Connecting… Connecting…In a dimly lit room at night, four people stood huddled around a laptop.
"Sir, we've traced it. The sensor's active, and the headset's connected. Can you hear anything?" said the guy sitting in front of the laptop.
Without a word, a stranger picked up the headset and put it on. His face wasn't visible, as he stood with his back to the group.
Person 1: "Hey, I'm leaving."
Person 2: "Oh, where are you off to?"
Person 1: "I'm done. I'm ending it all. I've tried holding on for so long, but I can't anymore. I've lost, man."
Person 2: "Well, all the best."
Person 1: "Bye, dude. I'll miss you."Sorry, sir, looks like we dialed the wrong number. I'll connect the right one right away," the laptop guy interrupted.
But before he could finish, the stranger cut in.
"Hey, wait! Trace the location of the number that's connected right now. Quick!"
"Okay, sir," the laptop guy replied, immediately typing furiously on the keyboard.
"Dude, isn't that the wrong number? Why are you having it traced?" another person in the room asked, confused."Curiosity…" the stranger muttered."Sir, I've got the address!"
Stellar Heights
Westwood Avenue
Portland West
Hearing this, the stranger grabbed his black jacket, barked, "Share the location on WhatsApp!" and stormed out. The others called after him, but he ignored them, jumped into his car, and sped off into the night.
Back in the tracking room, the group started murmuring. "Where the hell did he run off to?" they wondered aloud.
Meanwhile, the stranger in the black jacket reached a house. He scaled the wall, climbed up to the balcony, and approached a room with the lights still on. Testing the door, he found it unlocked. He slipped inside quietly and saw a girl drinking something from a bottle. Without hesitation, he rushed over, snatched the drink from her hand, and slapped her hard across the face. She crumpled to the floor.
Dazed and disoriented, she struggled to her feet. The first thing she noticed was a pair of striking blue eyes staring back at her. Mesmerized, she took in his long lashes, his sharp nose, and the rest of his handsome face, drinking in every detail. Meanwhile, he glared at her with raw anger and spat, "Go ahead and die if you want." Then he turned and left.For a while, she stood there, frozen.
"God, what just happened? Who was that? Some kind of angel?" she muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes as if to double-check. "Wait… oh, I get it now. I was dreaming!" She laughed at herself. "But damn, what a realistic dream. Those eyes, those lashes—everything was so clear. He was gorgeous." She sighed, letting the image of his beauty sink into her soul.Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she mumbled, "Wait a sec… did I just prank Ashely in my dream?" Grinning, she grabbed her phone, turned on the recorder, and called Ashely again."Hey, Ashely, I'm outta here!"
"You still haven't left?" Ashely asked, confused.
"Out where?" she replied, equally puzzled."What do you mean 'where'? Two hours ago, you called me saying you were gonna kill yourself, that you were done with life. You still haven't done it?" Ashely said, then hung up.Her head spun as if a galaxy of stars had exploded in her mind. "Wait, so I called Ashely and then fell asleep?" she muttered, totally lost. Exhausted, she collapsed onto her bed.Meanwhile, the stranger returned to the dark tracking room. The moment he stepped in, a red light blinked on, and the laptop guy shouted, "Sir, the number's connected again!" The stranger grabbed the headset and listened."Ha ha… Don't think you can break him that easily. He's not some nobody. Like his name suggests, he's a force—a fire, a god. He's capable of swallowing this entire human race whole. We should fear him. Fear Aidan Raff!"
Let's break down our characters so far:
Aidan Raff = Our hero
The four people in the room: An unknown Hacker
= Aidan's cousin Nethaan Richard
= Aidan's assistant Druive Ashwood
Our heroine Stella's college friend Ashely Price
To be continued…