"I can't believe it!"
In a small police office, there was a desk, and behind it was the police logo. There were two chairs in front of the desk and a big office chair behind it. Sitting in the office chair was a woman with blonde hair, wearing a suit—the Commissioner of New York. She was exasperated. Vyuk was standing in front of her, ashamed, unable to meet the commissioner's gaze.
"We tried our best, but… he ran away," said Vyuk nervously.
The commissioner sighed and then said:
"We are already busy with the Freedom Tower terrorist attack, and now a psychopath is roaming around freely. Do you think the public will believe us now?"
"We are sorry for that, but we will—"
Before Vyuk could finish his sentence, the commissioner exploded:
"Just shut up!"
She calmed herself.
"I made you captain of Manhattan because I believed in you. You may go now."
"Yes, ma'am."
After saluting, he went outside the building. He called Emma because they hadn't talked after their argument. Emma picked up.
"Hi, Emma. Have you seen the news?" Vyuk said, trying to stay calm.
"Yes, I have," Emma replied in a blank tone.
"So I was talking—"
Suddenly, Emma cut the call. Vyuk, astonished, tried to call her again, but the phone was switched off.
"What is this blunder?!" Vyuk said exasperatedly.
—————
Noah was in a public washroom, washing his bloody hands. He was wearing a stale black hoodie and jeans that he had stolen from the messy man.
When he finished washing his hands, he looked outside the washroom cautiously and then ran away.
He reached a small café, hiding his face under the hoodie cap. He pulled out the wallet from the jeans that belonged to the messy man, took out a hundred dollars, and ordered a latte.
He sat at the farthest corner table he could find. A small television, hanging from a rod above the ordering counter, was broadcasting the news.
"It's just been a week since the Freedom Tower terrorist attack, and now a psychopath is roaming freely in New York. People are now questioning the U.S. defense agencies,"
Said the news reporter. Noah stayed quiet, finished his coffee, and left. In an eerie dark lane, he sat beside a trash bin, pulled out the drug, smelled it, felt unsatisfied, and started thinking about how he would save Ron.
Agitated by the stress of everything, Noah fell asleep.
Some time later, Noah woke up to peculiar footsteps. Still drowsy, he saw an enigmatic dark figure. Without saying anything, the figure threw a black pill and a note, then walked away.
Noah, puzzled, decided to follow him. When he tried to approach, he slipped because of oil spread across the ground.
"Fuck!"
By the time he regained his composure, the figure had disappeared. Noah, confused, took the pill and felt a relaxing rush of adrenaline. He read the note. It said:
"Meet us at the same location, 1 a.m."
Noah, confused, decided to meet them—whoever they were.
—————
Emma was at a dull warehouse. In front of her stood a big, bulky man who was bald and had a moustache, wearing a black undershirt and jeans. Behind him stood many men like him, though not as bulky. The bulky man stared at the suitcase of money in Emma's hands.
"Twenty-five thousand dollars now, and you'll give the rest after the work. Are you sure, little girl?"
The bulky man said mockingly. Emma, anxious and definitely scared, try to act nonchalant, and said "Yeah." The bulky man looked around and laughed. The men behind him also started laughing. Then he said:
"Remember, don't try to be oversmart, or we can do anything with you… and I mean everything."
—————
It was midnight. Noah checked the watch he had purchased with the messy man's money. It was around 12:50. Suddenly, he started to feel gloomy and fell toward the ground. The pill was doing its job, and at the same time he felt the pleasure of adrenaline. All of a sudden, he heard police sirens. Frightened and dazed, he rushed toward a dark lane, but out of nowhere he fell again.
Everything was pitch black. When he looked around, he saw a girl with curly brown hair. It was Emma. He rushed toward her but lost his balance as something shot into his leg.
Confused, he tried to crawl, but Emma pulled out a gun and shot herself.
Noah's eyes widened in shock. Guilt washed over him, tears started to stream out from his eyes. All of a sudden he started drowning.
Submerged, he saw Emma and Ron's dead bodies. Above him stood the masked figure. In the middle was a man wearing the same clothes as Noah, but without a face. The faceless man pulled out a gun and shot him.
Noah woke up to the alarm on his watch. He looked around, eyes half-open, and yawned. Abruptly, a car pulled up at the entrance of the dark lane. It was a black limousine with six seats.
One masked figure stepped out from the third seat and pointed a thumb toward the car. Noah silently got inside. The interior was luxurious, with a sofa, a table in front, and a closed window. Everything inside was black. Noah immediately fell asleep due to the effects of the pill.
The masked figure was about to sit beside him when a bullet hit the masked figure's left leg.
The bulky man had shot him. He emerged from the darkness, accompanied by Emma and his men. The bulky man said with a mocking grin:
"After all, you aren't that tough."
As he celebrated his small victory, another masked figure emerged from the front seat. She—yes, she was a girl. She wore the same red cloak as the others, had a slim, muscular body, but her mask was different: a wooden lioness mask, with protruding carved eyes and a sculpted lioness face.
"What a mess," she said mockingly.
The man noticed her and raised an eyebrow.
"Looks like the work isn't done yet."
He was about to shoot her too, but out of nowhere someone shot him. One of the masked figures from the third seat had an M16 and was firing nonstop. Every one of them—including the bulky man—fell. Blood poured from their vital organs.
The car drove away. The masked man who had been shot in the leg was left behind, bleeding heavily and likely dying from blood loss.
Suddenly, Emma rose from among the pile of dead bodies.