Disclaimer: this work is entirely fictional (despite having realistic elements) and any corresponding names, people, places, etc. are purely coincidental.

Trigger warnings: violence (?), a bit of blood

...----------------...

Oomph.

Seith slumped onto the seat of the train, feeling the rough texture brush the back of his hands. Using his hands as temporary ice packs, he sought relief by flinging one of them onto his forehead, and looked outside.

Scenery whooshed passed, and the rumbling and occasional squeaks of the wheels were comforting in a sense that the day was almost over. The sky was darkening, and a tinge of red-pinkish hue brightened the sky above the horizon. However, this was quite a common sight for him, since he often had to work overtime in his office– filing this and that, writing up project plans, signing forms, answering calls from clients– it was tiring even to think about.

Sigh.

Seith scrolled through his social media, liking every post and video on his feed without watching them fully. His eyelids drooped, despite the many attempts to keep them open. The weight of his arms grew, and so he rested his head against the top of the seat, facing the ceiling. He drifted to sleep, hugging his bag of possessions in case it fell to the ground, or got ‘lost’.

…

Half-asleep, Seith could faintly hear the screeching of the train brakes, and felt a small jolt from his seat and the floor. Muddle-headed, he hazily lifted his eyelids, taking in the sight of blurred coloured figures moving about, and loud whispers of panic.

What’s going on? Jeez I’m still so tired…hm?

He awakened fully and stood up abruptly, looking around for the source. Dark grey smoke billowed from the front of the train, and the air inside was already suffocating.

Huff. Cough cough.

Seith hurriedly fumbled about in his bag, and found a jacket to cover his mouth and nose with. With one hand occupied, he stumbled to the nearest exit, where a small crowd was already huddled.

What are you guys just standing there for? Hurry and get the emergency- huh???

By now, the smoke was thick in the air, and it was a struggle to even see two metres ahead. Seith paced around, searching for an emergency hammer to break the windows with, but all of them were taken already by others!

Ow.

A vibrating pain spread from his head, and something wet seemed to drip from the ceiling?? No, from his head. Small drops of crimson red blood splattered onto the floor, seemingly endlessly, and Seith wasn’t sure how much time had passed until he shook himself out of his stupor. He looked around, reaffirming his predicament, and stumbled to the nearest exit once again. It was still closed.

Something metal, something I can dispose of, I need something to shatter the windows!

Mind in jumbles, he looked around, then searched his bag.

I can’t see clearly. I can’t breathe. Come on, where is it??? Ack-

He fell to the ground with a thud, and his things spilled out of his bag.

Ugh, my head hurts so much.

Wait, I can use that!

Yes! I can use that to break the windows!

1…

2…

3!

*smash*

Bits and pieces of glass flew, but that was of no concern to Seith. He grasped the bottom edge of the window and flung himself out, blood leaking out from his hands and tiny cuts on his face.

Finally…

Seith collapsed onto the ground, and looked towards the front of the train, where flickers of red and glowing yellow engulfed the vehicle.

I need to get away…

Explosion…

The other passengers…

...

...ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ...

...End of story....

...Thank you for reading!...

Disclaimer: this work is entirely fictional (despite having realistic elements) and the corresponding names, people, places, etc. are inspired.

Within a long hall, a tall figure stood at the head of the long table, greeting guests, and making a speech to mark the start of the banquet. His voice was loud and firm, bouncing off the seemingly luminous walls. He bore a magnanimous expression, and wore a jet black suit, a logo of a maple leaf stitched beside the lapel, symbolising the Hua company. Behind him stood his deputy wearing navy, standing back straightened to the point of almost bending the other way.

The deputy’s eyes darted around while he chewed, making a mental note of the behaviours, words, and countenance of every individual. It was a natural responsibility that came with the job-- to keep track of the competitors and present the possible attitudes of each, whether they were a friend, neutral, or a foe . A logo of flowing ribbons caught his eye. As soon as they had eye contact, they paused, and looked away as if nothing happened.

Right then, the head directed his topic of discussion to the Lian company, the one with the ribbons as a logo. Although speaking with a face full of smiles, and the banters seemed harmless, each line was lined with venom, ‘accidentally’ pointing out the flaws of the opposition. The other party replied with the same amount of hidden loathing, and the other guests laughed it out, pretending to not be aware of the enmity between these two monopolising companies. Glasses clinked, cutlery clashed with plates, and the atmosphere was lively.

“How many from Lian?” the head of Hua questioned his deputy on the side.

“Three, the head, deputy and a manager, Sir.”

“Alright, if you notice any suspicious movements, report at once, and remember the plan”

“Yes, Sir.”

Their whispers were almost nonexistent, since they were both facing the front as they moved their mouths ever so slightly. The banquet continued deep into the night, and the representatives of the multiple companies chattered, scouting and creating alliances, and making clear of enemies. The head of Hua remained in his seat, scrutinising those who stood up to discuss with other company representatives. He set his fork down, when the Lian head approached. They spoke of minor events in their own companies, and discussed of well known tactics in running an enterprise. Nothing seemed out of place, and the meaningless conversation continued.

However, catching the manager from Hua sneaking somewhere, the Lian deputy followed him after making eye contact with the head and blinking three times in rapid succession as a signal that he was leaving to investigate something suspicious. He followed the manager through a long corridor, and hid around the protruding corner as they halted.

“He’s distracted, so the best time is now. We have to get their financial records and plans for their new products as soon as possible.”

...****************...

...End of part one...

...Thank you for reading! ...

Disclaimer: this work is entirely fictional (despite having realistic elements) and the corresponding names, people, places, etc. are inspired.

Trigger warnings: violence (?), a bit of blood, sacrifice

The deputy listened carefully, noting down the main points in his mind, and as soon as the other person had any signs of returning to the main hall, he flipped inside a room and behind the door, sticking to it like glue. The footsteps echoed away, and he immediately contacted the head. Seeing a notification from his ‘Cousin’, and making no efforts to hide the contents from the Lian head, he followed through each line, recalling the codes agreed on. Putting back his phone, while maintaining a smile, he excused himself due to ‘personal’ reasons and exited the main hall. He walked for a while, until finally reaching the entrance of a particular room. He paused, listening for any movements inside. Quiet typing came from inside, and his eyes gleamed with fury. He pushed open the door, catching the one inside red-handed.

“I didn’t know I gave access to the financial records to Lian employees?”

However, it seemed that the other person was already apprehended by his deputy.

“Good job.”

“Thank you, Sir, what do I do with him?”

Just then, a crowd of guests including the head and deputy of the Lian company arrived at the door.

“Oh dear, what happened?”

“What happened?” the Hua head sneered. “Why don’t you see for yourself.”

As the Lian head walked into the room, he appeared surprised, and then reprimanded with a stern expression. Immediately after, he turned around and apologised to the one beside him.

“My apologies, I had no idea of such an operation. I’ll make sure to fire him and that this never happens again.”

Although it seemed clear that he planned the whole thing, since he apologised, it would make the Hua head look bad if he bore a grudge or didn’t settle openly.

“No matter, we’ll deal with him. We won’t trouble you,” he replied.

After making eye contact with his deputy, the manager was apprehended and brought to the entrance, when he suddenly struggled out of the hands of the deputy almost effortlessly and lunged at the Hua head. However, he dodged and grabbed his arm, twisted it, and put both of the manager’s arms behind their back. Yet, while this happened a shadow seemed to flash to his side, and the gleam of a blade stopped near his neck.

“Sir!”

“Oh dear, how could you be so careless?”

It was the Lian head. The audience outside the door gasped, and the Hua deputy opened his eyes wide.

“You’re resorting to these means?”

“It’s not as if it’s uncommon for companies to suddenly collapse overnight. Am I right?” he directed the question to the outsiders with a smile. Immediately, they nodded quickly, but kept quiet as they peered at the Hua head.

His face darkened slightly, and without warning, the Hua deputy rushed to his side, grasping at the Lian head’s raised wrist. No matter how one saw it, it was a rash move, and the head widened his eyes. The sharp edge of the knife was a centimetre away from his skin, leaving still no space to struggle and escape. Just then, the Hua head seemed to have been cut off from air for a brief moment, and he could no longer swallow. Crimson red dribbled down his neck. He looked up.

“Sir!” the deputy seemed panicked and shocked, eyes rimmed with red.

Yet, everyone saw what happened. After pulling on the Lian head’s wrist for sometime, seemingly with great effort, he slowly let go, causing the immense force of the wrist trying to pull away to dissipate after cutting deeply into the throat. It seemed like an accident, but as the Hua head suffocated and tried to gasp for air, he stepped back, bowed to him and his fearful expression was wiped away without a thought. The Hua head bore an indescribable expression and it seemed as if he was saying:

You were the spy? The one who exposed my plans, my schedule and leaked everything to the enemy? Why is it you? I could have succeeded so easily if I didn’t have you in my tail.

“Sorry, Sir. It was either you or him. Only one of you could continue in this industry…I’m sorry, Sir, I had to sacrifice something in order to climb high in society.”

With one more bow, the Hua head lost consciousness.

...****************...

...End of Story....

...Thank you for reading! ...