“ I was dragged into my own house, the one I had built with my sweat and hard work. The living room was quite large, so it took me a moment to see everything that was happening there. In the direction I was facing, I saw a man whose body was covered in a large coat that reached down to his shoes, and he wore a big hat, which is why I couldn't recognize him immediately. He was turned towards the wall, looking at a picture of me with my family. My wife and my son.
A soft, barely audible cry startled me, making me turn my head in the opposite direction. To my horror, I saw a man finishing pulling out his genitals from my wife's body. From the sound of her voice, I could tell she was utterly exhausted; she had been violated by many men in that room.
She didn't have the courage to look me in the eye; instead, she turned her head to the other side and hung her head low. I was in shock, feeling as if I were in a nightmare, which is why I just stood there in disbelief.
I turned to look in the direction where my wife was gazing, her tears flowing profusely. I was even more shocked to see that my son was being held by a man on the couch, seated perfectly so he could watch as his mother was subjected to that brutality. I was proud to have been his father.
Despite everything he had witnessed, including the violation of his mother, his eyes were completely dry. That courage, that ability to remain composed, was something I had instilled in him from the moment he began to speak.
As I continued to marvel at the cruelty of the world, I suddenly heard three gunshots. I turned my head again towards where my wife was, and those three bullets had lodged in her head. I remained frozen in place, but what shook me to my core was the sound of my son calling out, 'Dad, dad.'
That voice haunts me in my dreams every night, which is why I say Jabir is my son from now on, and I am his father.
I turned to look at my son, but it was for the last time, as five bullets were fired into his head while I continued to drool helplessly from my mouth. I wished I could pass out that day, but how could I be in such a situation? I wanted someone to shoot me, but I was incredibly unfortunate because it was destined for me to endure that painful conscious.
Watching my son get shot in front of me was the worst thing I have ever witnessed in my life.
"I cried so much, but amid that panic, I was further shocked and baffled by how cruel the world could be. The man who had his back to me turned around, and I was left with my mouth wide open in disbelief. That man was not a stranger to me; he was none other than my boss, the Director of National Security, standing right in front of me. I couldn't believe it even at that moment, so I was forced to speak with great emphasis, lying on the floor, crawling like a wounded snake, unable to go anywhere, just writhing in agony."
"Boss, how... why is it you?" I asked in utter disbelief, but he just smiled and crouched down beside me.
"If I were you, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for the rest of my life. If I had the ability, I would probably have killed myself for bringing such a huge disaster upon my family. You're one of the most foolish men in this world. That's why, even today if I ask you what you're searching for in life, do you even have an answer? Or will you just keep struggling like you are today?" He swallowed a bit and continued to mock me, rubbing salt in my wounds, fully aware that there was nothing I could do at that moment.
"I don't think you even understand the protocols of this job. I say this because you gave me detailed reports about your work. It means that you were supposed to stop at that point and not go any further. I allowed you because you were being very insistent, but you failed to understand that it was supposed to be my responsibility to handle everything above that level. With your impatience, you went to the Chief Chemist, and in your foolishness, you killed him, trying to force him to confirm false information about the drugs. You brought me a report claiming the drugs were linked to unsafe videos, but you're a big liar, you were playing a dangerous game. You ended up killing the Chief Chemist without realizing why you became a traitor and how directly involved you were in getting rid of such an important person so easily."
These brief remarks from a man I had respected like a father and as my boss made me momentarily forget even the grief I was experiencing. I was left wide-eyed, simply waiting for some mercy from the people around me.
The old man looked at his watch. I didn’t have one, but I guessed it must have been 7 a.m. because he went to turn on the television and then sat on the sofa. It was the news, which confirmed that it must have been 7 a.m. The news was reporting on a young man, a national security officer, who had allegedly stormed the Chief Chemist's office and killed the old man before disappearing. The young man was being labelled a terrorist who needed to be found, dead or alive, for disgracing the department and for facing murder charges.
The name they mentioned was none other than my own birth name. I found myself laughing, but I quickly quieted down when I saw the numerous reporters and the body of the Chief Chemist being carried out as a corpse. My laughter was because I had nothing to do with the incident, so I thought the news was a joke. But then I realized that what was being reported was extremely serious
"You might think that these matters are very much a joke, but they are not as you perceive them. The CCTV footage shows that you are the only person who entered the Chief Chemist's office yesterday, and later he was found with his throat slit, and no one else had entered after you. So, who else do you think could be involved? Look at this video of you leaving with a lot of anxiety; there's no way we can help you, it would be a waste of time," he said, showing me the video, and then continued, but I stopped him.
"Sir, I think you know me better than anyone else. I had nothing to do with that man's death, not at all. How could I have done it from outside of work? Even if I threatened him, I did not kill him. There must be someone else involved in this matter," I defended myself, but that was the truth.
The needle I used wasn’t lethal quickly; if he hadn’t been vaccinated, he would have weakened slowly over the years until his kidneys failed eventually. Being told that the man was killed shocked me, even though the video showed me leaving. My chances of getting out of this alive were slim since the incident was framed to make it look like I was the one who entered, alone, and left with anxiety, while the man was found dead. I thought my boss would be a help since he would trust me and support me, but instead, he was the one who came to bury me.
"Do you know why I called you a very foolish man?" he asked mockingly, but I had no strength to respond.
"With the money you were given, I allowed you to take a two-year break anywhere in the world. You were supposed to use that time wisely. You didn’t think I had the sense to give you a leave while this was going on? You thought you were more concerned about this country than others? You saw yourself as more patriotic than your boss, forcing to complete the task. Who will you blame for this?
"This matter, the President and I have known about it for a long time, from its beginning to its end. How it would be and how we would protect our families. That’s when I saw some of my family members were you and your colleagues. I told your colleagues to stay away from this matter and follow instructions, and they were completely safe. But I left you because I wanted to test your ability. Unfortunately, you pretended to act wiser and tried to ruin the plans we had made for a long time for the benefit of us all and our families. Where even your family was living in luxury because of this matter."
His brief explanation confirmed that he and the President were aware of everything that was going on. They were the ones receiving a lot of money to let things unfold as they did. In short, my boss was a pawn of the President.