ENDS

Hunter’s P. O. V.

“Wait. What do you mean by Pedro is the man after my life and how in the world is he Meredith’s father, it doesn’t make any sense! ” I exclaimed, trying to keep my cool was failing woefully because with my heart rate, I should be suffering from a cardiac arrest in T minus five.

” Deep breaths Hunter, I’m gonna explain it all to you but you need to take a deep breath. We can’t have you dying before You even get the chance to save Louisa” Mr Reid stated ever so calmly with his eyes focused on me.

But I adhered to his instruction. A deep breath could be the only solution to my state of mind.

After inhaling and obviously exhaling, Mr Reid took it as a sign to carry on.

“Pedro Ha’adith Gonzalez. A man of Brazilian, Arabian and Spanish origin. I think his roots are enough to trace how deadly he can be. Most young people join the clan today without knowing what they’re going into, you all see it as an opportunity for drug peddling and money intake. ” Mr Reid reaches to the file before him and pulls out a very old newspaper, before tossing it in my direction.

“Read the headline” he continued.

With slightly shaking hands, I pick the newspaper and unfolded it.

27th May 1995

Suspected terrorist group, The Clan, bombs Yekshire state building.

I had to re-read the headline at least twice before looking up to Mr Reid again.

“Hunter, the clan is a terrorist group. Like the Isis of the Arabs and Boko Haram of west Africa. The clan is an international terrorist group, they kill, they steal, they plant false evidences. I’m pretty sure you’re aware of the last duty as I’ve heard youve been on a quite successful few”Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

If that was meant to be appraisal or indictment, I wasn’t sure.

” You used to be a part of the clan” I stated, fully remembering why I needed his help in the first place.

“That was before it became a terrorist group. Pedro, Matthias and I began this circle called the Clan. Why? Pedro’s father was a renowned political personality back in the Arab emirates. His father was falsely accused and fake evidence was planted against him for the murder of a senator, Duraj Khalifa. Hence he was sentenced to death. ” Mr Reid reaches for another newspaper in the file and hands it to me. I didn’t need to be told before I opened it to read the headline.

13th November 1982

Senator Duraj Khalifa comes out to prove death rumors wrong.

” He was never murdered ” I say, looking at the image of the Duraj Khalifa stepping out of a building with both hands waving to the crowd.

” It was a set up to get rid of Pedro senior, that is Pedro’s dad. The senator was going up against Mr Gonzalez in an election seven months after the prosecution. So no competition -”

“Duraj was assured of winning ”

“Exactly. Especially after all the controversies, he’d gathered enough popularity to set his winning streak. Any one with a rational thinking would know there’s a set up behind this, why couldn’t he come out to null all the death rumors before Pedro’s father was killed?. Pedro was an only child. Well, asides from his adopted brother. Funny enough he was the product of a one night stand with a gold digger who dumped him to his father for a good sum of money. Ever since, he was raised and nurtured by one man who cared for him effortlessly, only for him to get killed over some peoples selfish quest for himself.” he pulls out another paper from the file and reads out the headline to my hearing.

” April twenty fifth, Nineteen eighty three. Senator Duraj Khalifa found and confirmed dead in his apartment” he flips open the paper and continues reading. “Roughly a month after Mr Khalifa’s election, he was found dead in his apartment with a drink containing chloroform and two gunshot wounds to the head. The investigation team suspect it to be a suicide due to the evidences gathered and no sign of external presences ” Mr Reid raises his eyes from the paper to send me a glance.

” That was the first and successful mission of the clan. We murdered Duraj Khalifa. Pedro planned it all, I was his closest and most likely only friend, where as Matthias was his adopted brother. Together we took revenge on every party that had collaborated to kill his father ”

” How was it so easy for you? I mean.. You technically planned a murder” I asked, not wanting to point out how he did it under his parents nose.

His soft chuckle almost lightened the mood till he spoke.

” Children without guardians find it so easy to walk into flames and not give a damn. I was an orphan, like fate had its way of doing things. Pedro and I came across each other some time when we were a lot younger. I used to sit at the corner of the road opposite a coffee shop begging for food or at least money to buy the food. Pedro came one day and dropped a cup of coffee and a garlic bread. Did that for a week till he came with his father. The good man put me in an orphanage home and sponsored my education in the same school as Pedro. So during the period of his fathers death, I could simply say I was going to spend the night at his place to cheer him up and I’d be let out. They were all fully aware of our friendship ”

“Wow” that was all my mind could think of. There’s practically too much in a back story.

” Wow indeed. Left to me, I wouldn’t have supported that revenge murder but in a way I felt indebted to him. So I did”

” what happened afterwards ”

” Pedro lost it. It took us years to terminate everyone involved in his fathers murder but when we were done, I wanted to call quits. I was ready to settle with a job and a family and Matthias was just a teenager with all of his life before him. Pedro said he’d wanted to settle too, so everyone called quits. We sent Matthias to another country to complete his college and secure a future for himself. I had gotten married and had kids, three at that moment. Pedro had gotten married too, coincidentally to my wife’s sister. But we all attended the weddings and were happy for each other” he paused to look at the file again before us, so i assumed he was gonna pull out another paper but he didn’t. He just continued speaking.

” I thought we all had moved on to a better life, till I turned on the television and I see the news. A boat carrying the grand son to Duraj Khalifa across Indian waters capsizes due to an unknown explosion. At first I wanted to call it coincidental till a video surfaced on the internet, of a terrorist group known as The clan claiming responsibility. Then I knew it was Pedro. More attacks here and there until the bombing at Yerkshire state building. I had to go to Pedro myself to stop him. The event at the state building had been a children’s day celebration, meaning over hundreds of children got killed because the grand niece to another accomplice in his fathers death was in the same building.

Pedro wasn’t listening to me, so I took it to the police. I had to confess everything. But before I did, I told my wife. I had submitted myself and Pedro to the authorities. I pleaded for a quiet prosecution and judgment but I was given a lot less striking penalty than Pedro was, I had no idea where Matthias was on earth so I let the kid fend for his life. Nine years imprisonment with hard labor son. It was only imprisonment because I came clean and helped capture another terrorist, Pedro was to be given a death penalty”

“So if Pedro served a death sentence, how is he my worry? ” its no longer making any sense.

” Pedro never served the penalty. He was to spend ten years in jail before facing his sentence but he escaped in the ninth year, no one knows how. When I was done with my sentence, I returned home to meet my last child as my wife was pregnant before I left and another girl. The girl we know as Meredith. Pedro’s wife was also pregnant and after giving birth to Sa’adia as she had named her, she fled because she had realized who her husband was. Till today we can only guess her whereabouts ”

I took a few seconds to digest this information before I thought of uttering a word.

” But why is Pedro after me? I’ve done nothing wrong to him”

” Hunter you’ve done everything wrong. After we dispatched thinking we had gotten new lives, Pedro recruited a new team to help carry out his acts. Soldo happens to be a part of this team. For protection, Pedro placed Matthias under Soldo ”

The name finally hit a chord in my senses.

” The s-same Matthias? ”

” Yes Hunter, the same Matthias you had killed. You murdered Pedro’s remaining family. Well, with exception of Meredith ”

A shiver passed through my spine at the realization and another dawn of how much trouble I’m in fell upon me.

” And if you’re interested, I think you should know more about Meredith. She’s the only direct link you’ve got to Pedro “