CHAPTER 2 – The Secret Hidden Inside the Watch
With trembling hands, Ethan somehow dragged the unconscious man into an abandoned hunting cabin hidden deep inside the woods.
It took nearly an hour.
Every few minutes, he stopped to listen for engines.
Nothing.
Only rain.
Inside the dusty cabin, Ethan found an old blanket and covered the stranger.
He remembered the first-aid lessons from school.
He cleaned the cuts.
Wrapped the bleeding arm.
Started a small fire.
Hours later...
The stranger finally opened his eyes.
"You..."
"You stayed."
Ethan nodded.
"I couldn't leave you."
For the first time, the mysterious man smiled.
"My name..."
He hesitated.
"...Daniel."
Something about the pause didn't feel honest.
But Ethan didn't question it.
Instead, he handed him a cup of warm water.
Daniel stared at the boy for a long moment.
"You remind me of someone."
"My father?"
Ethan laughed softly.
"I never knew him."
Daniel's expression suddenly changed.
"What did you say?"
"My dad disappeared before I was born."
Silence filled the room.
Daniel slowly looked away.
His hands began shaking.
Then...
A helicopter thundered overhead.
Searchlights swept across the forest.
Daniel instantly blew out the fire.
"They found us."
His voice was filled with genuine fear.
He quickly removed his expensive wristwatch.
"Take this."
Ethan examined it.
It looked ordinary.
But when he accidentally pressed the crown...
The face of the watch popped open.
Hidden inside was a tiny encrypted memory chip.
Along with one faded photograph.
The picture showed a smiling young soldier...
Holding a newborn baby.
On the back were only six handwritten words:
"Find Ethan before it's too late."
The boy's blood ran cold.
"How... how does this have my name?"
Daniel's face turned ghost white.
Before he could answer—
The cabin door EXPLODED inward.
Masked gunmen stormed inside with rifles aimed straight at the boy.
One of them shouted coldly...
May you like
"Kill the child first."
END OF CHAPTER 2…
