"After him" the leader barked the moment he spotted Kaiza dashing into the forest.
In haste, one of the men mounted his bike, speeding off into the direction Kaiza had headed for. His eyes were locked on Kaiza, and he didn't notice there was a pit ahead of him. He ran into it, lost control over his bike and plunged into the pit's depth.
"Fool!" the leader of the gang muttered under his breath, turning away. He and the other three men rode around the pit, continuing their pursuit of Kaiza.
After a ten-minute sprint, Kaiza came to a stop, realizing the forest had become eerily quiet again. There was no sight of traces of light anymore, nor were there sounds of revving engines.
"I think I am safe now" he murmured, sinking to the ground to catch his breath. Then, Kaiza began to wonder what was in the backpack his father had given him, apart from the briefcase. He decided to unzip it.
Unfortunately the bag had no zip. Actually there was a zip, but it was still and unmovable. It refused to open with Kaiza every attempt. It was a new model leather-metal bag which used fingerprint and passcode to unlock. It had just an open space which could fit in some large quantities of items.
When Kaiza noticed the screen and a fingerprint sensor at the top part of the bag. Out of curiosity he placed his index finger on the sensor and it immediately opened without more control issued. That left him dazzled.
What was inside the bag was his skating shoes, flashlight, and some other things he would probably need to find his way back to the city. And to locate where his uncle was which the compass would lead him to.
But before he could check further what was inside the bag. Rays of light shone from different angles in the forest all heading towards him. His ears strained, he began to hear faint echoes of revving engines. This time they weren't at a full speed.
"They are here," Kaiza muttered to himself. He swiftly put the briefcase on the backpack, before dashing off.
After a few moments of running, Kaiza emerged from the forest into an open area, guided by the compass to find his way.
He was now on the main road. To move at a faster pace, he laced up his skating shoes and started to skate, gliding towards the city with increasing speed.
The city wasn't far off from where he was at the moment. He could see traces of light beaming in the small city ahead of him.
Now in the city, Kaiza raced along the walkway, not daring to glance back. His focus remained on the mission his father had entrusted him with.
He slowed slightly upon reaching a pedestrian crossing, but just then, he spotted the bike-riding men moving slowly across the street. Scanning the area. They were searching for him.
Kaiza's heart raced as he picked up speed again, weaving his way through the crowds trying his best not to draw too much attention to himself to avoid being spotted.
But his quick movements caused people to react by paving way for him and some slightly cursing at him for running at that high speed amongst the crowd. Making the bikers spot him more quickly. And once again the chase was on.
Despite his best efforts to dodge the pedestrian, he knew that if he continued to move in a straight line, the men would catch up to him in no time. Thinking fast he veered into a series of alleyways. They followed, still on his trail.
He was expecting gunshots at any moment but realized the streets weren't completely empty. There were still enough people around to deter them from firing. But that wasn't the main reason why they didn't fire.
Kaiza was almost where they wanted him to be, so they held their fire, instead tailing him at a slow pace. Any of them could have injured him with a bullet to get the case from him without anyone around interfering.
Kaiza continued turning down into narrow paths, avoiding the men. But then he made a wrong move, he turned into a corner and ahead of him stood a tall fence. He met with a dead end.
Without hesitation, he sprinted towards it, lowering his body and preparing to jump. With a powerful leap, he cleared the fence just as the men appeared behind him. He had escaped for now.
Then the men reverted after seeing Kaiza run away and was no longer in sight. The leader of the bikers had taken a different route and appeared just at the other side of the tall fence. The man stopped his bike and watched Kaiza as he skated away into the shadows. Then took a turn into the corner where they really wanted him to be.
"He will be there in a few minutes" The man said into a device.
Meanwhile at a different part of the area. Kaiza began to climb a ladder to the top of a nearby building, in an attempt to get a better view of the city, hoping to spot the airline where his uncle was supposed to meet him. But this part of the city was unfamiliar. This area was almost rural, unlike the bustling streets Kaiza was used to. He had a doubt of an airline being in this part of the city.
After watching over the city for a while, it seems he couldn't find anything just as he had assumed. He pulled out his phone and called his uncle. His voice was still shaky with grief.
"Uncle, where are you?"
Surprisingly, there was no response. "Hello" he repeated, growing out of patience.
Suddenly the call was disconnected.
"What the. . ."
Then a message popped up on his phone:
"This is my location. Meet me here in five minutes! Be fast!"
Kaiza muttered, "okay" then quickly changed out of his skating shoes and into his regular ones. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, while he followed the compass towards the location his uncle had sent him.
The further he went, the quieter the city became. The lights in this area were dim, casting eerie shadows over the streets.
Kaiza guessed his uncle had chosen this place to avoid drawing attention from the men chasing them. Perhaps he was aware.
Not long, Kaiza came to a stop in front of a half-constructed building. The compass had led him here. It looked like the building had once been demolished but was now in the process of being rebuilt. Hesitant, Kaiza stood for a moment observing the place before cautiously stepping inside.
Kaiza wondered why his uncle chose this quiet and darkness looming place for them to meet. Aren't they supposed to meet at the airline? Or did something happen.
Suspicion began to grow in him.
As he entered, Kaiza couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The air inside was warmer and the building was pitch dark.
"Uncle Will?" He called out, his voice echoing in the empty hall. Then at the far end, he saw a faint green flicker. "What is that?" he muttered to himself, reaching into his backpack and grabbing the first thing his hand touched. As he did, he became aware of movement around him, especially behind him.
Kaiza froze then quickly pulled something out of the bag. The item he grabbed was in the shape of a flashlight. Running his fingers over it, he kept his eyes on the green flicker at the far end. His hand brushed against a small button on the device.
With just a click on this button nothing happened. He then pressed again, this time holding it down longer than he did earlier. Now it worked, pointing directly at the flicking green light at the end of the hall.
Suddenly, a beam of light shot from the flashlight, straight heading towards the green flicker. In less than two seconds, the light exploded after it made contact with something.
To Kaiza's shock, the flashlight was no ordinary light, it was a weapon. A weapon designed to function as both a flashlight and a gun. A long press on the button activated its gun mode, firing a bullet-like shot.
Unknowingly, Kaiza had just shot the mysterious man who sent the assassin and Maybel after his father, and the bikers after him. Right now his uncle was being held hostage by the same man, only a few meters away from the green light, just out of sight.
As the light flashed, Kaiza saw frozen figures round about him, shaped like armed men poised to grab him. They had been waiting for him to walk deeper into the hall.
Realizing the danger, Kaiza quickly made his escape while the men were stunned by their leader's sudden fall. They hadn't expected a 17-year-old boy to be carrying such a powerful weapon.
Seizing the moment, Kaiza disappeared into the night, once again managing to slip through the clutches of his enemies.