I Am Number 10

NUMBER 000

THE YEAR 2025.

"We're done here."

A man calmly pocketed the phone he was carrying. He seriously signaled to his colleagues, causing everyone to immediately take action and carry an unconscious child.

As he landed his uninterested gaze on the child, He saw a girl whose eyes were just closed peacefully, as if she were just sleeping on a peaceful night, contrary to the situation of the whole place.

He gently put the half-lit cigarette in his mouth and smoked it. As he gently blew in the air, causing the smoke to come out of his mouth, he suddenly felt the soft and cold breeze that was enveloping him at that time. It was a freezing yet comforting kind of breeze.

It's snowing.

He looked at the dark sky as he noticed the gradual descent of small white flakes. It was as if the sky was giving comfort to its people by giving them these soft, comforting, solid snowflakes. It was so peaceful—too peaceful at that time.

"S-sordidum bastardis!"

The man who was smoking calmly finally turned around, smiled foolishly, and approached the person who had just spoken.

He saw its blood covering the person's whole body, with a large pillar running all over the person's legs, leaving only his stomach up to his head, causing the entire body to be severely limited in movement.

The man holding the cigarette gently knelt in front of the person who was lying down. He slowly stuck the hot object he was holding to the hand of the person in front of him, causing the person to cry out loudly in pain. It was torture.

"You should've pretended that you're dead, idiot." It smiled devilishly and gently turned and pressed the cigarette on the person's hand once more.

With every pressure he puts on his cigar, the dying man screams more loudly in pain. From the disturbing silence all around the place, a horrible scream broke through it again and again.

"Everything has been prepared," said the man who just arrived.

He is carrying various types of weapons while wearing a black shirt. He has this large tattoo on his entire arm, a significant symbol of a large organization.

The man slowly stood up from his kneeling position and looked around.

The once-famous mansion that stood on the ground is gone; only dilapidated walls and broken equipment remain.

The whole area was full of bullet marks; dead bodies were scattered all over the place, and almost all of them were still wearing their expensive clothes. It was obvious that there had been a fancy celebration before the attack happened. The timing was just right; everyone was so vulnerable.

The man finally turned, emotionlessly, away from the distraught mansion and threw away the cigarette in his hand, causing the whole place to immediately burst into flames. He just grinned devilishly and entered the black car that had been waiting a while ago.

"Let's go."

As five cars left the area, they could hear the loud, frightful scream coming from someone who was now slowly being consumed by the blazing flames.

The man just looked out the car window; he could see the gentle snow falling on the trees they were passing.

No matter how beautiful and peaceful it is to observe the first snowfall of the year, everything will change once someone sees the gradual burning of fire throughout the mansion. It was disturbing, especially after hearing the agonizing little screams of the people who were burned alive in the fire.

After a while, the sirens of the police and firemen were heard approaching the mansion. They immediately took action on the fire, but with every drop of water that was thrown in the area, the fire only grew stronger.

They could not go closer or put out the fire. They could not do anything as the whole mansion was completely consumed and became all ash right under the eyes of the authorities responding to the area.

There was nothing they could do but silently watch what was happening in front of them. That night, various reporters came to report what was happening.

No one survived the fire, and the authorities could not think of a possible culprit due to the lack of evidence.

This event was deemed a nightmare by everyone because, after several months of searching for any leads, it was also immediately dismissed until everyone gradually forgot what happened.

No lead, no survivor; it was a hopeless case to begin with.

The man focused his attention on the child next to him, who was now unconscious. The girl was only five years old, but it was clear from her smooth complexion and the way she was dressed that she came from a luxurious family.

The man suddenly stopped when a necklace caught his attention, causing him to quickly grab the shiny red diamond necklace from the girl's neck.

"Too much knowledge is dangerous." He took a good look at what he was holding and quickly threw it out the window.