Mercy For None

Finally Dead

The man shook his head slowly, lifting his chin as he straightened to his full height.

“No,” he said firmly, taking a step forward to Riley.

Instantly, Riley flinched back, his boots scraping against the rough concrete and he pointed a warning finger at the man.

“Don’t take another step,” he snapped. “If you move any closer, I swear I’ll jump into that river!”

His gaze darted between the man and the water below..

“If you have any proof,” he hissed.“then show me. Don’t think I’m going to fall for any of this.”

“I already anticipated this long before," the man responded, slipping his hand inside his coat pocket and bringing out a small hard drive. “This holds everything you need to know about who we are. It will show you who your father was and who you really are.”

Riley narrowed his eyes to the hard drive.

“Hmmmm," he mummered, his eyes still fixed on the drive and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips." Do you think I will fall for that? People make fake videos every day. And I spent twelve years rotting in prison because of one”.

“The videos and proofs are not fake,” the man responded.” You’ll see for yourself once you look inside the hard drive.”

“Please, take it, sir".

“No… no,” Riley murmured, shaking his head in disagreement,as he stepped back again, his boots scraping against the bridge’s surface.

“One part of me wants to believe you,” he confessed. “but the other part…..it keeps telling me not to.”

He raised his right hand and added,”Leave the hard drive there… and step back.”

“At your command, sir,” the man replied without hesitation. Immediately, he crouched, placing the hard drive on the ground. Then, he rose back to his feet and moved back.

“Please, do take a look, sir. The truth is inside the drive .”

Riley let out a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the hard drive. He crouched beside it and gently picked it up, tucking it into his pocket.

"I'll examine it," he stated, stepping away from the man. "But I'll need time alone to consider this. If our paths cross again, I'll provide my feedback."

"Ah," the man breathed out, his expression falling to one of palpable unhappiness and sorrow. He took a hesitant step toward Riley, hands trembling as he clasped them together in a silent plea. "Your mother has been in a coma for a very long time now. And the company desperately needs a successor, which is you. I... I…”

He couldn't even finish what he was saying before he broke down in tears, his voice stammering as he continued talking.

" I have been looking for you for over ten years now and I just found you. If your father’s enemies know who you really are, they would have killed you”.

" Please, Riley,” the man said, kneeling down on his knees and the others followed suit. This even made Riley more confused and surprised.

" Wh….wh…. what are you all doing?" He asked, darting his eyes between the man and the others. “ Why are you kneeling down?”.

"Please, follow us," the man pleaded again, bowing his head deeply to Riley. "Your mother has been waiting for you, hoping to see you before her last breath. This is the moment she needs you most. Please, come with us, Riley."

"No," Riley said, shaking his head decisively. "I won't fall for this again. Stand up and give me a few days. How do I know you haven't been sent by Henry to kill me? If you haven't, then respect my decision."

"No problem then. You can contact me using the number inside the last file on the hard drive. Please, do check it out," the man replied, rising to his feet, with the others mirroring his action. "I am always at your command, sir."

Riley couldn't help but be taken aback by the man's profound deference. He clutched the hard drive tighter in his hand.

"You can go now," Riley commanded, his gaze sweeping between the man and the others. Without a moment's hesitation, the man raised a hand, and all of them prostrated themselves before Riley. As they fully straightened, they opened the car doors and entered.

"Call me if you need help," the man said just before they drove away. As their car disappeared, Riley couldn't shake the surreal wonder of what he had just witnessed. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, a faint, surprising smile touching his lips as he continued walking down the street.

All at once, a chilling voice echoed in his ears, seizing his attention.

"That's him... that's him. Stab him and end his life!"

As Riley spun his head around to pinpoint the source of the voice, an iron rod met his head and he collapsed instantly, losing consciousness.

"Finally, you're dead!" a voice gloated over him. "I thought you would escape death.”