The Mystery Files - Chapter 18:Cry of A Lone Bird

As Sajjad spotted them near the gates, he excused himself from the armed guards with a final handshake and hurried towards Omer's silver-grey Mercedes-Benz E-Class, parked just outside Dilraaz Manor.

The three of them climbed in the same way they had arrived.

Omer settled behind the wheel.

Ali occupied the passenger seat.

Sajjad slipped into the back and immediately rubbed his hands together.

He shivered.

"Omer..."

"...is your heater not working?"

Omer looked at him through the rear-view mirror.

"You should've brought your own brazier."

Ali smiled.

"Enough, both of you."

"Pray that we get back safely."

The engine came to life with little more than a subdued hum.

Moments later...

...they were moving.

The imposing gates of Dilraaz Manor slipped behind them.

Its lights gradually disappeared into the darkness.

Ahead lay the long private road, with dense mulberry forests stretching along either side.

It was 11:10 p.m

One of the coldest nights of the year.

A thick blanket of clouds had hidden the moon.

Rows of ornate lamp posts stretched into the distance, casting warm circles of light upon the deserted road.

Between them...

...the darkness gathered beneath the trees.

Beyond the reach of the headlights...

...nothing could be seen.

Only the silent forest.

Only the road.

The kilometres slipped by in silence.

Ali glanced down at the illuminated dashboard.

The GPS still showed a single route cutting through the dense mulberry forests.

Dilraaz Manor Road.

The digital clock read 11:17 p.m.

8 minutes to the main highway.

Ali lifted his eyes to the windscreen.

"Those lamp posts..."

"...I'm sure they weren't here last year."

"No," Omer replied, his eyes remaining on the road.

"They were."

He thought for a moment.

"Although..."

"...perhaps a few more have been added."

Every now and then...

...a police mobile stood parked beneath the roadside lamps.

Occasionally......one of Haideron Tech's security vehicles appeared farther ahead.

Then......the silence returned.

Omer broke it.

His voice carried a trace of irritation.

"Of all the places in the Republic..."

"...the Boss chose to build a mansion past a forest line..."

"...like some paranoid lord in a fairy tale."

His gaze drifted almost absently towards the rear-view mirror...

...then to the driver's-side mirror...

...before returning to the empty road ahead.

"Almost as if he wanted the place to disappear from the world."

Ali spoke without taking his eyes off the road ahead.

"But have you noticed?"

"When it comes to work..."

"...he wants the whole world looking at him."

"Even during television interviews..."

"...the moment someone asks about his private life..."

"...he politely changes the subject."

Omer breathed out quietly.A faint cloud of vapour drifted from his lips.

"I suppose..."

"...that's how some celebrities choose to live."

Ali nodded.

"Even his executive suite."

"The entire executive floor is quiet..."

"...spacious..."

"...yet almost isolated despite being inside such a showy corporate building."

"Sort of eccentric," Omer remarked dryly.

The Mercedes continued rolling smoothly through the forests.

Even Ali found himself sitting a little straighter.

Neither he nor Omer noticed Sajjad.

He had pressed himself firmly against the leather backrest.

His arms were folded tightly across his chest.

His eyes wandered nervously from one dark window to the other.

Every now and then...

...he glanced through the rear windscreen.

His lips moved almost imperceptibly as quiet verses of protection escaped beneath his breath.

The golden Ayat-ul-Kursi pendant swayed gently beneath the rear-view mirror.

Omer caught Sajjad's reflection.

"You've gone awfully quiet, Sajjad."

"At the party..."

"...you wouldn't stop talking."

"Now you look like a prisoner being transported in a police van."

Sajjad forced a weak smile.

Before anyone could speak again...

...a lone bird cried somewhere deep inside the forest.

The sharp, mournful call sliced through the freezing night before fading into the motionless trees.

Sajjad flinched.

"That..."

"...that sounded like a vulture."

For a fleeting instant...

...the Mercedes seemed filled only with the muted hum of its engine.

Omer's grip tightened around the steering wheel.

His eyes swept across the mirrors once more.

The rear-view mirror.

The driver's-side mirror.

The passenger-side mirror.

Nothing.

Only darkness.

Without a word...

...his foot pressed a little harder on the accelerator.

Ali said nothing.

Almost unconsciously...

...he reached across his chest and tightened his seat belt.

Only afterwards did he realize what he had done.

No one commented.

The Mercedes continued gliding through the darkness.

A few minutes later...

...the roadside lamp posts became fewer.

The pools of yellow light stretched farther apart.

The GPS updated silently.

6 minutes to the main highway.

Beyond the headlights...

...the forests swallowed everything.

No vehicle appeared ahead.

None came from behind.

Sajjad's breathing became shallow.

"I wish we'd left with the other guests."

"There were so many cars then."

He stared into the darkness beyond the glass.

"Now..."

"...it feels as though we're the only ones left."

He swallowed.

"And I can't shake the feeling..."

"...that whatever I saw near the old airport..."

"...didn't stay there."

His teeth began to chatter.

Without saying a word......Omer increased the speed again.

Even Ali could feel his own heartbeat.

Silence settled inside the Mercedes.

Only the steady murmur of the engine accompanied them through the wilderness.

After what felt like a very long minute...

...Omer finally spoke.

His eyes never left the road.

"Some feelings..."

"...have a habit of staying with you."

Ali slowly turned towards him.

"Even after you've convinced yourself they're gone."

For the briefest moment...

...Omer's usual warmth disappeared.

His gaze lingered on the driver's-side mirror.

Just for a heartbeat.

Then he blinked.

The familiar calm returned.

"We'll be on the main highway in a few minutes."

"So relax."

No one replied.

Omer looked into the driver's-side mirror one last time.

Nothing.

Only darkness.

Yet he kept driving just a little faster.

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