NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: Ryan's? pov
It was one of those sleepless nights. I kept turning from one position to another in hope of me going to sleep that is not accompanied by nightmares. It was the 12th night that was spent without sleep. Not completely without sleep, I slept for an hour. I am messed up, but there's no one I can blame except myself. I got myself in this mess on the 30th of July.
I remember that evening vividly. It was a normal one; the sun was going to set in about 30 minutes, and I was headed to a park to enjoy the scene of sunset, in hopes that it would relax my mind a bit. On my way, I bumped into a person - the person being in a fit of fury - punched me. I was already stressed out and was not in a great financial condition at that time. So, I punched him again. I am aware that it doesn't justify my action, but in my defense, he punched me first.
He stared right into my shoulders and bit out, "You will pay for this." His voice was deep, and it scared me for a second, but I soon forgot about it. The next day, the 31st of July, I was going for an interview when random guys came and kidnapped me, like I was a coin dropped on a footpath. When I came back into consciousness, I was in a parking lot, and in front of me was the man I punched, and beside him stood my death. In other words, beside him stood C.E.O. Edgar. The same Edgar who was at that time being investigated for the murder of 2 or 3 people. One of them was 'Robert' something.
"You punched my best friend," he said, staring right into my eyes. The parking lot was empty; the air was thick, and I could hear the sound of footsteps coming from the distance, like the reaper, coming to take my soul. "Two options: you work for me, or you die," he said with a serious look. He was wearing a cyan suit with a white dress shirt. The top two buttons were open. His coat was laying on the wooden chair beside him. There was a navy-blue Rolex watch on his wrist.
"Choose," said his best friend, who wore a plain black T-shirt. I would have rejected both of the options, but that would get me killed too. "I will work for you," I replied instead. "Good," he said. Then his buddy started speaking, "From the first of August, you will be working in a police station. You can stay in one of Edgar's apartments. They are filled with security cameras, so be aware. Before going, get your file from his office."
"File?" I asked in confusion. "You are now a pawn, kid. No longer a player. You will go by Ryan Fred. The file will tell you the rest," he said, before walking away. One of their guards came from one direction and released me. They also took me to Edgar's office, where I was made to sign an agreement that will forever remain in Edgar's hand. The contract was about serving him, and if I failed in doing so, I consent to anything he pleases to do with me or my property, and plus, I promise to pay him a billion dollars. Billion dollars? I don't even have a cent, but I signed it. I needed a job and a place to live, and he just offered it to me. How bad can the job be?
I took my file and went to my new apartment. It was a decent one-bedroom apartment. The door opened directly into the living room. The kitchen was at left. The whole theme was white and forest green. I went into the room. It had a king-sized bed with a blue bedsheet. The walls were painted white and adorned with a massive painting of the sunset on the wall behind the bed. There was a mirror on the wall opposite the painting. I gazed at the room in awe. I felt lucky, and it all felt worth it, but now, standing in this room, it is no less than hell. Whenever I look at it, I can feel the walls scream, "You are a pawn."
Anyways, I started working in the police station as Ryan Fred from the first of August. I did what he told me to do, hiding his crimes, but they were small ones. "It is fine; it's not like a murder or something," I told myself almost daily. But then one day, it was a murder - the murder of a well-known lawyer, lawyer Tristan. Today, it has been 4 days since I have been hiding the actual murderer, 'Edgar'. These 4 days felt like 4 years.
When I look at the mirror, I don't know what I see. Is it Ryan Fred? Or me? Isaac Ethan? "None," I tell myself. "I am a pawn that will be disposed of like every other pawn. It's his habit; he makes a pawn, uses them, disposes of them, then makes another. I am no one. "I want to change that. I feel awful hiding a murderer and acting like a fool. Had I chosen death, I wouldn't have been struggling right now. I am too immersed in the webs of sin, that even if I want to help, I would have to help from underneath, before it's too late. I have to make my move before Edgar.
So, first I decided to help another pawn, the one who will be disposed of before me.