AN OLD FAMILIAR FACE

Samantha's POV The knock sounded in the stillness, its sharpness slicing over my ideas like a razor. My heart racing, I froze and held my palm over the door handle. Though I wasn't sure what I had anticipated, seeing that familiar face staring back at me through the peephole sent off a flood of contradictory emotions—shock, fear, and a sliver of optimism I hadn't let myself feel in a very long time. "Open up, Samantha," the voice said, this time calmer but with an eagerness that left no space for delay. "We should talk." Just now. I turned to Alex, whose body coiled with nervousness as he watched me. His voice low, he whispered, "Who is it?" yet I could see the anxiety flickering in his eyes. My throat constricted, I said, "It's... someone I used to know." There was no time to elaborate; the door shook once more, this time more forcefully. I inhaled deeply and turned the knob to open the door. Adam, my old buddy and the last person I would have expected to see at my door, was standing in the dark hallway. He looked much like I remembered him—tall, with the same sandy hair that suddenly seemed more messy than normal. But his eyes had a distinct quality—a tired intensity not seen before. "Samantha," he whispered, a breath of relief breaking out from him as he looked from me to Alex. I worried I wouldn't get to you in time. My voice betrayed the surprise as I spoke. "Adam?" For what reason are you here? How could you have even known—' Closing the door behind him and dropping his voice, he entered before I could finish. "We don't have much time," he added hurriedly, looking over his shoulder as though expecting someone to be just behind him. "I have to speak with you two together. It concerns The Order. The reference to The Order shocked me and caused my gut to clench unnaturally. Adam had previously been someone I trusted, someone who had been by my side under trying circumstances. But it was years before, and we had lost touch long before my life had veered into such danger. Alex crossed his arms and assessed Adam with a doubtful look. His tone suggesting some mistrust, he questioned, "How exactly do you know about The Order?" Adam's eyes strayed to Alex, and for a brief flutter of doubt. "Because I've been trying to expose them," he said, his voice steady yet slanted with something deeper. For years. I got rather close, perhaps too near. I have been hiding since then. But Samantha, I had to locate you when I learned you were involved. The room appeared to shrink, the air heavy with tension and unsaid inquiries. "What do you mean you have been trying to highlight them?" Trying to keep my voice calm even as my heart accelerated, I asked. You never mentioned this before. Why currently? He moved closer, his face softening as he stared at me, his eyes expressing a kind of tiredness that suggested years of shadowing a conflict. "Because I couldn't involve you," he answered gently. Not even back then. It proved to be far too perilous. Still, things have changed. The Order is coming apart from inside. There is a power struggle building and factions are breaking apart. That is the ideal moment to strike. Alex and I looked at one another, the identical idea racing through our brains. The lady who had previously approached us had also stated something like a broken Order with groups fighting one another. Hearing that from Adam, someone I had formerly thought of as a close friend, was weird, though. "Why did you come to us?" Alex enquired, his voice low and cautious. If you have been concealing, why risk revealing yourself right now? Adam's eyes were sharp and his speech carried a trace of desperation. "Because you came onto something quite significant. More than you could possibly know. And therefore I need allies—people free from corruption or compromise already. He turned back to me once again, and his eyes gleamed with unvarnished integrity. "I need Samantha.." The words floated around and I wasn't sure how I felt about them. Part of me wanted to think Adam was here because he cared, that he was attempting to shield me from something I didn't really grasp. Another side of me, though, couldn't get rid of the sense that this was more than he was allowing. " What precisely do you know?" Now, my voice strong, I asked. And how may we be sure of you? Adam's jaw clenched and he inhaled deeply as if getting ready to utter something he had been keeping back for some time. "I belonged to The Order," he said, his voice no more than a whisper. Years passed, before I understood their true nature. As soon as I understood their degree of influence and the lengths they would go to preserve it, I left. Not until I observed, though, factors that may bring them down. I felt my breath stop in my throat as the disclosure struck me like a gut-reversing blow. "You were one of them?" I questioned, trying to make sense of his admissions. "And you never told me??" "I didn't know who I could trust," Adam continued, his voice tinged with remorse. It was too late by the time I came to know the reality. Maintaining distance would, I believed, keep you safe. Now, though, I cannot stand by and watch you pull under while you are enmeshed in this. His tone was clearly sincere, yet it did not help me to calm the emotional turbulence within me. It was nearly too much to handle—the shock, the treachery, and the developing awareness that Adam had known all along more about the danger I was in than I had dreamed. "You want us to help you reveal The Order?" Alex interjected, his look reserved. "How are you not merely guiding us into a trap?" Adam's eyes focused sharply, and as he responded he seemed to be defying expectations. His tone strong and uncompromising, he replied, "If I wanted to turn you over to them, I wouldn't be here risking my life." "But I can start you with something if you need evidence." He dug into his coat pocket and held out a little USB disk to me. "This contains details on important Order members," he remarked. "Their relationships, resources, and actions taken to guard their secrets. Though it's not everything, it will help you see that I am speaking the truth. I paused for a second before grabbing the USB drive; my palm felt chilly plastic weight. Part of me yearned to believe Adam, to trust him like I once had. But the past had warned me to be cautious; the stakes were too great to allow sentiment to distort my judgment. I met his stare and responded, "You'll have to do better than this." "We need more than just names and ties if we are to destroy The Order. We need something that will rip them from the inside. Adam's eyes locked with mine, and for a split second I felt pride flickering there. "And that's exactly what I'm going to give you," he continued. First, though, we must locate Marcus Hale. The moment was broken before I could answer by the sound of a vehicle screaming to stop outside. The three of us stopped; the tension in the room ratchets up as the clear sound of doors slamming shut fills the tiny walls. Adam said, "They found me," his voice a combination of resolution and terror. "We ought to leave. Right now. I felt the usual tug of skepticism and optimism dragging me in several directions as we hurried to grab our belongings. Once more, we were running—this time with an old buddy whose motivations I wasn't really certain about. Better or worse, we were in this together. I had to believe for now that Adam was the ally he claimed to be. Because we were already too far gone to reverse if he wasn't.