𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗲

35 - The Invisible Threat.

I swallowed hard as the terrifying reality hit me once again. Sawyer had only spoken the ugly truth, the one I was constantly trying to push to the back of my mind. The impending threat from the old man seemed more real and imminent than ever before. The clock was ticking down to his strike, a moment that was to put everything I cherished at risk.

And I was nowhere near prepared for it.

But how do you prepare for the unseen, the unknown? The enemy that skulks in shadows, immune to every feeble attempt I make to find him.

An unknown enemy...and there is nothing more dangerous than that.

"Hey, got room for one more?" Uncle Ben's familiar voice sliced through the hush, just as his knuckles gently thudded against the wood of the door.

"Of course!" I answered, my tone more upbeat than I felt, straining to pull my facial muscles into something akin to a natural smile.

Stepping inside, Uncle Ben scanned the room, his eyes flicking between me and Sawyer, before resting on the weighty look that had seemingly attached itself to both of our faces. "What's going on? His voice took on a graver tone.

An exchanged glance between Sawyer and I told us all we needed to know. There was no way we could drag Uncle Ben into this mess. I wanted to protect him, just like he had done for us over the years.

"Nothing," Sawyer and I retorted at the same time. Our synchronization startled even me.

I forced myself to interject again before he could press any further. "Everything's fine," I claimed, injecting as much reassurance into my tone as I could manage, while a plastered smile served as backup.

Uncle Ben didn't appear to be swallowing that little lie. Making his way towards us, he sat himself on the plush cushions of the couch facing me.

"Kid, you better learn how to lie a hell of a lot better than that, " he laughed lightly, shaking his head. "Do you really believe I wouldn't realize something's wrong when you've spent most of your waking and non-waking hours confined to this study? It's not exactly a secret hideaway, you know?"

In that moment, I found myself frozen. I knew he deserved to know what was happening. He had every right. But at the same time, I wanted him far away from it. Straddling that emotional conflict, words refused to find a way out.

Gathering my strength, I strode back to my desk, my fingertips brushing against the cold, metal handle of the second drawer. Gingerly, I retrieved the sealed envelope from its hiding place. With heavy feet, I returned to him, reluctantly extending the packet towards Uncle Ben.

Wasting no time, he tore into the envelope, flipping through its contents. The pictures evoked a mixture of disgust and terror that crept into his features.

"Who the hell would do something like this?" he muttered in disbelief, pausing his tirade only to flip the pictures over, turning his attention to the menacing letter that accompanied them.

My eyes watched as he slowly skimmed the letter, fury reflecting in his eyes as they consumed the damning words. "Just who is this bastard? And why the heck does he think he has the upper hand here?" he finally exploded, shattering the silence.

His rage demanded answers I couldn't offer.

"I have no idea," My words wavered in their confession. "Whoever this faceless enemy is, he seems to have the home field advantage, keeping a step or ten ahead, with full knowledge of every intimate detail of my life, my family. How do we fight an enemy that has complete control, while we're running blind? He's left us light years behind and I have no fucking idea how to catch up!"