#34

Rubina kept looking at Hopkins being perplexed. Before she could speak her face was covered with a full mask by Perkins who was standing behind her. He strangulated her neck with his hand. She tried to hit him on his waist with her elbow but Hopkins took out a knife and stabbed into her stomach. She groaned and started bleeding. She fell on her knees. Perkins started dragging her towards the pit while holding her arm. She was gasping while holding her bleeding stomach. He hurled her into the pit which was dug beside the skeleton's one. Hopkins came near to the pit. Perkins picked up the shovel.

Hopkins said, "I will always remember about our first as well as the last meeting."

Perkins started filling the pit while she was still gasping. Her brain started recounting the memories of the moments she had spent with Rizwan. She recounted about the moment when she had seen him dead. She quickly removed her mask. Perkins face flashed before her who was holding the shovel. She quickly stood. She held his shovel and pulled him in. She stabbed him on his neck with the tip of the shovel. Perkins fell inside the pit and died while bleeding from his throat. She jumped out of the pit with the shovel in her hand and stepped towards Hopkins who upon seeing her furious started stepping back. He took out his gun but was hit on his leg by her. He fell on the ground and dropped his gun. She stopped there. She threw the shovel away. Hopkins was gasping while holding his shin. She came forward and picked up his gun. She cocked the gun and pointed at him. He raised his hands in air.

"Get up."

He kept gasping and stood up.

She said, "Turn around."

He turned around keeping his hands in air.

"Walk."

He started walking. They stopped near the backside of the car.

She said, "Open it."

He opened the trunk of the car.

"Get in."

He sighed.

"Will you tell me...."

She yelled, "Get in."

He got in. She closed the trunk. She held her waist. She looked at her palm having blood on it. She went into the house looking for medical supplies. She went to the bedroom where she got her eyes on a cupboard. She opened the cupboard and pulled out the drawer. She took out a bandage and a cotton. She placed the cotton on her wound on the waist and wrapped it with the bandage. She picked up her phone from the table and took the car key from the key holder. She drove the car away from the forest.

St. Pete Clearwater airport, Saint Petersburg: The glass doors of the airport slid open. Bashir adjusted his grip on the handle of his black carry on. He was carrying his black leather jacket in the other hand. Bakar Ali was carrying a backpack. They walked out of the exit door of the airport. A number of waiting taxis were outside. They came to one of them. The driver opened the trunk and helped them to load their luggages. They sat at the backseat. The driver fastened his seat belt and ignited his car.

"Long flight, huh?" He asked.

They didn't answer him. Bakar spelled him an address. The driver started driving and left the airport. Bashir poured a teaspoon of sugar into his tea cup which was kept on the table inside a hotel room. He kept the spoon back on the tray. He picked up the cup and went near to the window. He started having the tea.

He asked, "Did you send the update?"

Bakar was sitting on the sofa having a laptop on his lap. He was accessing his email account.

"Working on it."

Nasser was at the ISUF training camp. He poured some tea into his cup and stepped into the camp. He sat at a table and started having his tea. Nasser accessed his laptop kept before him on the table. He logged into his email account. He clicked on one of the mail. Tevray was driving his car. His phone started ringing. He looked at his phone and attended the call.

"Yes."

Nasser said, "They have reached."

He hung up the call. He pulled over his car. He made a call to Yusuf. Yusuf was sleeping at night when his phone started ringing. He stretched his hand towards the side table and attended the call.

"Hello."

"Morrison here."

"Yeah(coughed). I am listening, Morrison."

"They have just checked in the hotel in Saint Petersburg."

"Oh."

Yusuf got off the bed. He slided the curtains at the doorway. He walked through the doorway to the balcony of his bungalow. He picked up a wooden stool and kept it at the corner of the balcony. He put a cigar in his mouth and lit it with a lighter. He started smoking. He made a call to Perkins. It was raining at night when Perkins was lying dead in the pit. His phone which was kept in his pocket started ringing. His phone kept ringing for a while.

Yusuf murmured, "Where is he? Why he is not attending the call?"

He redialled the number again but didn't got his call connected to Perkins. He looked at the screen of his phone. He kept his hand on his knee. He smoked the cigarette. He shook his head. He dialled him again and started tapping his ankle

"Come on."

He hung up the call. He stood up and went to his bedroom. He pulled a drawer out of the side table of his bed. He took out a black coloured round shaped small box. He opened the lid of the box. He took out a keypad mobile phone out of the box. He sat on the bed. He kept pressing the green button of the phone and switched it on. Rubina had the car parked at the roadside of a freeway while it was raining. She had the bonnet of the opened and was going through the engine system in order to get the started. A cop, Dexin was driving a patrolling car. He spotted Rubina was trying to repair the car. Rubina kept her left hand in her waist. She moved her hair to the back of her ear. She sighed and shook her head. The patrolling car stopped in front of her car.