Chapter 4: The Wrong Turn.

Joe stood at the platform; the next day, the cold wind brushed against his face, making him pull his jacket closer around his body.

The train was about to arrive any second.

He glanced at his phone to check the time and realized he was on schedule.

Just as he was about to step forward, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He frowned, pulling it out. Jerry’s name flashed on the screen.

‘Odd,’ he thought. Jerry never called him out of the blue like this.

Joe swiped the screen, bringing the phone to his ear. "Hey, Jerry, what’s up?"

"Joe... Joe, man, I—I’m in trouble." Jerry said.

Joe stopped in his tracks, the noise of the incoming train fading from his attention.

"Trouble? What do you mean? Where are you?"

There was a pause, followed by hurried breathing on the other end of the line.

"I’m good tangled in some serious shit." Jerry stammered.

“What shit?” Joe asked in a hurried tone.

"This gang…” There was a long pause after this, and Joe could hear his heart skip a bit.

“What gang?” He asked. “Speak to me, Jerry.”

“You have to come here, man; they are coming back. I’m at the downtown alley."

“Jerry, I need you to give me more details,” Joe said in a worried tone.

After this, the line went dead, and before it did, Joe heard a long scream.

‘Downtown Alley.’ Joe repeated, confused.

There was nothing more than a abandoned buildings in that part of the city.

Joe looked at the train that was now pulling into the station.

He was about to meet with the man who claimed he had answers to his inheritance money.

But he couldn’t leave Jerry. He remembered all the times Jerry had been there for him when no one else was.

"Okay," Joe said to himself, turning away from the train. "I have to do this."

Joe left the station, hailing a cab to take him to Downtown Alley.

The cab dropped him off at the end of the street.

As he walked further, he noticed a warehouse far ahead.

When Joe reached the building, it looked abandoned, but as he got closer, he noticed a a man stationed outside.

He wasn’t dressed like any security guards he’d ever seen. Something felt wrong, very wrong.

Joe hid, then pulled out his phone and dialed Jerry's number. However, it went straight to voicemail, so he tried again.

Nothing.

What the hell had Jerry gotten himself into?

Joe sighed before moving closer to the warehouse. He had no plan, no idea what was inside, but he still pushed forward.

When he reached the side of the building, to his surprise, it displayed a long hallway.

As he moved deeper inside, he could hear voices.

Joe followed the sound until he reached a slightly ajar door. He peeked through the crack.

Inside, he saw Jerry tied to a chair, his face bruised, blood dripping from a cut on his lip.

Two men stood over him, one holding a gun, the other gripping a knife.

"You think you can mess with us and get away with it?" one of the men growled, leaning close to Jerry, who was struggling to keep his head up. "We warned you what would happen if you didn’t pay up."

"I... I told you. I just need more time." Jerry groaned.

The man with the knife slapped Jerry across the face, causing him to cry out in pain. "Time’s up, Jerry."

Joe took a step back. He had to do something, but what? He didn’t have a weapon, and there were two of them and one outside.

If they saw him, they’d kill him and Jerry both.

As he moved closer to get a better view, his foot accidentally knocked into a metal pipe lying on the floor, catching the attention of the men inside.

One of them turned around, his gun raised. "Who's there?"

Joe backed away, hoping to slip into the shadows before they found him, but it was too late.

The man noticed him and immediately pointed his gun directly at Joe.

"Come out where I can see you!" the man shouted.

Joe slowly stepped into the light, his hands raised in surrender. "Look, I don’t want any trouble. I’m just here for my friend."

The man sneered, motioning with the gun for Joe to move closer.

"Your friend, huh? Well, you’re about to join him."

Before Joe could react, the second man appeared behind him, grabbing him by the arms and shoving him into the room with Jerry.

Joe stumbled, landing hard on the floor.

Jerry looked up when he saw Joe. "Joe! Thank goodness that you’re here. I almost thought I would—“

“Silence!” One of the men said. “One more word from you, and I would slit your throat.”

Joe said nothing after this. He remained quiet, watching as the men headed to the corner of the room.

They were talking slowly, and Joe saw this as an opportunity to speak to Jerry.

"What the hell is going on?" He said slowly. “How did you get yourself into this mess.”

"A client of mine double-crossed me... now, They’re after me thinking I’m at fault," Jerry said. "I thought I could pay them back, but things went south."

"You should have told me," Joe said, glaring at the men who were walking in their direction now.

The man with the gun chuckled darkly. "Touching reunion. Too bad it’s going to be your last."

Joe’s mind raced. He had to think of some way to get them out of this.

He glanced around the room, searching for anything he could use as a weapon, but there was nothing.

The man with the knife approached Joe. "Say goodbye to your friend."

Joe tensed, ready to make a desperate move, but just as the man raised his knife, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the hallway outside.

Both men froze, exchanging a glance.

"Who’s that?" one of them hissed.

Before they could react, the door burst open, and a two stormed in.

Joe‘s eyes widened as it fell on the first man dressed in white, who seemed to be staring at him.

The men with weapons suddenly composed themselves, bowing their heads slightly.

“Master!” They called out. “We are sorry for—“

“Untie him!” The man said pointing at Joe.

“He will be of good value.”