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And before he died, there were a couple of things he needed to tell someone. He needed to say his last words.
“Hey guys, wake up. We need to move now if we want to arrive at our destinations early enough,” he said as he clapped his hands.
“What? We’ve not even slept for two straight hours. What time is it?” Aaliyah groaned as she turned over on the couch. She had been sitting with Xander before she slept. Both were now facing each other with their faces only inches apart. When they opened their eyes and saw each other, they jumped away from each other in apparent repugnance. Joel laughed as he watched them. He wondered what they stood to gain from the mission. Their levels of courage were about to be stretched.
Stephen sat up straight and wiped his face with his hand. His years of military training had taught him to be content with little sleep. He looked around at his teammates.
“Morning,” he said.
Suzanne sat up last. She looked very tired.
‘Hey guys, good morning,” she said as she bowed her face in her palms. Her dark skin reflected the light from the lamp, which had become dim. When she raised her face, her smile was bright.
Joel returned her smile. She knew how to encourage her teammates.
“Good morning, team.” He said. “Xander and I managed to save from snack bars during our journey here. I guess we’ll have to manage it as breakfast before heading off to our destinations. I’ll go get them.”
With that, he stood up.
“Wait. Let Aaliyah go with you,” Suzanne said. Joel raised a brow at her.
“You don’t trust me, do you?” he asked, and she sighed.
“It’s not that. Of course, I trust you. It’s just that…” when she couldn’t think of an excuse to give, she sighed again, running her palms over her face. “It’s just that… I’m at my wits end here, and I don’t know what else to do. I’m tired. If anything goes awry, that’s it. The whole plan will fail. I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want these ones who have trusted in me to die for nothing. I’ve let you in on what I’m doing. I’ve trusted you. I just need to know that we’re safe with you,” she said.
Joel watched her in silence. Her cheerful mask had fallen, and she looked weary again. He nodded.
“Trust me, Suzanne. I will help you,” he said finally. The other three people watched them in silence. Suzanne nodded too.
“Please follow him, Aaliyah. Two are better than one,” she said.
???
2nd December 2021
5:54 am
Chestnut Avenue, Rosebank, New York.
USA.
Aaliyah and Joel walked through the streets till they arrived at a row of penthouses. Joel led her into it. They took the stairs up to the twentieth floor since the elevators were down. By the time they reached their destination, both were out of breath.
“Wait for me here,” he said as they stood in the lobby.
“But Suzanne told me to follow you,” she said.
“And you have done just that. I need to see my family. It’s quite personal, especially when you consider that this will be my goodbye to them. So, please cut me some slack, will you?” he said. Aaliyah tilted her head, eyeing him with suspicion.
“Okay, then. I can’t stop you,” she said finally, and he walked to one of the doors. He knocked and waited. A red-haired lady opened the door shortly.
“Joel?” she asked, looking at him with sleepy eyes. When she saw the young lady he came with, she raised a brow in interest.
“Harper,” he said. “Let me in, will you?”
“Of course,” she said as she opened the door wider and stood aside for him to go in. The home belonged to a family of five. After arriving in New York, Joel and his ‘family’ had meet the owner of the house who had kindly allowed them to stay.
It was still dark, and everyone was sleeping.
