Time : 4:26 PM
Sophy walked into the room and saw Jesper wearing a jacket, and she asked him,
''Where are you going? '' ,
''Badr called and told me he had a job for me, told me to meet him down by the warehouse ''
Jesper replied to her as he zipped up the jacket and walks out of the room,
''Well, stay safe honey'' Sophy tells him, before Jesper left, he kissed her and told her
''I will, don't worry sweetie '' and left.
As he got into the car he pulled out his cell phone to call Badr to make sure that the plan was still good to go,
Badr's phone rang and he walked over to the table that it was on and answered,
''Yo''
Badr said on the other side of the line,
''Hey, the plan, still willing to do it? '' Jesper asked him,
Badr replied instantly.
''Yeah of course, I'll be waiting outside by my car'',
''Alright I'll be there in around...10 minutes? ''
After a few more words they end the call and Jesper drives to the warehouse.
When Jesper arrives he sees a silver Ford Mustang outside the warehouse with Badr leaning on the hood,
Pulling up to the driveway in front of the warehouse and parks his car,
''Pretty cool, you got here in exactly 9 minutes and 58 seconds, impressive''
Badr said as Jesper got out of his car,
''What's so impressive about that? ''
Jesper asked Badr as he shut the door and walked over to him,
''Pretty useful in many ways, but let's just get down to business and not waste your time here''
Badr told Jesper as he stood up and walked Jesper into the office of the warehouse.
''Hey before we, you know, start the briefing, I wanted to ask you something''
Jesper tells Badr as they both went into the staff room,
''Yeah? What's up? '' Badr said,
''What is this place anyways? '' Jesper asked Badr while looking around,
Badr turned on the kettle and signaled him to follow.
''Let me show you'' Badr said as they walked towards door,
''This warehouse my friend, is a garage''
He opens the door and Jesper could see cars inside, normal looking cars,
''In working hours, Its a normal garage for fixing cars and car parts, but at night, oh boy, business is booming''
Badr said as he turned on the lights and they slowly walk towards another door but this time,
this door has no handle, just a keyhole.
Badr unlocks the door and pushes it open, it was pitch black and silent.
"This is what I mean by business is booming''
Badr said as he reached for the light switches on the side and turned on the lights,
all Jesper could see sport cars on top of sports cars.
''Woah...''
Jesper said as he looked around the garage.
''Whatcha think? ''
Badr asked Jesper for his thoughts,
''Pretty...Cool''
Jesper replied,
''I wanna discuss something with you back at the office''
Badr tells him as they walk back to the door and Badr turns off the lights and shuts the door behind them.
''The reason I called is, I want you to join me in a race''
Badr tells Jesper as they sit down on a sofa,
''Racing? I mean I-''
Jesper was cut off by Badr,
''Your driving skills were impressive when I saw you racing a couple of times, so I would like to test your driving skill''
Badr replied to Jesper as he pulled out his car keys,
''Right now? ''
Jesper asked Badr,
''Yeah, follow me outside''
Badr tells Jesper as they stood up and walked outside,
''Here, she loses grip pretty easily''
Badr warns him as he jumps into the passenger seat,
Jesper looks at the keys and then jumps into the driver seat, he put the keys in the ignition and the car dashboard lights up and a check engine light pops up,
''Just turn it on''
Badr said as he cracks the window down, and Jesper turns the car on and it roared loudly,
''Jesus'' ,
Jesper's eyes light up as he said that.
''I want you to hit the highway, there's gonna be a race there in almost an hour''
Badr told Jesper and they hit the road.
While driving on the highway Badr told Jesper to stop under the underpass and wait for other racers,
As Badr said, around 32 minutes later Jesper could hear other cars reviving and could see about 4 sports cars pull up in front of them,
Badr got out of the car to talk to one of them,
A black van pulled up behind Jesper,
2 people got out of the van and walked towards Badr and the other racers, after few minutes the racers jumped into their car and so did Badr,
''Whoever wins gets to take 600k, so win this for us''
Badr tells Jesper as the other racers drive off,
Jesper takes the car out of neutral and went to catch up to the other racers.
The racers lined up while still driving,
Waiting for the go from the van, a minute went by, still no sign from the van.
Jesper decided to asked Badr,
''Are you gonna tell me where to go? or not? ''
And Badr replied to him,
''Yeah I'll tell you where to go but, you have to be quick'',
Another 10 seconds go by and still no sign,
Until.
A flare was shot, and the racers accelerated their cars,
''Go!'' .
Badr told Jesper as he pulled out a map from the glove box,
Jesper accelerated the car and caught up to the racers,
swerving to avoid the traffic and other racers.
Jesper caught up to the third in lead and had a stand off with him until Badr told him to take another road that the second racer in lead took,
and so he followed speeding up to 212 kmh.
Jesper and the other racer swerved through traffic and suddenly a blue light was flashing behind them,
''For fuck sake...''
Jesper panicked a little,
But Badr told him
''Don't mind them, we can outrun their slow asses, their cars run like shit, worry about the racer infront of you'' While looking on the map,
''He should be taking a left turn any second now and follow him but wait for him to turn and then floor it and zoom past him''
Badr told him as he put the map back in his pocket and opened the glove box again,
''Also forgot to mention since I removed the license plate before the race started, the police would have a hard time finding us but they will want to get our faces, so I brought balaclavas''
Badr told him as he pulled them out, as Badr said, the racer turned a little to hard when turning right and lost a little speed and that was the perfect opportunity for Jesper to get past him.
Putting the metal to the floor, Jesper passed by the racer.
''Here wear this, I'll take the wheel''
Badr said while wearing the balaclava, Jesper let go of the wheel and Badr took control, after Jesper wore the mask he could see the racer slowly creeping towards them.
''Don't let him go past you'' ,
Badr told Jesper as he grabbed some spikes from the backseat and opened the window, Badr indicated for Jesper to lose some speed and so he did, the racer hit the rear of their car,
That's when Badr threw the spiked ball onto the tire of the racer, the spike hit the tire and it popped,
The car lost control, the racer tried to get it back into his control but failed and stopped on the side of the road,
''Now this is where you'd need your skill'' Badr told Jesper as he rolled the window back up.
Jesper followed the road that Badr told him to follow and then took another exit and that's when he saw the lead racer and followed him,
Another racer tried desperately to catch up to Jesper but they couldn't,
Swerving in between traffic, reaching break neck speeds, Jesper skillfully and easily swerves and passes cars without even braking once,
Meanwhile Jesper was focused on driving, Badr called someone from his phone and spoke in arabic,
Jesper couldn't make out what they were talking about and right now,
It didn't matter,
He had to win this race.
On the Phone
''أحس عندنا مشكلة".
(I feel like we have a problem)
Said someone on the other line,
"ليش؟ شو استوى؟ "
(Why? What happened)
Badr asked suprised,
"الواشي يقول الشرطه متحركين وايد، في شي كبير صاير"
(The mole told us, there's alot of movements by the police, something big is happening)
Replied the person.
Badr took a long pause before glancing at Jesper,
"كمل لي السالفة يوم أكلمك بعدين، بس الحين حاول تعرف شو قاعدين يسوّون"
(Tell me more when I call you later, but for now, try to find out more about what they're doing)
Badr told the person,
"أكيد"
(Of course)
Said the person before hanging up.
Back in the race
Few minutes later the car was almost at it's limits and Jesper slowly but surely caught up to the lead racer,
Seeing this, they tried to ram into Badr's car but failed.
While doing that, the racer missed Jesper and instead did a little swerve which made the car loose momentum and opened another gap for Jesper to cross,
''Fucking idiot''
Badr said as he laughed,
''Stay on this road until you see an intersection, from there go right and up the bridge''
Badr added on as he signals Jesper.
The racer slowly catching up to them, and Badr tells Jesper,
''If he tries pulling that maneuver again, loose some speed and then ram him from the rear tires''
And Jesper nods but instead of him ramming into them again he just tailed them from behind,
''Don't let him get past you no matter what, we're almost at the finish line''
Badr tells him while looking back,
''When does this damn race end? ''
Jesper asked Badr while his hands are sweating under the warm leather gloves and badr turned back and sat normally,
''Once we get into the tunnel you'll se- ''
The car rammed them from behind as Badr was explaining.
''He can ram us from behind as much as he wants, but do not let him ram us from the sides'' Badr told Jesper,
And he replied with
''That's what she said''
As they saw a search light being shined on them,
''A helicopter now? ''
Jesper asked as he looked up,
''Eyes on the road damn it''
Badr yelled as the racer came close to them, and rammed them again,
''When is he gonna stop for fuck sake, my ass hurts already''
Jesper gets frustrated,
''That's what she said''
Badr mocked him and chuckled.
''Watch out, Patrol cars, take a right after that huge sign''
Badr tells Jesper as they descend towards a tunnel,
''Is this the tunnel you were talking about? ''
Jesper asks Badr while checking the rear view mirror,
''Yeah, keep it up, were almost there''
Badr said in excitement,
''Uh...''
Jesper said as Badr looked at him.
''What?''
Badr asked him as he checked behind them,
The racer was gone.
''Did he pass us? Where did he go?? ''
Jesper asked Badr but Badr couldn't tell,
''Just focus on driving''
Badr replied and scanned the area.
''The finish line should be at the end of this tunnel, something doesn't feel right''
Badr told Jesper as he drank a bottle of water,
''Hey I see people flashing lights, is that the finish line?''
Jesper said as he zoomed past them, and looked back at them from the rear view mirror,
''Congratulations, you just won the damn race''
Badr said as he patted Jesper's shoulder and chuckled,
''Really? that shit was easy as hell''
Jesper replied to Badr and laughed as well,
''I might've lied about a few things for you to win the race''
Badr tells Jesper while they ride off back to the warehouse.
Time : 8:22 Pm
While Jesper shuts off the car,
Badr was talking to someone on the phone outside, Jesper couldn't make out anything so he just got out of the car and locked it,
On the Phone
''Uncle will you visit us tomorrow? We have a family gathering and we miss you''
Said Badr's nephew,
''I've missed you too Hassan, but your mom wouldn't want me coming over sadly''
He replied disappointed,
''But, you should still come ''
Said the nephew, saddened.
''Hassan I'll see what I can do, I'll try to convince your mom to let me come, okay kiddo? ''
Badr reassured him,
''Okay Uncle Badr, talk later! ''
Said the little kid,
''Later Gator! ''
Badr replied to him.
After the Call
''Fuck yeah, you did it man''
Badr told Jesper all excited and jumpy after putting the phone away,
''I can't believe it either''
Jesper replied hiding the excitement himself,
''I'll take the car back inside, we shouldn't linger for too long here''
Badr tells him as he grabs the keys back from Jesper and unlocks the doors.
'Hey Badr'' Jesper calls him,
''Yeah whats up? '' Badr replied,
Jesper hesitated for a moment,
''Maybe you wanna, uhh...Come over to our place for some a drink? You know, to celebrate''
Jesper tells Badr as he scratches his head.
''For drinks huh? I mean what about...Lanira? You remember what happened last time''
Badr told Jesper as he turned on the car,
''Give me a minute, I'll park the car inside so the cops don't find it''
Badr tells Jesper as he drove into the warehouse,
''What would Sophy and Lani think...'' Jesper said to himself.
A couple of minutes later Badr came back to Jesper and told him
''I'm up for it but, I don't think Lani will be too happy about it'' While cracking his fingers,
''Still, I think it's better for you to come over, it's only right, we've won 600 Thousand Dollars after all''
Jesper insists Badr to come with him and he finally gives in to Jesper's request.
They jump into Jesper's car and drive off to his house,
Meanwhile they were riding they had a few laughs and a long chat that lasted all the way to the house,
''He really thought he did something didn't he''
Jesper held his buttcheeks and rubbed them, sore from all the ramming and collisions.
''That shit was hilarious''
Badr said as he laughing,
''Very hilarious''
Replied Jesper as they were walking to the front door,
''Enough laughing, so uh, they might be sleeping right now, lets just stay quiet and drink on the balcony''
Jesper tells Badr as he unlocks the door,
The hallway was dark and the house felt cold,
''I'll take my shoes off''
Badr tells Jesper as he took his shoes off,
''No no, it's fine''
Jesper tells him but when he turned around Badr had his shoes off.
''What? Its out of respect''
Badr said as he put his shoes to the side,
As soon as he stepped on the cold and freezing marble flooring, he shivered,
''The girls like it cold, but I don't mind the cold either'' Jesper answered,
''So, what do you wanna drink? '' Jesper asked Badr but,
He just said ''Whatever you're having man''
And then they heard a door unlock,
Jesper just kept pouring some whiskey while Badr's heart was pumping out of his chest,
''I swear, the way she jumped on him was so funn- ''
Sophy said and stopped as soon as she got to the kitchen,
''Oh, hi... I didn't know w-we had a guest over''
Sophy said while stuttering,
''Guests? ''
Lani said as she walked out of the room and looked around.
And she sees Jesper pouring alcohol while Badr stood there, waving,
A long and deafening silence later Jesper told them
''Hey, I thought maybe, I'd bring Badr with me to have a couple of drinks''
But Lani just stood there staring at Badr for a few more seconds and then just went back into the room,
Meanwhile Sophy went to the grab a few snacks from the fridge and excused herself back to Lani's room and locked the door.
''Jesus...That was terrifying''
Badr told Jesper as he drank the whiskey, Jesper just chuckled as he grabbed the whiskey bottle and walked to the balcony.
In Lanira's Room
''What the fuck was that''
Sophy whispered as she locked the door,
''I don't fucking know! '' Lani replied while whispering as well,
''Why is he even in our apartment?'' Lani asked Sophy as she laid back on the bed,
''Dunno...''
Sophy replied as she ate some cheese.
On the Balcony
Badr tapped Jesper on the shoulder and had to ask something,
''Um, if you don't mind me asking, but is Lanira...A nice girl? ''
Badr asked unconfidently,
Jesper finished his drink and then said,
''You like her, don't you? ''
Jesper asked Badr but he just leaned on the railing and replied.
''Well, not really...'',
after a long pause he signed and added on,
''Yeah I do like her''
The duo stood in silence while drinking their drinks.
In Lanira's Room
''Are we gonna talk about you know'' ,
Sophy said as she looked over to Lani,
''About what? ''
Lani asked in confusion,
''You know, the way you two were staring at each other''
Sophy told Lani as she giggled,
''What!? It was nothing! ''
Lani yelled, and Sophy kept giggling,
''Stop it! ''
Lani shouted at Sophy while being frustrated, finally Sophy stopped giggling and they just sat there eating cheese, but Sophy had to ask a question.
''You like him, am I right?''
Lani's face slowly turned red from embarrassment and she grabbed a small pillow and threw it at Sophy,
''Ow, okay okay! I'll stop''
Sophy said as she shielded herself from the pillow, while Lani was covering her face with her blanket, hiding the embarrassment,
''He's...cool...But I still don't know! ''
Lani said while her voice was muffled.
On the balcony
Badr got a call suddenly, he excused himself to the living room,
On the Phone
''ها، خبرني ''
(Go on, tell me)
Badr asked the person on the phone,
''!الشرطة لقوا المخزن والسيارات! حد بلغ عنّا''
(The police found our warehouse and the cars! Someone tipped them off! )
The person on the other line was practically screaming his lungs out,
''ياخي! قلت للباقين ولا نايم؟ ''
(Did you tell the others!? Or are you still asleep?! )
Badr asked again,
''!لا، بأكلمهم الحين على طول وأخبرهم ''
(No but I'll Call them now and I'll tell them! ''
The person said panicking and Badr hung up.
And Called another number, this time talking in english.
''Hey Salena, can you book us tickets to Japan for our business trip? ''
Badr calmed his voice down and spoke normally,
''Of course would you like it to be urgently booked or for a later time''
She asked softly, and Badr replied.
''Urgently the board wants us to be there by tomorrow, the boss wouldn't be too pleased knowing his business partners are waiting''.
''Of Course, I will call you back when I booked your flight''
She told Badr holding her composer knowing what the word (Business trip) Means.
''Thank you''
Badr said before hanging up.
After the Calls
Time : 10 Pm
''Jesper...We have a problem...''
Badr said as he went back to the balcony,
''Hm? '' Jesper said as he looked back,
''They raided the warehouse, someone tipped them''
Badr told Jesper and he choked on his drink,
''What!?''
Said Jesper as he put down his whiskey on the railing,
''Its okay for now, before we left the warehouse I asked a few of my guys to get rid of any fingerprints or evidence from the car, so we're good'' Badr told him reassuringly,
''But just incase, I'd suggest packing up your stuff now, I also asked my most trusted person to get us some tickets for our flight tomorrow and if the police somehow trace us back to your place, we'd be way ahead of them''
Badr added on as he finished his drink and put the glass down.
Jesper sighed and walked into the house and went to tell the others, Sophy and Lani heard a knock on their door and they opened it,
''Jesper, you look stressed''
Sophy said as he walked into the room closing the door behind him,
''You should start packing your bags'' he said as he rubbed his forehead,
''Why though? ''
Lani asked Jesper as she looked at him with confusion,
''The, cops might raid us, it's not confirmed but, Badr said that we should be ready just incase...''
Jesper said as he tried to be confident,
''I- Alright...'' Sophy said as she went to the living room to grab the bags,
She could see Badr walking in circles on the balcony and looking all worried, and then she came back to Lani's room and gave her the luggage bag.
''Jesper help me pack our bags''
Sophy said as she grabbed his hand and went to their room,
Half an hour later everybody had their bags ready and everything they needed,
Jesper walked up to Badr asked him
''Everybody is packed, what about you? ''
Badr told Jesper,
''I got my stuff packed up already but its at my apartment, I'll ask someone to fetch it for me''
Jesper nodded then turned around and went to his room, meanwhile Badr called his friend to ask him if he could grab his luggage bag from his apartment,
''Ollie, I have a suit case with my work papers, could you please go grab it? '' Badr asked a friend,
''Badr...I'm sorry but I can't, I'm really busy right now''
Ollie responded,
''Its alright I'll go grab it myself, but you sound weird you oka-''
Badr was mid talking to her when she apologized and ended the call,
''Jesper! I'll go grab my bags and I'll be back! ''
Badr yelled as he went downstairs,
''Alright, just don't get fucking arrested! ''
Jesper yelled back.
Badr wore his shoes and grabbed Jesper's car keys and jumped in it,
While driving he called someone and when they picked up he asked for an update.
On the Phone
''عرفنا منو اللي بلغ عنّا بخصوص المخزن''
(We found out who tipped them off about the warehouse)
Said the person on the other side,
''!منو''
(Who! )
Badr was visibly pissed of when he asked that,
''طلع... كانت أولي''
(Turns out... Its Ollie)
The person on the other line was pissed himself,
''!أولي؟ خلّيني أشوفها، بتندم ''
(Ollie!? If I catch her ass, I'll make her regret it)
Badr said and hung up,
Off the Call
He parked the car and ran into the building, took the stairs up to avoid cameras,
Ran as fast as he could and unlocked the door to his apartment, when he unlocked it,
He ran to the safe in his bedroom and took a couple of cards,
Passports and documents, before leaving he took the luggage bags and ran back to the stairs,
forgetting to lock the door or anything, as soon as he reached ground floor he ran back to the car and threw all the bags in the backseat and jumped back in the car.
At Jesper's Apartment.
''I think he took the car''
Lani told the others, and Sophy went to look herself,
''Yeah he did...''
Sophy said but Jesper told them
''He went to get his bags he'll be back don't worry''
As he was saying that, Badr pulled up to the driveway,
''There he is''
Lani said as she was looking out from the window,
Badr went out of the car and locked it,
''He looks really pissed too''
Lani added on as he knocked on the door, Sophy went to unlock the door,
''Thanks, where's Jesper at? ''
Badr thanked her and then asked her,
''He's in my room''
Sophy answered as he walked past her,
''One of the bitches I suspected from a long time, turned out to be the one who snitched''
Badr told Jesper as he entered the room.
''What? whats the information you told them? ''
Jesper paused and looked over to Badr,
'I said what the fuck did you tell them''
Jesper jumped onto Badr,
Grabbing him by his collar and chest,
''That I set up a street race, and that one of my clients hired me to help them''
He said trying to calm down Jesper,
''Nothing about you or about Sophiyah or Lani, I promise"
Badr said reassuring him as much as possible.
Time : 11:09 Pm
Badr and Jesper were sitting in the living room thinking about what they should do if the cops come,
Meanwhile Sophy and Lani were talking about something else,
''Why did Jesper even agree to this job, why did he agree to any of them''
Lani asked Sophy,
''I-I guess he was just trying to give us a good life, I-''
Sophy was stopped by Lani,
''A good life? We had a great life when he used to work at the garage, now he works for this guy who is gonna get us killed''
Lani tells her but Sophy tries to calm her down and she eventually does.
Date : November 15th
Time : 12:37 Am
Badr got an update from the mole in the police force,
That the police were searching the cameras and street cameras at the moment, and Ollie was in hiding,
Turns out she was paid by someone from Al Qalaa to leak information about whoever killed one of their leader.
Time : 1:14 Am
No update from anyone or the news,
Badr was still stressing about the situation and so was Jesper,
Sophy was napping while Lani was writing something on her laptop.
The booking went through, Salena somehow managed to book the flight last second, and she called Badr to confirm it with him.
Badr chest felt a little less tighter now.
Time : 3 Am
Badr had another update,
The police have reviewed the cameras in the nearby warehouses but it showed nothing good, and most of the camera's were inside the warehouses,
But the street cameras showed more information about what happened,
as if yet no number plates or identities have been discovered.
Time : 4:01 Am
No updates so far,
The mole hasn't sent any messages about what the police have discovered,
Jesper was starting to doze off and both Sophy Lani were asleep.
Time : 5:23 Am
Badr was still awake,
Laying down on the sofa waiting for any updates.
In an hour everybody should be preparing to head to the airport, yet everyone was still asleep.
Time : 5:49 Am
Badr woke up Jesper and told him to wake the others up as they were going to leave in a few minutes,
Badr checked for updates,
So far the police have been in stuck on the same page,
No number plates, no identities, no fingerprint,
absolutely nothing,
But some of Badr's men found Ollie and confronted her,
Possibly torturing her for information.
Time : 6 Am
Everybody was up,
Badr ordered a taxi to come pick them up instead of the car,
Just in case the police manage to trace it, but before they got into the taxi,
Badr took the plates of Jesper's car with them.
Time : 6:23 Am
The taxi dropped them off at the airport and thankfully there was no police waiting for them there,
But Badr still had the car plates with him,
So he told the others to wait for him inside as he went to dispose of the plates somewhere,
He placed the plates in some tall grassy and making sure he didn't touch it with his bare hands, burying it as much as he could before going back to the airport entrance.
Time : 7:05 Am
''Passengers of FlyAE CL209 to Osaka, Japan, departure time 7:25 Am, boarding gate number 9 and 10''
The announcer announces,
And when the group hears the announcement they go to the boarding gate, as they sat there on the metal benches, all of them felt some sort of fear,
Their hearts beating out of their chests.
Lani Visibly shaken and barely being able to hold a coffee cup.
Badr making final calls before getting rid of the SIM card and the phone,
''Everyone I'd suggest making calls or sending messages now if needed because, we are not taking these phones with us''.
Before disposing of the SIM card and the phone, Badr made a final call to his men.
On the phone
"يجري الثعلب الماكر عبر الحشائش الطويلة بالغابة، وجرحٌ على مؤخرته يثقل خطواته"
(Sly Fox runs through the tall brush of the forest, wound on its rear hind leg, slowing him down)
And someone on the other side replies,
"تختبئ ثعلبة الصحراء بين الكثبان البرتقالية البعيدة، صامتة وصبورة كالصحراء نفسه"
(Desert Fox hides among the orange dunes ahead, silent and patient like the desert itself) .
Time : 7:26 Am
They boarded the plane but, was a delay for some reason,
That made all of them stress even more.
Sophy and Lani were holding hands and Badr couldn't know if the cops have found their identities because he disposed of the cell phones they was using before,
And after a few minutes Jesper and Badr saw that 3 police officers came into the plane,
Their hearts beating even faster, all they could do is pray silently that they didn't come for them,
Few minutes later the police was dragging a person that was being aggressive and not complying to get out of the plane,
Jesper and Badr both sighed in relief and laid their heads back onto their seats, with sweat dripping down their faces.
Time : 7:32 Am
The plane finally took off after the delay,
The passengers cheered as the plane had a successful take off and Jesper and Badr ordered some alcohol to ease up their nerves,
Sophy and Lani were a little shaken up but everyone managed to pull through.
Time : 10 Am
Approximate Location : Over Bangladesh and India.
Jesper was half asleep, Lani and Sophy were both dead asleep still holding each others hands.
Badr still fully awake, tired and exhausted from the stress.
Ollie, his long time friend and one of the people who helped him form (الثعالب) (The Foxes) gang, betrayed them.
Her actions most likely caused her own painful torturous death.
But then he thought of what one of his men told him,
''Desert fox, long time no see, long time no hear''
Badr Whispered under his breath.
Time : 5:02 Pm
Approximate Location : Over Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Jesper woke up from his sleep and his back was aching from the uncomfortable seats,
He was on edge as he looked around the plane, everything looked normal,
People watching the windows and most were sleeping,
like Badr and Sophy but Lani was already awake and writing something on her notebook.
''Hey, you didn't sleep? ''
Jesper asked Lani as she looked up,
''No I fell asleep a couple of hours back, but when I woke up and saw everyone was sleeping''
Lani replied to Jesper as she sipped on a can of soda,
Jesper turned back around and put his head on the head rest.
Still feeling uneasy about the whole thing, but he has a gut feeling that something isn't all safe and sound,
He looked around one more time,
But this time he was looking around for anyone that looked Middle Eastern.
Nothing and no one that he could see so far,
He sighed in relief and opened a bottle of water and drank it,
Badr yawned as he held his sore neck,
''God damn economy seats''
Badr said as he was rubbing his neck,
''Yeah man it's uncomfy as shit''
Jesper replied,
''My bad for booking the economy seats''
Badr told Jesper as he also opened a bottle of water.
''All good, but, I feel like we're not fully safe'' Jesper whispered to Badr,
''What do you mean? '' Badr asked as the captain of the plane started to talk,
''This is your Captain speaking, we would be shortly landing, the weather is absolutely beautiful and is 14 degrees celsius''.
Sophy slowly opened her eyes and yawned,
''Did we land yet? ''
She asked Lani but she just looked at Sophy and replied,
''He just sai- never mind, not yet but we'll land in a couple of minutes''
As she was holding back her frustration,
Badr tapped Jesper's shoulder and leaned closer to him,
''2 O'clock, the guy with the bomber jacket, keep your eyes on him till we land''.
Jesper looked at Badr and then the suspected person.
''Psst, Badr''
Lani whispered to him and he nodded,
''Did you like, book a hotel room or something? We're pretty hungry too, haven't eaten anything since yesterday''
Lani tells him as she puts her head on Jesper seat from behind,
''Nah, but I'm going to call someone who will get us a room, about the food part, since you didn't have any appetite for the airplane food, we'll go to a restaurant''
Badr replied as he pulled out a new cell phone but still didn't put the new and fresh SIM card in,
He stared at the phone for a solid minute, and then the seat belt sound chimed,
''Here we go''
Badr said as he put the seatbelt on.
A minute or two passed by and the plane was descending,
Jesper had his eyes fixed on the guy while Lani and Sophy were preparing themselves for the landing,
Badr looked outside and saw that the city of Osaka was just as bright as the day he left, as the plane was going to land,
Jesper whispered to Badr
''Sudden movements, looking at everyone''
And Badr replied,
''Alright, when this plane lands we grab our stuff and we get as far as we can from the airport''
Jesper nodded and leaned back in his chair.
The plane landed safely and the people cheered and spirits were high,
As seatbelt chime chimed again,
Badr and Jesper stood up and got their bags out of the bags compartment and Jesper signaled for Lani and Sophy to do the same, and they did,
Time : 6 Pm
They quickly got through customs and registration after they left the plane and walked outside, Badr waved a taxi down and they put their bags in the trunk and jumped into the taxi,
"城址公園 ください"
(Castle Park please)
Badr told the driver and he nodded his head and drove off,
while the 4 were in the car Badr pulled out the cell phone and finally put the SIM card in, and typed in a unknown number written on a piece of paper, and he then put the phone to his ear,
It rang for 20 seconds but then went into voice mail,
"ずる賢いキツネが,長く枯れた木の下で痛そうに鳴く"
(The Sly Fox Yelps In pain under a long, dead tree)
Badr said and then put the phone in his pocket, about 35 minutes later the taxi driver stopped and told Badr
''あなたの目的地 "
(Your destination)
And Badr paid him and thanked him,
''What is this place? ''
Jesper asked and Badr replied,
''A park with a castle in it hence the name Castle Park, now we should find another taxi''
Badr said and Jesper looked confused,
''Then why did we get out of that one? Oh, never mind'' Jesper said while realizing.
Lani managed to see a taxi and wave it down,
''Found one!''
She said as she grabbed her bag and walked towards the street while shuffling through her purse without looking up,
Badr turned around and saw Lani walking towards the street,
''Lani what are you doing? ''
Badr told Lani and she heard him and she finally looked up,
she almost got hit by a car,
''Oops...Sorry...''
Lani said in embarrassment and walked behind everyone,
As everyone put their bags into the trunk for the second time, and then get into the taxi, Badr told the taxi driver something that the group heard and understand.
But while Badr turned around to tell Jesper something, he got a call from the number he tried calling before, and he turned back around.
A woman's voice answered
"凍る砂漠..."
(Cold Desert...)
''ひっそりした森''
(Silent Forest)
Said Badr and there was silence from both ends, The taxi driver staring at the rear view mirror at Jesper and Sophy
''久しぶりに声が聞けて,やっぱり嬉しいな..."
(Hearing your voice after so long, I'm really glad....)
Said the Unknown Woman named Desert Fox, before switching to english.
''I'm guessing you need a favor...''
Said the person on the other line,
''You too, and yeah...Hotel rooms''
Badr said while rubbing his eyes from being tired,
''how many? '' they asked and Badr told them
''4 people in total including me, but if it's possible make it 3 rooms''
''See you soon...''
Said the person before Badr hung up and put away his phone,
''Who was that? '' Lani asked,
''Do you really have to know everything? '' Badr replied to her sarcastically,
And she looked at him with a serious expression on her face,
''Never mind I take that back, it was a friend who I trust with my life''
Badr told her while he leaned back on the seat,
Around an Hour Later
They arrived to the city of Kyoto, and Badr told the others.
''Welcome to Kyoto, literally Tokyo but with scrambled letters''.
Lani held a little giggle and Badr heard it,
''Good one''
Said Lani as she looked at him, and he looked at her,
''You think? ''
Badr asked Lani and she replied
''Mhm'' .
Location : Kyoto, Japan
Time : 7:01 Pm
Badr got a call from Desert Fox telling details of where the hotel is,
''Thank you, and see you soon'' Badr told the person,
Badr told the taxi driver to stop over by the parking area, and when the car stopped Badr paid the taxi driver extra and opened the door,
As everyone was grabbing their bags from the trunk Sophy asked Badr.
''Did you really study Japanese? You sound fluent''
And he replied to her
''Yeah I did study Japanese, and I used to live here for years before going back to Dubai''
''Oh? ''
Lani said as she shut the trunk of the taxi,
''Alright everyone follow me, the hotel should be a 3 minute walk from here''
Badr told the others and they followed him.
As they were walking Sophy saw a white large structure from a far hidden by the buildings and said
''Hey y'all, what's that white thing over there? It looks like a castle''
And everybody turned to see what Sophy was talking about, and when Badr saw what she was talking about and wanted to tell her about it,
But Lani said it first
''The famous Nijo Castle! I've seen pictures of it and it's so beautiful! ''
Badr was visibly impressed by Lani's knowledge.
He told the group that they should start walking again and they did,
Minutes later they arrived at the hotel,
''Woah the Castle is right beside the hotel, no way, I hope the rooms are facing the castle! ''
Lani said in excitement,
''Im pretty sure that our rooms are facing the castle''
Badr said as he looked at the hotel,
''We should definitely go check it out after we take a shower and rest''
Jesper told the group as he walked with Sophy inside, Badr and Lani followed behind.
While Badr was at the front desk talking to the receptionists, Lani and Sophy went to the bathroom,
''Eek! I'm so excited! ''
Lani jumped in joy as she eked,
''Me too! ''
Sophy was also very excited but hid her emotions,
They both started hugged each other but then they heard a toilet being flushed and Sophy gulped,
And an elderly lady came out looking at them like they were idiots, and they were embarrassed so they left the bathroom without saying a word.
''Uhh we have a tiny, small problem''
Jesper told Lani, and Badr breaks the news to her.
''The bookings were full but instead of 3 rooms...We got 2, so uhh...''
Lani just sighed and they all went upstairs.
when the group got to the first room, Sophy and Lani walked into it and went straight to the window,
''Woah you weren't kidding about the view!''
Sophy said to Badr,
Jesper told Sophy that he'll go to Badr's room,
''Wait no, it's fine I'll go with Badr'' Lani said as Jesper told her but he explained to her again,
''No seriously you could stay her-'' Jesper got cut off by Lani saying,
''It's fine Jesper'' And she walked out of the room and stood in the hallway.
So both Lani and Badr went to find their room,
''It was fully booked, especially with this view''
Badr talked with Lani as they were walking in the long hallway trying to find their room,
''Here it is!''
Lani said as she grabbed the keycard from Badr's hand and unlocked the door,
''nothing special to be honest, at least the bed is separated, that's a relief...''
Badr said as he walked into the room after Lani,
''Hmm? you dont wanna sleep on the same bed as a woman? but anyways, the view! ''
Lani replied and she could scream in excitement, but she didn't.
''I'll hit the shower and head to bed''
Badr told her as he put his bag on the bed and got some clothes out,
''Whatever'' .
Lani said as she was watching the castle and its surroundings through the window.
After Badr was done showering he walked out of the bathroom while putting a shirt on and jumped on the comfy bed and saw Lani staring outside all mesmerized,
''It's Beautiful isn't it?''
Badr asked but instead of receiving an answer, all he got was a nod and Mhm's ,
He knew Lani was excited and happy,
So he laid back in bed.
''Finally, I can relax''
He whispered to himself as he got comfortable.