Season of The Hunt- Chapter 4

  

                      In the Middle of the Night 

  The moon’s pale light spilled into the darkened office. Immense glass panels stretching around the entirety of the back of the room allowed the moon’s waxing spell to enthral the office, casting an eerie ambience.    

     A man sat at his desk, placed with is back to the panels at the end of the oval room. His fingers danced delicately over the computer keys as he slaved mechanically over the machine. The computers synthetic glow poured onto the man’s face- the only source of the light in the room except that composed by the moon. Shadows clung to the edges of the office, as if in waiting for the computers light to dissipate, so that they may embark in their attack upon the man.

    A red light flashed three times upon the desk. The man stopped his typing as a thin smile cut across his otherwise indifferent face. Next to the light the man pressed a button. “She has arrived, sir,” informed a woman’s voice.

The man replied dryly, “You may send her through.”

     

    The man rose from his chair and walked over to the glass panels. He looked out into the metropolis which lay before him. His black, lifeless eyes inspected the concrete mass of buildings, spreading into the distance like a vast ocean. A few cars weaved around the complex series of roads, determined to get to their destination. From the height in which the office sat, the cars resembled small toys, rather than vehicles used to transport people. The city seemed unnervingly still, compared to its cosmic number of its inhabitance.

    Over in the distance an enormous clock chimed its scheduled melody; twelve rings completed the tune as once again the city returned to its state of relative silence.

    Three knocks at the door shattered the dark serenity. “Come,” responded the man with a commanding tone of authority. The door to the office opened and a slim professional looking woman strode in. She was garbed in a plain black suit, with a silver pin constructed of four circles connected so that they formed a sort of square, which was attached to the lapel of her jacket.  All of her facial features were sharp:  her piercing eyes bored into everything her glare rested on, her pointy nose corresponded well with her pointed chin and her black hair was fashioned into a bob style cut. As she walked, the sound of her high heels striking the floor resonated through the room. Following her were two men wearing police officers uniforms; again, wearing the same pin as the woman. In-between the two, they dragged what appeared to be a girl, no older than sixteen, her legs trailing behind her as she was carted across the floor, her hands bound by handcuffs. Her face depicted pure terror as she was thrown to the ground, in the middle of the dark office. Behind the parade, a final police officer entered the room clutching a brown sack, which he gave to the woman, who received it with a look of disgust. The sack was moving.

    The man looking out of the panels- with his back to the performance- raised his hand. As signalled, the party left the room, all except the girl and woman. “As you requested sir,” spoke the woman, as if fishing for praise.

“You have done well Elsa; your efforts will be rewarded.” The man’s silky smooth voice resembled the pouring of honey. It had a hypnotic effect, as if everything he said was the truth, and that nothing else mattered apart from what was crafted by his voice. It was the personification of grandeur.

The woman produced a look of glee at her recognition. “Thank you sir,” she said whilst bowing her head.

    The man still looking out into the world below continued his address, “I have been searching for you for a while, Ren; and now that you are in my presence, it makes me very happy.” The man turned around to face the frightened child. The veins in his hairless head began to throb as he advanced towards the girl; his face still in the same unemotional state. He knelt down to Ren and locked eyes with her. She responded with a look of fury. “You really do not know how special you are.” The man attempted to kiss her on the head, but his efforts were only met by Ren’s hand as she slapped him around the face. “Don’t you touch me,” she spat. The man stood up, his frozen face leaked the slightest hint of wrath for just a second, only to be smothered again by cool composure. “You have caused me some trouble child. Who would believe that you could kill two of my hunters? No matter, you are here now. Although, if you had just followed instructions, blood would not have been spilled.”

“You expected me to just let you take me?” The man placed his hands behind his back and walked over to the panels again.

“No, but what is happening and going to happen is inevitable. You might as well embrace your fate. You should be honoured to play such a vital part; after all, you are the first of the four.” The man paused. “Elsa, please escort our esteemed guest to the holding cells, and take that with you.” The man was addressing the sac which Elsa was grasping. It began to wriggle again as she motioned towards the door. The police officers entered the room, and grabbed Ren by her arms as they dragged her to the door. “And do not fret if you get lonely my lovely. The others should be joining you soon.” The sound of Ren’s furious shrieks trailed off down the hall as the door to the office closed once again.

    The man exhaled heavily, as if exhausted from the events which just transpired. He sat back down at his desk and continued to work, seemingly unaffected by fatigue. As he laboured away a sudden message sprung up in the bottom left hand corner of the screen. The man selected the icon which resulted in an email appearing. The email contained only five words: The second has been found.