CHAPTER TWELVE: THE TWELFTH HOUR

Jackson then tells me that we need to move to a safe position if we want to lose track of the men. I agreed and we slowly left our table after the order finally arrived. I left the money with the waiter and we left as casually as we could. As we left the premises, the men followed us vehemently. We then started to pick up the pace, as he approached as quickly. We then continued picking up the pace more and more and more until we finally started running.

The men followed in hot pursuit. We then entered an alleyway and we lost him. The man with the scar became frustrated and then started to bark orders to the other men to find us first before it was too late. As he was alone trying to call someone, Jackson sneaked in with a gun and told him to give me his phone. I took the phone out of his hand and we approached the direction of our car. When then kidnapped the man as I was in the driver's seat. We drove off as the men that were with ugly Scarface McGee spotted us and rushed to our car only for me to drive off safely.

While we were driving, Jackson and I started to interrogate the guy to find information about him and the unknowns, which was going to be a step in the right direction, especially considering we may have a way to take down the entire group all at once. The man even with a gun held onto his head, still doesn't want to talk nor give us the information we wanted. Jackson then proceeded with his retrieval techniques for finding information. He first started to snap his fingers one by one as he cried for mercy.

"Will you talk now or should let my friend here continue his usual punishments," I stated very threadedly.

"O..Okay I tell you everything, just please make him stop," He cried

"I don't know, it's been a while since he had his punishments, you don't talk he will continue," I warned

"I said I'll talk okay," He pleaded

"Okay tell us about the trafficking business," I stated vehemently.

He then continued to spill the beans as I parked at an abandoned warehouse. He looked like a dangerous villain but his squealing made him look like a small duck abandoned in the rain. Jackson then tied him up on the chair as he continued his usual retrieval techniques. We then found out little information from him, but the little information might help in finding Ruth. We discovered that Bakari was doing more than just drug trafficking and Ruth got involved when she was busy doing her mission work to help the less privileged. She then found out a mother lost her child to human trafficking and was suspected of being out of the country.

She then took the initiative to find out more after pleading with the police to find out about it, but the police were swarmed with a lot of work. Because of her snooping, she got kidnapped and was brought to a six-star hotel where Mr Cruz visits often. It was then that I started to put two and two together, especially after I saw a picture of Mr Cruz on the Land ports. His face wasn't visible but I could recognize that gold watch anywhere. Mr Cruz is Bakari from the unknowns and I just shock his hands and hand business with the devil.

Before I could recover from my shock, Jackson came to warn me that the men who were associates with Scarface McGee, I nickname I give our kidnapped victim, were outside the warehouse with more men and guns. We then had to call Joe for reinforcements as we prepared for an onslaught of shooting. The men stormed the warehouse and Jackson started to release a barrage of bullets left right and centre. Six men were down with a blink of an eye, as the other nine that remained hid and took cover. One was shot in the leg. I then started to shoot a barrage of bullets as well firing on cylinders. I was pissed at not myself for not realizing that Bakari was right in front of me and I wasted my chances at taking him down. The men kept firing back as I reloaded the guns. Meanwhile, Jack then started to take the assailants one by one and he started with the injured victim.

After I was done, it was hailstorms of bullets as I sprayed them all over the area like a madman. One of them got a chance and shot my arm. And I fell as I took cover. This now becomes difficult as Jackson is somewhat defenceless while fighting six men who remain after dealing with the rest. I then used my shirt to bandage my arm as I prepared for the next round when suddenly McGee came out of nowhere somewhat dazed but able enough to fight with me. He then kicked my gun away from my hands and it was an old-fashioned fistfight, which I could say was not good for McGee whose fingers were facing the wrong direction. He tried to kick me again but ducked down did a leg sweep and then positioned myself for a sleeper hold submission which then took him out.

Meanwhile, Jackson was busy struggling to fight the assailants and was powered by one of them. He then pointed a gun at Jackson and before he could shoot, Joe stepped in and shot him in the head. I then arrived to help Jackson holding my arm to my right shoulder where I was shot.

"We should head to the safe house for a team briefing. I think I finally know who Bakari is," I stated.

We then headed to the safe house and once we arrived Joe called his constant at DBI to stop the trafficking that was about to happen in the next two hours at the landport. The DBI team went full force and stopped the shipment and this became headline news. Ruth was found together with some of the women who were caught, and one of them was Layla's sister but was too drugged and was taken to the hospital. Layla had to leave and didn't attend the meeting. I continued to explain my hypothesis but then I started to become dizzy all of a sudden. That's when I realized I had a wound near my hip and I didn't realize it with all the adrenaline rush. I fell as the rest of the team rushed to my aid.

When I came to, I was in a very white-hulled room sitting on a chair. A man in a white long coat with black hair that looked like he was fire came walking to me in a joyful mood.

"Who was this strange man," I thought. And I had to find out so that I could stop Bakari. But it so turns out, I wasn't on earth anymore. I think I was in a place they called limbo, which meant one thing, I think died again. 

The strange man or should I say a strange figure started to approach me. It then tried to examine up close and I couldn't move a muscle. I didn't understand what was going on. I'm not a very religious person and my mind was still trying to make sense of what it is I'm looking at. I then realize that he might be the grim reaper about to send me either to heaven or hell. I didn't know where I belonged considering, I have committed my share of crime, decadence and a lot of struggles from shitting situations, some of which were of my volition while most of it was without choice. I always wonder what criteria the hell and heaven thing works though. How do they choose who belongs where and why? Then the figure started to speak.

"yo, it's you again, You lasted longer than I expected," It said.

"I…s…wh…ar…yo…" I started with much difficulty.

"Oh sorry about that let me just turn you back on," It said.

I started to feel my body and all of my senses came back in a flood.

"Who are you and where I'm I? I asked vehemently.

"Oh right, go by many names, but for now you can call me Blank," It said.

" I'm I…Im I dead," I said unbelievably.

"Yes you kind of are, it's had to explain these things to humans," It said. Why don't we get down to business?

Blank then explained to me that when I died, I was given four chances to change my fate and if lost those four lives I die. He said the conditions for this were due to Lisa who went to a shaman at one point and bought the necklace. She didn't know it had those conditions because the shaman just stated to her that it was a good luck charm. I now have three lives remaining and blank tells me that I will start at the save point as per what the shaman indicated and continue to where I left off.

And he was right because I woke up at the hospital where I fought crowbar to meet with Clarise. This time I have to stop Bakari by any means necessary.