CHAPTER FOUR – DENT IN THE PAN 

Cairo, Egypt 

Western Reserve Bank 

He opened the doors to the bank and two half-dead bleeding bodies dropped inside. The torrent of revelation and surge of rage in him had taken over his psychological chambers. Now he desired to put a sword to the throat of all his targets. Anyone who tried restricting him, friend or foe, innocent or accomplice, was automatically worthy of elimination. That included the front door guards he just incapacitated. The customers and clients gasped and screamed in horror as they scampered to clusters. He walked in the middle path paved for him by the scared-to-the-bones clients and workers alike. Security rushed down with batons and electric sticks. He made a don’t-come-closer gesture but their protection instincts got the better of them. They rushed at him, aiming to take him to the ground. He sidestepped the first, used his back as a step to project himself onto the rest. He swiped his sword midair, delivering lethal cuts to necks and heads alike. Blood splashed on the walls and some screaming people. Landing, he cut his way through the guards amidst the continuous screams, showing no mercy for man or woman. 

“What are you doing?” the female voice said through his comms. 

“Taking care of distractions” he replied bluntly, slashing the back of a running guard. By the time he was done with the wave, he stood at the end of the stairs leading upwards, blood dripping from his swords. He looked at the shivering cluster of humans behind him. “Your business transactions should be over. It will be getting uglier soon” he simply said and walked upwards. He could hear the rushing feet of those below as they exited the building. By the time he got to the first floor, it was empty. Still he could hear the labored breathing of those hiding behind, below or beside desks. He laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m simply replacing your branch manager” he said and walked to a door at the end of his path tagged “BRANCH MANAGER”. He turned the doorknob but it was locked. He whirled his sword and struck the knob. It fell off with one hit. He kicked it open and stepped inside. He saw the branch manager, a fat bald man, with a gun in his hand. He shook from head to toe despite him having “protection”. 

“Don’t fucking come closer. I’ll take off your head you creep” the man threatened. 

Khalid swiped his swords across the gun, cutting it to pieces. “Shall we have a seat now Mr. Manager?” he asked. He could hear the ones who previously hid rush out and down the stairs. The man subconsciously sank into his chair, agape. “Let us start with her shall we?” he flung a picture of a young girl, seemingly in her early twenties. 

“I don’t know who that is” the man replied. 

“Of course you do. Akila Ubaid. Bachelor’s Degree holder and your side chick. Former side chick” Khalid said. 

“I am a married man. I have no trace of infide…..Aaaargh” he screamed as Khalid swiftly chopped off the tip of some of his fingers. The blood sprinkled on his name tag. Mill Walter it read. “Yes she was my side chick” 

“You promised her a job here at the bank, slept with her and killed her afterwards. Why?” Khalid asked. 

“It was accidental” the man replied sobbingly. “I never knew she was in the bathroom when I poured the acid. 

“A man of your status in a bathroom that small?” Khalid asked irritated. “Then what of this?” he flung another picture of a younger girl, apparently in her late teens. “Zahra Kosey. College aspirant and your side chick. Former side chick. You promised her entry into Cairo University” 

The man knew better than to lie. Whoever this was, he already knew the detailed answers of his own questions. “She got drowsy and fell off the boat” he finally answered after some silence. He felt a blade plunge into the back of his palm. “I swear she got drowsy and fell off the boat. We were on a fucking speedboat” the man cried out. 

“Say it correctly” Khalid ordered. 

“Fine. We drugged and drowned her” the man replied. Khalid withdrew his sword sharply. The man winced. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked exasperatedly. The pain was maddening. 

“Finally this” Khalid threw another picture on the table. It was a photograph of a much younger girl. The man’s eyes widened in shock. “Layla Fadilis. Now I saved her for last. No amount of torture would be sufficient for her pain” Khalid said. He cleaned his swords and sheathed them. He brought out a dagger. The dagger was silver from tip to tip. It had the inscription of an ancient vulture on both sides of the blade. “Now we will go over your ordeals with Miss Layla from the beginning. The day it started” he said and took a seat opposite the whimpering man. 

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Flashback (Two Weeks Ago) 

Cairo Central High School 

Khalid sat on one of the benches outside the volleyball court. Through his concealing dark shades, he could see two girls chatting happily as they took a break from the game. One was light-skinned, a blonde, and the other was a little dark-skinned and black of hair. From his investigation, they were best of friends. Millie Walter and Layla Fadilis, both A-listers on the school’s volleyball team. One was the daughter, and only child, of a rich man he had been following for some months. The other was probably a nobody, judging from her modest looks and demeanor. He observed both of them pick up their bags and leave the court. They were obviously heading home as the volleyball practice was scheduled for after school hours. He saw them walk towards a black SUV parked in the scanty parking lot. They both got in and the vehicle drove out. 

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Two Days Later

Khalid walked on the other side of the road, observing Layla as she walked home from the bank. From his investigation, she had gone to request a loan from Western Reserve Bank and was declined due to lack of sufficient valuable collateral. She walked dejectedly as she took the path home. Suddenly, a black SUV pulled up beside her. Khalid turned to a clothing store and used the transparent glass window to see the transpiration on the other side. To passersby, he seemed to be admiring the showcased outfits. He watched as Layla conversed with the vehicle’s occupant skeptically before getting in the car. They zoomed off immediately. He entered a nearby passage and came out with a motorcycle, a hood draped over his head. He rode in the direction the SUV went and soon they were in his view. He followed them subtly till they got to the Walters residence. He then rode past like he was simply passing the road. He parked at an uninhabited area and alighted the motorcycle. He then walked backwards towards the residence. Before he came into the view of the security at the gate, he activated his cyber-disabling device. The minute-long break before the backup cameras activated was more than enough for him to take care of the guards and change into one of their uniforms. He simply walked inside like he was on patrol. He walked to the security office just beside the gates. He got in and gestured randomly to the one sitting in front of the computers projecting footage from different areas of the house. 

“Any problems?” the guy asked. He simply shook his head and gestured to a stack of bottle waters, indicating he came for a drink. The guy sized him irritatingly and sighed, turning his gaze back to the computers. Khalid used that opportunity to silently spray a gaseous substance on his glove. He walked to the guy and covered his nose and mouth with the contaminated glove. The guy struggled for some seconds before succumbing to the power of the toxin. Liquid foam dripped from his mouth. Khalid then changed into a fumigator’s overall and walked out of the office. He walked into the house undisturbed as he simply thumbed up the personnel he met. He walked to one of the bathrooms and entered a toilet. He unscrewed a covering and got into the vent through the opening. He had memorized the blueprint of the house so he easily navigated his route towards the master chambers. He stopped as he heard a hideous conversation. 

“Millie will be disappointed in me if she finds out” he heard a voice that belonged to Layla say. 

“That’s if you tell her. As long as you keep this a secret, you have no worries regarding its revelation” Walter had replied. “The first day we met, she saw how fond I was of you. She was the one who did the introductions so she wouldn’t mind if she occasionally saw me with you” Khalid could hear the lustful impatience in the man’s voice. He was so in a hurry commit his unholy deed. “We can use the loan from the bank as a perfect excuse” he added enticingly. 

“Uhm….Okay…But I..” the rest of her words were drowned as the hungry man swallowed her lips ferociously. Khalid could hear soft moans from below the vent. This, of course, was not his concern. They could blow they brains out in passion. Not literally. Exploiting desperate girls and killing them afterwards were what triggered his demons. If they were Egyptian, the trigger was tenfold. He silently exited the vent close to a fence and further left the residence.  

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Five Days Later 

A Continental Hotel 

Khalid walked out of the room with a room service attendant’s outfit and a rolling tray. The guards stationed outside the room stared dominantly at him. He simply looked away and faked scratching his head, turning on a listening device in his right ear. He heard the entire conversation, from Walter stalling on the loan delivery to Layla declining his further sexual advances. Soon enough, Walter’s voice became threatening, carrying traces of agitation. Layla’s became pleading with traces of pacification. A loud thud was heard. Next was muffling sounds with grunts of struggle. The next trail of sounds were piercings, cuttings and panting. Khalid’s heart sank. 

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Present Day 

“I will ask you three questions” Khalid said in a low voice. He flaunted the dagger with style, occasionally stealing glances at it and Walter simultaneously. “Are you working for someone?” he asked. 

“Except the bank owner, no” Walter replied. 

Khalid didn’t object. “Did you truly wish to assist any of those girls?” he asked next. 

“Maybe I would have assisted Layla had she played along” Walter replied nonchalantly. 

“Why kill them?” Khalid asked finally. The sound of sirens became audible. It was about time they arrived, Khalid thought. He was almost done anyways. 

The sound of sirens somehow gave Walter some inner confidence and strength. “You are no governmental worker. I owe you no explanation” by now the sound of feet rushing upwards could be heard. 

“Oh you do. They were Egyptians” Khalid stood up and pierced the dagger deep into Walter’s heard. He watched as black smoke erupted from the stabbed region and engulfed the dagger and his hand. Walter’s body dried up accordingly. He remembered the Baroness words. “You won’t even have the grace to answer to the Devil” Khalid said withdrew the blade. The man dropped coldly. 

“Freeze” Khalid heard a voice behind him. As if on impulse, Khalid waved his hand, jumping out of the window behind Walter spontaneously. He saw his blade embed itself in the head of the voice’s owner. 

He also felt something pierce his lower abdomen. 

It was a feeling he had never felt before. 

Not once. 

He had been hit.