A DARK KIND OF JOY

He opened the door slowly and scanned his eyes carefully on both sides of the passage. He could still see the men which were numbering up to five moving to and fro at the passage.

He had no idea how many men were in the building. He had no idea of any escape route he could take. He took a deep breath as he saw the men from a distance. They seem not to have taken notice of him as the lights at the passage were a bit dim. He could hear noises coming from down the stairs. He looked at the staircase which was a little distance away from the room.

Should he attack the men down the stairs? Or go for Arturo first? He reasoned. If he should attack the men down the stairs first, then the men upstairs will surely get Arturo out of the building without his notice. Definitely, he needed to attack the men over here first, he thought as he stepped into the passage.

He fired directly at the men who were standing in the passage. The men were caught unaware and they all began to run Helterskelter as