ECHO

Chapter 1

Wednesday 7:53pm

Death. We spend our lives trying to avoid it. Others can’t get out of its way.

There was no way out for Eli.

Detective Thompson rapped sharply on the door. “Eli? What’s the status on Madsen? He’s gone silent on us.”

Inside, Eli sat on the frigid kitchen tiles, a knot of emotion tightening in his throat. Tears threatened to spill as he grappled with the reality of his actions. The burden of the fallen officer weighed heavily on him.

His hands, still clenched around the gun, felt the increased heft of his deed. He shakily rose, leaning against the wall, his breaths coming in rapid succession. His voice, barely audible even to himself, trembled. “He’s… I think he’s dead.” He threw his head back, mustered some breath, and shouted, “I think he’s dead.” I think I’m dead.

Sergeant Klein, clad in tactical gear with a semi-automatic weapon at the ready, shifted the gun to a more aggressive stance. “Scrap the negotiator. We’re breaching.”

With a swift hand signal, he directed his team. They adjusted their positions, ready for action, as Thompson stepped back, joining Detective Hayes at a safer distance.

An officer, battering ram in hand, positioned himself at the door. He caught Klein’s confirming nod and swung the ram with full force at the door lock. The door burst open for the second time that night, crashing against the interior wall with a resounding thud.

Klein and his team, weapons drawn and at the ready, stormed into the apartment. Their movements were swift and calculated, eyes scanning for any sign of threat.

When Eli heard the door bust open, he stood up abruptly, his heart racing. This was it, the decisive moment. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. He wiped away his tears and straightened his posture. If he was going to face them, he was going to do it as someone with strength.

As he rounded the corner, his eyes widened with fear and his hand trembled as he raised the gun. He clenched his eyes shut and thought of his friends; sitting in the pub hacking the account, finding them murdered. As the thoughts rocketed through his mind, a burst of gunfire flung him backward onto the floor of the living room.

Eli’s ears rang with a deafening intensity as he stared upwards at the ceiling, his fingers trembling as he brought them up to his blood-soaked face. The pain had struck him with the force of a rocket, but it soon ebbed away, replaced by a warmth that spread over his hands before a chilling coldness crept up his entire body. As he coughed violently, spurts of blood sprayed out before splattering over his face in a macabre display.

It was easier this way. He had to do nothing more than hold the gun and point it at someone. He didn’t even need to pull the trigger. Weariness consumed him as he sensed his life force ebbing away from his body, draining him of all vitality.

It was a crushing realization—this was the end, the culmination of his entire twenty-eight years, now collapsing in on him like a condemned building. As he reflected on his life, he realized it was all for naught, nothing but a meaningless existence that now counted for nothing. He was numb, hollowed out by the events that had stripped away everything that had once held significance for him, whether it was a distant memory from long ago or a recent tragedy that had befallen him just a few days prior.

Eli’s breathing became increasingly labored, and his vision blurred as a cold numbness spread over his body. The encroaching darkness enveloped him, drawing him inexorably toward its embrace. In his final moments, his gaze settled on a figure standing over him, the only illumination emanating from the entryway casting a sinister shadow over his face.

“Damn it, Eli!” Thompson said. “Why did you do it? Why?”

In the background, someone’s voice cut through the tension, calling for an EMT. But Eli, lost in his turmoil, knew the truth—it was too late. There was no reversing what had been done, no escaping the dark abyss that was now engulfing him.

Press rewind.

As the night settled in over the city, Eli’s world went dark.

Press rewind.

And Eli was dead.

…

Stop.

…

Rewind.