2 Chapter 1:How did we get here.

Chapter 1:

A sudden headache hits Arlo's head, leaving him confused. He looks around and sees the forest birds chirping and the sounds of nature, but there's also a grunting sound. He looks towards the source and sees three young people exercising with lots of equipment scattered around. Behind them is a fairly large cabin, and beside it is a heavily modified Mercedes-Benz Zetros. On top of the Zetros are four E-Ndure Electric mountain bikes, all looking brand new with only splashes of dirt on the tires and front, indicating they haven't been used much.

After observing for a while and assessing his surroundings, Arlo's headache starts to fade, and he finally remembers how he got here. Not long ago, he was just working another overtime shift, like every day of his life. He has nieces to support after the tragic death of his brother who died in a boat crash during a vacation party.

He has been supporting his nieces for quite a while. Although only 45 years old, he looks as if he is almost 60 due to supporting the three of his nieces through finishing their college. They are all aspiring to be doctors, but the tuition is a heavy burden on him. Their father has a life insurance policy; however, they discover that their father has a lot of debt and many loans from loan sharks. So, all that money from the insurance was gone, paying for all their father's mistakes.

Due to their courses, they are unable to work a job while studying, so the daily expenses and housing fall to Arlo, who in good heart took the responsibility due to him being the older brother.

But Arlo's income is so low that he barely makes a living. He is a factory worker with no choice because he is not educated. He went to sign up in the army when he was young and served for a whole 5 years but unfortunately, he suffered a hit on the shoulder, ultimately severing a major nerve that prevented him from using his right arm much.

Although the check from VA is helping him, these past 3 years have been hell. He hasn't got any vacation and works the whole year, and on the weekends, he works part-time. Even when he uses a paid vacation, he works part-time just to get by.

Luckily, this was the last month of him helping those nieces of his, and he couldn't wait for this shit to be ever with.

It's not like he doesn't want to help them anymore; it's just that even when his brother died, just when he got sent home from the army, he had to hitch a ride with a friend due to his brother having a business trip.

Although that's what his brother said, he saw that he was actually on another vacation on his million-dollar yacht partying like a crazy bastard.

When Arlo got out, nowhere to go and desperate. His brother is nowhere to be found.

His brother didn't even lend a hand when he needed it the most.

After this incident, they grew even more apart and didn't hear about his brother until the police notified him about his brother's death.

Although this shocked him, it wasn't really a surprise.

They were born orphans and grew up in a foster home.

When they were young, their personalities were not the same.

He is the older one who does the bad stuff, and his brother is the good kid who listens and follows.

He wonders if he could have done anything differently.

Did his actions affect his brother's growth, and all the stuff he did when he was a kid was imprinted on his younger brother's minds who tend to follow him when they were still kids.

This thought was always on his mind.

But due to being prideful, he didn't reach out or was he just too embarrassed to reach for a handout.

So for the past 22 years, he works as a factory worker but due to his disability, he is unable to get a good job, and he has been working under the table ever since.

The wage is lower and more safety risk.

But the good thing is on paper; he is unemployed and doesn't have to pay those ridiculous taxes and just get paid with cash.

However, the pay is also cut due to him being an illegal worker.

On the last week of the month, all his nieces are graduating, but he heard shocking news from the cop who told him about his brother's death.

This cop who has become a detective came across a case that included his brother and his accident. The cop told him that his brother's death is not an accident, and it seems to be that his yacht was tampered with.

Due to this, Arlo's heart that was calm and had little fire left in it was set ablaze.

His original peaceful life for the past two decades was disturbed.

He didn't know what to do when he was young. He was reckless, playful, impulsive, and risk-taking.

But now he is old and disabled, he sees the world wider, clearer with patience and maturity; he looks for a good angle on what action to make, and he adapts to the occasion with wisdom and resilience.

This time it's different.

Although he has gone through many things, one thing didn't change about him; he is prideful.

Prideful enough not to reach out for many years, not to take handouts, and not to take anything while lying down.

He took the vacation he has left, totaling two days and two more unpaid leave.

Not knowing what got into him, he stalked the so-called people that the detective told him about for three days; they didn't leave his site. He figured out what time the guards switched shifts and when they took breaks.

He stalks them like a hawk.

Eyes on the prize, his eyes were red due to sleeping less, and he looked like a madman.

And finally, he went in his plan what to plant a bomb and leave quietly.

He knows that with only one good arm, he could not take them all on.

He just needs to plant it in every support beam and blow it up; the rubble will take care of the rest.

That was the plan, but it seems that plans don't always turn as he wants.

Fate's never been on his side.

He grew up having no parents and only his brother and him.

But years passed, and he realized he was all alone; his brother left him also.

Maybe that's why he was all alone.

As if fate was telling a big joke.

He heard somebody come out of the bathroom and didn't have a choice but to shoot. The guy's dead body hit the floor, and there was silence, but not for long; the shot rang loud and clear, and many footsteps were coming.

Not long after, he was surrounded with no choice left; all he could do was push the button, and that's all he could remember.