CHAPTER 4.

CHAPTER 4

  Marchen sat on a sofa, taking slow sips of alcohol. His face was clouded with anger as he tightened his grip on the glass, looking as though he was about to crush it. His eyes burned with fury. The door to his living room creaked open, and a tall, light skinned, muscular man walked in.

  "Linx, Mr. Mars lied," Marchen said without looking up to see who had entered. He didn't even bother with a greeting.

  Linx sat opposite him, concern written all over his face.

  "He told me he killed Mr. Palms, his wife, and their daughter, just as he was instructed. But yesterday, while I was keeping an eye on Merrilyn, I discovered that her best friend isn't just her best friend she's also her cousin. And she's Mr. Palms' daughter."

  Marchen's voice echoed through the room, filled with rage. Linx looked shocked, disappointed, and worried. Fear briefly flashed across his face.

  "If they find out she's alive, they'll want her dead," he said seriously.

  Marchen fell silent. He began pacing around the spacious living room, his mind racing. He looked exhausted. He wasn't ready for another complicated mission. All he wanted was a peaceful retirement, but every time he got close, another assignment appeared. It was becoming unbearable.

  "We should kill her," Linx suggested coldly, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Marchen. "If we eliminate her, your burden will be over. The Boss will let you retire before next month, and you'll have nothing left to worry about."

  Marchen stopped walking and looked at Linx expressionlessly.

  "I'm certain they've already realized who she is. They'll definitely send someone to clean up Mr. Mars' mess. But I want to be the one to kill her, right in front of Mr. Mars. No one else is taking this job." His voice carried no trace of mercy.

  He resumed pacing the room, glancing at his phone every few seconds as though he were expecting a call or a message. He looked restless, taking another sip of his drink while Linx stood quietly with his arms folded.

  AnniBerry's POV

  AnniBerry entered her house and began pacing from one end of the room to the other. Why had Marchen warned her not to visit Merrilyn?

  "Is he Merrilyn's boyfriend?" she wondered.

  Merrilyn had once told her about a chocolate-skinned man she was seeing. Could Marchen be the same person? Then she shook her head, "No" Merrilyn had described him as kind. The man she had met was arrogant, proud, and had an unusually commanding presence. Unless Merrilyn had been trying to hide his true personality... or perhaps she simply wasn't good at describing people.

 She smirked, her eyes fell on the gift box Marchen had given her. She had no intention of opening it. Instead, she stared at it for several moments. Suddenly, a painful memory flashed through her mind. Her parents had once received a gift box on their anniversary, the moment they opened it, it began to beeping, but luckily her Dad was to detect it was a bomb before it exploded. Fear gripped her, she wasn't about to make a mistake as she couldn't identify a bomb if she sees one but her patent still died by bomb.

   Carefully, she carried the gift box outside her gate, grabbed a long rake, and repeatedly struck the box from a safe distance. After several blows, the box finally broke apart. Something that looked like a phone package was inside, she cautiously stepped closer and picked it up.

  It was a brand new phone.

  She gasped and immediately covered her mouth with both hands. Inside the package was also an envelope, she hesitated before opening it, inside was a short handwritten note.

 "If you ever experience anything unusual or notice anyone suspicious, don't hesitate to call this number." A phone number was written beneath the message.

 AnniBerry laughed.

 "He just wants my number," she said mockingly.  Smiling, she picked up the phone. At least she no longer had to worry about buying a new one. After getting dressed, she took the phone to be set up. It didn't take long before it was ready to use.

  Her first instinct was to call Merrilyn again, still no answer. She remembered Marchen's warning not to visit Merrilyn's house.

  "He really must be her boyfriend," she muttered.

  Deciding to distract herself, she went to a supermarket to grab something to eat. As she sat eating, thoughts of Merrilyn flooded her mind. She couldn't believe that after just one day, she was alone again. Unable to hold back her emotions, tears streamed down her face. People stared, but she didn't care. After a few minutes, she wiped her tears, gathered herself, and headed home.

  By the time she arrived, darkness had settled over the neighborhood. She locked the front door, placed her phone on the table, and went to take a shower. As the warm water ran over her body, she thought she heard the front door creak open.

  She immediately turned off the shower.

  "Who's there?" she shouted.

  Silence. She waited.

  Nothing.

   Maybe she was imagining things.

  Then

  A heavy thud echoed through the house, as though someone had jumped onto the floor.  Her heart pounded. Without bothering to rinse off the soap covering her body, she grabbed a towel and quickly wrapped it around herself. Slowly, she tiptoed toward the living room.

  No one.

  "Is that guy stalking me... or am I imagining things?" she whispered.

  She turned to head back to the bathroom. Suddenly, a figure dressed in black grabbed her by the hair, lifted her off the ground, and hurled her across the living room. She crashed onto the sofa.  AnniBerry screamed.

  Before she could escape, another masked figure rushed from behind, grabbed her by the neck, and clamped a hand over her mouth, preventing her from screaming again. The first attacker drew a gun and aimed it directly at her chest. Her eyes widened with terror as she struggled against the second man.

  Then, Bang!

    A gunshot echoed through the room.

  AnniBerry froze. She was certain she had been shot.

  Slowly, she opened her eyes. The man standing in front of her collapsed to the floor.

  Dead.

  The second attacker immediately pulled out his gun and fired toward the window.

  Another gunshot rang out 

 This time from the doorway behind him. The second attacker fell lifeless to the ground.

 AnniBerry screamed louder than ever as another figure began walking toward her through the darkness.

 Overwhelmed by fear...

 She blacked out.