“What?” Scott shockingly asked. “Are ya sure?”

“Yes, sir,” The constable replied. “I’m damn sure it was Zack’s cell.”

Scott stood still in the same position for a few seconds. His mouth was open in shock. Then, he said, "T-Then what are y’all waiting for?”

Everyone ran out of the room— all twenty or thirty of them— to find what happened and how he ran away. Scott was alone in the room. He thought, “Oh no, oh NOOOO!” He held his head and scratched his hairs really hard. “M-My ten thousand pounds! No no no! I’m not gonna let my ten thousand pounds get away so easily!”

“Wait…” Scott heard a voice from behind him as he turned away and saw a black pant with a white shirt wearing man with his hands in his pockets. “D-Did anyone bribed ya?” Zack was shocked and had his eyes wide open, pointing towards him. “W-Who was he? Why did he do this to me?” He was very sad. He turned his head down. “I-I didn’t do anything wrong to anyone, but… but… WHY THE FUCK IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!” Scott got a kinda emotional. He looked at him while trying to hide his emotions. “WHY THE FUCK?! WHY?! WHY?! WHY ALWAS ME?!”

Scott’s right eye made a drop of tear run through his cheek. Scott sat on his knees, and said, “Ya know what, we’re same.” Zack looked at him and his eyes asked, ‘really?’ and Scott nodded. “Yeah, Zack. M-My mom… She left me in an orphanage. My dad… I never saw him. All I knew was that he was a police-officer and was killed by a criminal. I-I joined the police, that I can at least get to know about him and his life… but… I got to know that one needs to be hard and scary to live in this shit world! That... That’s the REALITY OF THIS WORLD!” Then, he started getting up while wiping is cheeks with his right hand. “A-And, I needa be hard now, Zack.” He stood up, took out his pistol from his pocket, and told him, “Sorry to be too harsh, Zack. But it’s for your own good.” He shot a bullet in Zack’s leg. Zack fell down on the ground as Scott started walking up towards him. “Y’are weak, Zack. Ya got no courage, no weapons, no coldness in your character, nothing. It’s not the way the world works. Ya needa be bad, so bad that the man in front of you will be fucked up; so bad that no one dare see directly in your eyes.” Zack started dragging is body behind. He left some incredible dark marks of blood as he dragged himself behind towards the window. “I wanna see ya growing, facing this world, replying face-to-face who dares shitting your life. Please, grow… for me, for your mom, for your dad, and for everyone who wanna see you smiling.” Zack was shocked to see his face. He was afraid that Scott would kill him. Zack turned back, stood up and tried running towards the window at the back. Zack was unable to run efficiently or clearly, but he was at least able to reach the window and jump out of it. Zack ran away for his life. He climbed the wall which was just two-three meters away from the building and ducked behind it.

“I needa call Adam here.” Zack took out a phone and dialed a number.

Scott stood on the window and didn’t find Zack running. He screamed, “It’s war, Zack! Imma catch ya ASAP!”

A drop of sweat ran down his forehead. “He’s a strange one…” He thought.

Scott closed the window and thought, “It’s good for you, Zack. If y’are gonna be framed and thrown in jail for a longer time, you’d be colder in the future.” He kept the nose of the pistol on his forehead and… BANG! The birds flew away from the nearby trees and wires as some policemen entered the room by hearing the bullet. Zack started crawling towards the gate of the house and run away. A policeman saw Scott lying on the ground with a pool of blood, and the pistol beside him.

“SIRRRR!” The constable shouted as he wan towards him. Three other entered the room and saw him running towards their head. They also followed him and there was a chaos in the room. “Call the hospital!”

“W-Who did this?!”

Someone dialed a number on his phone as other one ran towards the window by following the blood stains. “Maybe the killer ran from this way!” Another one came and saw outside the window.

 

Zack had run very far from them on the silent road full of residences on either side. “Suddenly,  a car stopped beside him as Adam, who was driving the empty car, said, “Sit, Zacky!” Zack nodded. He went towards the back side of the car and opened the door. Then, he sat in and closed the door. Adam put the foot on the pedal and the car ran away from the spot.

After a few seconds of silence in the car, Zack said, “T-Thank you, Ads.”

Adam replied, “Ah, it’s okay. Ya were there because of a mistake we both did, remember?”

“Yes, the life was more peaceful with Harry. The competition was pretty easy to complete. But, h-he’s not…” Zack was unable to complete his sentence. He broke in midway. Zack started to cry and sob a lot. “Wh-Why? Harry’s death, Miley’s betrayal, Scott, this ‘Special’ Exam— why do I have to go through all his shit? C-Can’t I live a peaceful life as others are doing? Rolan, Noah, Lucy-- everyone there is living a peaceful and simple life! A peaceful one!”

Adam was sad at Zack’s state. He looked at him through the mirror on the top. He didn’t reply for a few minutes; the car was full of Zack’s crying voices. After some seconds, Zack started settling down. Then, Adam exhaled a deep breath and replied, “See, Zack. It-It’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. It’s faith, destiny… It’s what you have to do and go through. No one can control it, either it’s me, you, or anyone else living on this world. All this world gave you are good friends… friends who can understand you, find a solution with you and help you get out of it.”

Zack didn’t reply. He glared a him for a few seconds with those tearful eyes of his.

 

The hospital opened and the constable, named Lionel Garzia, was alongside the stretcher in which lay Scott’s body. Lionel had a dark skin-tone and Spanish face, which defined his nationality. Lionel was wearing the blue-colored uniform along with a lack jacket. There were even two nurses beside the stretcher, running worriedly for the dead man. After running for a few seconds came the Operation Theater. “We’ll take care of him now,” Nurse stopped him from entering the OT. The doors were slammed and the room inside was lightened. In front of it stood Lionel, who saw this all shockingly. “Please, Scott, you can’t die. Please Scott, please!”

 

“You stay here is increased, ma’am,” a policeman told Olivia.

Olivia, who dejectedly sat inside the cell, was very shocked. Her eyes suddenly widened as she stood up and banged on the rods. “Why?!” She asked shockingly.

“’Cuz the other person, Zack Will, ran away. And without his statement, we can’t let you go out.”

“Hey, at least lemme me go out! I-I’m still not proved guilty! Please!” The policeman paid no heeds and went away. Olivia begged for mercy, “Please, sir! PLEASEEEEE!”

 

“Please sir! You needa wake up, please! Please please please please please!” Lionel was very worried about his good friend and boss. “You can do it, sir! Please, you needa wake up!” Suddenly, he looked at the OT’s door and saw a transparent human figure coming out. It didn’t open the door, nor he was on foot. It was flying some centimeters above the ground. It stood flying in front of Lionel. A drop of tear ran own his cheek as he said in a low tone, “S-Sir…” What stood in his front was his leader, James Scott. “Sir!” He said in a louder tone as he raised his right hand towards the figure. To his surprise, when he touched the figure’s chest, it burst into pieces. It disappeared into the air. Lionel was confused. He thought, “W-Was I hallucinating?” Suddenly, the door of the OT opened and one of the doctors walked towards him. He patted his shoulder, and opened his mouth, as to say something. But, he turned town the decision in despair. He just patted and turned his head down. Lionel was confused and troubled. He asked in a troubled way, “S-Sir, i-is Mr. Scott…”

“Yes, son. He’s no more,” The old doctor replied I despair. Then, taking his hands off, he added, “I can understand your pain, son.” He turned towards his left, the opposite of the OT, and started walking away.

Lionel was heartbroken. It was like a sharp arrow went straight into his heart and broke it into two. “I-I was hallucinating… o-o-or…” He knelt down in despair.

 

Zack sobbed and said, “H-Hey Ads. We… [sob] We left Olivia in there, I suppose.”

“What?” Adam shockingly asked. “Was she also there?”

“I’m not confirmed myself, you see. I-I was told at arrest that the portrait was found in Olivia’s house. Then, I was told later at the station about her. Maybe she was there, but I didn’t see her.”

“See, if she’s still in there, that’s not a good news. We needa get her out ASAP!” Adam replied with a sense of urgency. “So what should we do now?”

“I-I dunno.”

Adam took a deep breath and said, “Okay, I suppose we needa go there again, take Olivia out, and run away.”

“But this time, Scott won’t be there. He just saved me, you know. He laid down his own life. He-He said that he saw… he saw some kind of weakness in my character,” Zack explained him as Adam just listened patiently and nodded while driving. “He even said something like… like he was gonna frame me for his murder. He said that the longer time I spend in jails, the colder I will be.”

“Maybe the theory that the police’s gonna frame ya for his murder is correct. So, be careful. I suppose we can just run away from the country, until the situation gets okay. But, we needa save Olly first and get back the portrait.”

“Yes, if it gets back in the hands of Mr. Johnson, our mission’s a failure.”

“So, we needa work on Plan One-A. Without One-A, One will be a failure.”

“Yes, and the prime objectives are— one: to secure back the portrait, and two: secure Olly.”

“It’s gonna be a difficult one. When can we attack the Station and secure the two?”

“Um… Maybe… Today at night. It’d be the best. Today, we’ll attack back the Station and get back the two.”

“Great. No one’s gonna be on a tight guard anyways, right?”

“Yeah.”

 

It’s been quite some time and Olivia dejectedly sat on the seat of her jail cell with her head tilted down. “Hey, bitch number twenty-nine,” A constable came. “Y’are now here for six to seven fucking years, got it?”

“W-What?!” Olivia asked shockingly as she turned her head up. Her eyes widened in trauma and despair. “Why?!”

“Ya wanna know why?” He rudely asked. “’Cuz those motherfuckers are gonna blame ya in the Court for helping Zack, who’s currently on a run. Dunno if he’ll be caught or not, but y’are gonna be here for long.”

“No, please! I did nothing! Please lemme go!” She begged him. He knelt down on the rods and tried her luck. “Please, sir, please!” Tears started coming out of her cheeks. Her voice became heavier and full of pain. But, the inspector ignored it all and continued advancing towards the exit.

 

“I-It’s all because of that ZACK!” She angrily said. She was full of pain and trauma and now was more menacing than before. “He-He left that portrait there when he visited me, I’m damn sure! D-Damn you, Zack. DAMN YOUUU!” She had gone completely mad due to the trauma. She’d never thought about being in a jail like this. “I-Imma AVENGE THIS ALL, ZACK!”

 

“What? Scott died?” Mr. Johnson asked his assistant, Ms. Kei Cho. “How?” Mr. Johnson asked.

“Sir, he was killed in the line of duty. While everyone was interrogating Olivia, Zack ran away from the Station. He was even accused for the theft of that portrait. Police told us that the one to be accused of Scott’s death is Zack Will, who is currently on the run. As for now, the portrait is gone for examination and the results will be out by midnight. The police promised us to return it by midnight as soon as it comes back. It’s probably because they are afraid that they might lose it.”

“Hmm…” Mr. Johnson scratched his chin. “Zack… Why’d he do this?”

Ms. Cho shrugged. “Dunno. In fact, when he was first brought up here, I didn’t expect him to do something like this.”

“Yep, same here. That’s why I’m having a bad feeling about him. I think he’s on a retaliation or something.”

“But, why’d he have any grudges from SAI?”

“That’s what I needa find out.”

“Okay, so, remember your online meeting with the Chief Minister.”

“Yeah, I will,” He replied. Ms. Cho turned back towards the door and left the Director’s Office. Then, being in personal, Mr. Johnson started to laugh, “Hahahaha! I gave them attest, and they’re goin’ rogue against me! How silly of the two to think that they’re gonna steal my portrait and Imma sit here idle and warm my chair!” Then, he turned to his desk in his front and took up a pen. While rolling it, he said, “Zack, ya don’t know how much I was gonna pay Scott for your freedom. Now, Imma play my next card very soon. If the portrait is not in my hands by tomorrow, it won’t be good for Olivia! Go, Zack. Do what ya wanna do. Y’are gonna regret it anyways.”

 

“Now we needa show Mr. Johnson what we are,” Zack commented.

“Now I needa show ‘em up who I’m!” commented Mr. Johnson at the same time.