Chapter 4 - The Enemy Inside the Walls
The gym doors shook violently as everyone screamed:
"They're outside!"
When Commander Carter saw my mother's photograph appear on every screen, he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me away from the windows.
But the message on the screen changed.
Three words appeared beneath her picture:
"She is watching."
Commander Carter suddenly realized my mother had left another clue.
The entire gym was chaos.
Students who had spent the last hour laughing at me were now running toward teachers, asking questions nobody could answer.
The basketball court that had been filled with jokes and whispers had become a locked room.
A place where everyone was waiting for something terrible to happen.
I stood there staring at the photograph on the screen.
My mother.
Older than I remembered.
Tired.
But alive.
The picture looked like it had been taken recently.
Not years ago.
Not before she disappeared.
Recently.
"That's her," I whispered.
Commander Carter looked at me.
"You recognize it?"
I nodded.
"That's my mother."
His expression hardened.
"Then they want you to know she's alive."
I looked at him.
"Who are they?"
Nobody answered.
Again.
I was starting to hate that word.
Nobody.
Every adult around me knew something.
Every adult had pieces of the truth.
And somehow, I was the last person to find out.
I walked toward the commander.
"No more secrets."
He watched me silently.
"My entire life has been secrets."
My voice became louder.
"Everyone knew something except me."
The commander didn't argue.
Because he knew I was right.
The handler with the military dogs approached us.
"Sir, we need to move him."
Commander Carter nodded.
"Agreed."
I stepped back.
"Move me where?"
"Somewhere safe."
I almost laughed.
"Safe?"
I pointed toward the screens.
"Someone just hacked into a military communication system inside my school and put my mother's picture on every screen."
I looked around.
"They found me."
Nobody spoke.
"How is anywhere safe?"
The commander looked at me.
"Because your mother prepared for this."
That sentence stopped me.
"What does that mean?"
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small metal container.
It was old.
Scratched.
The kind of thing someone carried through dangerous places.
He handed it to me.
"This was found with your mother's equipment."
I stared at it.
"Why do you have this?"
"Because she trusted me."
I looked at him.
"She told me not to trust you."
The commander nodded slowly.
"She was right."
The room went silent.
I didn't expect that answer.
"You admit it?"
"I made mistakes."
The way he said it bothered me.
Not defensive.
Not angry.
Like he had been carrying those mistakes for years.
"What mistakes?"
Before he could answer, the lights went out.
The gym disappeared into darkness.
Students screamed.
Someone knocked over a chair.
The military handlers immediately moved.
I heard the sound of dogs shifting position.
Calm.
Controlled.
Ready.
A small red emergency light turned on.
Commander Carter spoke quietly.
"Everyone stay where you are."
Then we heard it.
Footsteps.
Outside the gym.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Someone wasn't trying to hide.
They wanted us to know they were there.
The handler looked toward the doors.
"That's impossible."
The commander looked at him.
"What?"
"The security system is still active."
"Meaning?"
The handler swallowed.
"Nobody should be able to get inside."
A loud metal sound echoed.
The main doors moved.
Everyone froze.
The students backed away.
The teachers pulled them behind them.
I looked at Commander Carter.
For the first time, I saw something I never expected.
Fear.
Not for himself.
For me.
The door opened slightly.
Then stopped.
A voice came through the gap.
"Ethan Walker."
My heart stopped.
I didn't recognize the voice.
But everyone else did.
Commander Carter's face changed.
The lieutenant stepped backward.
"No..."
I looked between them.
"You know who that is."
Neither answered.
The voice came again.
"Open the door."
The commander raised his weapon.
"You don't belong here."
A quiet laugh came from the other side.
"Neither did Claire."
My body went cold.
The person outside knew my mother.
The door opened another inch.
The commander whispered:
"Stay behind me."
But I didn't move.
Because I needed answers.
Three years of silence.
Three years of waiting.
Three years of wondering why my mother left.
I wasn't going to hide anymore.
The door opened wider.
A shadow appeared.
Then a figure stepped into the emergency light.
Military uniform.
No mask.
No hesitation.
Everyone recognized the person immediately.
Because this was not an enemy soldier.
This was someone who had once stood beside my mother.
Someone the commander thought was dead.
The lieutenant stared at him.
His voice barely worked.
"Impossible."
The figure looked directly at me.
Then said:
"Ethan, your mother never disappeared."
A pause.
Then:
May you like
"She was taken by the person standing next to you."
:::
