104. Bang

Aiden carried Dora on his back now and hung back from

the figure as he followed him. His pace was quick and light as he made almost no sound

with each step.

HIDE FOOTSTEPS. STEALTH ABILITY, PLUS ONE. CURRENT PROGRESS, ONE OUT OF TEN.

CURRENT LEVEL, BEGINNER. Finally, the opportunity to strike was before him. The man

leaned against a tree and raised a water bottle to his mouth.

Aiden squatted and let Dora climb off his back. He whispered to her, CLOSE YOUR EYES

AND COVER YOUR EARS. Dora did as told as she squatted close to the ground behind

Aiden.

Aiden's eyes were sharp as he aimed the pistol at the trunk behind the man. EXHALE,

INHALE, EXHALE. TRIGGER, SHOOTING ABILITY, LEVEL, BEGINNER, AUTO-ADJUSTING AIM.

After several deep breaths, Aiden squeezed the trigger. There was a violent vibration in

his hands, which made Aiden's hands numb for a moment. The bullet exploded from the

pistol like lightning.

USE OF AN AUTOMATIC PISTOL, GUN KNOWLEDGE, PLUS ONE. The bullet went through

the tree and out the other side, penetrating the man right in his heart before he could

even react to the sound of the gunfire. He was dead.

This time, Aiden was aware he was killing someone, but he showed no emotion. He knew

his only chance of survival was to kill these men before they could get to him and Dora.

OVERCOME FEAR OF KILLING, MOOD, PLUS ONE.

Aiden quickly moved to the man's body while voices called out to each other over the

radio. Everyone had heard the gunfire. RAMON, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? Came one

voice.

RAMON, YES, PLEASE REPLY. Said another, who Aiden thought was Hank. Aiden made a

mental note that Ramon was the name of the man he had just shot and killed.

Because Aiden already had Ramon's voice, he used his skills again to imitate Ramon's

voice. I saw him. I shot at him.

But somehow he attacked me. My leg is broken. I can't move.

In Ramon's voice, Aiden continued directing the others to his own advantage, saying,

YOU GUYS RUN AFTER HIM. HE RAN TO THE NORTH OF WHERE I AM NOW. Over the

radio, the others had no doubt about Ramon's urgent instructions.

Soon, Aiden could see the other spots on the GPS moving to the area north of Ramon's

body. Aiden smiled at Dora and squatted so she could climb onto his back again. They

were no longer fleeing for their lives.

The game had changed and now the hunters became Aiden's prey. He would chase down

and kill each of the remaining men. The game was on.

A half an hour later, Aiden had killed two more kidnappers. Now there was only one man

left on the mountain to hunt Aiden and Dora. It was Hank, the one who had first shot at

him.

He was also the attacker Aiden most wanted to kill. Aiden's brow furrowed as he

frowned, trying to plan his next move. Hank had ceased moving on the GPS and as Aiden

approached the area where he was supposed to be, there was no trace of him.

Aiden realized that Hank was smarter than the others. After the gunfire and his buddies

disappearing, Hank knew something was wrong. Everyone was now marked by a

motionless spot on the map where their bodies laid.

Aiden guessed that Hank was using his locator signal to lure Aiden where he wanted him.

But rather than fall into Hank's trap and move in on the location signal, Aiden would set

a trap of his own. He dropped down to the ground where he and Dora laid quietly.

They took care to keep their breath gentle and not move at all. They were calm as was

everything around them.

50. A Shot in the Dark There was no sound among the dense woods and the

mountainside, except for the occasional rustling of tree branches in the light wind. In this

cold weather, even insects and wild animals weren't moving around.

Less than 100 yards from Aiden, also lying on the forest floor, was a figure in a white

shirt aiming his pistol in the general direction of Aiden and Dora. This man was the only

remaining member of the pursuit team. Aiden could see a beacon sitting on a huge stone

near the man.

That must be his GPS locator. It was just as Aiden had guessed. Hank was using the

locator to lure Aiden to him.

Even in the cold night, Hank had removed his blue coveralls, in order to be less

conspicuous. As the cold wind howled, Hank shivered on the forest floor. Determination

alone was not enough to keep his body warm.

Hank had noticed something was wrong when there was silence on the radio. The other

guys on the team were always chatty. Their silence was not normal.

Of course, Hank did not know that the man killing off his teammates was Aiden. He

thought the boy had run away with the child. Facing an unknown enemy made him

afraid.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation since he joined the

organization. Hank felt like he was up against the Grim Reaper, taking the lives of his

teammates one by one in the dark night. Aiden, by contrast, was relaxed.

He did not dare act rashly. If he had been alone, he would have carefully searched the

surrounding environment. But with Dora, he didn't dare move and leave her alone.

He could just make out how pale her face had become, and her lips were turning blue

from the cold. Aiden carefully slipped out of his coat and wrapped it around Dora. Dora

didn't dare speak, but she looked at Aiden with tears in her eyes.

Time passed slowly. Both Aiden and Hank were patient hunters, neither wanting to make

the first move and reveal their exact location to the other. As Aiden began to think their

silent standoff might last until dawn, he picked up sound in the distance.

He focused and could just hear police sirens on the road below. The cars were getting

closer. Chief Robert, they were here! Across the way, Hank also heard the sirens, but he

was far less excited about the arrival of the police.

He bit his lip and crawled on his belly toward his locator beacon. The beacon had his

organization's identity information on it. He couldn't leave it behind for the police to find.

Aiden's ears picked up Hank's movement. This soft rustling was like the sound of a snake

slithering over the ground. Aiden suddenly held his breath completely and stretched his

hearing to its maximum.

The rustling sound was moving toward Hank's signal on the GPS. He looked up toward

the rock where the locator beacon rested. Aiden raised a hand to cover Dora's ear and

nodded so she would cover them herself.

With her ears protected, he aimed his pistol towards the sound. Trigger. Investigation

ability.

Current level. Beginner. Blocking target position.

Aiden focused his eyes and ears. If a snake was slithering through the grass, he'd shoot

the grass. It was a blind shot, guided only by his intuition.

Gunfire cut through the night sky and through the dark forest. There was a slight

movement in the grass in the distance, and he heard a groan of pain. I hit him, Aiden

thought.

Ding. Blind fire. Firing ability, plus one.

Ding. Hit the key target point. Firing ability, plus one.

As Aiden felt relieved and was ready to go check the body, he was stopped by his

internal system. Automatic trigger. Insight.

Current level. Beginner. Position revealed by gunshot.

Seek a new cover.

Aiden's heart thumped in his ears. His shot had been true, but not fatal. Knowing that

the danger was far from over, he cautiously approached the flailing body lying in the

grass.

Trevor was moaning pitifully. Aiden caught a good look at the bullet wound. The shot had

been a scarily precise shot, like magic.

The bullet had directly pierced Trevor's abdominal artery, making the bleeding all the

worse. Although he gauged Aiden approaching, Trevor didn't dare try to get up and run

away, knowing it would likely be the last thing he did. Instead, he could only lie there, his

blood spilling freely into the grass, fighting to stay awake, waiting until Aiden came just a

bit closer.

As long as he could move, even a little bit, he was ready to fight. But five minutes

passed. Then ten.

His vision was blurring, in and out, gradually. He was soon going to lose consciousness,

he knew. But still, his assailant didn't appear.

He cried out into the night. Despairingly, he looked up to the waning moon. Was Aiden

even still out there? Even if I die, you can't let the police find me, he seethed woefully.

Another shot, this time in the head. Blood splashed three feet in all directions, a mortal

halo around Trevor's head. The night was silent, and the grass rustled with the power of

unsettled spirits.

The threat has been neutralized. Danger level zero. Sure enough, in the silence, Aiden no

longer felt an ominous impending danger.

He approached the body alone. He couldn't let Dora see the blood. Trevor lies in the

grass, disfigured and motionless.

He looked tragic, and Aiden tried to force himself to overcome his sympathy. You did this

to yourself, he said lowly. Aiden zipped open his backpack and began tossing Trevor's

array of weapons inside.

Pistols, bullets, Swiss army knives, it all seemed to have come from Martin's knapsack.

Aiden hesitated. The haul was tempting, but would having these on his person

incriminate him if one of Trevor's cronies caught up with him? Suddenly worried about

the prospect of being caught, Aiden quickly grabbed Dora and continued his ascent to

the top of the mountain.

Even after all the violence, the night was calm and beautiful. The moon was a bright,

pale white that reminded Aiden of the scales of a fish. Finally, after nearing the top of

the mountain, Aiden found a place to rest with Dora, partially hidden behind a cliff.

Hundreds of feet below, he saw a thin line that he knew was a river or stream. He was

fairly certain it was the Bayside River, which runs through Bayside District and divides it

into two. Aiden checked his cell phone.

No signal at all. His only hope was that Officer Robert could find them soon. Dora, are

you afraid? For fear of being found by the wrong people, Aiden couldn't start a fire.

Instead, to keep Dora warm, he held their hands between his and rubbed them, keeping

her close. Dora felt his care and concern, and the fear in her eyes finally began to

dissipate. Not while you're here! She smiled at him brightly.

He smiled back. The warmth of those trusting smiles combated the icy breeze. The night

went on, and the sky slowly became lighter and lighter.