I'm standing in a room. My eyes are close. I just stay still listening to my surroundings. The noises from the lizards and other insects, the foot steps outside, the screeching sound of the loose light bulb above, the humming noise by the wind that enters through window, and the nonstop sobbing of the girls at my side.

So many noises in a place that is filled with darkness.

On the other night, I met a wounded guy and saved his life. I didn't really know why I saved him. Maybe because in my entire life I just caused death to other people and never done saving a single life. Yeah.. That's maybe the reason why I saved him. And after weeks with him staying and recovering at my place, I found him weird. Especially that night he regained consciousness, he was saying weird about me. He told me that I have awesome pairs of horns. Like.. How..? How did he know that? I wasn't able to sleep that night thinking about that. Then, this noon, he followed me till here. He's actually so obvious that's why I noticed, but I let him be, because I don't really bother by his presence. And right now, for sure he's inside of this house, but I don't know or even care where.

Still these girls are not stopping from crying. I can't blame them. They were just working and earning to live a life, and then suddenly they got abducted and will soon going to trade with some traffickers, and their lives will be depended by their hands. That's why I am here with them, to free them.

I was dragged into an incident by this old man. He offered me this job. It was a small organization that fights evil. And it's been two weeks for me since I got this kind of job. Then, I b.u.mped to that wounded guy while going back to my apartment.

I've been destined here to observe and to get information about Circus. I'm an agent. Well, not some kind of hero thing or not even under the police headquarters. It just, that old man offered me a lifetime money, and so I accepted it since I was before a bounty hunter and I needed that offer.

What I do on this job is to pretend to be one of these criminals, they are the ones who's responsible for the missing employees from that snake candy branch. I applied and proved myself. It was kinda hard at first, but since I've got a back up I pa.s.sed through. So far, I've collected enough informations about Circus. I don't know if some of it are true or not, but at least I did the main job. My purpose of being here is these girls behind me. I have to escape them, and these group of girls are my third. I hope this time again they won't doubt at me.

Well, it doesn't matter anymore because this is the last time. My job here will be ended once I meet the mastermind, and that's what I'm waiting for right now.

I move an inch as I heard a new noise. It's from the door. Someone slowly opened the door. I open my eyes and act like I didn't notice him, whoever it is.

I stay still and alert myself when I heard a knocking sound from the wooden wall in front of me. It's time. He's here.

"Total of eight girls are abducted from south, east, and west branches." I reported.

A golden bell above the wall chimes for couple of times then four lines forming a square on the wall is made as it slightly pushes back and slides down. The secret pa.s.sage opened, and two men in black come out of it. The man on the left is very muscular and ma.s.sive in size than the man on the right that is slim and tall. They both wear a black shades and hat, but this man on the right is giving me a tremendous intimidating aura.

He is giving me the feeling that he might be the mastermind, Circus. His presence alone telling me that.

Every week, once the abducted employees bring here in their hideout, they'll be giving a task to one person to make a report and deliver them to the traffickers, and they gave me that task this week.

"May I know how will the transaction be done?" I talked to break the silence.

But they neither give attention to what I ask nor look at me. They are just smiling while inspecting the girls beside me. So, they are happy with that huh. I got annoyed. They are just heartless people who only thinks of their illegal doings.

Well, I'm not different from them... I may be the worst.

I cough intentionally to get their attention, "As what I've known, there's a time scheduled for the transaction. So, if we don't move now..." I stop talking as the bulk size man walks closer to me. I get stunned. What is he going to do? He's looking so furious and looks like he's going to beat someone. He's having that kind of look while walking towards me. I get nervous.

I move back when he is already close to me, but when I did that he gets more angry. He's fuming. What the h.e.l.l.

"Who told you to act so casually in front of us." he talked in his barbaric voice, not in a question. He's demanding. Then, with an unbelievable speed, he grabs me at my neck and lifts me up.

I didn't see that coming.

I immediately hold his big hand with both of my hands trying to remove it off on my neck, but I couldn't. My level on strength is very low against him. He's choking me, but I still fight back. I can't even kick him to where it hurts the most, since both of my legs are in the air and swaying.

"I've heard that you're the new recruit from nowhere, young lady." My eyes s.h.i.+fted to the slim man, he is talking to me.

He starts walking towards us while he wears a white glove on his right arm, then he removes his hat and shade. He looks young having blue eyes that suit on his blonde hair, with an olive skin tone. And when he is in front of me, beside this bulk man, he gives me a grin as he wear the other glove on his left hand.

"Do you really think you'll make them escape this time?"

I get stunned. But at a second thought, I have to do something because my life is in danger. For sure at any moment, he'll take my life, and so I gather all the strength as I pin my nails on his hand and forcefully push it downwards. He loosen his grip and that's when I use his hand to make me bend upward as I sway my legs high to make a circle motion, and when my legs stands in the air I immediately stretches my right leg and kick it hard on his head and make him down. And as he slowly gets lower I make a motion for me to get down using my left foot to touch the floor. When I finally touch the floor I tumble away from them.

The bulk man is left shock to what I did to him. And when the blonde guy moves, I immediately pointed my two guns at them having the thought that he might attack me, but he just turns around to look at me then he starts clapping.

"That was an excellent move, young lady. I'm impressed." he said while striking his hands together over and over.

I didn't talk or didn't respond to his amus.e.m.e.nt because right now, I am thinking a solution of how will I escape together with these girls. I knew that I'll get caught by them. I didn't even expect that I'll clear this mission that easily, because I didn't underestimate them, ever since they showed up.

"Aha.. Ahaha..." the bulk man diverted my attention when he got up and started giggling while his palm is on his face to where I kicked. Then suddenly he laughs out loud.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!"

I flinch because of his laugh. It's so loud that it cause me to cover my ears. But then he just suddenly removes his shade and crushes it with his hand into pieces. I get stunned as I saw his face. He has scars on both of his eyes. His eyelids are shut down because of the scars, and that just means he is blind.

"By the way young lady, it's really not the best thing to kick him in the face. That's his pride." the blonde guy said, and for sure it's a warn but it's already too late for me to avoid that.

The bulk man already stopped laughing and now he's sniffing as if like he's finding something—no more like someone, through smelling. And when his face pauses directing on me, he shows a furious face. Out of nowhere, he is already in front of me. I couldn't move at all because of shock. He's so close and ready to punch me at any moment. By how big his fist is, he might create a hole on my body.

But then, at the corner of my eyes I saw the door opens and a man comes out from it, then he runs fast towards us. He's already at my side.

"Seriously, how can this huge man moves so fast." he said as he immediately holds me up then runs towards the window. He jumps through the window breaking it and run swiftly away from that place.

I come back to my senses when I heard screams from the girls. Everything that just happened was so fast that I couldn't even think of a single reason as why this guy, that I saved three weeks ago, is holding me like some princess and escaping from nightmare. What the h.e.l.l.

"Wait! Stop, stop, stop!" I yelled and he actually stops.

He looks down at me, "What?" he asked with his eyebrows are curled up.

"What are you doing?! Get me back there. I can't leave behind those girls!" I shouted at him.

"What?"

Seriously. What's wrong with this guy!? I take a deep breath to calm myself.

"Look, mister. I'm in a very important mission here, OK. So, I have to go back there and save those girls because if not... I'll get a trafficker myself and exchange you with money. Now, you get it?" I explained in an annoyed tone. I failed on calming myself.

"Pfft—"

Oh, looks who's happy. He held his laugh when he saw my glare and unpleasant expression.

"OK, OK, I get it. But I don't think it's the right time to go back there. We just escaped you know." he excused.

"Do you even understand what those girls are going through?"

He gets serious to what I said and talked while he's looking in a different direction.

"I know."

In just his few words I stop myself from arguing more with him. There's a lot of mix emotions with those words. The emotions of his words are profound. I felt it. Besides, his eyes are like going to kill someone.

"Hey..." I called him in a low tone. He looks at me. "Let me down. I can walk."

And as he let go of me, he suddenly holds my left hand. I look at him confusingly, and he is also looking at me. "I'll help you."

I couldn't utter a word. What does that mean?

"I'll help with that mission. Besides, I can be your good partner." he said as he shows his confident smile.

"What are you..."

"Let him in, Zoey."

We both turn our faces to the old man at the street. We are inside of a corner, between two buildings, and that old man is sitting on his scooter with a one-wheeled sidecar attached on its scooter.

The guy that I still don't know its name, looks at me. "Who is this cool grandpa? Your grandpa?" he asked.

"No. He's just some old man who offered me this job." I answered. And he just nods while holding his chin.

I let him be and walk towards the old man. "I failed. I couldn't save the girls." I reported.

But the guy suddenly runs towards me, "Hey, it's not done yet. Giving up so easily. They haven't gone through transaction, OK." he complained, more like he's scolding me.

"He is right, Zoey. There's still a way." old man agreed with him.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you later. Now, hop on." he just said, as the engine of his scooter starts. "We're going to meet the Heiress."

The guy beside me excitingly walks towards the side car and rides on it. "Ohoooh! This is exciting."

I just heave a sigh and follow him. And as we start moving I avert my sight at him. He's staring at me again. Really, ever since that night he regained conscious I always caught him staring at me. Oh, I remember. It's because of these mini black horns on my head. I almost forgot that, and till now, that is still a big question to me.

"By the way, the name is Aries." he introduced with wide smiles on his face while shaking my hands without even asking permission. I avert my sights on the road and let him be.

He's really weird. No, more like just an disturbing monkey.

To be continued...