Adam sighed as he watched Mazen leave. He carelessly tore the check in his hand, muttering to himself:
"This fool is crying... did he think all his problems would be solved just because he's a doctor who put on a servant's uniform and sneaked into a party? Does he think this world is that easy? He hasn't faced even a fraction of the difficulties I faced at the start of my life to reach where I am now... these fools."
He shook his head in wonder as he prepared to leave his office and return to the party, but he stopped suddenly when he heard the distinctive ring of his phone blaring loudly and incessantly. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, grumbling: "Who is it now?!"
The answer came quickly when he saw the name of his younger brother, Murad, flashing on the screen. He looked at the phone with a smile: — What do you want, Murad? Do you want more money, you rascal? He put the phone to his ear, laughing: — Little Murad... how are you, you rascal?
But his ear caught the sound of his brother's voice, sounding utterly panicked and weak: — Save me, Adam... He killed them... He killed them all, and he wants to kill me too... I didn't finish the game...
Adam didn't understand what Murad was saying or what was happening, but he felt a surge of anxiety from the tone of his brother's voice and the sound of his ragged breathing, which made it clear he was running. He shouted into the phone, worried: — Hello... Murad... Murad... Where are you? What is happening there? Why are you running like this?
He heard his brother's voice speaking with intense fear: — He's getting closer to me, Adam, despite my escape... He found me; he's going to kill me... I didn't complete his game... Revenge me, Adam... Take revenge on him.
Adam shouted into the phone with urgency: — Who is going to kill you? Who, Murad? Where are you now? Don't be afraid; I am coming to you right now!
He heard his brother gasping for breath, whispering: — Avenge me... Avenge me, Adam... He's going to kill me now. — Who, Murad? Who is chasing you? Tell me who he is! Tell me now! — It's "The Prankster" [Al-Aabith]... It's The Prankster, Adam... Avenge me against The Prankster.
Suddenly, Murad's voice vanished. Adam screamed: — Murad... Murad... Where are you, Murad? Who is this Prankster? Murad, answer me! Answer me, my brother!
Suddenly, Adam heard the sound of someone breathing very heavily into the phone. He pressed the phone tightly to his ear and screamed: — Who are you? Who are you? Where did my little brother go? Where is Murad? If the slightest harm comes to him, I will destroy you and every single member of your family... Do you hear me? I will kill you and your entire family if a single fingernail is missing from my brother's hand! I'll kill you!
Strange laughter came through the phone—a heavy, bizarre sound, like the sound of gargling underwater: — You... you're going to kill me? Hahahaha... Hahahahaha... You are going to kill me.
Adam suddenly felt a wave of fear and intense anxiety. He spoke more quietly, lowering his voice: — Whoever you are... is my little brother still alive? Have you hurt him? The strange voice answered: — No... he hasn't been hurt yet. Adam placed his hand over his heart, sighing in relief: "Thank God..." But the voice laughed: "But he is going to die now."
Adam screamed at him: — No! No! Listen to me—whatever Murad did, I will compensate you for it. Anything you want, I will give it to you. Do you want money? Gold? Diamonds? Anything you want, I'll give it to you... whatever Murad did, I'll make it right.
The voice laughed: — I don't want money or gold or silver... I want to kill him.
Adam felt intense rage, but he suppressed his anger and tried to speak calmly: — Wait... wait, please... Tell me, if you don't want gold or money, what do you want? Why do you want to kill Murad? Why?
The voice answered angrily: — Because he didn't finish his game, and that means certain death. Adam furrowed his brows in astonishment: — A game? You want to kill him over a game? Are you crazy? The voice responded with a strange laugh accompanied by an even stranger sound: — Hahahaha... I am not crazy... I am The Prankster, and your brother didn't finish the game with me... so he must die now.
At that moment, Adam was certain that Murad was in the hands of a truly mad person. He tried to play along with his logic to get him out of the predicament: — Fine... fine... Leave Murad now, and I promise I will play with you instead of him. Please leave Murad, and I will play whatever games you want... I will do anything for you, just leave him.
Adam listened as the voice made a sound like a hiss, then spoke quickly: — I heard your little brother screaming your name while he was running from me, telling me that his big brother would avenge him... Will you be able to avenge him when I kill your brother? Hahahaha... Will you be able to?
Then Adam heard a loud, agonizing scream from Murad over the phone, followed by the sound of something hitting the ground with great force. Adam screamed in horror: — Murad! Murad! Answer me, Murad! Murad!
Murad did not answer. Instead, the voice of that person came through again with chilling coldness: — He is dead now.
Adam froze in place. The phone fell from his hand, and tears streamed profusely from his eyes. Murad was dead... little Murad was dead... the last one left of his family. He died screaming and crying for help, and Adam couldn't do anything. Adam fell to his knees, screaming at the top of his lungs: — NOOOOOOOOO! Murad! NOOOOOOOO!
[One Month Later]
Adam sat in his office, dressed in black. His beard had grown significantly, and his eyes showed extreme exhaustion from constant late nights and lack of sleep. A month had passed since Murad's murder, and the police had been unable to find the killer or even the location of the body. Murad had completely vanished; not a single trace remained. Throughout the month, Adam continued searching for any thread that would lead him to this "Prankster," but to no avail. He had hired the best search and investigation firms in the world, paying them massive sums to find Murad or that person, but they had all failed.
Adam looked at Murad's picture on his desk and touched it tenderly: — I promise you, Murad... I promise you I will find him, and I will take revenge for you... I will make him wish for death every moment and never find it. I promise you, my brother.
His moment of grief was interrupted by the secretary's voice over the intercom: — Dr. Adam... a package has just arrived for you. Adam frowned in surprise: — A package? Who sent it? — We don't know, sir. The security guards found it in front of the company gate, and your name is written on it. — Fine... let it in immediately.
A security guard entered carrying a small wooden box, placed it on Adam's desk, and left. Adam looked at the box suspiciously. it was somewhat old, made of black ebony wood, and covered in strange, incomprehensible engravings. Adam opened the box slowly, feeling his heart pounding violently. Inside the box, he found a small folded paper and a small tablet device. Adam took the paper and opened it to find a few words:
(You are very late, Adam... Didn't you say you would play instead of Murad? I am waiting for you to start the game... The Prankster).
Adam's grip tightened on the paper until he tore it, feeling the fires of rage igniting within him. He had found him... "The Prankster" had reached out. Adam grabbed the tablet and turned it on. At first, a black screen appeared, then an image of Murad. Murad was sitting in a chair, bound with ropes, showing signs of severe beating and torture. Adam cried out in pain when he saw his brother's condition. Then, an image of a masked person appeared standing behind Murad, holding a sharp knife. That person began to speak in his strange voice:
— Welcome, Adam, to my game... I have chosen you to be the new player. You have only five days to find Murad. He is still alive, as you can see, but not for long. Each day you will pass through a stage of the game; if you succeed, I will give you a thread leading to his location. But if you fail...
The masked person brought the knife close to Murad's neck and continued: — Then he will die very slowly before your eyes. Are you ready?
The video ended, and a countdown timer starting from five days appeared on the screen. Adam put his head between his hands, trying to compose himself and think clearly. Murad was still alive; that was the most important point now. He had to focus on every step he took. He looked at the tablet screen again to find a message:
(Stage One: Go to the place where it all began... there you will find the first puzzle. You have only two hours).
"The place where it all began..." Adam began to think rapidly. Where did it all begin? Did he mean MIT? No, that's impossible; there wasn't enough time. Did he mean the old family home? Yes, surely he meant that place. That was where he and Murad grew up, and where their dreams began.
Adam rushed out, grabbed his car keys, and drove at top speed toward the old family house in a suburb of Cairo. The race against time had already begun.
Adam reached the old family home; time was passing very quickly. He stepped out of his car and looked at the house sadly. It had been abandoned for many years and was covered in dust. Adam entered the house and began searching everywhere for any clue to the first puzzle. He searched the hall, the kitchen, and the bedrooms, but to no avail. Only one room remained: Murad's small bedroom.
Adam entered Murad's room and began searching carefully. In the middle of the room, he found a small box placed on the desk. He opened it to find an old paper with strange numbers and symbols. Adam took the paper and began analyzing those symbols. After deep thought, he managed to decode them; they turned out to be coordinates for a location.
Adam looked at his watch and saw that he only had half an hour left. He took out his phone and entered the coordinates into the map. It turned out the location was an old abandoned factory in a distant industrial area. Adam sped off in his car toward that place, praying to God that he would reach his brother before it was too late.
Adam arrived at the abandoned factory; the place was dark and extremely eerie. Adam entered the factory cautiously, holding a small flashlight. He began moving between the old machines and rusted iron, calling out for Murad: — Murad! Murad! Are you here?
Suddenly, Adam heard a faint laugh coming from the upper floor of the factory. He climbed the stairs quickly to find himself in front of a massive iron door. He pushed the door open with force to enter a wide room. In the middle, Murad was tied to a chair, surrounded by a set of time bombs that were making a "tick... tick... tick" sound.
Adam screamed in horror: — Murad! Don't be afraid, my brother... I'll save you now!
But before he could get close to Murad, the masked person appeared from behind one of the machines, holding a remote control in his hand: — Stop right there, Adam... if you take one more step, I will blow this whole place up.
Adam stopped in his tracks, trembling with rage and fear: — What do you want, you madman?! I came here as you asked... leave my brother now!
The Prankster laughed with his strange voice: — The game isn't over yet, Adam... this was just the beginning. You have one final puzzle... if you solve it, you can deactivate the bombs. But if you fail... say goodbye to your little brother forever.
Adam looked at a small screen placed next to the bombs; it displayed a complex mathematical puzzle that needed to be solved in less than one minute. Adam began to focus with all his strength, trying to solve the puzzle as time raced like lightning... (10... 9... 8...).
Adam's mind was working like a powerful machine. Numbers were flying before his eyes, and symbols were interlocking in his brain. At the very last second, Adam pressed the correct button.
(00:01.. 00:00).
The timer stopped, and the bombs went silent. Adam collapsed to the floor, panting heavily, while Murad burst into tears, crying out: — Adam... Adam... you saved me!
Adam quickly untied Murad's restraints and pulled him into a tight embrace: — Don't be afraid, Murad... I'm here. No one will touch you ever again.
But at that moment, Adam heard a loud laugh filling the place—a laugh he was no longer hearing through a phone, but one that was very close to him. Adam looked around to find "The Prankster" standing before him, but this time, he wasn't masked. He was wearing extremely elegant clothes, with a calm smile on his face.
Adam froze in place when he saw the face of The Prankster. He wasn't a stranger. He was...
Mazen Tawfiq.
Yes, it was that young man who had come to him at the party, asking him to fund his research on a cancer cure. Mazen spoke in his natural voice, smiling at Adam: — Welcome, Dr. Adam, to the end of the game. Did you enjoy it?
Adam screamed in rage: — Mazen?! You are The Prankster? Why did you do all this? Why did you kidnap my brother and try to kill me?
Mazen laughed quietly: — I didn't try to kill you, Adam. I was only giving you the "motive." Didn't you tell me at the party that you didn't have a motive to fund my research? Well, I've given you a motive now. I made you feel the bitterness of losing someone you love, and the fear for them. And now... will you fund my research?
Adam looked at Mazen in stunned silence. He couldn't believe that all of this was merely a plan by Mazen to secure funding. But in that moment, Adam flashed a strange smile: — You succeeded, Mazen. You certainly gave me a motive... but not to fund your research. Rather, to kill you.