"No!"As he fell in despair, Lars saw Johan disappearing from view until he hit the water and was dragged away by the current.
Johan sighed as he looked up at the moon. He walked back to the car's trunk, stared at Jenny's lifeless body with sorrow in his eyes, closed the trunk, got into the vehicle, and drove off to a crematorium.
"I'd better get to the meeting with Gabriel now."
Johan worked as a surgeon in the same hospital where Camile and Hanna—those girls Lars overheard at night—also worked. But that was just a cover. Johan was a member of the Meyerns mafia, and being a doctor allowed him easy access to supplies when necessary.
The next morning, an lady was standing near the edge of a large river with a group of children when suddenly one of them shouted,"There's a body on the riverbank!"
The woman rushed over to where her grandson was pointing and saw a man clinging to a log near the riverbank."Go get Seck and tell him to come help me immediately!"
"Yes, Grandma!" the children yelled as they ran off.
— "You still have a pulse… I'll pull you out of the river for now."She looked around nervously."Please hurry, Seck…"
Ten minutes later—
"What happened, Rebecca? Where did this man come from?"A large man dressed casually, around 58 years old, arrived at the scene.
"The kids found him by the river. Let's take him home. He's badly injured."
"Alright, let me carry him."Seck picked the man up and they left immediately.
A few minutes later, they were at the family's home. Rebecca examined the man's injuries and saw that he had multiple bruises and broken ribs.
"How is he, Rebecca?" Seck asked.
"I need to figure out how to stabilize his ribs before they puncture an organ. He could die."
"Don't worry. If the ribs were puncturing anything, he'd already be dead. He must've spent the whole night like this. I'll call Marie to examine him properly."He grabbed the phone and made a call.
A few minutes later, Seck hung up."Remember when I broke two ribs? I just wrapped them and iced the area. They heal on their own in about six weeks. Let's wrap his ribs until the doctor arrives."
"Alright, go get the bandages. I'll find some painkillers."
"Okay, I'll be right back."
Lars remained unconscious for two days until he finally woke up on the third day. Disoriented, he looked around the room and realized he could barely move. Just then, one of the kids ran in and shouted,"He's awake!"
Rebecca entered the room and looked at him."Finally. Don't move too much—you've got broken ribs."
The child whispered to her,"Look, I think he's trying to say something," and then hid behind her.
Rebecca leaned in because she saw Lars moving his lips but couldn't hear him."Tell me, how are you feeling?"
Elsewhere in Germany, Johan was arguing with Florian about what had happened.
Standing by a counter inside a room, Johan snapped,"You bastard. You killed a little girl in cold blood—right in front of her father!"
Florian, sitting with a glass of wine and a cigarette, replied,"Since when are you so sensitive, Johan? It's not like she was your daughter. And I didn't kill her in front of him. She was already dead when Lars arrived. I just gave that worm false hope. I wanted to see the look of despair on his face."
"You're a sick fuck who's lost the ability to reason."Suddenly, Florian got up, grabbed Johan by the neck, and slammed his head against the table.
"Here's a warning: watch your fucking mouth."
At that moment, the door opened, and a man with shoulder-length hair, glasses, and a blue suit entered.
"What the hell are you doing, Florian? Let him go."
Florian released Johan."Tell your mutts to watch what they say. I don't know since when you let soft men like this into your crew."
"You should worry more about doing your job properly. The boss isn't going to be pleased with what you did," the man, Bernhard, replied.
"What are you talking about? You would've done the same in my place."Florian sat down again and took another sip of wine.
"Believe me, we think and act very differently. You were told to scare him—not commit murder. You're going to bring the police down on us with this crap."Bernhard sat in front of him.
"There was no one around. I bet they're still in that warehouse, and no one's going to find them until the bodies start to rot."Florian glanced at Johan, noticed he was bleeding, and began to laugh.
Johan wiped his face."Guess who had to clean up your mess."
"What are you talking about?"
Johan stepped closer and placed his hands on the counter."Mr. Abraham asked me to check on what you did because Lars wasn't answering his calls. He told me to go to the warehouse and see for myself."
"So what if you took both of them? Problem solved."
Bernhard interrupted,"Lars has a mother. What do you think will happen when he doesn't answer her calls? When she goes to his house and no one opens the door? She'll go to the police. They'll start an investigation."
"You know the Meyerns mafia has a deal with the police," Bernhard said."But if they find out we're involved in a child's murder, they won't let it slide."
"Then I'll take out the mother too—problem solved," Florian said, spreading his arms with a smile.
"Don't even think about it. You've done enough," Johan warned.
"That's right. Calm down and get ready. Mr. Abraham wants to speak with you about what happened. He'll be in Munich tonight," Bernhard said as he left with Johan.
That same night, back at the house where Lars was recovering, he woke up and saw a large man sitting by the window.
Lars sat up."Hi... Where am I?"
"We're in Heidelberg. What's your name?"
"Lars. Thank you for saving me. And you?"He touched his ribs and winced in pain.
Seck looked up from the newspaper he was holding."Seck. The woman you saw earlier is my wife, Rebecca. And the kids—Bruno and Alex—are my grandchildren."
"Nice to meet you, and again... thank you for saving my life. How long was I unconscious?"
"Three days. Though Rebecca said you briefly woke up this afternoon."
"Damn..."Lars tried to get out of bed but collapsed."Ouch!"
Seck rushed to help him back up."Take it easy. You need to rest at least a few more days. You said your name is Lars—what's your last name?"
"Braun. Why?"
"Just curious. I'd like to know what happened to you."
Lars suddenly broke down crying, remembering what Johan had told him about his daughter. Seck gently approached him."What happened?"
"Can you leave me alone for today, please?"
"Alright, we'll talk tomorrow."As he turned to leave, Seck noticed a tattoo behind Lars's ear—one that seemed familiar. He left the room and headed to the basement. Rebecca saw him and asked,"Where are you going?"
"To the basement. Don't wait up for me."He entered and closed the door.
The next day, Seck and his family had to leave early for a doctor's appointment for the children and a trip to the supermarket.
Seck knocked on Lars's door."Good morning. I brought you breakfast. How are you feeling?"
Lars sat up in bed."Come in. I haven't slept much. I spent all night thinking."
"I want to know what you're going through, but not now. I need to leave with my family. We'll talk when I return."
"Alright. Have a good day."
Before leaving, Seck added,"Thanks. The doctor said it would be good for you to walk a bit. See you in the afternoon."
After eating, Lars got up and began walking slowly, using the walls for support. After a while, he noticed a door at the end of the hallway with a sign that read:
Do Not Enter.
Curious, he approached, but the door was locked. He couldn't see what was inside. Just then, someone knocked on the front door. Lars jumped in surprise and began limping toward the entrance to answer it.