THE SILENT KILLER

CHAPTER 2

It was a cold and dull afternoon. The air was fresh and the sky was dark but it was peaceful. Adrian was busy carrying out his daily shift when James walked in, ordered his usual and had a seat.

Adrian remembered his quest to find out more especially if James was working alone so his eyes were fixed on him since when he walked into the cafe’.

Just then James stood up and made his way to his car parked close to the sidewalk on the road while he was trying to get his keys.

Adrian decided to follow him. He quickly but carefully took the cups on his tray to the kitchen where the other staff took it from him. Then he made his way outside, stopped a taxi and asked the driver to head the same way as James' car.

James, unknowingly to him, kept heading towards the venue where he was supposed to pick the young girls up from his team who managed to kidnap them successfully.

There was a black van awaiting James on the spot when he got there. It was a story building, unpainted but well and smoothly cemented with a big metal door on the front and window all newly fixed but tinted as you couldn't really see anything from the outside.

There was no sight of any humans and no houses close by but a black Mercedes Benz car, the latest version which James drove, was packed outside.

Adrian on the other hand stopped his taxi at a distance so he could not inform James that he was being followed, he got out of the car and paid the driver while his eyes were fixed on James as he headed towards the building.

Adrian stayed hidden behind some old wooden crates and looked at the building in front of him. With his thoughts unsettled.

The place looked scary.

The only thing Adrian could hear was the wind.

At this point Adrian the calm and gentleman was astonished. He still couldn't believe he had followed James all the way here.

For weeks, he had heard people talking about strange things. Customers often spoke about girls who had gone missing.

Parents looked worried. Police officers sometimes came into the café and asked questions.

But now maybe he was about to find out the truth.

Adrian peeked around the crate.

James was standing near the building and looking at his phone.

Everything was quiet.

Then suddenly a black car drove into the area.

Adrian quickly went low.The car looked very expensive you could tell only a rich person could afford such a ride.

It slowly stopped near the building.

A few seconds later, the door opened.

A man stepped out.The man was short and had a round pot belly. He wore a dark blue suit with shiny gold patterns on it and gold coflins too, his shoes looked clean and neat.

One could say it was brand new.

In one hand he carried a black walking stick.The top of the stick was shaped like a golden eagle.

Even from far away, Adrian could smell the man's strong cologne.The smell filled the air.

Adrian blinked.

He knew that face.He had seen it many times before. It was Mr. Sterling.

Adrian had watched him on television.

Almost everyone knew who he was.

Mr. Sterling was one of the richest men in California. He owned Sterling Industries, a huge company that made car parts, factory machines, and construction equipment.

People always said he was smart and successful. Seeing him here made Adrian surprised.

"What is he doing here?" Adrian said in his thoughts.

James walked over to him.

The two men shook hands.

"Good afternoon, sir," James said.

"Good afternoon, James," Mr. Sterling replied.

They began talking.

Adrian tried to listen.But they were too far away. He carefully moved closer.

One step. Then another. Then another.

Suddenly his shoe stepped on a small branch. c***k!

The sound seemed very loud.

Adrian paused.

James quickly turned his head and looked around.

For a moment Adrian thought he had been caught. He dropped behind the crate, his heart was not stable but wasn't at race either.

Seconds passed.

Then James turned back around.

Adrian slowly let out a breath of relief. That was close. Very close he said in his thoughts.

He waited a moment before peeking around the crate again. The men were still talking.

Then James' phone suddenly started ringing.

The sound broke the silence.

James quickly took the phone from his pocket. The moment he saw who was calling, his face changed. He looked nervous. Almost scared.

Adrian watched. Who could be calling him?

James answered right away.

"Hello, boss."

Adrian's eyes closed not fully but like that of someone who was suspicious.

Boss? So he wasn't the head he worked for someone. But who? An eyebrow rose as Adrian was in his head.

He listened carefully.

The caller's voice was too far away to hear. Only James' side of the conversation could be heard.

"Yes, boss." A pause. "We're here." Another pause. "Everything is ready." James listened carefully.

Then he nodded.

"No problems." A few more seconds passed. "Yes, boss."

"Mr. Sterling is here too."

Adrian knew at this point that whoever was on the phone sounded important. Very important.

James listened again.

Then he looked at Mr. Sterling. "He wants to speak with you, sir."

Mr. Sterling stretched out his hand.

James handed him the phone.

Mr. Sterling put it to his ear. "This is Mr. Sterling speaking." He stood quietly for a moment.

Then he nodded.

"Yes." Another pause. "Everything is going well." He listened again.

Then he said something that made Adrian curious. "Nobody suspects anything."

Adrian wondered. What did that mean? Nobody suspects what?

The mystery only started getting bigger.

Mr. Sterling listened carefully.

The smile on his face slowly disappeared. His face became serious.Very serious. "I understand," he said.

The caller spoke again.

Mr. Sterling tightened his grip on the walking stick.

"I know." Another pause. "It won't fail."

The wind blew across the void area.

Adrian stayed hidden and watched. He wished he could hear the whole conversation. Every answer seemed to create even more questions.

The call continued for another minute.

Finally Mr. Sterling nodded. "You have my word." Then the call ended.

He handed the phone back to James.

Neither of them spoke for a few seconds. Everything felt weird.

Mr. Sterling looked toward the large metal door. "We should go inside." James nodded. "Yes, sir."

The two men started walking towards the building.

As they got closer, the big metal door slowly opened. Several men appeared inside. They looked strong and strict. None of them weared a smile. They simply stood there and watched.

Adrian felt weird; he knew something was definitely wrong.

The men stepped aside and allowed James and Mr. Sterling to enter.

For a brief moment, Adrian could see inside. There was a long hallway, it was dark, the lights were dim. Then the metal door closed. Bang. The sound echoed through the empty area followed by dust and a heavy wind blown.

Now everything was quiet again.

Adrian remained hidden behind the crates. His mind was full of questions. Who was the boss on the phone? Why was Mr. Sterling meeting James here?What was inside the building? Girls? Part of Adrian wanted to leave.

Nobody knew he was there, he could walk away, he could go back to the café, he could forget everything and continue being the invisible man who everyone thinks unconcerned.

Maybe that would be the smart thing to do because he knew his life was at risk if he got caught. But another part of him wouldn't let him leave. At least not yet.

He thought about all the missing girls people talked about.

He remembered seeing troubled parents on television. Some of them teared up while asking for help. Others begged people to share any information they knew.

Adrian remembered the sadness on their faces. For sure this was connected he thought James must know something about these events happening and maybe Mr. Sterling too.

He looked at the building again.

He knew they were hiding something important. Something dangerous. Something nobody wanted discovered.

Adrian's hands were fisted. He was angry at this point. More angry than he had ever been before as he doesn't easily get angry but this, this got to him.

His whole life people had ignored him, customers at the café barely noticed him. Most people forgot about him after a few minutes.

He had always been the quiet person in the corner. The invisible person.

But maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Maybe being invisible could help him. He thought to himself.

Nobody was looking for him. Nobody was expecting him to be watching. Nobody expected him to be listening.

That’s why he could always learn things other people couldn't.

For the first time, Adrian felt like he was about to actually use his privilege of being invisible for something that actually mattered. He slowly stood up and looked at the building.

The clouds were beginning to get darker, the wind became stronger.

Somewhere inside that building, James and Mr. Sterling was meeting with people connected to an unknown boss.

And somewhere inside that building were the answers he was looking for.

His eyes were full with rage as if he would strangle someone to death. But he controlled himself nevertheless.

Finally, he made his choice, he wasn't going home, not yet. He had come too far. He was going to find out the truth. No matter what happened.

As Adrian looked at the metal door, he had no idea that his choice would change everything.

Because hidden inside that building was a secret bigger than he could ever imagine.

And once he discovered it, his life might never be the same again.