Ryan's POV
With rapt attention, I listened as Mr Crawford dished out instructions to my colleagues and me.
"Are you clear on that?" He asked occasionally while we nodded.
Just as he continued to dish out instructions, I felt a buzz from the inside of my jacket.
Instantly, I panicked. Was it heard by anyone around? Given that we turn in our phones each day, having a phone on me will raise suspicions.
I looked around me quickly, but the others were too busy listening to Mr Crawford to hear the buzz which had since died down.
"Is there a problem?" Mr Crawford suddenly asked, facing me.
"No, boss," I replied in a composed voice and manner that surprised me.
He soon continued with the instructions after giving me a thorough look.
As expected, I was placed in charge of the others, being the head of security.
Once Mr Crawford was done, I charged the others to their duty post while I searched for a safe place to read the message which I just received.
I needed nobody to tell me who the message had come from, as only one person in the world had access to the phone.
After considering every option I had, I went to the restroom, and there I listened to the voicemail sent by Dr Sofia at low volume.
"Ma'am I..." I started to say but the sound of footsteps in the hallway stopped me. Instead, I texted my reply to her and deleted the message from my end after which I kept the phone in the safety of my inner breast pocket.
I started work right after, supervising the others, and checking for any unauthorized entries into this floor.
On one of my patrols, I found Marcus and Vincent, two of Medcorp's security men wandering around the floor, looking lost.
Two men whose job had nothing to do with this floor, who shouldn't know about this floor at all were here, wandering about. I knew at once what was to be done to them, and I went straight to them.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked both men who looked as confused as fuck.
"We tried stopping Dr. Sofia from going through the private door and ended up following her down here. Now we can't find our way back." Vincent explained, turning occasionally to his partner who modded continuously in support.
"We didn't know this place existed until now, it's so cool here and... and..." Vincent continued, but stammered away when I brought out a pistol from my pocket.
"Gentlemen, you may want to come with me at this moment," I said, leading the way to a hideous corner that led to the overly dreaded Light Room.
In contrast to its name, Light-Room was the darkest place anyone could be at. It ranked next to hell in terms of the terror it can cause and existed primarily to punish offenders temporarily.
I pushed the door open, once I got to the door, and the darkness that greeted us was dense, just as I expected. Only the lights from the hallway managed to seep into the room in a very small quantity.
I scoffed within myself when both men stepped backward in fear. If only they knew how much trouble they were in.
"Step in," I said to both men, without turning to face them.
They hesitated at first, but with a light tap on my pistol, both men readily stepped into the room while I shut the door against them, keeping the small quantity of light completely out.
**********
"Ryan." Mr Crawford called about an hour later, on one of my patrols to sweep the areas of any unauthorized guests.
He had just stepped out of the elevator and was headed towards his secret office when he saw me.
"Boss." I greeted, facing down.
"There was a situation earlier. Did you happen to assert control or should I be worried?" Mr Crawford asked.
Although he sounded jovial, he was dead serious. The clicking of his tongue showed just how serious he was.
"I have them in the light room, boss. What should I do with them?" I asked, suddenly feeling the urge to kill.
"Not yet, Ryan." He replied and resumed his walk towards his secret office, but stopped midway to face me.
"Where are they at?" He asked.
"They are in the Light Room, boss," I replied.
"Good." He said, resuming his walk.
"Come with me." He added, and I followed closely behind him, wondering why my presence was needed.
When he got to the front of his secret office, he went in. I knew better than to go in with him so I remained outside.
"Well, you can come in." He said with a wave, holding the door slightly open.
I entered the office cautiously, taking note of every aspect of the room, from the artifacts to the weapons that were disguised as harmless objects.
Even though everything is in place, I couldn't help being afraid as one can never be certain with Mr Crawford.
"Yes, Sofia, where were we?" Mr Crawford suddenly asked, his gaze fixed in the opposite direction. His question was immediately followed by a foreboding silence that enveloped both the office and the occupants.
I noticed Dr Sofia's presence just then, and my mind resumed its race.
Did Mr Crawford find out about my secret dealings with Dr Sofia? I asked myself over and over.
Dr Sofia looked me straight in the eyes, regarding me as a total stranger until Crawford's voice broke the silence.
"I want Anderson to work full-time for me henceforth." Mr. Crawford requested, but it was no request at all, it was an order.
"Plus I'm relieving you of the bulk of your duties." He added.
"Mr Crawford..." Dr Sofia started to say but stopped immediately once Mr Crawford lifted his hand.
"How about we go for a walk?" Mr Crawford suddenly suggested, heading towards the exit.
I followed behind immediately, trying to hide my uneasiness by walking as boldly as I could.
Dr Sofia trailed behind me reluctantly. She walked with the same enthusiasm an offender would walk to his execution venue.
I was numbed in both body and spirit, as I was yet to know why I was at the office.
"Ryan, let's meet at the restaurant by 10: 00 pm." Mr Crawford suddenly said, turning to face us, his gaze fixed on Dr Sofia.
I got his dismissal clue, and at once, I walked towards the exit, secretly happy I was not in trouble after all.
"Come with the light, and don't be late." Mr Crawford added when I got to the door.
*********
I pulled over in front of the restaurant after driving at a breakneck speed. The quietness of the place was no surprise to me.
I cast a glance at my wristwatch when I noticed Mr Crawford's presence in the shadow cast by the trees.
It was currently 09:51 pm, I observed with fear.
"Why is he so early? Am I late already? Is it safe for me out here? These questions flooded my mind as I took hastened steps from my car to where Crawford was seated.
And why is Dr Sofia here? I asked myself as fear surged through me, once I noticed her beside Mr Crawford.
Did you bring them?" Mr Crawford asked when I got within earshot.
"Yes, boss," I answered, bowing slightly to both Mr. Crawford and Dr. Sofia in acknowledgment.
How could I miss the clue? When Mr Crawford told me to come with the light, I knew he was referring to Marcus and Vincent who were in the Light Room.
"Let's get started then." Mr Crawford said excitedly, rising from his seat.
He walked straight to my car, after motioning for Dr Sofia and me to follow suit.
On his signal, I opened the trunk of my car and roughly brought out the two men who were bound together, with their mouths gagged.
They came heavily on the floor with a loud thud, and Dr Sofia's fearful scream followed immediately.
With an encouraging nod from Mr Crawford, I fetched my pistol from the car.
Dr Sofia, on seeing the pistol covered her mouth with both hands to stop the scream which was threatening to bobble out.
"Please Crawford, don't do this, please." Dr Sofia pleaded fearfully.
"Be specific, Sofia. Are you pleading for their lives or yours? Mr Crawford asked, enjoying the increased look of terror that now displayed on Sofia's face.
"You risked the privacy of our non-existent floor today just to defy me. You didn't expect to go unpunished, did you? Mr Crawford confronted me in anger, filling me in on what was going on.
"Please shoot these bastards." Mr Crawford ordered while I fired.
First at Vincent, then at Marcus, both of whom were unable to produce actual sounds due to the gags in their mouths.
I aimed at Dr Sofia who now knelt at Crawford's feet, with her eyes and nose running uncontrollably.
At Mr Crawford's signal, I fired the third shot at Vincent, while Dr Sofia screamed in fear, her eyes tightly closed.
"I want you to remember this moment the next time you think of defying me." Mr Crawford said to Dr Sofia who still had her eyes shut, probably waiting to drop dead.
"Thank you, sir." She replied amidst sniffs when she eventually realized that she wasn't shut.
"Clean this up." Mr Crawford said, facing me. He got into his car right after and zoomed off into the still night.
Once he was out of sight, I brought out the burner phone and handed it over to Dr Sofia who received it resignedly.
Whether she supported it or not, she was too terrified and shaken up to oppose my decision.
I put both bodies into the trunk of my car, after unbinding them which is no small feat, then I got into my car to exit the building but Sofia's figure suddenly appeared at one side of the door.
Without thinking, I opened the door to her, and drove out of the restaurant, at the same breakneck speed I had come with.