Chapter 16
1025 Words
Alister kept his head low as he stepped off the plane into Zurich’s crisp morning air. The airport was clean, quiet, efficient nothing like the tension that buzzed in his chest. Nothing like the last airport he was at but he knew still needed to be cautious. He’d made it out of the U.S., but freedom wasn’t peace. Not yet.
His fake passport had held. His forged boarding pass, his false identity, all had passed unnoticed which seemed quite odd to him, he was glad the gamble he took by choosing this path did not backfire. But that didn’t mean he was safe. It just meant he was one step ahead, for now.
The Swiss security guards looked calm but alert. He didn’t need to make eye contact. Just walk steady, breathe normal and this will be over soon.. That’s what he kept telling himself.
He followed the other passengers to the baggage claim, picked up the small black duffel bag he’d packed back in the states while making his way to the airport, and stepped outside into the open.
No one was waiting. He hadn’t made any plans beyond Zurich. No safe house. No contact. Just trust in the network and a hunch that someone would find him first.
And someone did.
A black van rolled up quietly to the curb. The windows were tinted dark. The engine didn’t switch off. It just sat there.
Alister didn’t hesitate. He didn’t know why, but something told him this was for him. No one waved. No one called his name. But he stepped forward anyway and pulled the sliding door open.
Two men sat inside, both in plain clothes and ski masks. Their eyes gave away nothing. One of them nodded slightly and held up a small gray mask connected to a familiar silver canister.
Alister swallowed. He knew what it was, same sleeping gas they used back in the warehouse. A test, maybe. Or a message: You’re still not in control. He kept thinking about why they still needed to knock him out.
He sat down and took the mask without a word. The second man adjusted the strap behind his head and let the gas flow.
Everything faded.
He woke up in a small, dim room.
The walls were white but bare, and the bed was little more than a padded bench. A single camera stared down from the ceiling. There was no clock, no window, and no door handle on the inside.
Someone had changed his clothes. The familiar weight of the clothes he wore earlier was gone. Now he wore a gray sweatshirt and matching sweatpants. Soft, clean, and clearly not his.
A knock came. Then the door opened, and a man slid in a tray of food. Bread, a bowl of soup, and a bottle of water. No words. Just a nod.
Alister stared at the food but didn’t touch it. He wasn’t hungry. He was calculating, uncertain of what he had gotten himself into.
“Isn’t this just another prison cell?. Is this a trap?” He kept asking himself.
About twenty minutes later, the door opened again. This time two men in all black motioned for him to follow.
They didn’t speak either.
They led him down a quiet corridor with gray walls and steel doors, until they stopped in front of a washroom. One guard pointed to a fresh towel and a bar of soap on the sink.
“You have ten minutes,” the man said flatly. He had a thick European accent, German or Swiss, Alister couldn’t tell.
Inside, the water was warm and clean. Alister washed quickly, keeping his mind sharp. This wasn’t kindness. It was routine. They were keeping him alive and clean, which meant he still had value to them but for what exactly… he didn’t know.
When he finished, they handed him a clean set of the same clothes and walked him back to the small room. The tray was gone.
He paced. No clock. No idea what time it was. He hadn’t seen sunlight since stepping off the plane.
Then the lights flicked off without warning.
Alister stood still, waiting to see if anything else would happen. Nothing did.
That was the signal, lights out. That meant it was night now, or at least their version of night.
He laid down on the hard mattress and stared at the ceiling.
For the first time since the plane, he let his mind wander. It drifted to Hannah.
This is the only version of peace he could currently afford.
He could still picture her clearly, the small crease between her brows when she was focused, the quiet way she smiled when she thought no one was watching. Her voice. Her scent. The warmth of her hands in his back at the holding cell.
Was she okay? Did she know he was gone? Was she even thinking about him? Does she still trust him ?
He couldn’t help but keep wondering if she was still looking for him just like the rest of the world. A part of him hopes she isn’t as it would only put her in harms way
He hated how much space she took up in his thoughts. He should be focused on escape, survival, figuring out who was behind this but no. Her memory clung to him like fog.
He remembered how she looked the last time they spoke, her eyes cold, distant. He’d pushed her away to protect her. That was the story he told himself. But in truth, maybe he’d been afraid. Afraid she’d see through him. Afraid she’d stay.
He turned on his side as if changing his position would magically divert his thoughts.
The camera in the corner blinked silently, recording his every breath.
He didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. He didn’t even know who was holding him or what they wanted. But one thing was certain,his life was no longer his own. He hated being a pawn but as of that moment what choice did he have.
And still, in the middle of all that unknown, all he could think about was Hannah.
- Writer
