off the assassins chasing them. His plan was to drop his wife and son off at a local airplane to secure them from harm. And he would navigate through this dreadful situation all alone.
Minutes passed driving alongside this dark road. During this drive, Enzox was in his head thinking how the assassin could have gotten to them that fast. He was not expecting him soon.
The whole family remained silent about the situation, each facing their own inner fear.
However, the silence was short lived as Enzox cleared his throat grabbing the attention of his son and wife. By then, the car was already back to its normal speed.
"I. . ." he began, but his words were cut off when out of nowhere, a figure appeared in front of the car.
Enzox, who had shifted his whole attention to Kaiza, didn't see what was ahead of them. But...
"Watch out!" Susan screamed, grabbing his arm.
Enzox turned back to the road, but he was too late. He slammed on the brake but the car collided with the figure.
The man's head smashed against the windshield, leaving just a little dent on the bulletproof glass.
The car came to a halt and silence reigned yet again.
The whole family was now staring at the lifeless form sprawled across the windshield, their heartbeat accelerating for the sudden and unexpected incident.
Then they noticed a blue liquid - almost like blood - began to ooze out of the man's head, slowly trickling down the glass.
"Is that...blood?" Kaiza whispered, his eyes widened staring at this unbelievable and rare thing. He had never seen this in his existence. None did he think his parents had.
Though, to his surprise his parents didn't seem amazed by the blue blood filling the glass. They stared at the man with a grim expression. And they all remained motionless.
The next minute, the supposed to be dead man, all of a sudden moved. Raised his head and hand. The family eye could only widen more. Amazed that after that hard hit the man didn't die. Is he superhuman?
Then amidst his own blood, the man began to write on the windshield.
Then what appeared on the screen seemed like a strange, foreign language Kaiza couldn't decipher. And he also assumed his parents wouldn't either.
But yet again.
Susan turned to Enzox a hint of fear in her voice she asked "What did he write?"
Enzox's gaze hardened as he read the message, understanding its meaning.
"Run," he whispered, gripping the steering wheel tighter.