Yusuf's voice finally fell silent.
There was no longer an echo from the tunnel, no explosions, no screams ringing in his ears.
Daniel slowly opened his eyes... to find himself in a quiet hotel room in Florida.
A sheer curtain moved with the ocean breeze, and a digital clock on the table announced that the night was coming to an end.
He sat on the edge of the bed, breathing deeply, his heart still heavy with what he had just
witnessed.
He realised that what he had experienced was nothing more than a journey through his memory, a long series of scenes that had opened like an old book and then suddenly closed.
He looked at the wardrobe.
He got up hesitantly, took the key out of his pocket, and opened the secret drawer.
There... Yusuf's notebook was waiting for him.He sat down at the table, placed the notebook in front of him, and opened the first page, where
there was a photo of Yusuf with his family.
He gazed at their innocent smiles, then closed his eyes for a moment, as if drawing strength from them.
He whispered to himself:
"You have done your part, Yusuf... now it is my turn."
He stood up, walked over to the mirror, and faced his reflection with tired but steady eyes.
He was no longer the prisoner who had emerged from the tunnel, nor the obedient soldier who had been interrogated by the army committee.
Now... he was a man who carried the truth, and it was time to bring it to light.
After much deliberation, Daniel picked up the notebook.
With trembling hands, he placed it inside a brown envelope and wrote hesitantly:
"To..." — the name of the only person he still trusted, an old acquaintance who had distanced himself from the army and politics.
He sealed the envelope tightly and wrote the full address.
Then he sat down at the table, looked at the envelope for a long time, and felt his heart grow a little lighter.
"So... if something happens to me, the world will know the truth."
Then he picked up his phone.
He searched through his contacts for a long time until he stopped at a major media outlet in New York.
He sent a brief message:
"I have something to say about Tunnel 7. Something that has never been revealed before."
He pressed send, then rested his head on the seat.
The feeling that came over him was not complete relief, but it was a start... the beginning of
liberation from silence.
He whispered to himself as he looked out the window:
"The time has come, Yusuf."