The White Feather- A story of infinite worlds

The last face you'll see

“Who the f**k are you?” Chandra screamed.

“I’m the last face most people like you see and one of the many who are sent to clean this holy city of your filth. Now tell me where your master is.” Thomas says while pressing the pistol against his forehead.

“So it’s true. There is an organization which is taking down gangs around the globe.” Chandra’s face grew pale.

“You're smart, but not smart enough.” Thomas said and smashed the pistol’s butt on Chandra’s head.

“I’ll not ask again. Tell me where he is.” Thomas said.

“You really think I’m afraid to die. I come from a hell and…” Chandra blabbered but Thomas’ kick on his chest interrupted him. He started coughing.

“Yup! I think you're afraid to die.” Thomas said and crushed Chandra’s wrist with his shoe. Chandra tried to scream but Thomas fitted his other shoe in Chandra’s mouth and continued inflicting the pain.

“Ok ok! Please.” He cracked at last. Thomas took his foot off Chandra’s wrist. It was completely destroyed. The skin was all ripped off and two of the fingers were broken. Blood from the peeled veins covered the floor.

“Smart decision. Go on and tell me something worth your shitty life.” Thomas said while taking a cigar from Chandra’s case.

“Even if you let me go, he won’t. This is his city; I won’t even get ten feet from the hotel before a beggar sticks a knife in my eyes. Or a florist will…”

“Wrong answer!” Thomas interjected and slapped him. The impact jumpstarted Chandra’s brain and soon enough he took control of his mouth.

“Wednesday!” he squealed.

“What?” Thomas asked.

“There is a restaurant in the pink mall named grizzlies. That was the place he first met his girlfriend. He goes there on Wednesdays to remember her.” He said.

“What does he look like?” Thomas enquired while lighting another cigar.

“No one knows. He gets his face altered every month.” Chandra said, looking at his severed arm.

“Cautious man; I like that. Well, that will be all. Thank you for your support, I will take it from here.” Thomas said, checking his magazine again. He had always had a phobia that his gun had run out of bullets.

“And what about me? I won’t make it out of this city. He knows everything.” Chandra said. He was scared shitless.

“You don’t have to worry about that. You will be taken to the time prison and kept there until you run out of life.” Thomas said while c*****g his gun.

“Thank you. Does this mean I will just vanish in thin air like your men?” Chandra said, relieved and confused at the same time.

“Yup. But know this- if your information turns out to be a hoax, I will rip off your head personally.” Thomas said, looking straight in his eyes.

“My word is pure, he will be there.” Chandra said with determination.

“I thought so. You will be delivered in a few seconds.” Thomas said as he walked past him.

As Chandra let out a deep breath of relief, Thomas turned around and shot him in the back of his head. Chandra doubled up on the ground right next to a guard’s dead body.

“A time prison? Who the hell would believe that? Stupid f**k!” Thomas said and chuckled.

He pressed another button on his watch. A hologram popped out and highlighted a location. It was outside the hotel on the main road. Along with that, it showed a timer counting down fifteen minutes. Thomas looked at the map for a second and then rushed out of the room. He placed the gun in his coat and stepped down the stairs in a hurry.

His watch flashed.

“Seventy meters away from desired spot. Fourteen minutes of time freeze left.” An electronic voice said.

The receptionist seemed to be scolding some guard. A man was smoking a cigar beside him. The puff of smoke was frozen in the air, along with the three men. The glass entrance was open and a man was about to step in with a suitcase in his hand. Thomas could see an excellent gold revolver flashing out of his inside coat pocket.

“Hmm, that looks expensive. I hope you don’t mind me taking it.” Thomas whispered as he took it out and stuffed it inside his pocket.

Thomas made it to the location with twelve minutes remaining on the clock. He was panting and drops of sweat appeared on his forehead.

“Confirm identity.” The voice echoed again.

“Thomas White, confirmation code is 998217.” Thomas said.

“Identity confirmed. The meeting will commence in five..Four…three…two…one.”

Thomas was shook with a gust of wind before a bright portal, circular in shape and about the size of a door, opened in the middle of the road. A man stepped out wearing a black suit and pant with a striped red tie. He was about the age of sixty and had long, white hair along with well trimmed beard.

“So what do we know Tommy boy?” he asked.

“Chandra is not the leader of this gang. The leader is an unnamed psychopath who killed loads of people just to lose his name. He is also extremely clever and cautious and undergoes a surgery every few days.” Thomas said.

“But?”

“But I found his weakness.”

“Which is?”

“He comes to a restaurant every Wednesday to remember his departed girlfriend. We have to put that place under surveillance. I’m going to need three agents in civilian looks because he will have some backup. He is clever but we are no fools either.”

“Ok. Anything else?”

“Yes. I’m going to need the dead bodies cleared up in my room and the CCTV footage wiped out.”

“Done. You will meet our agents at the coffee shop in front of your newspaper office at twelve in the noon on Wednesday. Anything else before that timer runs out?”

“That would be all, sir.”

The man nodded and stepped back inside the portal. Thomas felt the wind again and the portal vanished. He looked at his watch, it showed three minutes on the clock.

“f**k!” he exclaimed.

There were two minutes left when he dashed inside the entrance. His body ached when he skipped stairs to cut time. Finally, just as he closed the door behind him, the watch beeped.

“Time freeze is now ending.”

Thomas dropped on the floor and spread his arms while breathing rapidly. The bodies were gone and it seemed like nothing happened. Time is f*****g magical, isn’t it?

After his body stopped shaking and his breathing was under control, he picked up the bullet from the ground and got up. He then walked up to his suitcase and tapped the side three times. A hole popped out near the suitcase handle and Thomas put the bullet inside it. He then tapped the side three times again.

“Incineration now in progress.” The voice in his watch spoke.

Next, he took out a bottle of vodka from his suitcase and poured some of it into a glass.

“Come out and I won’t kill you.” He said after pouring down two glasses down his throat. He says this every time when he is alone to make sure he isn’t spied upon.

“Last chance. My gun will be talking after this.” He said as filled the glass for the fourth time.

“Look, I’m just a maid. I don’t mean any harm.” A female voice answered from the cupboard behind him.

Thomas sprang to his side and took out his pistol, pointing it straight at the cupboard. His intoxication faded away instantly but he still struggled to aim his pistol at one place.

“Please! I am not a threat.” She pleaded.

“Zeus, scan the structure.” Thomas ordered.

“Look, just…”

“You shut your damn mouth!” Thomas screamed.

After a few seconds, his watch flashed.

“Female, twenty to twenty three years old and unarmed. Heart rate is 150bpm.” His wrist assistant said.

“Come out.” Thomas said, still looking for something to shoot.

“Promise me you won’t shoot. I am not…” a scared voice replied.

“Shut the f**k up and step out of the damn box.” Thomas screamed. The alcohol in his body made him really impatient and angry, a deadly mixture.

The door opened and a beautiful girl in maid’s dress stepped out with her hands in the air. She was looking at the ground and shaking like a kid who was just scolded by her father.

“Where were you when we came in?” Thomas asked.

“In the bedroom, making your bed. I heard Chandra’s voice and was too scared to step out.” She replied innocently. Thomas’ intoxication prevented him from seeing the massive holes in her story.

“How did you know him?” he asked sternly.

“He used to give huge tips for jobs as small as pouring drinks in his glass. Everyone around here knows him.” she said. She now finally had the courage to look up at Thomas’ face. His swollen red eyes sucked the life out of her.

“Give me one good reason not to kill you right now.” Thomas asked.

“I can be of assistance to you. You must be new here and of course know very less about the city. I on the other hand, was born here and work at the hotel where all the major business deals are held.” She said confidently.

“And why would I trust you?”

“You can’t. But I guess you're willing to take that risk.”