I was worried and sat up straight, ready for anything. The cold air made me feel tense. My breathing got faster, as if I was afraid of the questions.
The two detectives sat in front of me, staring intently at my face, and I looked back at them, feeling nervous.
One of the detectives took out a photo from the CCTV footage.It showed me getting out of a black car during the mass shooting in front of my office a few days ago.
I felt my breath catch and I swallowed deeply.
“We saw you on the CCTV during the mass shooting in front of your office,” he pointed at my face in the picture. ”Your car was right in front of the victim's car, and it looks like you were in the car for quite a while.” He looked at me, his eyes narrowed. “What were you doing in the car?”
I sighed. “I was meeting a friend. He said he was going to pass by my workplace. So I met him in his car.” I said, trying not to be nervous.
The two detectives hadn't said anything yet. They
"Hey, Ma'am." A detective approached me in the medical room. "We are really sorry for what happened to you. We will make sure this doesn't happen again."I gently touched my neck, which was red and throbbing with pain. The imprint of his fingers still lingered on my skin. Finally, I responded, "Yeah, thanks, Sir." I took a deep breath. "What about him?""He is receiving proper medical care." The detective smiled, then pulled a small white card from his pocket and handed it to me.Harry Raymond.A business card with a name and phone number."If you ever need help, you can call me," Mr. Raymond said. "And I hope you won't refuse when I call on you for more information."I reached for the card with a trem
Carlos' words don't reveal any evidence – they're just riddles that leave you more confused. Who was the madman he was referring to, and what secrets did he know?The criminal seemed to be playing games with me, but the words that came out of his mouth seemed to know a lot about the secret.My hands were getting cold, while my mind was trying to find the answer to every riddle Carlos gave.Mr.Raymond approached me just as I closed the door. "So, Miss Harper, what were you talking about inside?" he asked.I swallowed. "He was talking nonsense.""What did he tell you about why he wants to shoot you?"I shook my head. "No, he didn't. He was more like hallucinating."
The car stopped at the service area. A bodyguard who had been sitting in the front seat shifted his position and was now sitting next to me. His movements were calm, but there was something in his eyes that made me wary.“What's going on?” I asked, trying to sound casual.The bodyguard didn't answer immediately. He pulled a box from the back of the chair, opened it and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.“Sorry, ma'am. This is an order.”He cuffed both my hands, then pulled the chain and locked it to the car door handle.“What are you doing?!” I shouted, panicked and confused.“When we get there you can ask Mr.David.” He said casually but firmly. In addition to the handcuffs, he pulled a black kalin out of the box. Then he pulled the cloth over my face and shut my eyes tightly.“What the hell are you doing?!” I struggled, panicking, trying to pull my hands away, but to no avail. The cuffs were tight.Before I could scream again, the cloth had shut my eyes, completely blocking my vision. It
"Is it hurt?" David asked in a low voice, almost a whisper. His hand gently brushed over the red wound on my neck, as if carefully examining each mark.The dim light cast soft shadows on the walls, creating an intimate and thoughtful atmosphere. I lay there, my face slightly lowered, while David, lying beside me, observed the faint wound with a worried expression.I took a slow breath before giving a slight nod. "A little."For a moment, our eyes locked, and in that silence, there was something deeper than words. I could see the concern in his eyes—so genuine, so real. Slowly, David lowered his head, pressing his lips gently against my forehead, as if trying to soothe any pain I might be feeling.I closed my eyes, letting that warmth seep into my chest, calming something that had long felt sore."I hope everything will be alright," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. "Not just for me, but for you too."When I opened my eyes, David was smiling. His hand was still resting gentl
"What is this place?"I stepped inside, my gaze sweeping across the room. Past the main entrance, a large glass wall stood before me, allowing a full view inside. A laboratory. A fume hood buzzed with ongoing experiments, while shelves lined with bottles and test tubes filled with colorful liquids occupied the space. Bright white lights reflected off the stainless steel surfaces dominating the workstations.David walked to a brown cabinet at the far end of the room, pulling out a white lab coat along with gloves and a mask."Put this on," he said, handing me a full protective suit.I hesitated before taking it. "What are we doing?"David slipped into his lab coat, fastening the buttons as he let out a deep sigh. "Answering your questions about this place."I remained silent, staring at the lab coat in my hands with confusion. My eyes shifted between it and David, who was already securing his mask in place."Do I… really have to wear this?" I asked hesitantly.David stepped closer witho
"How long has she been lying here?" I asked, sitting on a chair beside the little girl’s bed. My hand gripped her tiny fingers tightly, stroking them gently as I gazed at her face full of pity."Five months," David replied.I turned to David, looking at him with hope. "Will she survive?"David shifted his gaze to the little girl. One second, two seconds, his mouth seemed ready to speak, but something held him back, as if he was hesitant."Maybe," he said.I frowned. "Maybe? That’s all you can say?""Hanna, I’ve done everything to get her out of that place. Her body even responded well to the vaccine I gave her. But I don’t know how long she will last."I turned away. Talking to David made me feel like I was sinking deeper into a circle I never should have entered.The sound of the monitor echoed in the silent room. Occasionally, the ventilator’s mechanical hum blended wi
After stepping out, I went to retrieve my bag from the locker.By chance, I ran into Harry, the FBI agent who had been watching me since yesterday."Hey," he greeted me. His gaze was neutral as if he had seen me long before I noticed him."Hi, Harry," I replied, forcing a fake smile."What are you doing here?"I took a slow breath, trying to craft a reasonable answer without revealing too much information."Visiting Carlos," I said.He stared at me as if waiting for me to continue."I visited Carlos because I want
With a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside. All eyes instantly turned to me.The moment I closed the door, everyone stood up. Applauding.“Congratulations!”Everyone clapped. Balloons floated up from under the tables, filling the room. On the monitor screen, a large message appeared:“Congratulations, Hanna.”The balloons floated to the ceiling, decorating it with cheerful colors. Some were star-shaped, others round, all moving slowly as if time itself was celebrating.I stood frozen for a moment. My eyes scanned the smiling faces—some holding back tears. Hands reached out to hug me. Amid the crowd, Mr. Bobby approached me.“We're proud of you,” he said, his smile warm. “Thanks to you, Daily News is ranked number one in the country.” His laughter was genuine, without a trace of doubt.“Congratulations,” Mr. Bobby e
The scariest thing is when we think we're protected but we’re not.The atmosphere in this room is still the same as when I first came here. Lonely and frightening. I sat on the sofa, my back pressed tightly against the backrest, eyes fixed on the firmly closed front door. My breathing tried to remain calm but my racing heartbeat betrayed me. Only the ticking of the wall clock and the soft hum of the AC kept me company while I waited for the security staff to arrive.Five minutes passed. Suddenly, the doorbell shattered the silence. I jolted.“Security staff” a voice from behind the door said flatly, formal, but there was something off. Too calm. Too perfect.I didn’t respond right away. My heart pounded hard. I stared at the wooden door, trying to pierce it with my gaze. I touched the tip of the knife to my pants leg just in case. “Please show your ID” I said, trying to sound firm though my voice came o
“Hanna.”Someone called out to me just as I stepped out of the police station. Detective Harry. That stalking detective.“Excuse me? Hanna?”He caught his breath. His face was arranged in that formal expression he always used with me.“Yes, Hanna.”I frowned. First, he called me Mrs. Harper, then Hanna, then back to Mrs. Harper, and now Hanna again.What does he actually want?“Ms. Harper. Call me Ms. Harper,” I said firmly.“But we already agreed to use first names, didn’t we?”I crossed my arms, giving him a sharp look that wasn’t entirely serious.“Then what was that earlier in the room? What did you call me?”He sighed slowly. “That… was just professional, Hanna. I was doing my job. You know that.”I narrowed my eyes, as if weighing his answer.“Weird man,” I muttered, frownin
Detective Harry walked ahead of me, leading the way through each corridor of the building. Every room looked busy. Some officers were typing rapidly on their computers, while others were deep in heated debates about cases I couldn’t begin to guess.After a while, we reached a place at the far back of the building. Detective Harry stopped in front of a door labeled ‘Morgue.’A doctor guided us. As the door opened, the sharp scent of formalin immediately rushed out, stinging my nose and triggering a wave of discomfort. The room was cold, dim, and eerily quiet as if time itself had stopped inside. On the left side, metal drawers were lined up neatly, each one holding a tragic story now at its end.The doctor slowly walked over to one of the drawers and gently pulled it open. Inside lay a body covered by a white sheet. Detective Harry stared at it without blinking, his expression unreadable , somewhere between grief and determination.
The photocopy machine worked as it should. Sheets of paper were copied perfectly. Its humming sounded like the heartbeat of that office, pulsing steadily in the orderly silence. Documents came and went, faces passed by like shadows. I stood still, my eyes watching the stream of paper emerging one by one, as if searching for something more than just a duplicate.It had been two days since David last contacted me. Second by second, day by day, David and his case slowly faded. Strange people and hired killers slowly vanished from my world. I returned to my life, but my mind kept questioning things about David that things no one else knew.I had plenty of information, but no solid evidence about the children. Nothing. As if I had found nothing at all. And yet, I knew so much even about David and his life.Is this the pe
I still didn’t understand. After everything we’d been through, David just left me like that. Now, all the determination I had built to help him, to help that little girl lying in the hospital bed, as well as Daniel and Dr. John, felt like an empty hope something I would never be able to achieve.Was everything Dr. John said true? Was it really that hard to go up against Mr. Jimmy? Even Danielm David’s best friend couldn’t bring him down? Had I truly taken the wrong step? The wrong path? Had I failed to uncover the truth?Why did Dr. John’s painful words, followed by David’s indifference, feel like my entire world was collapsing? My heart burned. It hurt. I felt suffocated. My breath caught in my throat, something sharp pierced through my chest
That day, the hospital was quite busy. The sounds of medical equipment and conversations blended together. As I entered the hospital, my steps were firm and full of conviction as I walked toward the receptionist, who was busy moving one file after another.“Excuse me, I’m looking for Dr. Anderson.”The receptionist looked at her computer screen. “One moment, I’ll check his schedule.”I sighed. My gaze wandered in all directions, looking for any sign that Dr. John might be somewhere in the corridor. Finally, the receptionist spoke, “Dr. Anderson is currently in the operating room. He can be contacted once he's finished. Is there anything else I can help you with?”I swallowed. “Do you know around what time the surgery will be over?”“It could take two to three hours, depending on the procedure, ma’am.”I nodded, trying to calm myself. “Alright, I’ll wait
I stepped out of the room and headed straight to my desk. My hand moved quickly, grabbing my bag lying next to the chair. My heart was still pounding, my mind filled with the chaos that had just happened.Without delay, I unzipped the bag and dug through it, looking for my small phone—the one David had given me. But… nothing.My brows furrowed. I tried again, this time more frantically. My hand swept through everything inside, shifting around my wallet, pens, small notebook—everything was there, except that little phone.“Don’t panic,” I whispered softly.I opened the first drawer of the desk. Only a yellow folder filled with documents and a pack of gum. The second drawer was even emptier—just a stapler and a laptop charger. I s
With a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside. All eyes instantly turned to me.The moment I closed the door, everyone stood up. Applauding.“Congratulations!”Everyone clapped. Balloons floated up from under the tables, filling the room. On the monitor screen, a large message appeared:“Congratulations, Hanna.”The balloons floated to the ceiling, decorating it with cheerful colors. Some were star-shaped, others round, all moving slowly as if time itself was celebrating.I stood frozen for a moment. My eyes scanned the smiling faces—some holding back tears. Hands reached out to hug me. Amid the crowd, Mr. Bobby approached me.“We're proud of you,” he said, his smile warm. “Thanks to you, Daily News is ranked number one in the country.” His laughter was genuine, without a trace of doubt.“Congratulations,” Mr. Bobby e
After stepping out, I went to retrieve my bag from the locker.By chance, I ran into Harry, the FBI agent who had been watching me since yesterday."Hey," he greeted me. His gaze was neutral as if he had seen me long before I noticed him."Hi, Harry," I replied, forcing a fake smile."What are you doing here?"I took a slow breath, trying to craft a reasonable answer without revealing too much information."Visiting Carlos," I said.He stared at me as if waiting for me to continue."I visited Carlos because I want