CHAPTER 4: The Symbol of the Black Bird
Emma nearly dropped the drawing.
The black bird.
The circle around it.
Every line was exactly the same.
For eight years she had prayed never to see that symbol again.
Yet here it was…
Drawn by an innocent eight-year-old girl.
“Emma?”
Daniel noticed her pale face.
She looked at him, then at the picture.
Her fingers trembled as she signed.
Where did she see this symbol?
Daniel frowned.
“Lily?”
The little girl looked confused.
“I don't know.”
She pointed at the drawing.
“I just drew it.”
“You made it up?”
Lily shook her head.
“No.”
A cold chill ran down Daniel's spine.
“Then where did you see it?”
The little girl thought for a moment.
Then smiled.
“On Mommy's necklace.”
Silence.
Emma's heart stopped.
“My mommy wore it all the time.”
Daniel stared at his daughter.
“No, sweetheart. Your mother wore a star necklace.”
Lily shook her head again.
“Not the pretty one.”
“What?”
“The other one.”
She looked around as if sharing a secret.
“The one she hid.”
Emma and Daniel exchanged a glance.
“You saw it?” Daniel asked.
Lily nodded.
“One night.”
“When?”
The little girl looked down.
“A long time ago.”
“How long?”
“The night before the fire.”
Daniel felt his blood turn cold.
“Mommy was crying.”
Emma's breath caught.
“She was putting clothes into a bag.”
Daniel slowly knelt in front of his daughter.
“What else did you see?”
Lily's eyes filled with uncertainty.
“She told me something.”
“What did she say?”
The little girl whispered:
‘If anything happens, don't tell anyone about the bird.’
A terrible silence filled the sidewalk.
Emma's knees nearly gave out.
Because those were almost the exact words Sophia had once signed to her.
If anything happens, don't trust them.
Daniel stood slowly.
The rain had stopped completely.
But suddenly the night felt darker.
Dangerous.
“Let's get in the car,” he said.
Emma nodded.
None of them noticed the black sedan parked across the street.
Or the man inside watching every movement.
Ten minutes later, they were driving through the city.
Lily had fallen asleep in the back seat.
Emma sat beside Daniel, holding the drawing.
Neither of them knew where to begin.
Finally, Daniel spoke.
“What is the Black Bird?”
Emma looked out the window.
Then she signed slowly.
I don't know exactly.
He waited.
Eight years ago, an envelope arrived at our house. It had that symbol.
“What was inside?”
She typed on her phone.
One sentence.
SHE KNOWS TOO MUCH.
Daniel's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“Who sent it?”
She shook her head.
“No return address?”
Again, she shook her head.
He swallowed.
“What happened after that?”
Tears appeared in her eyes.
The next morning, Sophia disappeared.
The car became silent.
A few moments later, Daniel whispered:
“I thought I lost her in a fire.”
Emma looked at him.
Maybe neither of us ever lost her.
He glanced at her.
“What do you mean?”
She typed:
Maybe she was hiding.
Before he could answer, headlights suddenly appeared behind them.
A black sedan.
Very close.
Too close.
Daniel frowned.
The car stayed directly behind them through one intersection.
Then another.
Then another.
Emma noticed it too.
She turned around.
The same car.
The same headlights.
“Daniel…”
“What?”
She pointed.
He looked in the mirror.
The sedan immediately slowed.
A strange feeling crept over him.
Then the car sped up again.
Following them.
His pulse quickened.
“Maybe it's nothing.”
But he didn't believe it.
Three more turns.
The sedan remained.
“Okay,” he said quietly.
“Now I'm worried.”
Emma typed quickly.
Someone is following us.
At that exact moment, his phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
Again.
Daniel's heart nearly stopped.
He answered.
“Sophia?”
“No.”
A man's voice.
Cold.
Calm.
“You should have listened.”
Daniel's blood froze.
“Who is this?”
“Turn around.”
“What?”
“Look behind you.”
He looked in the mirror.
The black sedan's headlights flashed twice.
Then the voice said:
“You're making this much harder than it needs to be.”
“Who are you?”
“Leave the city.”
“Why?”
“Because if you go to the train station tomorrow…”
The man paused.
“…someone you love will die.”
The line went dead.
Emma stared at him.
“What did he say?”
He repeated the message.
Her face turned white.
At that exact moment—
BANG!
A deafening sound exploded behind them.
Daniel fought the steering wheel.
The car swerved.
Lily woke up screaming.
“What happened?!”
The rear window shattered.
Glass sprayed across the seats.
Emma turned around.
The black sedan was right behind them.
Its headlights blazed through the broken window.
Then she saw something that made her blood turn cold.
A man leaning out of the passenger window.
Holding a gun.
“Daniel!”
BANG!
Another shot.
The bullet hit the back of the car.
Daniel slammed on the accelerator.
The engine roared.
“What is happening?!” Lily cried.
“Hold on!”
Rainwater splashed as they raced through the streets.
The black sedan chased them.
BANG!
Another gunshot.
Emma grabbed Lily and pulled her down.
Cars honked.
Tires screamed.
People jumped out of the way.
Daniel's hands shook on the steering wheel.
This wasn't an accident.
Someone really wanted them dead.
Then his phone rang again.
Unknown Number.
He answered without thinking.
A woman was crying.
“Daniel!”
Sophia.
He almost crashed.
“They found you!”
“Who found us?”
“You have to get off the road!”
“They're shooting at us!”
“I know!”
“How do you know?”
Silence.
Then:
“Because I used to work for them.”
Everything inside him froze.
“What?”
“I didn't run away from them…”
Sophia's voice broke.
“…I worked for them.”
Emma looked up in horror.
Daniel's face turned white.
“What are you talking about?”
Another gunshot shattered the side mirror.
Sophia sobbed.
“The Black Bird isn't a symbol…”
She took a shaking breath.
“It's a secret organization.”
The car sped through a red light.
“What kind of organization?”
Sophia's answer changed everything.
“They make people disappear.”
Silence.
May you like
Then she whispered:
“And I helped them do it.”
