chapter 5
Adolf opened the door to find a man standing on the doorstep, suitcase in hand.
"Are you expecting someone?" he asked Jack, his eyebrows raised in question.
Jack looked over at the stranger, a puzzled expression on his face. "No, I wasn't. Who are you?"
The man smiled, extending a hand in greeting. "My name is Johann," he said. "I'm here to see Adolf."
Jack looked even more confused. "Adolf doesn't have any visitors scheduled," he said, his voice uncertain.
"Sir Steve asked me to give you this suitcase," the man said, holding it out to Adolf.
"Funny guy, Steve," Adolf replied with a laugh, accepting the suitcase. He shut the door, turning back to Jack.
"Aren't you going to the party?" Adolf asked, his tone casual. "A little time off work won't hurt you, you know."
"Adolf," Jack said, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Is the real reason you're going to the party because of the girls?" He took a sip of his whiskey, his expression teasing.
"Well, it's partly true," Adolf admitted. "But I also just need a break from the grind. The search, the never-ending work. We've been at it for 18 years and we still haven't found her." He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"You're a piece of work, you know that?" Jack said, slapping Adolf on the back with a grin.
"You're right, we better get some rest," he agreed. "It's going to be a long night, and we'll need all the energy we can get."
With that, he turned and headed for his room, the door closing softly behind him.
"Absolutely!" Adolf shouted, his body wriggling with excitement. He started to dance, his moves wild and uncoordinated.
The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, its rays streaming through the window in bright, golden streaks.
Kimberly POV
"The baby is not aging gracefully," Maddox said, a hint of worry in his voice. "Her skin is losing its elasticity and her bones seem to be pushing against it. This illness is weird."
"Darling, I'm terrified," his wife said, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks. "The doctor didn't know what it was. What are we going to do?"
"There's a remedy that Benjamin has heard of," Maddox said, lowering his head into his hands. "It's a rare herb, found in the woods just beyond the park. He thinks it might help if we can find it."
"You want to use our daughter as a test subject?" she exclaimed, her voice rising with anger. "I won't allow it, Maddox! It's too risky!"
"But we can't just experiment on her!" she insisted, her voice breaking. "I can't bear to watch our daughter suffer like that."
"I know it's terrifying," Maddox replied, his tone gentle but firm. "But we have to try something, or we'll lose her. I can't bear to lose her either."
Suddenly, the sound of a car horn blared outside, followed by the unmistakable thud of someone knocking on the front door.
Maddox turned the doorknob and pulled the door open. On the other side stood Benjamin, a wry grin on his face.
"Well, well, well," Benjamin said, a twinkle in his eye. "Look who it is."
"My old friend, Benjamin," Maddox replied, an answering smile on his face.
As Benjamin entered the room, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one.
"What's going on here?" he asked, his gaze falling on the baby in the crib.
"We can't waste any time," Benjamin said urgently. "This sickness is killing her, and we need to act fast. We are going to take her with us. We… "
But before he could finish, Maddox's wife cut him off.
"No," she said, her voice firm. "Our daughter is staying here with me. You can go get the herbs, and I'll make sure she takes them."
"Be that as it may," Benjamin said, his voice steely. "If we don't act, your daughter will die. You can resent me all you want, but I'm trying to save her life."
"How about we leave the baby here with her mother," Maddox suggested. "We can go get the herbs and come right back."
"Suit yourself," Benjamin replied, clearly not happy with the decision. The two men headed for the car.
The car engine roared to life, and they sped off down the road. Inside, Benjamin lit another cigarette, drawing in a long drag and exhaling the smoke slowly.
"I think we're being followed," Maddox said, his voice tense.
"What?" Benjamin asked, glancing over his shoulder. "By who?"
"Yeah, I invited a few friends along," Benjamin said, a sly smile playing on his lips.
"Friends?" Maddox sputtered, clearly taken aback. "You told me it was just going to be the two of us."
"Don't get your panties in a bunch," Benjamin sneered. "We can't take on those animals by ourselves, you idiot."
"Fine, you're the boss," Maddox relented, his voice merely a whisper.
Within minutes, the car pulled up to the edge of the woods. The two men got out, their eyes scanning the forest around them.
The two men stood there, watching as a bus pulled up a few yards away.
The bus doors opened and out stepped several men dressed in white suits. They were armed to the teeth, their helmets obscuring their faces.
"You call these guys 'friends'?" Maddox asked, shooting a skeptical look at Benjamin.
Benjamin took another drag of his cigarette and exhaled a long stream of smoke.
"Just relax," he said, his voice steady and calm. "They're here to help us."
Benjamin led the way into the forest, the men in white following close behind. They walked for hours, the trees towering above them, the sun blazing overhead.
"Just look at these flowers," Benjamin exclaimed, gesturing to a patch of glowing purple flowers.
"Have you considered the impact on the ecosystem?" Maddox asked, a concerned look on his face. "These flowers don't seem to be native to the area."
"Whether they're native or not, we'll take them and extract the juice for the experiment," Benjamin said, a smug grin spreading across his face.
"Boys, get to work," Benjamin barked, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"But we already have one," Maddox protested. "Why do we need to dig up the others?"
"Oh, yeah," Benjamin said, scratching his beard thoughtfully. "We'll use one for now, but we'll need the others for further experiments."
"But we already have one," Maddox protested. "Why do we need to dig up the others?"
"Oh, yeah," Benjamin said, scratching his beard thoughtfully. "We'll use one for now, but we'll need the others for further experiments."
Suddenly, a low growl emanated from the bushes, followed by the sound of rustling grasses.
"Boys, we might have company," Benjamin said, his voice low and urgent.
The men in white raised their guns, their bodies tense, their eyes scanning the bushes. An eerie silence descended on the forest.
The rustling continued, and the men held their breath. Then, a little wolf leaped out of the bushes, its tail tucked between its legs.
The men burst into relieved laughter as the wolf darted away, its little legs carrying it far into the forest.
"Are you kidding me?" Benjamin exclaimed, brandishing his revolver. But before he could aim, Maddox rushed forward and knocked the gun out of his hand.
The wolf disappeared into the forest, its little tail disappearing into the foliage.
"You're serious?" Benjamin said his face pail. He pointed the revolver at Maddox's face, his expression dark.
The two men stared at each other for a long moment, neither of them moving. Then, Benjamin slowly lowered his arm, his body sagging with relief.
"You had me there," he said, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"Let's get moving, boys," Benjamin barked. "We've got a long way to go."
He turned and began striding through the forest, the men falling into line behind him. The air was thick and smelt bad, the only sound was the crunch of leaves under their feet.
"I doubt there are any more of those strange plants around here," Benjamin said, his tone decisive. "Let's get back to the car and get going."
Without another word, the men turned and made their way out of the forest, their boots squelching through the mud. Soon, they were back in the car, the engine humming beneath them.
The car roared down the road, trees and bushes whizzing by in a blur. After half an hour, they came to a stop, the sudden stillness a relief after the frenetic journey.
"I can't believe that plant was still glowing, even after being uprooted," Maddox said, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"It's a magical plant, what did you expect?" Benjamin replied a trace of defensiveness in his tone.
The car rumbled and shook as it sped down the city streets, the engine growling as it tackled the potholes and cracks in the road.
With a squeal of brakes, the car pulled up outside Maddox's apartment building, its engine rattling to a stop.
The two men stepped out of the car, only to find the front door of the apartment building wide open.
"I thought she locked it," Maddox said, looking puzzled.