Chapter 17: Crosshairs

The red laser stayed on my chest.

Steady.

Unmoving.

I couldn't breathe.

"Maya!" Daniel shouted.

He threw himself at me.

We hit the ground just as another shot cracked through the air.

The bullet shattered the SUV's side mirror.

Glass sprayed across the road.

Samuel dragged us behind the vehicle.

"Stay down!"

The little girl was frozen where she stood, clutching her teddy bear.

"Come here!" I yelled.

She couldn't move.

She was terrified.

The laser shifted.

From me...

To her.

"No!" I screamed.

Without thinking, I ran.

"Maya, don't!" Samuel shouted.

I ignored him.

I reached the little girl and pulled her to the ground.

A third shot struck the abandoned car behind us, sending sparks into the air.

Daniel crawled over and grabbed the flash drive lying in the dirt.

"I've got it!"

"Keep it safe!" Samuel replied.

The shooting suddenly stopped.

The silence felt unnatural.

"They're relocating," Samuel whispered. "A trained sniper never stays in one position for long."

He glanced towards the roof of the warehouse.

Empty.

Whoever had been there was gone.

Police sirens echoed in the distance.

This time, Samuel didn't relax.

"They'll be gone before the police arrive."

The little girl clung to my arm.

"My name is Lily," she whispered.

"It's okay, Lily."

She shook her head.

"No... it isn't."

Her small hands trembled as she pointed towards the flash drive.

"My daddy said... if anyone gets that... they'll know the truth."

"Your daddy?"

She nodded.

"Professor Elias."

Samuel and I exchanged stunned looks.

Professor Elias wasn't just alive.

He had a daughter.

Before I could ask another question, Daniel plugged the flash drive into a small laptop he kept in his backpack.

The screen flickered.

A single video file appeared.

Its title read:

FOR MAYA ONLY

Daniel clicked it.

The screen remained black for a few seconds.

Then a familiar face appeared.

My brother.

He looked tired.

Older.

There was a fresh scar running across his forehead.

He looked straight into the camera.

"If you're watching this, Maya..."

He paused, as if searching for the right words.

"...then I've already failed."

The video suddenly glitched.

The image froze.

A warning flashed across the screen.

REMOTE ACCESS DETECTED

Samuel's face drained of colour.

"They've found the drive."

The laptop screen went black.

One sentence appeared in bright red letters.

YOU'RE TOO LATE.