Night fell like a heavy shroud as the news of the police station massacre flickered across a television in a local pharmacy. The nurse on duty stood frozen, her eyes glued to the screen as the newscaster's grim words filled the quiet shop. She shook her head, her voice thick with misery.
NURSE: (Sighing) Eeyy... na wa ooooo.
Movement caught her eye. Through the glass sliding doors, two shadows approached from the darkness. She squinted, trying to make out their faces, noting they were a man and a woman. Suddenly—
BRRITTKK… DING DONG!
The door was shoved open so violently the alarm bells screamed in protest. Dinah marched in, her wrist handcuffed to a stumbling Raymond. Before the nurse or the cashier could speak, Dinah leveled her handgun at them. A jagged, sarcastic smile played on her lips as she surveyed the aisles.
DINAH: (With a sharp, biting pleasure) Nifla! Fantastic…
She pressed the muzzle of the gun directly against the nurse's forehead. The woman began to shiver, her breath coming in shallow hitches.
DINAH: (Cold and strict) Painkillers. Now. Then get these bullets out of me. Don't... waste... my... time.
Terrified, the nurse squeezed through the narrow gap between Dinah and an aisle of medication. She fumbled for cotton wool, methylated spirit, and surgical scissors. Beside them, Raymond tried to catch Dinah's eye, his mouth opening to speak, but she ignored him with cold nonchalance. When Dinah saw the nurse's face twist in disgust at the sight of her mangled, bloody flesh, her patience snapped.
DINAH: (Pissed) Give me that!
She snatched the scissors from the nurse's trembling hand. With a guttural groan, Dinah dug into her own skin, prying the lead fragments from her muscle. She drenched the open holes in methylated spirit, her lips pulled back over her teeth in a mask of agonizing pain. Once the wounds were patched, she stood, towering over Raymond.
DINAH: (Strict) Get up.
She jerked the handcuffs, dragging him to his feet.
RAYMOND: (Stammering, nervous) So... so... sorry. I'm thirsty. Can I... can I get some water?
Dinah looked at him with pure, unadulterated disgust. The cashier stared in silence. Then, without a word—
VIGB!
Dinah swung the butt of her gun, slamming it into Raymond's forehead. The world went black instantly.
Hours later, Raymond drifted back to consciousness. He was in the back of a moving van, the night air whistling through the cracks in the frame. His vision was a blurry mess of shadows and light. Through the haze, he saw Jubril behind the wheel and Dinah in the passenger seat, her gun trained on Jubril's side. They were silhouettes against the harsh reflection of the headlights. Dinah noticed his movement and tossed a plastic bottle of water at his chest.
DINAH: (Hard) Drink. I still need you alive to fix the mess you've made.
RAYMOND: (Hoarse and confused) What?
JUBRIL: (Keeping his eyes on the road) Raymond...
DINAH: (Snapping) Shut up! Eyes on the road.
She shoved the gun closer to Jubril's ribs. He leaned forward, his voice insistent despite the weapon.
JUBRIL: He's lost, Dinah.
Dinah lowered the gun to her lap, a look of sarcastic disbelief crossing her face.
DINAH: (Mocking) Absurd. Nu, guess what? Me too! I'm lost. Oy vey.
JUBRIL: He doesn't remember anything. Questioning him now is a waste of time. Believe me... I've tried.
DINAH: (Fed up) Oy vey...
RAYMOND: You know... I actually do remember something.
The van grew quiet. Both Dinah and Jubril turned, their curiosity momentarily outweighing their tension.
RAYMOND: (Bitterly) I remember how sweet my life was... before the two of you came tearing it apart with your conspiracy theories.
Dinah's temper flared, her voice cutting through the cramped cabin of the van like a serrated blade.
DINAH: (Angry) Oh, you truly think this is all just some conspiracy theory?
JUBRIL: (Calm) Ray, I wouldn't put it that way….
DINAH: (Angry) Ach, Jubril! Look at him! He actually believes he's the victim. The golden boy!
JUBRIL: He's mentally disturbed, Dinah. That's all this is.
Dinah shifted in her seat, turning toward Raymond with a look of predatory malice. Her eyes were narrowed to slits, her voice dropping into a low, terrifying register.
DINAH: (Pissed) Just one more word from you, and I will show you everything you've done in a single second. And it will be excruciating.
Raymond stared back at her, his face pale and hypertensive, his heart pounding against his ribs. Beside them, Jubril kept his eyes locked on the dark road ahead, his lips pursed in a look of weary, expected disappointment. For a long moment, the only sound was the rhythmic, mechanical drone of the van's engine as they pushed deeper into the suffocating silence of the remote bush.
Then, without warning—
FFFFGGBBBCH!
A heavy, bloated weight slammed onto the van's bonnet. It was the carcass of an owl, its feathers matted and its rotten eyes wide and milky. The sight sent a visceral chill through their spines, a jagged jolt of adrenaline screaming through their veins. Jubril slammed on the brakes, the van skidding to a halt.
They sat in the sudden stillness, gasping for air and exchanging looks of raw, wide-eyed intensity. Jubril finally swallowed hard and restarted the engine. As the van lurched forward again, the vibration of the bonnet sent the carcass rolling off into the tall grass, disappearing back into the dark.
The silence returned, thick and heavy, until Raymond finally cleared his throat.
RAYMOND: (Rudely shy) At least... I can't exactly drink water while I'm handcuffed.
The morning light arrived with the hue of scorched earth, a coffee-brown sunrise that cast long, sickly shadows over the stronghold of the Onyekachukwu family. Heyes dragged his battered body toward the entrance, his breath coming in ragged, agonized hitches as he limped toward his kin.
As he reached the corridor, flanked by hardened soldiers of the family, he began to shout, the name of his cousin dripping from his lips like a rhythmic curse.
HEYES: (In a fury) Snape! Snape! Snape... Snape!
A towering, hulking silhouette stepped into his path. Mahalel, a mountain of a man, placed a massive hand against Heyes' chest, halting his progress with sinister indifference. Heyes looked up at the giant, blood from his forehead stinging his eyes as he hissed in disgust.
HEYES: (Angrily) Oga, commot for road!
He tried to violently smack the arm away, but Mahalel simply replaced it with the unyielding strength of a stone pillar.
Inside the vintage-fashioned apartment, Snape sat in a classic leather chair, his back turned to the door. He was deep in conversation with his men, his silhouette framed by the morning's grim glow. At a signal from his men, Snape acknowledged his cousin's arrival and gave a subtle nod. Mahalel stepped aside, allowing Heyes to pass. Heyes stormed through the room, his pride masking his pain, until Snape's deep, sinister voice anchored him to the floor.
SNAPE: (Deep and sinister, without turning) It seems you couldn't handle this yourself. It doesn't exactly prove you're much of a man, does it?
HEYES: (With sharp anger) He had company..
SNAPE: (Sinisterly) It only proves how little you are. You dey do gara gara…
HEYES: (Angry) Look, my father... you owe this to him.
SNAPE: (Sinisterly) I am well aware. Especially now that I can smell our own blood glistening off of you.
HEYES: (Angry) I just told you! He had company!
SNAPE: (Sinisterly) Shut up. I wasn't deaf the first time.
The cold finality in Snape's voice caused Heyes to freeze, a flicker of genuine fear finally reaching his eyes.
SNAPE: (Sinisterly) So tell me... how was it?
Snape rose slowly, his movements fluid and predatory. As he turned, his features emerged from the gloom—arched eyebrows, a curved nose, slightly elv ears and broad shoulders that made him look like a gothic gargoyle carved from shadow. The very air in the room seemed to hum with a dark, orchestral tension. One of his men stepped forward to drape a coat over his shoulders as Heyes spoke again.
HEYES: (Angry, eyes welling with tears) Omor bro, I want Raymond to suffer. I want him in excruciating pain before he dies at my hands. I want him to pay dearly.
Snape calmly began to button his coat.
SNAPE: (Sinisterly) So... is it finally our time to shine?
HEYES: (Angry) I need him alive! Just give me the chance to squeeze his face with my claws!
Snape turned fully, his expression shifting into something deceptively warm and thoughtful.
SNAPE: (Sinisterly) You no longer call the shots, brother. I'll be leading this time.
HEYES: (Angry) Dey play! Wo, you dey mad!
SNAPE: (Sinisterly) Such big words for a boyscout…
Then, without a flicker of warning—
VUUGDCH!
Snape buried a fist deep into Heyes' lower chest. Heyes doubled over, the air leaving his lungs in a sharp wheeze as he groaned in sudden, intense agony. Snape leaned over him, tapping his back twice with a mocking familiarity.
SNAPE: (Sinisterly) He'll rot. You'll see. He'll learn.
Without another word, Snape walked away, his coat billowing behind him. His brother, Mahalel and the rest of the men fell into step, following the new leader into the brown morning light.
Tel-Aviv • Israel, 10 Hours Later
The roar of a military-grade chopper died down as it touched down on a remote, dust-choked plain. The desert heat shimmered over the Semitic landscape. Raymond and Jubril were the first to descend, their wrists bound together by heavy steel. Dinah followed closely behind, her weapon trained on their backs as she herded them toward a waiting Ford van. As the chopper took flight, kicking up a final storm of grit, Raymond scanned the horizon with a tense, suspicious expression.
RAYMOND: (Suspicious) Please... can someone just tell me where we're going?
JUBRIL: (Deadpan) Oh, Ray. Always asking the wrong questions. How about you ask how we're going to get her to trust us?
Jubril turned his head, raising his voice to catch Dinah's attention over the whistling wind.
JUBRIL: Hey! Dinah! How about you set us loose? We're all on the same page here!
DINAH: (Sarcastically) I'm not entirely sure Raymond agrees with that.
JUBRIL: (Fed up) He has to.
Jubril nudged Raymond sharply, prompting him to comply.
RAYMOND: (In a tone of forced compliance) With all things considered... I think nowhere feels safer than with you at the moment.
DINAH: (With disgust) You think?
Dinah lowered her weapon and stepped closer. She stopped them just as they reached the van, gripping the chain of their handcuffs. She looked at Raymond, her gaze softening into something uncharacteristically thoughtful.
DINAH: (Earnest) You know what? It's your choice. I'll release you. If you want to run, go ahead. But just know this: you won't last one second out here without me.
She shifted her gaze to Jubril, her expression hardening instantly.
DINAH: (Strict) And you, Jubril. I don't really trust you, but you've proven to be a helpful hand. Just know this: if you screw us over on the way, I promise to bury a bullet in you.
She clicked the restraints open, and the metal fell away with a sharp clink.
DINAH: (Hard) Get in the van. Jubril, you take the wheel.
RAYMOND: (In confusion) Just one question... why are we in Israel?
JUBRIL: (Deadpan) Another wrong question.
They piled into the van, and Jubril pulled away, kicking up a trail of red dust. As they drove, the landscape shifted from the desolate plains to the exotic, sepia-toned heart of the country. They navigated through overcrowded streets and thick traffic holdups. Even in the more neglected districts, the air felt charged with a sense of high-stakes movement. From the backseat, Raymond noticed Dinah clutching her side; a fresh crimson stain was beginning to bloom through her clothes.
RAYMOND: It looks like you need medical attention, Dinah.
She shot him a look of pure vitriol.
DINAH: (Rude) As if you actually cared. (She let out a mocking chuckle) It's clear you haven't heard half of what you've done.
Raymond blinked in surprise, silence falling over the van as Jubril's face settled into an expression of weary disappointment.
Eventually, they reached a weathered apartment block dating back to the 1960s. The entrance was flanked by small, bustling shops. They made their way up to Dinah's three-bedroom flat, a space she shared with an qaelderly Jewish man who was waiting in the living room.
As they entered, the old man's face lit up.
OLD MAN: (Smiling) Shalom, Dinah. Ma shlomcha?
DINAH: (Hugging him tightly) Shalom, Aba.
The engines of the Tel Aviv airplane groaned as they finally cut out. From the belly of the plane, Heyes, Snape, and their crew emerged like predators released from a cage. Their faces were set in stone behind dark sunshades, their movements fluid and lethal as they stepped onto the tarmac, already checking the weight of the ammunition in their pockets. Following in their wake—separated only by a few dozen yards of shimmering heat—were Ṣeun Aristotle and Gerald Tumbuktu. Ṣeun took a deep breath, tasting the dry, salt-tinged Israeli air, while Tumbuktu's eyes darted through the vicinity, his face twisted into a permanent scowl. His hand rested near the concealed holster of his pistol, his mind already running through a hundred tactical scenarios. Ṣeun paced forward, his dark jacket billowing as the scene faded into shadow.
Inside Dinah's apartment, the atmosphere was thick with a different kind of tension. Jubril was in the corner, stretching his muscles with a practiced intensity, readying himself for a quick set of eighty-five push-ups. Raymond stood in the center of the room, his eyes scanning the faded wallpaper and sparse furniture in a state of total disbelief. Dinah remained by the window, her gaze fixed on the bustling Semitic markets below, looking for any sign of a tail. She gestured toward the kitchen without looking back.
DINAH: (Hard) There are six loaves of bread in that dead fridge. They're probably rotten. I don't care—you guys need to fuel up in case something hits us.
JUBRIL: (Contentedly) That'll do. (Heading for the kitchen) By the way, this is a brilliant spot to stay undercover.
DINAH: I know.
RAYMOND: Please... can I just get some water?
Dinah ignored him entirely. Jubril looked at Raymond, his face settling into a look of weary disappointment.
JUBRIL: There might be a basin in the bathroom. Help yourself.
RAYMOND: (Disgusted) I am not drinking water from the toilet, Jubril.
DINAH: (Turning sharply) Raymond, what is the very first thing you remember when you woke up from the coma?
Raymond blinked, caught off guard by the intensity of her question.
RAYMOND: (Confused) I don't... I don't remember. I just dream.
DINAH: (Pissed) Dreams. (She lets out a mocking chuckle) No one cares about dreams.
RAYMOND: (Pensive) Yeah. At this point, I don't care about them either.
JUBRIL: (Serious) I think we all need to focus on what's actually relevant right now.
DINAH: (Incredulous) What do you think I'm doing?
RAYMOND: (Nervous) Focus on what's dangerous. That's what matters.
Dinah let out a short, harsh laugh, staring Raymond down with chilling conviction.
DINAH: (Hard) The most dangerous entity I have ever met is you.
She turned to her wardrobe, pulled out a thick, weathered file, and slammed it onto the table in front of Raymond. He hesitated, then slowly began to pull the photos from the folder. His heart plummeted.
The first photo showed Raymond in a long black jacket and a Mossley felt trilby hat, shaking hands with the General Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Armed Forces. The next was of him in the same attire, standing among a council at the United Nations. Another showed him as a general over a sea of armed revolutionaries, their faces painted in crimson red with tight, unnerving smiles—and there, in the background, was Jubril. Finally, a wedding photo: him and Dinah, dressed in traditional Jewish wedding attire, smiling. Raymond's eyes filled with a glistening, terrified moisture as he flipped through image after image of himself with global power players and bourgeois elites. Jubril stood still, arms folded, watching the weight of the revelation crush Raymond.
DINAH: This is all you, Raymond. You reached the heights of power in just a few years. You've done the best and the absolute worst for mankind. And here you are, living a "better life" of ignorance while we suffer the consequences of everything you set in motion.
RAYMOND: (Voice trembling) This isn't me...
DINAH: (Coldly) Believe it or not, it's you. And now, you're going to help us take down your "New World Order" peasants, because they are currently tearing the world apart.
RAYMOND: (Suspiciously) The New World Order?
Raymond turned to Jubril, whose eyes were fixed on Dinah with an intense, guarded suspicion.
JUBRIL: (Stuttering slightly) You were the orchestrator of the movement, Ray. I was part of it too, until you compromised your own vision. I left. But when the Red Claw hunted you down and shot you, I was the one who admitted you into the hospital. I kept you in that coma to keep you alive.
RAYMOND: (Intense) Who is the Red Claw?
DINAH: (With a sarcastic chuckle) Your nemesis.
Suddenly—
KRIIING! KRIIING!!
The sound was like a gunshot in the quiet room. Dinah froze, her eyes widening in a state of absolute, paralyzing shock. She looked at the vintage telephone on the side table as if it were a ghost.
DINAH: (A horrified whisper) Meshuga…
KRIIING! KRIIING!!
Jubril looked between the two of them, the only one not gripped by the sudden terror.
JUBRIL: (Suspicious) What's wrong? It's just a phone.
DINAH: (Breathless with shock) That thing... that phone hasn't been connected for years. It's a relic. It's broken. How is it... who is calling?
RAYMOND: (Eyes wide, pointing a trembling finger) It's him. He's the one who did all of this. It's him…
KRIIING! KRIIING!!
Raymond walked toward the telephone with the slow, heavy steps of a man approaching his own execution. The persistent ringing seemed to vibrate in his very soul. He reached out, his hand shaking, and lifted the receiver to his ear.
The room was plunged into a suffocating silence after Raymond lifted the receiver. For several agonizing seconds, there was only the hollow, rhythmic hum of the long-distance line. Finally, Raymond found his voice, though it was little more than a jagged whisper.
RAYMOND: (In a trembling voice) He... Hello?
UNKNOWN CALLER: (Sinisterly) Oh, Ray... are you having a laugh?
The voice was an oily, distorted mirror of his own. The sound of it etched a mask of intense suspicion onto the faces of Dinah and Jubril. They stood frozen, glancing at one another as they strained to hear the voice spilling from the handset.
RAYMOND: (With intense fear) Cruel. That's what you are. I've seen what you've done. I'm nothing like you.
UNKNOWN CALLER: (Sinisterly) Tch. Shut up, Ray. Does it make a difference? We rot every day, decaying unnoticed, and yet the powers in charge are fully aware. They even speed it up. Everything I do is for the best of mankind. Don't you see it?
RAYMOND: (Fearful) By mass genocide?
The line went quiet. A sinister, heavy silence stretched between the two ends of the connection.
UNKNOWN CALLER: (Quietly) ...Did you hear that?
RAYMOND: (Intense) What?
UNKNOWN CALLER: (Sinisterly) Like those 1950s sitcoms... people are laughing. No, no, no... now they're wailing. (In a dramatic, sober voice) They're crying.
RAYMOND: (Through fearful tears) Sto... stop it.
UNKNOWN CALLER: (Sinisterly) If you can't hear that, then you're dead. Dead. Dead. Dead... dead! DEAD!! DEAD!!!
The word "dead" began to hammer against Raymond's skull, each repetition louder and more violent than the last. Fear clawed at his soul, his eyes glossing over with hot, shimmering tears as the pressure in the room seemed to reach a breaking point.
RAYMOND: (In a burst of intense fear) QUIET!
UNKNOWN CALLER: (Sinisterly) ...Oya na, Big Boy. You sabi shout now, abi? Well, guess what? When I figure out a way out of this black void, I'm going to rip myself out of you. And then... BOOM. Reincarnation.
Suddenly, the world exploded.
BANG! BANG!! BANG!!!
Bullets shredded the air, splintering the wooden verandah of Dinah's upstairs apartment. BANG! BANG!! BANG!!! BANG!!!
The lead rained in from the street below. Raymond, Jubril, and Dinah hit the floor instantly, pressed against the cold boards. Dinah risked a low, military crawl toward the edge to identify the threat. Downstairs, Snape, Mahalel, and Heyes Tochukwu were flanked by their gunmen, weapons raised, muzzles flashing rhythmically in the morning light.
Suddenly, the firing ceased. The gunmen broke into a sprint, charging toward the building's entrance with Mahalel's hulkish frame leading the pack.
DINAH: (Shouting) Run to the back! Take the basement exit—the van is parked right outside. Go! Now!
JUBRIL: (Protesting) No, I'm not leaving you behind!
DINAH: (Urgent) Just protect Raymond! I'll be fine... Move!
Jubril hesitated for a heartbeat, his eyes scanning the room.
JUBRIL: Where will you go?
Dinah's eyes were fixed on the verandah, her body coiled like a spring.
DINAH: I'll be right behind you.
She didn't wait. She sprinted toward the balcony and leaped, an action that left Raymond and Jubril staring in stunned silence. Snapping back to reality, they fled toward the back of the apartment as heavy footsteps began to thunder up the stairwell.
They scrambled down a service ladder, sprinted through the damp, narrow basement, and burst out into the alleyway. The van was there.
JUBRIL: (Hissing) Get in!
They dove into the front seats, Jubril fumbling with the ignition.
RAYMOND: (Breathless) Will she be okay?
JUBRIL: (Grimly) She has her ways, Ray. Usually the last one found alive.
But before Jubril could turn the key—
VIIGBTKRTSHH!!!
A shadow fell over them as a body was hurled from an upper floor. It was Dinah's elderly roommate. His bloody corpse head crashed through the windscreen, the head shattering the glass and wedging itself onto the dashboard. Raymond let out a hypertensive shriek of pure terror.
RAYMOND: (Screaming) HAAAA! Start the van! START THE VAN!
Jubril shoved the lifeless body out through the broken glass, sending it rolling into the dirt.
JUBRIL: (Snapping) What do you think I'm doing?!
VRRRUUUMMMM!
The engine roared to life. Jubril swung the van onto the street, tires screeching. As they veered onto a main road, a car unintentionally swerved into their path—it was Ṣeun Aristotle and Gerald Tumbuktu. For a split second, the four men locked eyes through their windscreens in mutual shock. Jubril didn't slow down; he swerved around them, bolting toward the highway. Ṣeun didn't hesitate, pulling a hard U-turn to give chase. Moments later, Snape and Heyes piled into their black SUVs, roaring after them.
The highway became a high-speed theater of chaos. Jubril glanced at Raymond, his face taut with adrenaline.
JUBRIL: Can you drive?
RAYMOND: (Panic-stricken) Not well! No!
JUBRIL: (Ignoring him) Switch with me!
He shoved Raymond toward the driver's seat while drawing his weapon.
RAYMOND: What?! I just told you—!
JUBRIL: Just keep it straight!
GIGIGIGIGIGI GGG!!! BANG! BANG!!
From the rear, Snape's men opened fire. Jubril leaned out the window, returning fire, but Raymond's amateur, erratic driving made every shot go wide. Behind them, Tumbuktu leaned out of Ṣeun's car, his expression cold and focused.
BANG! BANG!!
His shots were surgical, picking off Heyes' gunmen one by one.
Then, a new sound cut through the gunfire—the high-pitched scream of a racing engine.
VRMVRMVRUUUUUMMMM!
A power bike tore onto the scene, weaving through traffic with fluid, terrifying speed. It was Dinah. She handled the bike like an extension of her own body, leaning dangerously low as she unsheathed her AK-74u.
GIGIGIGIGIGIGGG!!!!
She raked the side of Snape's lead SUV with lead. They fired back, but she was a ghost in the wind. She shot out the tire of the nearest jeep; it swerved violently, somersaulting into a massive ball of fire. As she drew level with the second jeep, a stray tire from the wreck rolled toward her. In a feat of impossible athleticism, she hooked the tire, stood on her seat, and leaped into the air.
VUUGBCHKRSH!
Mid-air, she hurled the tire with superhuman force through the back window of the jeep, the impact crushing the driver's skull. The vehicle lost its brakes, flipping into a metal-twisting roll. But in the final jeep, Snape leveled his rifle and fired a clean shot, clipping Dinah and sending her sliding across the asphalt.
The somersaulting jeep slammed directly into the back of Raymond's van. The world spun in a sickening kaleidoscope of metal and glass.
Raymond woke to the smell of smoke and gasoline. The van was inverted. His vision swam as he looked to his side. Jubril's body was slumped against the roof, his eyes wide in the stillness of fresh death. Terror gave Raymond the strength to crawl through the shattered window.
He emerged into a wasteland. Pedestrians were screaming, the air was thick with the black haze of burning rubber, and the highway was a graveyard of twisted steel. Out of the smoke, a towering, enormous silhouette emerged.
RAYMOND: (A terrified whisper) My God…
Mahalel. Each heavy, rhythmic footfall sent a new jolt of fear through Raymond's heart. The giant stood over him, a dark silhouette eclipsing the sun, casting a shadow that swallowed Raymond whole.
RAYMOND: (Screaming) HAAAA! HAAAA!! HAAAAAAAAA!!!
Mahalel reached down, his massive hand closing over Raymond's face, turning the world to pitch black.
TO BE CONTINUED…