Dylan sat on the sofa next to his glass wall, his eyes narrowing as he watched the recovered footage on his laptop.
They were all fragmented videos, but Ethan was able to recover. In the first footage of 20 Shots, Ramon and their cousin enter the club together.
The second footage showed a heated exchange between Ramon and Jamal at the bar, separate from 20 Shots. The next showed Jamal speaking privately with the history uncle in the office.
Then the final and most important footage revealed Ramon and 20 Shots talking outside the club, much calmer than before. The blackout happened, and the gun flashes followed...
Click!
Dylan paused the video, his eyes narrowing as he noticed something off. He reminded the footage by a few seconds, taking note of where 20 Shots were standing, and the gun flashes came from after the lights went off.
"From the entrance of the bar... The shots came from that direction, aimed at killing both." Dylan gasped in shock, rubbing his eyes.
{They were both the targets... 20 Shots were just lucky.}
Dylan couldn't help but agree with this. With this alone, they could prove that 20 Shots was not the killer, but that was not enough for him.
"Complete Victory," Dylan said, his eyes revealing a purple hue.
{You are getting greedy, I like it.} The voice chuckled mischievously.
Bang!
The rumbling sound of lightning boomed, a bright flash invading the room briefly. Dylan looked outside, watching the rain droplets pour down violently.
"12:47.... I need to get this done fast and get some sleep." Dylan yawned, pushing aside the laptop while pulling over a photocopied version of the club's transaction logs.
The club's transaction logs showed suspicious activities. Drinks purchased under Ramon's tab include an extra round that neither 20 Shots nor Ramon ordered, according to the footage.
"Jamal must have purchased the extra drinks but logged them under Ramon's name, creating a false narrative of heightened emotions fueled by alcohol," Dylan mumbled, stunned by how Jamal went just to hide his tracks.
{They did a sloppy job. Inconsistencies in the time stamps of transactions suggest manual adjustments were made after the incident.} The voice chuckled.
"They panicked when 20 Shots survived. They had to improvise and made silly mistakes." Dylan shook his head, "But this is not enough."
{What else can you possibly need?}
Dylan gently pushed the document aside and rose to his feet. He picked up his glass of whiskey and walked toward the glass wall.
"I want to eradicate them on national TV in the preliminary hearing," Dylan said, the crazed grin on his face widening. "To do that, I need to find stronger evidence and his intentions behind the crime."
He had only fourteen days to gather everything needed, and this made him excited. The past few days had been more entertaining than his 28 years of life.
{That's a nice plan. As long as you survive this night, I'm certain you can achieve it.} The voice said with an eerie chuckle.
Dylan's lips froze at the tip of the glass cup, his eyes turned cold.
"What do you mean?" Dylan quickly turned, and his attention shifted toward his room door.
Bang!
The deafening roar of lightning boomed, its bright light casting long shadows.
{Didn't I tell you? Be careful, 1 point doesn't make you invincible. It only made you average...} The voice said, a cold, detached laugh ringing in the background.
Bang!
Another loud banging sound could be heard, but it wasn't lightning. Dylan's eyes narrowed, his gaze quickly shifting towards his bedside shelf.
----
The front door yanked, and three figures standing on the other side. They were dressed in dark clothes, purple bandanas strapped to their arms, and faces covered with ski masks.
They walked into the apartment, their hands on their semi-automatic pistols.
"Split up, find where he is, and send him off... That's our order." One of the intruders said he had a lean, muscular build and a unique star tattoo under his eye.
With simple hand gestures, he ordered his subordinates to head upstairs while he crippled up the kitchen door cautiously.
----
Dylan lay flat next to the wall on his belly, his revolver aimed towards the door. He had laid the pillows straight and covered them with the blanket to distract the intruder, even if it was for a second.
{Why pick up the gun if you won't use it?}
{Or do you think I believe a coward lawyer who can't confront the man fucking his partner is going to shoot someone?}
{Last time I checked, you were going to jump off a building}
'Back then, I couldn't see a future, so I could afford to be a coward. But now, I can see it, a place for me in this world. I'm not going to let just anybody take it from me!' Dylan's eyes steeled with determination, his grip tightening.
Dylan's destiny was finally in his hands. He could finally choose how to live without fear. He had the potential to become something greater than human, a chance to become something supernatural.
No, he couldn't afford to be a coward right now.