Ch 1: Military Head
Atop Dan Mountain loomed a two-story house, its underground chamber hiding a man bound to a chair, unconscious. A black cloth covered his face, blocking his vision. He looked about 35 to 40, dressed in a white shirt and black pants.
"Ughh…"
He stirred, slowly waking.
"Umm… Dark? When did it get dark?"
He realized the cloth blinded him and his body was tightly restrained, unable to move.
"What… Who tied me up?" he muttered, confusion lacing his voice. He thrashed against the binds, but they held firm.
"Hello? Anyone there? Who's pulling this shit?"
No response.
"Is anyone listening? Untie me, damn it! I've got a critical meeting to get to!"
"Hello… cough… someone, please…"
His voice cracked, throat raw from shouting for nearly five hours. Exhaustion set in.
"Who the hell dares kidnap me?"
He knew now he'd been taken.
"Kidnapping me was a mistake! My people will track me down. Let me go now, and I swear I won't say a word. I'll walk away quietly."
He hoped someone was listening, but the room was empty except for two chairs. No sound, no reply.
"Fuck this…"
Anger surged. He'd been pleading for hours with no answer, certain he was being watched.
"Do you know who I am? I'm the head of military security! Let me go, or I'll wipe you and your family off the face of this world!" His threats echoed, rage peaking.
Then, footsteps. Slow at first, growing louder.
CLICK !
The door swung open. A young man, about 25, stood there—built like a machine, handsome, dark-haired, looking like he could pass for a superstar.
"Who are you? How much money do you want? Name your price," the military head, Carter, demanded.
"What's that, Mr. Carter? Already decided what I'm after?" the young man said, his voice confident, almost mocking.
"I've seen enough kidnappings. It's always about money. So, how much?" Carter pressed, sure of his theory.
"Wrong," the stranger shot back.
"What do you mean?" Carter asked, thrown off.
"I don't want money," the man said coolly.
"Then what?"
Carter's voice hardened, mind racing. Classified info? An enemy nation? Every guess felt off.
"I want you," the stranger said.
A chill hit Carter. "H-Hey, I'm not into that! I mean, sure, I'm handsome, unmarried, but I don't swing that way!"
"Fuhahaha!"
The man laughed hard at Carter's panic. "That's a good one, Mr. Carter!"
Carter exhaled, reining in his wild imagination. Not that kind of threat.
"Alright, cut the shit. What do you want?" Carter asked, serious now.
"I told you. I want you," the man repeated.
"For what?" Carter snapped.
"To survive the chaos that's coming," the stranger said.
"Fine, I'll work with you to avoid jail. Let me go," Carter said, the words sounding odd.
"Mr. Carter, you're not getting it," the stranger started, but Carter cut in.
"Yeah, I get it. You grabbed the wrong guy, right? Don't want trouble or jail time?" Carter said, piecing together his version.
Sigh…
"Mr. Carter, you're full of bad guesses. Listen closely before you spin more theories," the stranger said, a mocking edge in his voice.
Carter went silent.
"How do you think this world ends, Mr. Carter?" the stranger asked.
Carter's gut screamed this guy was unhinged. He recalled his military training: stay calm, think clearly, assess the threat.
"Atomic bomb, natural disaster, alien attack," Carter offered.
"Hmm, those could do it. But no," the stranger replied.
"Shit, this guy's a lunatic. How do I talk my way out?" Carter thought, convinced the man was deranged.
"Alright, how do you think the world ends?" Carter asked, probing the stranger's mind to gauge his danger.
"Humanity will destroy itself," the stranger said.
"You're not wrong. Humans built the weapons for it," Carter nodded, playing along.
"Sure, but I'm talking about something else—"
"Can you take this damn cloth off? Talking in the dark feels wrong," Carter interrupted.
The stranger stepped closer without a word and yanked the cloth off.
"Ahh… finally, some light," Carter said, unshaken, locking eyes with the man. "Who are you?"
"The blindfold's off, and the interrogation begins," the stranger quipped.
"Tell me who you are," Carter pressed, needing to know who dared kidnap the head of military security.
"Name's Lex Winchester," the stranger said.
"Why'd you grab me, Lex Winchester?" Carter demanded, voice cold.
"Simple. I need you working under me in the days ahead," Lex said.
"You're delusional if you think the head of military security will work for a nobody. I've got a meeting with the president today. Let me go, and I swear I won't touch you," Carter said.
"I know all about your little meeting," Lex said, smirking.
Carter's blood ran cold. "Who's the traitor that leaked it?!" he shouted.
"No need to yell. No one told me," Lex said, chuckling at Carter's reaction.
"Bullshit. Someone spilled classified info," Carter snapped, disbelief etched on his face.
"Believe it or not, I know everything—your meeting, what's coming, all of it," Lex said, his laugh carrying a chilling confidence.
"He's bluffing to trick me into spilling details. Trying to play me for a fool," Carter thought, pride surging.
"What do you know about the meeting?" he asked aloud.
"A month ago, a highly dangerous, unknown virus was found in a patient at City Hospital. They quarantined them immediately, tried to make an antidote, and failed. Doctors secretly alerted government officials. Oh, and the classified part?
'Find and eliminate every infected patient, no matter where. If this virus spreads, it'll wipe out humanity.'"
Gulp....!!!
Carter's face paled, sweat beading on his brow.
"You hunted down 500 infected, killed them, burned their bodies, even quarantined their families. You thought the virus was gone. But yesterday, you got a call—it's still out there. And today, the president's ordering the military to act," Lex said, pausing to watch Carter's reaction. Carter's face was a mask of shock.
"H… how?" Carter stammered.
"How? I told you—I know everything. What you know, what you don't, and what's coming,"
Lex Winchester said, his mysterious laugh echoing like he held the world in his grip.