THE SILENT WITNESS

Chapter 4: no way out

The gunshot exploded through the warehouse, sending sparks flying from the steel beam just inches above Detective Marcus Hayes’s head. He shoved Daniel Cole behind a stack of rusted crates as another bullet ripped through the darkness.

“Stay down!” Marcus hissed.

Daniel’s hands trembled around his camera. Every instinct told him to run, but there was nowhere to go. The warehouse had become a trap.

A slow, confident pair of footsteps echoed from the shadows.

The hooded assassin emerged, her pistol aimed directly at Daniel. Her face remained hidden beneath the black hood, but her voice was calm.

“Give me the camera, and I’ll make your death quick.”

Daniel swallowed hard but refused to move.

Marcus raised his weapon. “Take one more step, and I shoot.”

For a moment, silence filled the warehouse.

Then the assassin smiled.

Without warning, the warehouse lights went out.

Darkness swallowed everything.

Daniel heard footsteps rushing toward him, followed by the sound of metal crashing to the floor. Someone grabbed the camera strap around his neck, and he fought back with all his strength.

A single camera flash illuminated the room for a split second.

In that instant, Daniel saw the assassin’s eyes.

He knew those eyes.

Before he could speak, a powerful blow struck the back of his head, and everything went black.