The morning was thick, as if the world itself was holding its breath. The lights of the city were beginning to fade in the distance, and in the center of the most dangerous neighborhood, the mercenary building stood like a titan.
Nihil Shiro, dressed in a black sweatshirt covering his hair and a backpack, watched from a nearby alley. His heart was pounding, but his face was unwaveringly calm. He had been researching for days on end, observing the mercenaries' patrol schedules, their routes, shift changes, even their smoke breaks. He had drawn improvised plans of the building based on old Google Maps images and abandoned urban forums.
-They're on their way out," he whispered to himself.
Just as he had researched, black vans roared out of the subway parking garage. Eighty percent of the total mercenaries, armed, were going on a raid across town. Their absence left 20% inside the building, so he had time counted down to get in and get in.
Nihil advanced.
He rounded the rusted grille on the side, where he had detected a gap between the bars. He slipped in like a shadow. He entered the first floor, a musty, cigar-smelling lobby. He avoided every mercenary he saw until he found the stairs.
And he climbed the stairs without making a sound. At every break he stopped, listened, and counted his breath.
-There is no margin for error," he thought as he made sure that mercenaries did not hear his movement, as he had seen in a vigilante TV series.
On the fourth floor he found a room where they kept mistreated dogs.
-I'd like to help you guys, but I'm not strong enough to fight and rescue you. Besides, I have only one goal today, sorry. -He said quietly.
On the 12th floor, a voice interrupted their silence. Two guards were arguing in an open room. He crouched behind a rusty machine and waited. He held his breath. One of the guards was complaining about the bad coffee, the other about the lack of air conditioning. Nihil closed his eyes, and when he heard the sound of their footsteps moving away, he crossed the hallway like lightning and reached for other stairs.
Every movement was calculated. Every step, measured. He could not afford to fail.
As he climbed the last few steps to the rooftop, he thought of his mother, of his brother, of the photo he asked her to take with him. Her brother's voice echoed in her head, "Mom I'll buy you clothes for tomorrow." "I told mom we'll take a special picture."
-Maybe...maybe if there is a purpose for me," he thought.
He reached the rooftop. The wind hit his face. It was stronger than he expected. The scenery from up there was beautiful, really beautiful. He saw the city as if it were alien, as if he didn't belong to it.
-I made it," he whispered with a bitter smile. Not a single mistake.
He approached the edge of the building, gave a heavy sigh and said:
- Now I just have to take a leap, don't I? -he said aloud.
But, nihil thought about his brother again, graduation day was tomorrow.
- What kind of a scumbag of a brother am I if I can't give him that picture? -Maybe... maybe that's my purpose, to make my brother happy for at least one day -I said, with a little hope -Just one more picture.
So Nihil stepped back from the edge, sighed, and his plan changed.
- Now I have to get out of this building alive," he whispered.
He ran downstairs, but on the 7th floor he heard some mercenaries coming up the stairs, so he looked for an area to hide, and saw a room with an open door, so he ran and entered the room.
-Shit! Shit! They shouldn't be here, what are they looking for? -he said to himself.
He waited for the mercenaries to come up the stairs, left the room and went down again, but faster, jumping flights of stairs, holding on as best he could. And in less than four minutes he was outside.
He walked as if nothing, went back around the rusty gate, took a side street and disappeared into the shadows of the trees. But he didn't notice a figure watching him in the distance.
That same night, at 11 p.m. Nihil returned home, sweaty but calm. He locked himself in his room, changed his clothes, lay down on his bed filled with the papers he used to create his plan, and took a deep breath.
-I did it... I made it out alive... -he said, staring at the ceiling.
Downstairs, his mother served dinner while his brother helped her, and his father watched television.
Outside the house, a black convoy with no license plates was turning off its lights.
One of the men inside the vehicle spoke into the radio:
-Target located. Confirmed.
Minutes later, the door of the house crept open.
-WHAT'S GOING ON? -Nihil's mother shouted as she saw armed men in the kitchen.
-WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! -shouted the father, before being beaten and dragged away.
Nihil had his headphones on. He was playing on his computer while listening to music on maximum level, oblivious to everything.
Until he heard a loud bang, then another. And then, silence.
He turned his head. His door burst open. Two armed men entered and grabbed him.
They dragged him down the hallway. When he reached the living room, the scene took his breath away.
His mother, his father, his brother... all on their knees, gagged and beaten.
A man in a black trench coat and a scraggly beard approached. He had a murderous look on his face.
"So you're the mouse who got into our nest? All right, kid. Give us the plan, or your family will pay the price."
Nihil turned his head, not understanding.
"Plan...? What plan?"
The man looked at him silently. And then, he smiled cruelly.
"So you want to make it difficult, huh? I like it, I'll have more fun that way," he said in a mocking voice.
END OF CHAPTER 2.