Chapter 15- Conspiracy

Someone's POV:

The room I was in was dark, the curtain's covering the little light that this room got from the outside. The breeze coming from the outside plus the cold temperature from the air-con made the room's aura more dramatic.

The light was also turned off. The meager light coming from the lampshade illuminated the darkness of the room.

It was only one o'clock in the afternoon but the room looked like it was midnight. Even the afternoon's light can't pass through my thick curtains.

I'm used to it. I'm used to darkness and loneliness. I am more comfortable in the dark. I can move easily and see clearly with the darkness. I can't bear the lightness, even the bright sun, I can't handle it.

Lightness blinded me, and ut made me no good.

I hate every kind of light, wether it is artificial or not, I hate it. I hated it from the very start. Especially now that I feel nothing but hatred. For those who ruined me. For those who made me like this. Fo those who put anger and heinous thoughts on my mind and heart.

I heard the intercom ringing but I ignored it. Communicating with people I hate tires me. I prefer to be alone here in my room. With my own zone. 

I heard three knocks on my door but I didn't budge to look at it. I just remained seated while looking out to the window that covered with thick curtains.

It took a while before I heard the locking of my doorknob. Then, I heard a pair of footsteps approaching me. He stopped a few meters away from my table.

"Didn't I say I don't like being disturbed?" I coldly asked.

My guest cleared his throat, "I'm sorry Sir, but this is about the lost flash drive containing the clips from our organization's red room."

I turned to him. I saw Jerome, my assistant. "What do you mean? How about that freaking flash drive?"

Aronzaga's Dark Society released ten flashdrives three years ago. Each flash drive contains a video clip about one of my organization's activity. The Human Obliteration or the removal of human internal organs, while being watched by our clients, live. It's an activity related to Red Room. An performance for our highly clients.

Our clients who requested that kind of activity asked for their own copy, an addition to their collection. It was likely a gift from us. Human Obliteration is a hobby of our millionaire clients. They paid millions of cash, sometimes bitcoins, for an interesting show like that. We have many activities but I can say that Human obliteration is one of our best activity.

But there's someone who discovered ADS and the organization's activities three years ago. Our system was hacked, and one of the ten flash drives was stolen.

By the time the flashdrive's contents comes out in public, the whole organization will collapse. 

Hespheria's name will be ruined because of the foul activities that it has inside. 

In fact, that was part of my plan. To ruin this town. But then, the organization which has helped me a lot will be crippled. And I can't let that to happen. I won't sactifice the organization for those filthy shits!

"Did you find it? Where?" I asked.

"Someone watched the clip that's why we're able to trace the location of it. The location lead us to the old well at Saint Augustine." Jerome answered as he fix his tie.

My forehead furrowed until I gradually smiled. "Well, it seems that someone wants to play a game with us. Someone from that rotten Academy is playing hide and seek."

Jerome did not respond.

"That freaking flashdrive is the reason why we have problems like this. Let me have it so I can destroy it myself!" I held out my hand.

He bowed at me, "My apologies, but we haven't found it yet. We're still searching for the flash drive around the well and the vicinity of Saint Augustine."

I gathered my fist, "Explain."

He looked at me. "All of us knew about the code we had put on each of the flash drive for security. And it will be activated if someone outside from the organization watched it without decoding the code first..."

I nodded. I was the one who told them to put a code for all the flash drives. 

So if someone from the organization betrayed us, we'll know and at the same time, we can trace the traitor. It was like a system code that was made specifically for our clients who requested that gift. If someone, except for our clients, put that flashdrive in their computer and watch the clip, the system code will be triggered and activated.

The code will read the computer's system including the IP Address then send all the informations to our IT's. Then, we'll know whether those gifts reached our clients or not.

At the end, one of the flashdrives got stolen while the rest reached our clients. That one flashdrive and the person who's responsible for it's delivery was nowhere to be found. 

Since that day until now, we failed finding the stolen drive and the perasn behind it. Our investigation lead us to one person. Wilemna Salazar.

"Sir."

I glanced at him, "Who watched that freaking video?"

Jerome put a white folder on my table.

"She's a new student, a transferee. Her name is Maebeline Lanieza Inocencio. The IP address we traced is hers."

I read the folder's contents. I read all of the said student's information. How come that this top student and a transferee got a hold of that flashdrive?

"Do you find anything beside this?"

He put something on the table. It was my younger sister's picture. 

"She's somewhat related to your sister. I think, they are friends. This is a good opportunity to know more about Maelanie."

I seriously looked at Jerome, "Explain."

He picked my sister's picture and put it on my front with the others. "To make sure that we can have a hold to Maelanie, we'll use your sister's connection with Maelanie. And there's an upcoming Festival, we can use that event too."

I got his point. Saint Augustine will have exchange students for the upcoming Festival. The students will stay in the Academy for a while. That's a good alibi to have Maelanie in our hands.

"I unsderstand, but I know that you can do that without my sister's help. We really don't need her."

Jerome fixed his eyeglasses. "We're alreading moving. Inspector Luegas and his people are already doing their job. But our concern is the flashdrive, and it's nowhere to be found. We can't search for it for a long time, if we do that, everyone will be suspicious of us. Your sister can help us find what we're looking for as long as she sticks to Maelanie."

I nodded, "I understand. Leave it to me. I'll talk to my sister for this."

Jerome vowed again. "Then, I'll be going now." He said and walk towards the door.

"Jerome," I called him. "We have to succeed this time. We're three years late to our original plan. I don't want to see any of their faces for long, they should've die a long time ago."

Jerome nodded. He went straight to the wall, to where my dart board was hanged. He put Maelanie's picture in the middle of the board before he left the room.

I smiled until it turned into a grin.

I and Jerome are on the same boat. We both want revenge to the people who put us on this filthy place.

Darkness. We're both trapped and we can't find a way out. Only revenge, that way, we can get even. To make those people suffer like us.

I opened my mini-drawer and eyed my knives collection. I touched my knives while feeling their blade.

I chose the military knife, Smith and Wesson. It's a knife that's not suitable for throwing. A type of knife that can't be mounted on a wall or struck a single tree. But this Smith and Wesson knife that's in my hand was made abroad. I personally requested it to be a useful throwing knife. And a famous black smith abroad made this.

It's edge, even the design and the blade is personalized.

I eyed my knife, holding it tightly.

I stared at the student's picture on my wall. She's five meters away from me. 

A smart but nosy student. A sure thorn to my plans. And I vowed to burn all the thorns that are blocking my way.

I stood while pointing the knife on her picture. I didn't wait for the timing. I immediately threw the knife towards the student's picture. I'm amused with the blade's sound while on air.

Bull's-eyed! 

My knife pierced Maelanie's neck.

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