Chapter Two: The Threat

Joseph was lost in the moment as he heard the loud horn from the cars behind him. The stoplight was already at the green as who knows how long was he spacing out. He can't help but think of what Maxine told her over the phone. He seemed relaxed looking at the rears but deep inside; he was dying to go home.

"There was a shooting at Bobby's school. He's fine and not injured. Calm down. We'll discuss things once you get home." He remembered the exact lines. He was perplexed on how calm her wife was during that time or maybe she doesn't want to sound hysterical, as we can't go down the same emotions at a crucial point.

She has always been peaceful and toned down when it comes to situations like this. He was glad of how destiny partnered them up as hot-tempered he was. He was running at a speed of 70 miles per hour, driving at racing speed. He arrived home at half the travel time he used to when going to work.

"Where is my son?" He eagerly asked Maxine upon entering the wooden door. He was relieved as he received a warm hug from her wife. He felt the warmth as he looked at her swollen eyes.

"He's in his room. Trying to get some sleep." She assuredly answered.

"What a relief then. Does he feel sick?" Seeing how Maxine tried to handle everything on her side made him calm as he can't afford to lose his cool as well. He laid down the couch next to him and thrown the handbag he carried for the files he needed. Her wife moved beside him and they cuddled together.

"He looks fine… but my mind says differently." Maxine looked at him.

"Talk to him. Make sure he's doing fine. Please…" He saw tears flowing from her eyes as she tried to hide it.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine." He answered with certainty and comfort.

"We'll talk tomorrow about what our plans will be. For now, let's go upstairs and you grab some sleep first. I'll talk to him, so take it easy." He hugged her before letting her slumber in their queen-sized bed.

"How about my promised... dinner?" She pouted her lips as if trying to console him.

"Ssshhh… sleep for now and rest. I'll check what we have." He checked the time and it was past midnight.

He checked the room of his son and he felt comforted hearing how soundly asleep he was. He kissed his forehead and tucked him in. Bobby's swollen face made him cringed but he decided to leave him so he can sleep better.

He was slouching over the sofa while drinking his coffee. Thinking hard about how he can make things right. "Dad, I can't sleep." He heard Bobby's voice over the darkness of his resounding guilt over his past. He lit the lamp to see the swollen and bandaged face of his son. He can't help but calmly grit his teeth in awe of the evidence appearing before him.

"Does it hurt so bad?" He asked Bobby knowing the fact of how he must be feeling.

"Of course not! It's just a little scratch on my handsome face." His son shrugged.

"Haha. That's my boy. You sure have grown a lot." He smiled at him.

"Something's wrong?" He asked with a serious face. "Well, I saw my friend die… in fro… front of me." The boy's head bent as he tries to hide the pain and tears. Seeing his friend suffer a terrible end might be traumatic for him.

"He… he… tried to… to…" He sobbed heavily.

"Come here." The father hugged his own son.

"Ssshhh… breathe in, breathe out." He was trying to calm his son while his raging tears keep flowing.

"Look at me…" His eyes met the gaze of his.

"Everything happens for a reason. God has a purpose for why you are still here. Sometimes we don't need to understand. We just need to learn how to accept His plans for us. You need to trust Him." As he says those words, it keeps echoing as if it were meant for him.

"You are alive because God planned you to still be breathing. He wants you to live the purpose He wants you to have. That's to be with us. Whatever happened with your friend, he must be happy now in paradise." He saw the eyes of an innocent child being held captive by the experiences, which are too early for him to bear. The past really has its way. Returning with fury fire, melting his soul and heart.

After sending Bobby to bed, without knowing that the morning already said hello as he felt the night was deep and silent. He went down the basement to look into something he never thought he would ever see again. How he wished the time will never come for him to hold this piece of metal, fitted for his hands to take somebody's life. He never expected the time would come for his memories to hunt him down. He unleashed his favorite collection.

The blood he brought upon himself was too much for his fate to change. What you sow you will reap. He might not be the direct receiver of the consequences of his past. Someone will suffer because of past wrongdoings.

The decisions he made in the past really determined his future. "Why aren't you sleeping, Joseph?" Her wife hugged him towards the couch he was sitting.

"I'm passing the time while watching some news of what happened today." He answered as he kissed her swiftly as she lay down on his nape.

The terrorist attacked happened this afternoon as an unknown masked man was found dead with a single shot in the heart, whoever killed this madman, was the hero of the students. Nobody has seen the person. Meanwhile, the school grounds leaving 5 students dead on the spot… He immediately changed the channels to avoid her wife feeling miserable about what happened.

"Why did you change it? I feel okay now. I'm just grateful that our son was only quite injured." She sniffed.

"Yeah, we should feel thankful at least that he was safe." He added. There was a long silence, no one could speak anymore as it may aggravate the feelings they were trying to conceal. They were containing the worries and fears any parent would understand.

Following the bombing of an unknown group through the White House, the President of the United States moved to a safer location. His condition and whereabouts were not clear to prioritize his safety. Our police forces are now looking for a possibility of an inside job as looking through the loopholes in the security system. So far, they are tightening the security and maintaining the utmost confidence that no one can hack their system so they will conclude of an inside Intel hiding among the staff. The newscaster continued the reporting of the incident.

"Should we move back to my father's farmland?" Maxine rarely asked him about any household decisions; this will be the first time she openly suggested a home relocation. The idea of moving to another place would be the best answer as the attack might happen again in their district.

He was quite hesitant to agree, as he will have difficulty traveling for work. "You and the kids should move back with our parents for the meantime." He hated the idea that he will be far away with his family but safety will be his top priority.

'We declare war against the President of the United States. We will not stop and eradicate the true evil in society. Politicians of these generations don't value the independence brought by our ancestors. They prioritize their own greed and satisfaction; ONLY US can stop this ridiculous system!' ~Big Ira

'The statement recorded on social media channel proved to be the cause of the bombing attack on the White House. The police forces are looking for the source of the video link and investigating this might be related to the bombings and shootings happening around the United States.' – CBM News Reporting

"What's going on around? Do you have an idea?" He asked Maxine, as she might know any hidden news not made public.

"My supervisor told me the probability of an inside job was high and they were part of this 'Big Ira' organization." Maxine might be on leave right now as a news journalist but her information was never proven wrong. She was on one-month vacation leave for the meantime but she still worked for home-based articles needed.

"Did you tell them that Bobby was almost caught with it?" He curiously asked. He knew how efficient Maxine ever since he met her but at some point, the way she gathered Intel amazes him.

"No, I didn't but they knew. So when I asked them information, they freely provided me some decent answers." She replied.

"I see. Well, you really have a badass team for gathering data." He complimented. "Well, yes. Though most of it were lies, we needed to get deep into the business so we can find the truth behind every story." She explained.

Sensing the passion and drive to the job she committed, he kept wondering what made her took a leave for the longest time. They rarely talk about their jobs, aside from the schedules, on how the day has gotten and their favorite hangout time with their colleagues. They never got to the point of asking how they do their job successfully.

Secrets. Time will tell. Can it be measured… how far can it last?