Episode 3
The quiet darkness
[Present]
The leader of the Red Gang, Arshad Zaman, lay lifeless on the floor. His body soaked in blood, as though the earth had consumed the very last drop in his veins. The glow of life had long vanished from his face, and a pale yellow tinge spread across his skin. The blood around him formed dark patterns under the hall's light — like shadows from another world.
Zayen stood silently beside the corpse, still holding the same sniper with which he had pierced Arshad's forehead in a blink. His face remained calm — but within his eyes brewed a cold storm.
At that moment, Talal pressed two fingers to the earpiece in his right ear and said in a calm but commanding tone:
"Bring them all in."
Within seconds, the hall door creaked open. Through mist, silence, and dim light, a group of men entered the warehouse. The sound of their footsteps echoed eerily across the hall.
They stood in silence before Zayen. One among them, a confident young man in a grey shirt and blue jeans, took a bold step forward. His face was serious, and his eyes unwavering.
Zayen stared directly at him — sniper still in hand.
The young man, striking and fearless in appearance, spoke with a soft yet firm tone:
"We did exactly what you asked. Now tell us — what else do you want from us?"
---
[Two Weeks Ago]
A vintage black car came to a slow halt in front of a roadside tea stall. The doors opened, and four young men stepped out—each with a unique flair of his own.
1. The first — dressed in a yellow shirt and red pants, carefully styling his shiny hair as though it had been washed not with water, but oil.
2. The second — wearing a green hoodie and grey pants, running a tiny comb through his hair repeatedly.
3. The third — in a blue shirt and green pants, with the words "I'm a Hero" printed across his chest, twirling a lollipop in his mouth like a movie star.
4. The fourth — in a white shirt and black pants, a toothpick dancing from side to side in his mouth.
Around fifty men were sitting at the tea stall, enjoying their tea and biscuits. The moment the four stepped forward, all eyes turned to them.
One man's biscuit even slipped from his hand into his tea.
The four young men walked to the center of the stall and continued with their antics.
The one in yellow kept brushing his hair. The one in green kept combing again and again. The one in blue twirled his lollipop dramatically. The one in white played with his toothpick like a casual boss.
Then suddenly, someone from the seated crowd shouted:
"Hey, look at these clowns!"
(The entire stall burst into laughter.)
The one in blue pulled out his lollipop and responded:
"Are you talking about us?"
The same man called back:
"Of course, you fools! Who else would I be talking about?"
The guy in the green hoodie immediately put his comb down and, in a rage, shouted:
"D-Did you just call me a fool?!"
(He started to step forward.)
His friends tried to hold him back:
"Stop, Boss! Hold on!"
With pride and anger, the boss growled:
"Let me go! I need to play the drums on this bald guy's head!"
The one in white leaned in and whispered:
"Stop overacting."
The same heavyset, balding man stepped forward and shouted:
"Did you just call me bald?!"
Boss: "Yes, I called you bald."
Bald Man: "How dare you call me that?!"
Boss: "Like this—" (pointing at him) "Baldy. Baldy. Baldy…"
Fuming with rage, the bald man charged toward them.
But as soon as he reached them, the guy in the yellow shirt slapped him hard across the face.
The man clutched his cheek and collapsed unconscious.
The rest of the people stared in stunned silence—then all fifty of them surged toward the boys.
The green-hoodie guy shouted:
"Run!"
The four of them bolted and stopped at a deserted spot not too far away.
The guy in yellow clapped his cheeks like an excited girl and giggled:
"Did all of you make it?"
A voice responded from ahead:
"Nope, still on the way."
They all chuckled—except the yellow-shirt guy, who pouted.
Suddenly, they saw the same group of fifty men charging toward them from behind.
Now the four young men, joined by ten of their friends dressed in sleek black suits, found themselves in the center of the crowd. A wild, chaotic fight broke out.
Some were slapped, some punched, some got kicked in the stomach.
One guy in a grey shirt grabbed another man's pants and kept tugging, while the poor man struggled just to keep them up.
The green-hoodie guy kept slapping the bald man's head like it was really a drum.
The guy in white was pulling someone's hair as the man screamed in pain.
Then suddenly, a thunderous voice echoed:
"EVERYONE STOP!"
---
(To be continued...)
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