"Mr. President, please follow me. The main entrance of the palace and the exit are already blocked. We can't go out of those areas. We have secured a different path for you." The leader of the president's security detail said in a grim tone.
The president nodded his head solemnly. "Lead the way, Ken."
Ken was a thirty-year-old ex-military officer. He was an elite soldier who had experienced two wars, the Battle of Marawi and the Battle of Sulu.
Ken led them towards a secret passage that was recently built for safety purposes. When they reached the end of the passage, more than a dozen men in black suits were already waiting for them.
After exiting the palace through the secret passage, the president saw four vehicles parked outside.
"Mr. President, please enter the vehicle." Ken made a 'this way' gesture while looking at the president.
President Maracas frowned when he saw the shabby vehicles, but he knew that it wasn't a good time to complain about this. He entered the vehicle with his wife and the bodyguards soon followed.
"Mr. President, we will take you to a villa in Cavite. You should lay low for the time being while we search for the culprit behind this incident." Ken said while looking at the president through the rearview mirror of the car.
The president's eyes flashed with rage, but he stopped himself from lashing out. He had never experienced this kind of humiliation before. 'I swear that I will kill the piece of sh*t responsible for this matter and I will massacre his entire family in front of his eyes!'
***
"Boss, the target has escaped through the secret passage. There are twenty-one guards following him and his wife is also with them." A scout reported the situation in the Mala?ang Palace to Arlan.
"Follow them closely. It doesn't matter if they notice you. Just lead them towards the route that we had talked about." Arlan replied while smiling deviously.
"Yes, boss!"
Arlan turned his gaze towards his men. They were currently tying Donnyl to a tree. His clothes were already removed and his body was smeared with a mixture that would infect his wounds and prevent them from healing.
"What are you guys doing?! Untie me! Bring me down!" Donnyl screamed as he tried to break free, but the ropes used to tie him up didn't even budge.
Arlan walked towards him and looked up, staring at Donnyl's panic-filled eyes. He then grinned and said. "You killed many people for the president. I'm being lenient here for not killing you on the spot, you know."
"Arlan Dominic Roa! F*ck you! I curs-"
Pa!
A soldier punched Donnyl hard in the face.
"Oh my... I didn't think that you still have this much energy in you..." Arlan said in a playful tone.
Donnyl spat out a bloody tooth and glared hatefully at Arlan. "Do you really think that the president will go down as easily as you think? Pwe!" He spat on Arlan's face.
Arlan didn't even flinch. He just smiled as he calmly grabbed a handkerchief and wiped off the bloody saliva on his face. "Didn't you notice anything?"
Donnyl frowned as a foreboding feeling gripped his heart. "What do you mean?"
"Can you not smell it? The paste smeared on your body contains honey. What if some stray insects come to take a bite off of you?" Arlan laughed as he put on his most demonic expression.
Donnyl's eyes widened in fear. "Arlan!!! You son of-"
Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!
Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!
Arlan watched as the soldiers beat up Donnyl. He only told them to stop after both of the guy's cheeks were swollen. "I have another gift for you before we leave." He said.
Donnyl stared at Arlan. He tried to say something, but he felt pain all over his face which made him grimace.
"Bring it here." Arlan shouted at the soldiers behind him.
The soldiers grabbed four boxes from the helicopter. Donnyl didn't know what was inside, but a chill ran down his spine as he looked at them.
The soldiers placed the boxes beneath the tree and opened them.
Donnyl saw countless large ants crawling out of the boxes. "Mmmmnnnn!!! Errrghhhhh!!!" He emitted muffled screams as the ants slowly crawled towards the tree.
Arlan watched him struggle with a calm gaze.
"Mnnnn!!! Eerrgghhh!!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhndk!"
Donnyl was still screaming in pain after more than twenty minutes. His eyes were bloodshot and his body was shaking. Numerous ants were biting on his flesh, which filled him with unimaginable pain.
Arlan soon lost interest and said to his men. "Let's regroup with the rest."
"Aarrresrlllaaaannnmmjjjd!!!!"
"Errghhhhhhh!!!! Mmmnnnnn!"
As the helicopter flew back to Manila, one of the soldiers asked him. "Boss, why did we have to torture him?"
Arlan stared at the soldier and replied in a cold voice. "That guy deserves it... According to Winter's investigations, he raped the wives and daughters of the president's enemies. Three of them were underage girls..."
The soldier turned silent at his words.
***
"Mr. President, some people are following us! Please hold on tight!" Ken increased the speed of the car while looking at the side mirror.
"What?!" President Maracas and his wife felt nervous. They quickly covered their heads, afraid that their pursuers would fire at them.
"Take out the pursuers! We must ensure the president's safety regardless of the cost!" Ken shouted to his men through the radio.
"Yes, sir!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of gunshots echoed soon after that, making the president and his wife even more panicked.
"Ahhh!!! Help!"
"Shut up! Stop screaming!" President Maracas shouted at his wife.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The windshield of their car cracked after being hit by a few bullets, but it didn't manage to penetrate through the bulletproof glass.
Ken abruptly turned the car to the side in an attempt to avoid being shot down. The vehicle swerved, leaving behind s-shaped tire marks on the road.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Visit freewe𝑏nove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience