"Hands up, Gamali! Don't move, or you'll die right here!" The voice shattered the silence of the dark warehouse. A pistol was pointed directly at my forehead, freezing me in front of Andaru's laptop.
Blood trickled from my temple, my vision blurring as the dizziness returned. I knew my life was on the line, but anger kept me from giving up. I forced my right hand into a fist; the pain intensified, reminding me of what I had to do right now.
I had to survive and get Aisyah back.
The two masked men stepped inside, locking the rusty iron door behind them with a deafening bang. They must be Bayangan's (Shadow's) men, but for some reason, their movements felt far more dangerous than the thugs who chased me a few days ago. The man holding the gun stepped forward, his strides calm, indicating he was a seasoned professional accustomed to this kind of situation. They wanted me dead here, but I would make them regret it.
"Listen closely, you have nowhere left to run, you bastard," the man said, his tone heavy and cold, radiating a clear intent to kill.
"Drop the backpack now, then hand over the flash drive you're keeping in your pants pocket. We already know you stole it from under the ashtray over there."
My heart hammered; they knew about the flash drive too. Their intelligence was fast. This network was serious. The guilt of involving Aisyah now struck me, mixing with the rage burning through my body. I pretended to slowly lower my backpack to the dirty floor.
"I don't know what you're talking about, what flash drive?" I retorted, trying to bait him into talking more and waste as much time as possible. "I just got here, looking for a place to hide from the enraged residents in my old housing complex earlier, don't just accuse me arbitrarily."
The masked man let out a cynical snort, clearly not believing my pointless bluff. His sharp eyes stared straight at me without a single blink.
"Don't waste our time with lies, you bringer of bad luck," he shouted, his voice rising an octave with impatience. "You're just a cowardly fugitive wanted by many people, don't you dare resist, you won't win against us."
My left hand moved quickly, pretending to unzip the backpack, but I was actually aiming for the mineral water bottle inside it right now. The man's pistol was aimed closer to my head; the distance between us was only about three meters—this was the last chance I had. I couldn't afford to waste it.
Suddenly, I yanked my backpack hard, swinging it violently towards the face of the second man behind him, then I immediately jumped quickly to my left. The first man reflexively shot; the sound was deafening, the bullet hitting the thick cement wall behind Andaru's laptop.
"Damn you, you stinking bastard, don't mess with us!" yelled the second man, who had staggered slightly from my backpack. He immediately reached for his waist, pulling out a large, long folding knife.
I didn't want to waste any time, I immediately leaped onto the frail wooden table, kicking the empty whiskey bottle and the ashtray full of cigarette butts towards them. The armed man screamed in anger, his focus instantly fragmented for a second as he tried to dodge the flying objects. This was my best opportunity.
I immediately attacked him, spinning my body and kicking his wrist as hard as I could. His pistol flew far, striking a pile of sacks in the dark corner of the room. My shinbone felt an intense pain, but I didn't have time to think about it.
The man screamed in pain then punched my face with his left hand. The blow sent me crashing to the cold floor. The pain was excruciating, but the adrenaline forced me to get up immediately. My face felt numb, blood flowing from my nose. This fight was truly brutal.
The second man growled, "You must die now, you organ thief!" He attacked from the side, his folding knife slashing rapidly towards my abdomen. This was a serious attack.
I dodged and took one step back. My right hand was still clenched and felt hot; the symbol there distracted me, but I couldn't focus on it. I parried the knife with my arm, feeling the sting, but I stayed vigilant.
"Who do you think you are, daring to fight us?" the man yelled. His eyes were full of fury. He spat on the floor, insulting me. "You are trash who deserves to die like Andaru. Don't expect to survive this warehouse, you bastard!"
Hearing Andaru's name triggered my rage. I screamed and then headbutted the man's nose hard. He let out a muffled scream and stumbled back, clutching his fractured nose. It was a well-deserved retort.
The man I had kicked earlier got up. He was bigger and stronger. He lunged, wrapped his arms around me, then slammed me onto the dirty warehouse floor. My back ached, I coughed, gasping for air against the pain.
"Don't resist anymore, loser!" the man whispered with a cold tone, then he tightly grasped my neck, choking me. "Surrender yourself now. We want you to suffer for this revenge. You ruined our plan."
I hammered his head with my elbow repeatedly, trying to break his grip. My lungs burned, my breath shallowing. The shadow of Aisyah appeared in my head and gave me the last of my strength. I couldn't die here. I had to save her.
With my final burst of energy, I kicked his knee. He winced, his grip loosened, and I rolled free. I crawled towards the laptop. My small flashlight was far away; only the main warehouse light illuminated the area.
The first man stepped on my back with his boot. The pain made me scream, tears streaming. He grinned down at me, seemingly enjoying my suffering.
"Just die, you dog," he said softly. "Your family is trash, and you are the biggest trash. You won't be able to escape. You deserve a miserable death."
The insult hurt more than the blow. I endured the pain, forcing my hand to reach for the laptop. Trembling fingers managed to click the file named BIN_Pengkhianat (BIN_Traitor).
The laptop screen displayed a long list: codenames, dates, operation locations—data from the State Intelligence Agency's (BIN) operations. At the bottom was a handwritten note from Andaru.
My eyes narrowed reading the red ink: "Black Rose Project. Operation 14, 2017. Victims: Gamali's Family. There is a rat inside."
In that instant, I was consumed by anger. Black Rose Project? Operation 14? Gamali's Family? What kind of treachery did Andaru and this network commit? They were using the name of a state institution to cover up their crimes.
"Let me go, you jerk!" I screamed, exerting force to free myself from the stomp. I managed to roll and kick his leg until he staggered. I leaned towards the screen.
The codenames were horrifying: black operations, selling secret information, and photos of the organ syndicate's victims—faces that felt familiar but I couldn't recall clearly. This was proof that this network was far larger than I had thought. This was no longer a personal matter, but a national one.
"Don't look at that, you idiot!" the man yelled frantically. He realized what I was seeing. The second man had also recovered and ran toward me.
The laptop screen flickered once. The list vanished, replaced by a simple message with a red background:
"You won't have time to read it."
The message was cold and terrifying. Not a system error—this was a direct threat. Someone was watching and knew we were in this warehouse.
"Damn it, he knows!" the first man yelled, his eyes wide. "The door! Close the door now!"
This wasn't just Rio, Andaru, or the Shadow Network. This involved parties that were higher up and more dangerous. I was starting to get scared.
Suddenly someone grabbed my hair and dragged me away from the laptop. The second man successfully reached me and slammed me against a pile of rusty scrap metal.
"You snot-nosed kid, you saw something you shouldn't have!" he shouted. His face was furious and panicked. "You crossed the line. Now you'll pay with your life!"
I kicked him in the solar plexus; he doubled over in pain. I stood up, enduring the pain throughout my body. I had to grab the first man's pistol—that was the only chance.
Suddenly my right palm burned, the pain was unbearable. The symbol felt alive; the pain spread to my bones. I screamed and almost fell.
The first man saw it and was shocked behind his mask. "Damn, that's the sign! Quick! He has to die right now!" he shouted frantically.
I didn't understand what was happening, but I knew this was not the time to wait. I had to run, with or without that flash drive. I had to live. I ran towards the rusty iron door.
The first man shot at me mercilessly. The bullet missed and hit the wall near me. I kept running.
Just before reaching the door, there was a loud sound from the electrical panel. The main light went out completely.
Darkness swallowed everything. The smell of must, dust, and rust grew stronger. I couldn't see, but I could feel the two masked men around me.
I held my breath and tried to listen. My heart was pounding, filling my ears.
Slow footsteps scraped the cement floor—not the steps of those two men.
There was a heavy, cold breath, very close behind me. Not one of them. I spun around frantically, but the darkness kept me from seeing anything. Only that breath, getting closer and more threatening. I was trapped in the middle of the darkness.