10:50 PM - Maya's Apartment
Thomas regained consciousness, his head throbbing and ears ringing. His vision was still blurry as he saw Maya before him, her head bowed in despair. Her hands were bound behind the chair, her body trembling with fear.
Suddenly, someone grabbed Thomas by the hair, yanking his head upward. "Where did you hide the files?!" the man snarled, his voice dripping with rage.
THUD!
A brutal strike landed on the back of Thomas's head, sending him sprawling onto the floor. He glared at his attacker, his gaze burning with fury and defiance.
"I told you, let her go! I'll give you the files!" Thomas struggled to keep his voice steady, despite his labored breathing.
The man yanked his hair again, forcing him back into the chair. "You think you can bargain with us?!"
Meanwhile, one of the men approached Maya, grabbing a fistful of her hair before raising a sharp blade. In an instant, the knife sliced across her face.
"AAAHH! Thomas, help me!" Maya screamed in pain.
Thomas roared, his face flushing red with anger. "Hey, bastard! Look at me! Leave her out of this! I'll give you the damn files!"
He pointed toward a bag lying on the sofa. "The files are inside the bag!"
One of them grabbed the bag, rummaging through its contents before eyeing Thomas suspiciously. "This is it?!"
THUD!
Another punch struck Thomas, causing him to reel. His hair was yanked once more, his head jerked upward.
"Where's the rest?!" the man growled.
Through ragged breaths, Thomas muttered, "Let her go first... then I'll give you the rest."
"There's no negotiating with scum like you," one of them sneered.
"What the hell are you doing?! We haven't gotten all of it yet!" barked another, the one they called Lex.
"We will, Lex. Trust me," the man replied with a sinister edge.
Thomas raised his hands, trying to defuse the situation. "Hey, wait... just wait... what-"
Before he could finish his sentence, a syringe pierced his neck. A fiery sensation spread rapidly through his veins, his vision distorting, the voices around him turning distant and warped.
Through the haze, he saw a gun pressed against Maya's head.
"Tell us where the rest of the files are!!" The voice cut through the fog in his mind.
A man stepped closer, slipping something into Thomas's hand before whispering, "Finish her, Thom."
Thomas blinked, struggling against the drug coursing through his system. His blurred vision caught Maya's tear-streaked face, while the weight of the gun in his hand grew unbearable.
BANG!!
A gunshot shattered the tension in the room, halting everyone in their tracks. Thomas saw the man who had held Maya at gunpoint stagger backward before collapsing, blood pooling around him.
But before Thomas could fully grasp what had happened, a crushing blow struck his head.
He collapsed to the floor.
And then, everything went black.