E20: Hide and Seek
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“What?!” Mr. Johnson was shocked. “Why’d such thieves loot my house?”

“Because you have power,” Mr. Scott seriously replied. “You are a figure everybody respects. Secret Agency of Investigation is world-famous for their dedication in providing valuable intel to the government and kill some of the most wanted murderers. Maybe that’s why.”

“I actually don’t find it a good answer, Mr. Scott.”

“Maybe I’m unable to explain correctly.” He looked at the radio and added, “What’s more important is to save you. I don’t think they’re just thieves, they’re murderers!”

 

“What should we do?” Adam asked Zack. “Maybe we should run away.”

“From where?” Zack asked. “Remember that house from where we came from? They can report that we went up their houses and then disappeared.”

“Then what?” Adam hurriedly asked. He wanted to escape this situation as soon as possible. “We can’t run, so we should go where we came from.”

“Yep, but the plan’s already a failure. The only thing we can do is… ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSION.” Zack was very determined to complete this mission and didn’t want to let it all go in vain.

“ARE YA GONE NUTS?!” Adam replied angrily.

“The main thing is— we may not be able to come back here back because of the tight security Mr. Johnson would get after this.”

Adam exhaled a deep breath and thought for a second. “Never thought about that.”

“Now if you know, then let’s focus on what’s up to us. First, analyze the situation.” Zack started drawing mental diagrams in his head and explained a detailed version of what was going on. “See, the entrance is full of policemen for now. So, we can’t go there. Backside, it sure is empty, but it’s directly connected to road on the other side. Right, where we are in now, is declared empty of police for now. Left, there may be two-three men. Plus, most of the men are beside the dining room which was designed for guests, because that was where I was seen. They came in just one car, so there must be a total of four-five men. Two are down. At the maximum, three to go. Plus, that Mr. Scott is with Mr. Johnson for sure. So there may be just one to two left. We’re gonna tie ‘em up with a rope if they see us. Let’s head upwards for now. There would be no one for now. Mr. Scott must be asking for backup by now, so it’s good for us to just head upwards.”

“But, how’re we gonna get that painting if we go upwards?”

“Hmm, that’s a good question.” Zack started thinking something as he turned his head skywards. Due to the pressure of completing the mission, he actually lost sight of his mission. He was constantly thumping his right foot on the ground in impatience while looking skywards. “Mmm… Maybe maybe maybe maybe… Ooh! I-I don’t know what to do!”

“See, Zack,” Adam kept his hand on his shoulder as he tried to comfort him. “There’s no hurry. There’s still time until the backup forces arrive. Don’t put yourself in such pressure. Let’s head upwards, and then Imma tell you what to do next.”

“O-Okay,” Zack replied. Adam pulled the rope to check if it was strong enough, then started climbing it. He took a strong hold of one of the knots of the rope and started climbing it through those knots. He first held a knot, then advance his feet upwards, then he would get a strong hold of another knot and climb the rope in the same sequence. After Adam was halfway through, Zack also started climbing the rope and both were again at the drawing room. It was still empty and no policeman took care of checking it once. Zack tip-toed silently towards the other end of the room and took a glance at the situation downwards through the open stairway. The stairway was just in front of the policeman and the owner of the house with his wife so it wasn’t a problem in watching them. He heard Mr. Scott saying to his officer while correcting his half-blonde hair, “We want backup as soon as possible, bro! Do it now! What? This is Mr. Johnny Johnson’s house, you asshole! The whole name of London Police will burn in ashes if something happens to him! Come here ASAP!” Yelling that, he was keeping down his radio in his pants’ pocket as his eyes caught something up the stairway. He noticed that someone was glaring at him. He narrowed his eyes and started walking upwards. Zack ducked his head as soon as he saw him tilting his eyes upwards.

“Oh, no! What have I done?!” Zack worriedly scolded himself. “Adam, run downwards again!” He hurriedly ran towards the rope as he commanded Adam.

“What happened?” Adam whispered back.

“He’s coming!”

“Who?”

“Just come!” Zack said as he went down the rope.

Adam also started running towards him as the sound of footsteps coming upwards was wide clear now. “I-It might be too late,” Adam thought as he hid behind an intersection of the drawers at the left end corner of the room.

The policeman, Mr. Scott, walked slowly and stood at the entrance of the room, with his hands back. “I know y’are here, motherfucker.” He looked like a jailer or something— asking seriously while hands on his back. “If you won’t come out on your own, I’m gonna come in. And… If I come in, you will never go out alive and that’s my promise!” He tried to scare him and that worked pretty well on Adam too. He started shivering, but he didn’t go out of his hiding place between the drawers.

“Oh man! Everything’s going on wrong!” Zack slapped his forehead and though, “I needa do something; something to save Adam. But how can he be saved? Y-Yes, if Mr. Scott comes out of the room. But why’d he come out? I-I needa create a scene to bring him down. B-but who? Maybe someone from the Johnson family will play the trick. The husband-wife duo is down, then who’s left… LUCY!” He was thinking very fast and came to the conclusion within seconds. “She is bathing, so she’s alone, and that’s beneficial for me.”

 

Zack turned right and then looked at his left. He already knew that the house was directly connected to the road on other side. So, he climbed up the house and then started running towards the left side of the house. The kids were playing football together in the small street. It was not as well developed as the other side and it was comparatively small and narrow. Zack ran past the probably-to-be football players and jumped up again the wall on the other side of the wall. He was again facing the house from where he came from, and his X-Bow facing the house. He got on the sewer pipes and started climbing on them. One of them directly went past Lucy’s room. Zack climbed it up, took a strong hold of the window frame and left the pipes. He was hanging on the window frame with just one hand. But, he soon took hold of it with the other hand and pushed his body upwards. After his torso area was above the window frame, he used his right leg and jumped inside the house. He was in the same pink room again.

 

Adam, on the other hand, was still hiding in the cavity between the drawers. He was very afraid that Scott can find him very easily. Scott took up his right foot and entered the room. “Whoever y’are, I just wanna inform that it’s too late,” Scott announced.

“C’mon Zacky! Do something!” Adam begged in his mind. He didn’t want to be caught. He even learnt that he’s already met Scott for a case. If he’s found guilty again, it’d be bad for him. “I know you can do it, Zack. Please, do something.”

 

At the other room, Zack slightly banged on the door and whispered inside, “Lucy! Open up!”

Lucy opened the door slightly and popped her head out. “What it is, Zack.”

“Nothing,” Zack shrugged and started pushing the door.

“Hey! I’m not wearing clothes!” Lucy tried to stop him from opening the door. But, Zack was slightly better in tactics. He kept his foot between the door frame and door so it would not shut. And that indeed worked. Lucy was unable to shut the door, and through that small opening, Zack entered the room. “What the—” She started to scream but Zack shut her mouth through his hand on time.

He whispered in her ear, “Lucy, I can definitely kill you here, so if you want me to spare your life, do as I say.” Since Lucy was unable to talk, she nodded. Then, Zack commanded her, “Now, as I say, scream to your father as loud as you can. Got it?” She nodded again, so he took off his hand for a few seconds.

Lucy was confused at such a strange behavior but she did as he said. “AAH!” She screamed at the top of her lungs.

 

Scott turned his head around due to the large scream. “Maybe she’s in danger!” He thought and started running towards the room. He exited the room, ran from the front of the staircase where he saw that her parents were also running towards the room, and banged opened the door. “Are you okay?” He asked after leaning on the door. “Is everything okay or not?”

Zack whispered in her ear, “Tell him that you just saw a cockroach.”

She told the policeman, “Erm… I just saw a cockroach.”

Scott face-palmed at such a lame reply as Mr. Johnson scolded her, “Grow up, Lucy!”

“I-I will!” Lucy shyly replied. The two turned back and took their leave from the room.

“So, were you finding someone?” Mr. Johnson asked as he closed the door behind him.

“Ah, yes.” He ran back to the room and started finding him back again. He checked the small gap between the drawers, but to his surprise, there was no one. “H-He ran away!” Scott dejectedly said. “I had him!”

“Was here someone?” Mr. Johnson asked.

“Yes, he was here, and he’d have been in jail by now if your daughter has not shouted for help!”

“I’m very sorry, sir. I ask for apo—”

“No, you don’t need to ask for an apology, sir. It’s our job. Let’s just wait for the backup to arrive. It must be arriving anytime soon.”

“That’s good news.”

 

Adam was down the garden and was pacing as fast as he can towards the entrance of the house. “Maybe I can make it!” He thought. He stopped, took cover through the door frame and sneaked inside the house. He saw that the three were at the top of the stairway. “It’s a good chance,” He thought and crouched. He moved as fast as he can, even on such a position, while making no noise and playing hide-and-seek. He moved past the staircase and was crouching beside the first stairs of the stairway. At such a position and angle, it was nearly impossible for the seekers to see the hider. At that same ducked position, he continued towards the first room of the corridor which was situated just in front of the guests’ dining room. He pushed open the door slowly. It made a slight sound but Scott and others barely noticed it. He entered the room and hide around the door. He shut it up and locked it. Then, he laid his back on the door and started breathing hard. “Phew! That was close!”

 

Suddenly, a policeman entered the room and announced, “Sir! The Backup Forces are here!” He, along with seventeen other policemen he brought, saluted Scott.

“Okay, now listen to me,” He announced as he descended down the stairway. “Here are probably two murderers trying to murder Mr. Johnson. Those shitheads are so confident to kill him that they are still hiding here. Your mission is to begin the search and find them!”

“Yes sir!” They saluted and scattered.

 

Adam was so surprised that he started sweating. He immediately told Zack through his radio, “Hey Zack! Run away!”

“What?”

“I’m here at the home-office of Mr. Johnson and I’ve heard that the backup forces are here. They’re gonna come to your end soon. Even I’ll do my job here and come up. You leave.”

“No, Ads. You do your job and then we’re leaving together.”

Adam didn’t want it. He knew that he was short on time and argument would only consume it. So, he didn’t reply and stood up. In front of the door lay a desk which was full of papers and a desktop computer. Behind it lay the grand photo frame which contained the great portrait of Mr. Johnson. “It’s painted by a famous artist and its worth is more than ten thousand dollars, huh,” Adam thought as he took stood up on the chair and held the photo frame. He took up the photo frame and got off the chair by keeping one foot on the ground, and then the other. He kept the photo frame on the table as someone knocked at the door. “Sir, I think that this door’s locked up from inside,” He told his commander. Adam started sweating by hearing this as he turned around the photo frame and opened it. “Maybe someone’s in too,” He added.

“Oh man!” Adam thought. He hurriedly opened his bag, which was hung behind him all this time, and took out a copy of the photo. “I gotta do it fast!” He took out the original painted photo, rolled it and kept it inside. Then, he placed the exact copy of the photo and closed the frame.

“Hey, why is this door closed?!” It was the voice of Scott. He started banging on the door as Adam assembled everything and hung back the photo frame. “Sir, does this room have a window from the other side?”

“Erm, I actually don’t remember because I have not used it in months, but I suppose it do,” Mr. Johnson replied him. Adam knew where that window was. It was just behind the photo frame. Adam opened the window and jumped outside. “Forces, go towards the east of the house!” Scott yelled at his forces and continued banging at the door like nuts. But, it was too late, for Adam had already climbed the drain pipe.

 

Zack, in the meantime, took out his handkerchief, opened a small bottle with his left hand (while the right one was still on the mouth of Lucy) and dropped the liquid of the bottle on the handkerchief. “It’s Chlorofoam-X, made by SAI, remember?” Zack asked her as he took up his handkerchief. “Now, y’are not gonna remember any of it anymore.” He made her smell that potion as she fainted immediately. “Sleep well in the bath-tub, Lucy. I know y'are not gonna remember any piece of it anyways, but I’m very sorry for taking those extreme steps on you,” He apologized as she fainted. He laid her in the bath-tub and then scattered the water to make the entire bath-room’s atmosphere watery and sticky, just as if someone has just bathed. Then, he came out of the room and heard the footsteps of some men coming upwards. He immediately used the rope and jumped out of the room. At the terrace, he found Adam, who was breathing hard.

“We made it.”

“Yes,” Zack replied. He cut the rope and took down his X-Bow. “I knew that it’s gonna work.”

“When will we inform about it to Mr. Johnson?”

“Let’s wait for a few weeks. Maybe after the Competition?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

 

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