MOST WANTED MAN IN THE WORLD

CHAPTER NINE

13 seconds later , the elevator made a low bumping sound as it ground to a stop at the place she'd inputted it to. She strode out, adjusted her hoodie and ran her scrutinizing eyes down the full length of the corridor. Up here was eerily quiet, very quiet. A sharp contrast to the chaos and noise going on downstairs. She wondered if there is even anyone staying on this floor. " Here will be a good place to kidnap someone and do with them whatever one wills. Even if they are being butchered, the victim cries for help wouldn't even attract the attention of a baby downstairs, even with its super human sense of hearing .

This walls are seemingly sound proof ". She muttered hitting her balled fist on the wall beside her. Her face was blank as horrific thoughts kept flashing in her head. Despite the heavy pounding in her heart and wobbly feeling in her legs, she trudged forward.

Miriam didn't know which to knock on, there was about 22 doors lining the corridor. She glanced at the first one in her left, a d raised her hand to knock on it, but decided against that on the last minute.

She continued down the hallway. Miriam pausied before another door and stared at it for a while. But again, she thought better of knocking on it. She continued strolling down the hallway glancing from side to side.

Miriam suddenly spurn around when the squeaking sound of a door opening sounded behind her. She saw the black bulky hair sticking out of the door before the face came into view. She was a beautiful woman. Chocolate in complexion, shiny red lip gloss on her full formed lips. Her eyes were doll like and beautiful.

"Some residents had noticed my wandering movements". Miriam thought to herself, a reassuring I mean-no-harm smile appearing on her face. But the smile hung there when the lady called out her name.

"Miriam". she said, her face blank and emotionless.

Miriam had stood, moping at her apprehensively.

The woman motioned for her to come inside, then snuck back into the room.

When she noticed Miriam hadn't followed her, she came outside the door again and saw her sill standing at the same spot since 8 seconds ago.

"Come on in". urged the woman.

Miriam nodded in acknowledgement and the lady went back in.

It was up to another 2 seconds before Miriam took a step towards the door. Then another, and another. She stood before the door for a brief moment the slowly pushed it open. But before she stepped in, she stuck her head in and swiftly peered at both sides of the door before walking inside.

A clap rang out through the apartment. "Very smart of you indeed". Came the woman's voice. " Looking behind both sides of the door before walking in. All the more reason we came looking for you. But visiting going to a address given to you by a stranger is a pretty stupid decision, that could cost one his life.". continued the woman. "You have to be sure, must have rendezvous the meeting place before attending. Bad things do happen to people who are not careful".. Added the woman from where she sat on a office chair at the far end of the room, her left leg propped up on the other, a wry smile plastered on her face.

The possibility of someone waiting behind the door for her had made Miriam do that. She doesn't want the event of stepping through a door and getting hit on the back of the head with a 2 by 4 or even a pestle by someone waiting for her behind the door. Though Miriam had taken this quite risky and uncertain journey with the possibility that something bad can happen to her at the back of her head, she is still putting her eyes into water and looking at thing as as carefully as possible.

Miriam's gaze fell back on the woman sitting elegantly and unfettered on the seat. She wondered what this is all about. First, she was approached by a bald man who preached her a sermon about how she matched up to all the criteria of the type of workers they are looking for in a job that they are offering. A job that would make her parents proud. He had given her an address and here she is at the address, before a woman. A woman she had never met before, and the man who had approached her earlier is nowhere to be found!!.

She slowly removed her eyes from the woman and began to look around at the room. It was a really modern and well furnished room. A huge chandelier hung from the centre of the room. It's multicolored lights illuminated the room, covering it in some sort of rainbow-like Led-light show. A 98 inch TV hung on the left side of the room. It was switched off. They or she are obviously too busy to be watching television in the afternoon. Few feet below the TV was a huge standing air conditioner. To the other side of the room was another air conditioner, the same size as the other one. Together, their combined cooling power chilled the room, that even though she was dressed in a sweater, Miriam could still feel the cold seeping through her skin.

A glass table stood at the center of the room, a flower vase of red artificial flowers lay on top of it. Three brown sofas sat side by side on both sides of the room. Miriam was impressed, everything here screamed of luxury and opulence. She turned back to the woman who had been watching her all this while.

"Why am I here?" l. She asked

The woman pointed her finger, with well trimmed nails towards one of the sofas. " Take a seat first". she said.

Miriam stood for a while staring back at her with a deviant gaze. The woman stared back at her with a blank look.

After a few seconds of tense standoff, with Miriam neither moving nor talking, it became clear to the woman that she wouldn't budge so got up and strolled towards her.

"I know you must be wondering what all this is about". She said, stopping a few feet from her.

Miriam nodded, signalling that's exactly what she'd been wondering about since.

"Like you said, First you were approached by a man you haven't met before . He told you about a johlb and directed you here. You came, thinking you were going to see him when you get here. But here you are, with me, another stranger". Continued the woman, a wry smirk flashing across her face.

Miriam nodded again ". Exactly that". she thought to herself.

"Well, that's how we operate. In our world, too much carefulness doesn't hurt. It saves, but you and a whole lot of other lives".

Miriam Archer her brows at that.

"We?, who is we? " She asked.

The woman's face suddenly turned serious. She slowly breathed in and said ". N.I.A".

Miriam's mouth flew wide open in shock. She stood, frozen in place.

"You mean NIA, like the National intelligence agency?". She asked when she regained her composure. Her voice, now a jumbled mess of tonal chaos clearly showing her disbelief.

"Yes". replied the woman and she began walking back to her seat. Miriam still couldn't believe what she just heard. She still could not bring herself to believe the woman. Everybody in the country knows what the NIA is and what they're all about. They're all about intelligence gathering and covert operations. But no one knows those who work for the agency.