The hidden message
814 Words
Chapter 7
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The sound echoed through Ethan’s office.
Amora held her breath.
The familiar voice outside the door spoke again, calm and almost amused.
“I know you’re in there.”
Ethan raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
He quietly opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a small handgun.
Amora’s eyes widened.
“You carry a gun?”
“I carry it because people don’t always play fair.”
He moved toward the door without making a sound.
Another knock.
This time, harder.
“Mr. Cross,” the voice called. “I’d rather we do this politely.”
Ethan looked through the peephole.
Only one man stood outside.
Dark suit.
Black leather gloves.
The same man who had stepped out of the SUV.
Without warning, Ethan turned toward the office window.
“We’re leaving.”
“What?”
“Now.”
Before Amora could argue, he pushed the window open.
The office overlooked a narrow alley.
“It’s two floors down,” she whispered.
“We won’t be jumping.”
He pointed to the old fire escape attached to the building.
“After you.”
Amora climbed onto the metal platform, her hands trembling as she gripped the railing.
The rusty stairs creaked beneath her weight.
Behind them—
BANG!
The office door burst open.
“They’re escaping!” someone shouted.
Ethan climbed out after her, pulling the window shut behind him.
“Hurry!”
They rushed down the fire escape just as another man leaned out of the broken office doorway.
“There!”
A gunshot cracked through the air.
The bullet struck the metal railing inches from Ethan’s shoulder.
Amora gasped.
“They’re shooting at us!”
“Keep moving!”
They reached the alley and sprinted between rows of old brick buildings.
Their footsteps echoed behind them.
“They’re gaining on us!” Amora cried.
Ethan grabbed her hand.
“This way!”
He pulled her through a narrow passage that opened onto the crowded Saturday market.
People filled the streets.
Children laughed.
Vendors called out to customers.
Within seconds, Ethan and Amora disappeared into the crowd.
The men chasing them reached the market entrance moments later.
Confused, they searched every direction.
But their targets were gone.
⸻
Nearly twenty minutes later, Ethan finally slowed his pace.
They stopped beside the river on the outskirts of town.
Amora bent over, trying to catch her breath.
“I can’t believe…”
She laughed nervously.
“…someone actually shot at us.”
Ethan didn’t laugh.
“They weren’t trying to scare us.”
“They were trying to kill us.”
His silence confirmed her fear.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
The river flowed quietly beside them.
Then Amora remembered the map.
“The river…”
Ethan looked at her.
“What?”
She reached into her jacket and unfolded Noah’s hand-drawn map.
“The truth is buried where the river meets the oldest oak.”
She slowly looked around.
Tall trees lined the riverbank.
Most were young.
Except one.
Several yards away stood a gigantic oak tree.
Its thick roots stretched into the earth like ancient veins.
Amora’s heart skipped.
“It can’t be…”
She walked toward it almost without thinking.
Ethan followed close behind.
“This is the Guardian Tree,” she whispered.
“Noah used to bring me here when we were children.”
She knelt beside one of the massive roots.
Her fingers brushed against the damp soil.
Something about the ground looked different.
Looser.
As if it had been disturbed years ago.
“Ethan…”
He crouched beside her.
“What do you see?”
“I think…”
She swallowed hard.
“I think this is where Noah hid something.”
Without another word, Ethan pulled a small folding shovel from the emergency kit in his backpack.
“You carry a shovel too?” Amora asked, unable to hide her surprise.
A faint smile crossed his face.
“Occupational habit.”
Together, they began digging.
Minutes passed.
The only sounds were the scrape of metal against dirt and the rushing river.
Then—
Clink.
The shovel struck something solid.
Both of them froze.
Ethan carefully brushed away the remaining soil.
A small rusted metal box emerged from beneath the roots.
Amora stared at it, her pulse racing.
“Is this…?”
Before Ethan could answer—
A twig snapped behind them.
Neither of them had heard anyone approach.
A cold voice drifted through the trees.
“I wouldn’t open that…”
Amora turned slowly.
Three armed men stepped out from the shadows.
The man in the black suit stood between them, smiling.
“You’ve finally found what we’ve been looking for.”
He raised his gun.
“And now…”
He aimed it directly at Ethan.
“…it’s time to hand it over.”
- Writer
