Ch. 87 Brothers in Arms

I step out of the manager’s office, my boots silent on the polished floor of the 50th floor, and I begin my descent, carefully making my way down the narrow hallway toward the stairwell. The building’s skeleton looms above and below, a hollow reminder of ambition left in tatters. The cold desert wind howls through the gaps in the structure, carrying with it the scent of dust and decay. The air inside the unfinished skyscraper is stifling, heavy with the weight of old dreams, but it’s the faint, oppressive silence that gnaws at my nerves.

I shouldn’t have lingered. The safehouse was never meant to be a sanctuary. This place is crumbling, forgotten by everyone but Mr. M. And now me.

I hear the faint hum of machinery, but it’s not enough to drown out the cold reality of my situation. I pause, my hand on the railing, peering into the dim abyss below. There’s a sharp echo. Footsteps are approaching fast.

"Leaving so soon, Mr. X?" The voice cuts through the silence. I freeze. The unmistaka