"Where–where's he ?" Sam asked, his voice stoic as always, but inside his heart was thumping at an increasingly rapid pace and his brain was firing out negative thoughts like a sentry gun.

"At the campus." Damon replied.

"I am on my way." Just as he opened the car door, his mind reminded him of her and he dashed back towards the house. She was sitting silently infront of the television, flipping through the channels with a bored expression on her face.

"You have to come with me." He stated.

"Where to ?" Politely, she asked as she stood up.

"I don't have fu**ing time to explain everything to you, just come with me." He voiced, louder this time and pulled her with him, grabbing her wrist. 

"Get in." He ordered. Meekly, she nodded and seated herself inside the car. He revved off the engine, and drove off.

As the car engine sung to the lone tracks, instead of relishing the beautiful landscape and gentle spring breeze, tousling her hair, she focused on him. He always hid his emotions so perfectly, that one would suspect their presence, but in that moment, it was as if his emotions; worry and fear, were overwhelming him, like the powerful waves of the sea, they were trying to carry him away with them. 

"Is–is everything okay ?" Chloe empathized. Holding the steering in a tight grip,"Yes." He replied. She let out a slow controlled sigh and gazed outside at the passing trees and tiny creatures, the sparkle they always had seemed to have extinguished, as if the beautiful colours they held had drained out and absorbed by the tarmac path, laying beneath. The nurturing breeze turned into a howling wind. In an instant, the surrounding she adored felt dull and lifeless.

Soon, they reached at a campus, encircled by a cluster of four high buildings, seemingly ancient and haunting.

"Don't move an inch from here, or you'll be dead before you'll know." Sternly, he stated and got out. The fear travelled in her veins but she never let it make it to her facial muscles.

"Please don't leave me here–alone." She mumbled, looking at his retreating figure."Don't come out and you'll be fine." Sam replied.

"Okay." Softly, she whispered.

Sam rushed towards one of the buildings and pushed open the glass door. His gaze swivelled over the corridor, looking for Markus or Damon. He sped down the slate gray tiles, passing the bland walls on his way and turned right. There he saw Markus sitting on a stretcher.

Sam observed him, and saw a gauze wrapped around his forehead, and another, around his right arm, supporting his lower abdomen. Congealed blood stains were still visible through them. Sam sighed, as if a great part of weight had been lifted up from his shoulders.

"I didn't expect to see you alive." Sam voiced, walking into his sight. As a response, Markus raised his middle finger without even glancing at him. Sitting next to him, Sam stared up at the ceiling.

"That fu**er–" He grimaced, adjusting himself in place."–ruined my handsome face."

"So, after all this, all you care about is your handsome face." Damon sighed in annoyance, coming into their view.

"Father" Sam greeted him. He nodded in acknowledgement and turned to Markus.

"But I care about more than that.
How did this happen ?" He asked him. In an instant, his ( Markus ) face contorted with animosity.

BEFORE ATTACK
MARKUS AND ERIC RETURNING FROM THE HARBOR.

Markus was driving along the lane, filled with steel and tires. He was feeling so relaxed, in days it was the one thing that had happened right.

"Father, sent you and I, not Sam.  Where's he ?" Eric asked, breaking the silence that consumed the car. The shakiness in his voice didn't go unnoticed by Markus. He turned and saw beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. Markus frowned. Something doesn't seem right. He thought.

"He is in his house." He lied. Eric's muscles seemingly tensed. Marcus turned his attention back to the road, sweeping past the cars, he drove towards an isolated street.

"Whe–where are we heading now ? Panicked, Eric asked.

"Nowhere, it's just–" Markus spotted a small convenient store. "–that store, nature called me." He laughed. Eric nodded.

"I'll be back in a few." Markus uttered, pulling infront of the store. He stepped inside the store. It was bigger than it seemed from the outside with rows of different products stacked in movable cabinets.

"Welcome to the Vera's" A cute teenage boy with flawless black skin and bright black eyes greeted him. Markus ignored him and walked towards the door, having a sign of WC over it. Next to it was an another door, Markus clutched it's handle and slowly pushed open the door. It opened outside, in a small alleyway.

Stealthily he began to approach the front. He stood against the wall, watching over Eric. Eric, who was crouched by the car, stood up and took out a sort of remote from his pocket.

"So, this fu**t*rd is planning my death." Markus murmured. He quietly walked behind him, and held him in a rear choke.

"Trying to kill your own mates, huh ?" He gritted his teeth. Eric flailed in his hold. Eric's face begins to turn blue when Markus slammed him against the car and kicked him so hard in his abdomen that it seemed, his guts would come out.

"Si–sir–wh–what are you doing ? Let–let him go". Fearfully, the counter boy requested, as he came out. Markus looked up, his eyes were narrowed and cold. Boy gulped. Taking the opportunity, Eric pushed Markus and ran. Steadying himself on his feet, Markus turned to chase him and saw Eric standing at a maximum of twenty steps away from him, one minute, looking at him with a smirk stretched across his dry, cracked lips and next moment at the detonator in his hand. For a fraction of second, his ( Markus ) eyes widened. At the lightening pace, Markus ran towards the boy and shoved him out of the way, further away from the car. Markus turned. At the same time, Eric detonated the bomb and the car exploded with a loud boom. Blast wave lifted Markus off the ground, such that his back hit a wall and he fell on the ground, face first. Eric spared him one last glance before scurrying away. The boy rushed towards Markus.  

"Oh my–oh my God ! He–bombed your car. He–he bombed you car. You're–you're gonna die, What do I do ?" He panicked.

"Ca–call Fa–father." Markus croaked, before passing out. It took the boy a couple of minutes to comprehend his words before he dialled the contact named as Father, from his ( Markus ) phone, that rested in his pocket.

PRESENT TIME

"We were looking for a beagle–"Markus turned his face towards Sam,"–but all this time, it was him, keeping an eye on us." He said. Sam realised, the meaning that lay underneath and averted his gaze. Damon sighed, massaging his forehead.

"Then who was the one, I ran into that night ?" Sam uttered in confusion.

"A distraction" Markus said.

"Eric was one of my most trustworthy men, I don't understand, why would he betray us ?" Damon said. Sam felt Markus stiff beside him.

"Maybe he still holds grudges against us more so—me."

"What are you trying to say ?" Damon questioned Markus.

"Two years ago, Memphis Heist." Sam replied, looking at Markus. Damon turned around and stared out the glass panel with a distant expression on his face.

"I know, we failed you Father–" Sam's jaw instinctively tensed, "–but I assure you, they will die."

"You both didn't fail me. Never do–" Proudly, Damon said. "–Son, one of the lessons that I have learnt over years is, it's easy to fight, but not when, you don't know who to fight. And those are the times, when you need to keep your guards high and be patient." Sam gazed intently in his eyes and nodded.

"Get some rest both of you. Very soon, I'll find that scumbag, Carl and you'll have a fight to win" He said and left.

"Let's go" Sam said to Markus, outstretching his hand. Markus took it in his firm grip and stood up.

______________________________________

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