Just as the thought of the black car solidified in Adam's mind a loud shrill bell rang through the school.
It signaled the end of the day. From the main building across the courtyard students began to pour out.
It was a river of noise.
A stream of them headed for the main gate their chatter filling the air.
Others broke off from the main flow.
They moved towards different buildings for their club activities.
The world was moving on as if nothing was wrong.
Adam turned away from the window. He was a ghost watching a world he was no longer a part of. He walked back down the hallway against the flow of a few straggling students.
He descended the stairs his feet heavy on the steps. He went to his classroom to retrieve his bag.
The room was empty now. Sunlight slanted through the windows lighting up dust motes dancing in the air.
He slung his bag over his shoulder. The weight was familiar but everything else was alien.
This time he did not walk towards the main entrance. That path led to the black car and the two men who looked like cops.
That path led to death. He knew this with an impossible certainty. Instead he made his way to the opposite end of the school grounds.
He headed for the lesser-used back gate.
It was a chain-link fence with a simple latch mostly used by janitors and delivery trucks.
As he slipped out onto the quiet side street a brief wave of relief washed over him. He had changed the outcome.
He had survived. He walked his mind racing. Could someone really be so powerful they could order the police to kill a high school student? The idea seemed impossible something out of a movie. But why me? Why would anyone want to kill me? The question was a blank wall in his mind.
He had no enemies. His parents were simple people. They worked hard and kept to themselves. Nothing made sense.
He had no answers.
Before he could form another thought something hard and heavy struck the back of his head.
Pain exploded behind his eyes. The world tilted violently.
His vision turned to a field of black spots and his legs gave out from under him. He was falling.
The relief he felt moments ago was a cruel joke.
But before his body could hit the pavement two sets of strong arms caught him. They held him upright.
He was barely conscious. His head lolled to the side.
Through a blurry haze he saw a man standing in front of him. The man put a cigarette to his lips. He spoke around it his voice rough and impatient.
"Let's go. Get him in the van. The boss wants this done quick."
The two men holding Adam nodded. They dragged his limp body towards a nearby white van.
It was parked against the curb half-hidden by an overgrown tree.
They slid the side door open with a loud metallic screech. They threw him inside like a sack of garbage and slammed the door shut.
The world plunged into darkness. The vehicle's engine roared to life and they sped away from the school.
[Status: Concussed. Unconscious.]
Adam's eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw was a wide open blue sky with a few lazy clouds drifting by.
He was lying on his back in a grassy field.
The blades of grass were damp against his neck. A short distance away a river flowed lazily.
Its surface reflected the bright daylight. Farther off he could see a paved road with no cars on it.
He pushed himself into a sitting position. His head throbbed with a dull intense ache. The world spun for a moment before settling.
Two large muscular men stood over him. Their shadows fell across his body.
They looked like they were carved from stone. One of them cracked his knuckles.
The sound was loud in the quiet field. Adam watched them warily. A throbbing pain pulsed at the back of his head.
He raised a hand to the spot and felt a sticky wet patch of matted hair. His fingers came away stained with a small amount of fresh blood.
Before he could process the situation or even attempt to stand another figure stepped out from behind him. It was the man with the cigarette.
He was now holding a thick wooden club. It looked like a cut-down baseball bat. It was the same weapon that had knocked him out.
The man looked down at Adam with complete indifference.
He swung the club without a word. It connected squarely with the back of Adam's knee.
A sickening crack echoed in the quiet field. A sharp searing pain shot up his leg.
It was a fire that consumed his entire body. Adam screamed a raw desperate sound that was swallowed by the open air. He collapsed back onto the grass clutching his shattered leg.
The man who had hit him rested the club casually on his shoulder.
"Who did you piss off," he asked. His tone was conversational. He was genuinely curious. "To get a bounty this big put on your head? Five million is a lot for a kid."
The word "bounty" cut through the white-hot agony. Adam stared up at him his mind momentarily freezing. A bounty? First the police... now them... This was bigger than he thought. It was organized.
The man took a long drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke out slowly.
"It doesn't matter to us of course. A job is a job. But I've been doing this a long time. I've never seen a price like this on someone so young."
The two men who had been standing in front of him moved in. They each grabbed one of Adam's arms.
They pinned him to the ground. He struggled but their grip was like iron.
His one good leg kicked uselessly against the dirt.
The third man the one with the club crouched down beside him. He tossed the club aside and wrapped his large rough hands around Adam's throat.
Pressure immediately began to build. Adam's airway was cut off. He thrashed.
He clawed at the man's hands but it was useless. Black spots danced at the edges of his vision.
They rapidly closed in like a curtain falling on a stage. He couldn't breathe. His lungs burned for air. His heart hammered against his ribs.
Why are they doing this? Why do they want me dead? What did I ever do?
The question was his last conscious thought as the world dissolved into complete and total darkness. He was dead again.
[FATAL DAMAGE DETECTED. HOST VITALITY AT ZERO.]
[BOUNTY ON HOST CONFIRMED. THREAT LEVEL INCREASED.]
[SEARCHING FOR VALID CHECKPOINT...]
[CHECKPOINT FOUND. RESTARTING SEQUENCE.]
A flash of light. A sterile blue window appeared in the suffocating blackness.
[Revival Protocol Activated.]
The crushing pressure on his throat vanished. The unbearable pain in his leg and head was gone.
The bright open sky was replaced by the low acoustic-tiled ceiling of an office. The smell of grass and river water was gone.
The air was dry and smelled of paper again. He was sitting in the same chair in the same cubicle as before. It was all exactly the same.
Across the desk his teacher Mr. James looked at him. The man's face held an expression of deep sympathy.
"Adam," Mr. James said his voice soft and familiar. It was the third time Adam had heard these exact words. "I know you've lost your parents but you need to get over this grief."