Love and Hate

Prologue

August 7, XX15

Saturday

Ferris Coldwell owns 4 houses. One in the Hanco, close to the eastern sea. Another in Helad, a winter vacation home in the mountains, a condo in the city of lights Hikri in the west of Brilton, and his main home in the Boreas Republic. It was just established after a civil war 3 years ago, so things were iffy. Crime rates started to go down because of the new government and new laws were being created so people were slowly adapting. It was pretty much your average modern country. It had cars, computers, smart phones and people even were starting to use the electronic watches. With all this tech flying around, it shocked Ferris to see a letter sitting on his table in his study.

Was it mail the maids brought in? He thought for a moment. It's almost dinner time though. Is it from work or...? Then Ferris remember something that happened last month. One of the maids bumped into an intruder who was snooping in Ferris's study. At first she thought he was an electrician, but when she took a closer look she realized there was a gun in a holster sticking out from under his shirt. She called the cops immediately and they came but the man escaped. She couldn't see his face because his back was turned to her. That, and she didn't want to stick around long enough to get a face profile while risking getting shot. His security cameras didn't pick up anything either because he hid his face under a base ball cap.

That's crazy, Ferris thought as he picked up the envelope and ripped it open. It's probably some mail on the ground the maids forgot to bring so they- Ferris stopped moving. A picture of Ferris with five other soldiers stood in what appeared to be an old city. Back then Ferris's hair was much shorter and stubby, making it appear like a light coating of black charcoal. His left arm was around a young man with light brown hair and piercing blue eyes. From his smile you could tell he felt awkward but one could see he was comfortable around his comrades. To his right was a bald tanned man much bigger than him, making bunny ears behind Ferris's head and seemed to be having way too much fun. A black man stared at the camera in shock as he was sitting down reading a book in his hand. Luckily, he was able to somehow notice the events happening around him enough to think, "Oh yeah, I have to be aware that I'm with other people." The smallest man smiled at the camera. He had high cheek bones and a native look to him. He was thin unlike the others and didn't have much of a presence. Next to him was a guy- no a girl. A girl who looked like a guy stood smiling at the camera with her arms crossed. They all were wearing combat boots with t-shirts and you could see some of their dog tags if you looked really close.

Most people would smile at this picture.

Most people would think how close all those soldiers were.

How they fought together, ate together, laughed and smiled with each other.

Most people would think how precious they were to each other.

Ferris did not.

He dropped the picture letting it flutter to the ground. Where did this come from? He asked himself. Who put this here? How did they- then he noticed something. As the picture landed on its front, it's back was entirely exposed. On its back you could see writing hidden from the shadow of his desk. Ferris slowly reached out his hand towards the letters. He cautiously drew it closer to him to see what it wanted him to read.

  In Seven nights you will see us, the ghost of your past. We want to play a game with  you of tunnels. Find our letters to avoid our rage, for if you don't, the tunnel you have built yourself will collapse.

Ferris crunched the letter in his hand and threw it at the trash can, not even able to make a slam dunk. How!!! He yells in his mind banging his fist on the table. In that moment it was not fear that over took him. It was rage. Rage that someone came to take away everything he ever worked for. That someone thought they could suddenly wreck his pristine life he polished to shine bright as a 10 carat diamond to have it shattered like glass because of his disgusting past; and that someone was supposed to be dead.