Nathan turned on his flashlight and scanned it across the room. He turned his gaze from corner to corner, being wary of anything that moved. Silence filled the air, and nothing other than the sound of his breath cut through it.
He slowly backed away towards the door, step after step, looking sideways after every movement to cover all angles. Before he knew it, his back touched the door. He turned back and attempted to find the handle, but there was none. It was electrically powered, and without electricity, it won't move.
Without any other option, the only direction to venture is forward. Slowly, he walked towards the hallway right behind the desk. Every step echoed along the hallway, but there was no other footstep other than his own.
Without bothering to check the doors, he proceeded to the end of the hallway, where an exit sign lit brightly amidst the darkness.
However, halfway along the hallway, he heard a different tone. Heavy boots stepped on the metal tiles and created an eerie sound from the other side of the hallway.
Quickly, he shut off his flashlight and rolled it across the floor to divert the other person's attention.
Careful to not make a sound, he slid towards the nearest door while still peeking at the dimly lit exit sign. Every footstep grew louder and heavier, it seemed like a tall person was heavily walking around the building.
After what seemed like an eternity in cold, sinister sweat, a silhouette of a man appeared right below the exit sign.
He should be invisible from his side, but it didn't seem that way.
He could not see the eyes of the man who stood right across him, but he could feel his gaze right from where he stood. Their eyes were locked, he could feel it, and though it was impossible, he knew that the other person knew where he is.
Slowly, he lifted his gun and aimed it at the silhouette. In response, the silhouette drew closer, decreasing the distance between them in every heavy step. It didn't stop, nor did it show signs of fear.
The trigger was ripe, one pull and a bullet would end the other person.
But what if the other person was a survivor? What if the other person was not the enemy? These thoughts raced around the head of Nathan. If he asked for a confirmation code, he would only expose himself. So all he could do is sit and wait for something to happen; something that would decide the next chain of events.
The steps grew closer, the silhouette was a few feet away from him and it kept getting closer. His arms shook, but their aim remained true.
He placed his finger on the trigger and looked away, and with one heavy breath--
The police sirens lit up the hallways, and whatever it was that came before him disappeared. Heavy bangs were produced by the door before finally giving way to the battering ram which pounded against it. Light filled the area and no sign of the other person was seen. All that was there was the Detective, wrapped in cold sweat, with a gun aimed at absolutely nothing.
"He was here" said Nathan.
He placed his gun down and stood straight.
"But I missed my shot." he continued.
"Did you search the building?" asked Mike.
"I wasn't able to. The lights shut off and the door became stuck a few minutes after I entered." replied Nathan
"I see. Lisa, tell the men to search the building." said Mike.
Lisa, an officer who was second in command to Mike, went outside to give instructions to the officers. Meanwhile, Mike and Nathan continued to scan the first floor of the building, only to find nothing.
Nathan headed out and sat down at the stairs outside the building. He looked up at the evening sky and rested his head on the handle.
"You seem tired Nat"
Nathan woke up and looked around. Sitting beside him was Lisa, who also seemed equally tired.
"Ah, Lis, it's just you." said Nathan.
"We don't get to talk like this anymore. Ever since you decided to become a detective, you've been too busy hunting down Heart Breaker." said Lisa
"Hey, you've been pretty busy too. Ever since you got promoted, you're barely even reachable, even through calls!" said Nathan
"That's because you call the private line you idiot! Call my number if you wanna talk." said Lisa.
Nathan laughed a little, but he wasn't able to control it and he let out a big laugh.
"Why are you laughing?" asked Lisa
Nathan calmed down and let out a sigh.
"You never gave me your number." he replied.
"That's because you never asked!" she screamed
Nathan let out a quick laugh and sighed once more.
"Alright, what's your number?" he asked
"Here" said Lisa, showing her phone to Nathan.
Nathan stared at her as he copied the phone number.
"You know, it really does seem like you never aged." she said
"I guess I'm just forever young" he replied.
They both laughed a little and looked at the evening sky in silence. The cold evening wind blew and the serene atmosphere, accompanied by the silent blue hue, brought peace to their minds and hearts.
The stars shone down upon them in magnificent fashion, washing forth what remained of their problems, but Nathan's heart remained unmoved.
He almost died, he could've died. Were he not careful, he would've been another corpse.
"Good thing Lisa was nearby huh." said Mike from behind.
Nathan looked back towards him.
"What do you mean?" he asked
"Lisa was just about to return to headquarters when she received the distress call." said Mike.
"I guess that was truly lucky then." said Nathan.
He stood up and shook off the dust from his coat.
"I have to go, there is somewhere I must be." he said.
"Right after you nearly died, you're still going to search for him?" Lisa asked
"Of course. If I don't, who will?" said Nathan with a laugh.
Mike walked back inside while Nathan walked towards the car. Lisa stood up and looked directly at Nathan.
"Take care" she said.
Comments (0)
See all