Chapter 1
“I don’t know why I pushed myself to give this stupid interview but it’s clear this was the last time. I don’t want to become a pathetic corporate slave anymore, I worked my ass off for whole three years and got anxiety instead of a dream life.”
It’s suffocating. Isn’t it? Working for people like a puppet, adhering to all the societal norms and faking a smile every day.
I decided I wouldn’t let anything scare me anymore. I’ll go out to explore the darkest nights as well as the shinning daylights. I craved freedom to let my untamed thoughts roam wild. Instead of thinking about the future, let’s freakin’ live.
Yesterday, I asked Maria to take me with her on her latest mission. She’s my close friend and a “Secret Spy” who works for an anonymous agency. She’s extremely hideous about her job, which piques my interest even more. So, I made up my mind to tag along with her, just this once. The only thing I knew was her code name “Mary”. After pleading her countless times, she finally gave in and allowed me to join her on that night’s mission.
I didn’t have much details, other than the important instructions she texted in the evening with ‘no messing up’ warning- “
1.No sneaking around, stick together and follow.
2.If sensed any danger, run without looking back.
3.Don’t talk about what you will see tonight with anyone.
4.If caught, prefer eating poison than opening your mouth.
5.Last but not the least, don’t even trust your own shadow.”
I find those points to be rather overblown, it’s not as if the entire world would collapse if we got caught. I assumed she was merely trying to instill fear in me.
Maria picked me up from my place at midnight. She gave me a code name ‘Ofiara’.
On the way, she gave me a little insight of what we’re going to do.
The mission was to take snaps of some illegal activity that’s going to happen tonight. The description was somewhat ambiguous, but more thrilling than my previous job. The client identity was kept confidential neither do we know what exactly is going to happen nor for whom we’re doing this.
Maria parked the car in front of a towering multi-story building, then retrieved her gear, a high-tech camera, two pairs of binoculars. My heart raced when she pulled out a gun and tucked it securely into her back pocket. In that moment, doubt crept in, and I seriously considered backing out of the mission.
“Girl, you give full on spy vibes!!” I chuckled nervously.
She shot me a cold stare. “You want out?” I shook my head dramatically, refusing. But she paid no attention and walked right past me.
She passed me a binocular with a small pepper spray bottle. I was amused by her division of things. A gun and a pepper spray.
We cautiously made our way into the building, the dim light casting eerie shadows. Maria confidently led the way through the darkness, as if she knew every inch of the place by heart. As we rode the elevator up to the terrace, a breathtaking night view of the city unfolded before us. Maria signaled “Ofiara this way,” I felt a surge of excitement - the mission had officially begun.
On the back side of the roof, it was pitch black, with the only light coming from the building across from us. Maria’s demeanor had completely transformed as she carefully positioned herself and aimed her camera at the opposite building’s roof, from where the beam of light was originating. I followed suit, sitting beside her with my binoculars trained in the same direction.
After waiting for an hour or so, some men came in our lens sight. Maria quickly motioned for me to crouch lower. Two men, who looked like thugs, were holding down a bleeding man. Following them were two more men dressed in black suits. One of them was tall, dark, and exuded a sense of authority, giving off top-notch bodyguard vibes. The other man had a commanding presence that made everyone around him lower their gaze. They both resembled high society businessmen.
I was too engrossed in observing them that I forgot to hide properly. “What are you doing, Ofiara? Trying to get us killed?” she whispered angrily.
“I’m sorry, Ma... Mary, I got distracted,” I replied nervously.
“Stay focused if you want to survive here.”
I nervously smiled as she shook her head in frustration and redirected her attention to the men.
I adjusted my position with more caution this time. The dominant figure loomed over the bleeding man, half-bent as he choked him. We could see him mouthing words, but the distance made it hard to catch what he was saying. His actions were screaming control & authority. The look in his eyes was of a predator.
I gulped just by looking at his ruthless demeanor. The bleeding guy was struggling to breathe under his tight grip. Just as he seemed on the verge of losing consciousness, the devil released his hold, but not before delivering a sharp fist. The man crumpled to the ground, begging for mercy, but the devil remained cold and unyielding.
Beside me Maria was capturing every moment carefully, she seemed unfazed by the whole scene. Suddenly, the bleeding man lunged to grab one of the thug’s guns. But the devil was faster, in a blink he twisted his neck. From a distance, it all felt like a scene from a movie, until his grey eyes locked with my brown ones. A chill ran through me, leaving me covered in goosebumps.
I froze, unable to comprehend what had just occurred. Quickly, I slid down to conceal myself behind the boundary. His eyes? No, that couldn’t be possible, right? Our side was too dark. But did I really witness a murder? Was this a nightmare? No, I must have imagined it... My mind swiftly turned from chaotic to blank.
Maria softly whispered my name, “Ofiara... Ofiara... listen to me,” she came closer to comfort me. “It’s okay, you’ll be fine,” she reassured me with a smile. I found solace in her embrace. It dawned on me why she had warned me not to come, I had underestimated her capabilities.
She instructed me to wait there while she fetched some water. Did she reside in this building before? How was she going to get water for me in an abandoned building? Everything was spinning around me... I shifted my position, wrapping my arms around my knees, burying my head between my legs. I sat there quietly, contemplating anything but the sinister figure I had seen. I couldn’t quite make out his features. He was tall, muscular (but not overly so), exuding a strong presence. I was deeply lost in my thoughts, forgot how much time had passed.
“Are you thinking about me?” A sudden intrusion of a stranger’s deep voice startled me. I turned to look, my heart sank the moment I recognized him. Every part of my body went on high alert. The devil was standing there, leaning against the wall. Panic set in, my hands shook, my eyes darted around, searching for an escape.
Slowly, I stood up, scanning around to find if anything was available there that could defend me. I ran in the opposite direction, only to encounter the bodyguard coming out from that side. “She got away, brother.”
Was he referring to Maria? Did she really leave me? No, that’s impossible. I let out a bitter laugh, refusing to accept the truth. My emotions were at the verge of breaking down, tears threatening to spill over. He gazed at me cautiously, a hint of amusement in his eyes. I would have found it funny if I hadn’t seen his actions earlier.
The bodyguard’s attention shifted to me as well. He took a step forward, but the devilish man halted him.
“Stay back. She is my prey.”
