As soon as they reached the second floor, Nussier swiftly turned to John, grabbed him by the lapels, and pinned him against the wall.

  — Who are you?! Answer me! — the once-smiling hotel employee suddenly erupted in rage, attacking him.

  — I...

  — You, of course! Who are you?! And where is my brother? What have you done to him? — Nussier continued to attack!

  — Which brother? What are you talking about? This is the first time I'm seeing you! I'm sure it's the same for you!

  Nusser shook John violently and slammed him against the wall. His wild eyes conveyed a growing fury and a seriousness of intent.

  — Why did you come? Do you need me?

  "What should I tell him? The truth? He won't believe it anyway. Why is he even bothering me, and what does his brother have to do with this? Does he know something about me? Or is he just crazy?" John pondered, even more confused. He decided to rectify the situation and try to find the cause of this conflict.

  — Enough! I really don't understand what this is about! Can you calmly explain what's going on here?! — John said firmly, pushing the outraged concierge aside.

  Nusair lunged at John and knocked him to the floor. Once on top, he grabbed the collar of John's jalabiya, turned it inside out, and leaned in towards his opponent.

  — How do you explain this, you bastard?! — Nusyer spat out maliciously, pointing at the right inner part of the gate.

  John glanced sideways and saw two letters there — "A.C." He quickly realized that these were initials. And it seemed he understood whose they were.

  — Your brother's name was Alyad?!

  — Yes, damn it! Don't play the fool! And why are you speaking about him in the past tense?! What did you do to him?! — Nussier spat in anger.

  Instantly piecing together the entire logical chain of events, John felt a twinge of disappointment. It was unlikely that this remarkable coincidence had anything to do with unraveling his mystery. However, he didn't believe in coincidences, so he decided to get to the bottom of it all. Moreover, this unfortunate Nussier might help him shake off the "tail."

  — Listen to me! I don't know if your brother is alive, where he is... and I don't even know him! This clothing was given to me by his father, and apparently, yours too. I can help you uncover the truth. But first, you need to help me...

  — You’re lying! — Nussier continued.

  — The village of Taruga, the second house on the left if you are facing away from the sea. Nearby, there are offshore oil rigs.

  The concierge loosened his grip, and a look of surprise and confusion appeared in his eyes.

  — Have you been to our house? What did you do to my father?! — Nussier snapped back with aggression.

  — He's fine. We talked, and he helped me with this clothing since I found myself in a difficult situation. Such a kind old man. Believe me, I'm telling the truth. If there were a phone in your village, you could see for yourself.

  The absence of a phone in his native village became the final convincing argument for Nusiere and shifted the situation in a different direction.

  — What do you need? — he asked in a weak, lost voice.

  — First, I need to figure out how to get rid of those two thugs downstairs. Then I'll explain everything to you, and we'll try to find a trace of your brother. I'm not a criminal, believe me.

  Still lying on the floor beneath Nussier, John extended his hand in a gesture of reconciliation. He possessed colossal charisma and a powerful persuasive skill in communicating with completely different people, which he had acquired during his travels. So, the humble clerk of a shabby hotel in Sudan had no chance of not believing John.

  — Alright — said Nussier, shaking his hand. — I can hide you in one of the vacant rooms.

  — No. They will turn the whole hotel upside down.

  John looked around in search of a solution. They were in a narrow corridor, with doors to rooms on both the right and left, and a small window visible at the end. His first thought was to escape through the window, but he would likely not be able to return to the hotel, as the military would start searching every corner. Moreover, they would interrogate Nusayr, and he needed him.

  — Listen, let's do it this way. You lock me in one of the rooms, open the window in the hallway, and call the military. You’ll say that I jumped out the window and escaped. This way, we'll buy some time and be able to get out of the hotel.

  — Will we be able to? I'm not planning to leave my workplace. I'll get fired!

  — Alright, alright! We'll sort it out later! Which room is available?

  — Here! The twelfth! — Nussier pointed to the door and hurried to open it.

  John quickly stepped into the room and looked around — it was a simple room with two separate beds, a nightstand, and a wardrobe, as well as a bathroom.

  — I'm ready! — he exclaimed.

  Nusyer nodded in response and headed down the corridor. Opening the window, he looked out at the street and considered where John might have run off to. Of course, Nussier had no idea he would be involved in something like this. It was completely at odds with his dull, mundane life as a hotel clerk. Each day was a replica of the one before, and there seemed to be no prospects for change. This was how most of his fellow citizens lived; no one even attempted to dream of any transformations. Nussier was relatively lucky to have secured the honorable position of concierge at the hotel. Fate could have left him with a job as a porter at the port, a water carrier at one of the purification stations, or he could have been herding cattle. In the harsh conditions of the blistering heat, that would have been quite a job...

  He was unfit for the army, and his upbringing from his father prevented him from joining one of the gangs. Therefore, the sudden adventure brought by John stirred his heart. The chance to change his usual way of life, even for a short time, became a very tempting offer! And he liked it! Moreover, he understood that his cause was just — to uncover the fate of his brother.

  Taking a deep breath, he shouted loudly:

  — Over here! Hurry!!! He jumped out of the window!!! Over here!

  In just twenty seconds, soldiers burst into the corridor on the second floor of the hotel and rushed towards Nussier, who was pointing at the wide-open window.

  — Where is he?! Where did he go? — one of the soldiers asked anxiously, looking out the window at the street below.

  — While I was asking him what his number was, he dashed to the window and jumped out! I rushed after him, but I only managed to see him heading towards the mosque on Almatre Street! He turned behind that building and disappeared! — Nussier gestured very emotionally and pointed to the building where John supposedly vanished.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "What a handsome guy! This guy has a sharp mind!" thought John as he listened to Nusiere's flights of fancy. The acoustics from his "suite" were excellent!

  — Check all the numbers and follow me towards the mosque! I ran after him! — came the command.

  One of the soldiers jumped out of the window and quickly ran "after John." The second immediately began to search the rooms on the second floor of the hotel and ordered Nussier to open the doors that were locked.

  In the fifteenth room, the door was open; it was not available for accommodation as renovations were still underway. The soldier quickly checked the small room but found nothing except construction materials and debris. When he stepped into the hallway, the door to the fourteenth room was already ajar, and a bewildered elderly woman was peeking out. The soldier swiftly pushed her aside and entered the room, ignoring the old woman's protests. After inspecting the bathroom, the wardrobe, and peeking under the bed, he found nothing.

  As he approached the room where John was, a wave of anxiety washed over Nusiere, quickly turning into panic. But he kept himself composed and didn't show any signs of distress. The thirteenth room was unoccupied, and Nussier hurried to open it. The soldier entered the room. It was prepared for guests, as indicated by the neatly made bed and the turned-off fan. After checking the entire room, the soldier dipped into the hallway and headed towards the twelfth door.

  — This number is just like the thirteenth. No one lives here — Nussier said in a voice of a victim pressed against the wall.

  — Open up! Come on! Hurry! — the soldier urged.

  Inside Nussier, a true war of emotions was raging. Panic was trying to break through on all fronts, countered by feelings of self-control allied with composure and the determination to keep the promise made to John. Every muscle in his body was tensed to the limit, cold sweat beaded on his palms, his stomach twisted, and his heart pounded like a big drum. All his thoughts were consumed by the fear of being caught and thrown into prison as an accomplice. The darkest visions of the future loomed before his mind's eye... A hundred times, the concierge had regretted getting involved in this venture!

  With trembling hands, Nussier inserted the key into the lock and turned it forty-five degrees to the right. The door slowly creaked open... The soldier pushed her forward forcefully and burst into the room. The space was prepared for guests, and nothing indicated the presence of outsiders.

  He hurriedly began to inspect the room, starting with the bathroom. It seemed to Nusiere that he was in there for an eternity! Although no more than ten seconds had passed since the soldier slammed the bathroom door shut, finding nothing. Like a log, he lay down, propped up on his hands, and started to examine the entire floor area — under the bed, behind the wardrobe, even peeking under the nightstand for some reason… Apparently, he was searching for traces of the fugitive. There was only one place left where John could be hiding, and that was the wardrobe. Nusiere's tension reached its peak, as he understood that John was indeed there; he had nowhere else to hide! The soldier approached the wardrobe, holding an AK-47 in one hand, while extending the other to open the doors.

  — There's no one here, let's move to the next room — Nussier couldn't stand the tension any longer and tried to divert the soldier's attention.

  — Shut up! — he replied sternly, reaching for the cabinet.

  With a sudden motion, he opened the door and took up a combat stance, gripping the assault rifle with both hands. However, he found nothing but two plastic hangers of different colors. Like Mount Everest shattered by the detonation of a nuclear charge, Nusiere's fear disintegrated into millions of tiny fragments. And he, not hiding his relief, let out a deep breath.

  — Just as I said! Let's move on to the next room. We need to hurry! — the concierge insisted, masking his joy.

  The soldier said nothing, merely casting a suspicious glance at Nusiere before heading towards the exit of the room. After taking three confident steps toward the entrance door, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, swaying forward instinctively. The reason for his halt was the sound of a window that had suddenly swung open, its sash slamming loudly against the windowsill.

  — It seems to be the wind. We don't close the windows so the rooms don't suffocate from the heat. We're saving on the fan — Nusyer provided a logical explanation, clearly suspecting that something was off. Or was it his paranoia, born from an emotional outburst?

  — Stay where you are! — the soldier commanded.

  He turned around and headed towards the window. Nusyer had to come up with something urgently; he realized there was one more place where John could be hiding. No matter how fantastical this version was, he wasn't going to wait for the soldier to verify it.

  — Have you heard? — he asked anxiously, turning to the soldier.

  — What's going on?! — the soldier stopped.

  — Some sound in eleven, but it's empty too! It's there! Hurry! — Nusyer thought on the go.

  The soldier rushed out of room twelve, kicked open the door of room eleven, and burst in, holding his rifle with both hands. No one was there!

  — What have you heard? You think you can play with me?! — the soldier exclaimed angrily.

  — Maybe it was just my imagination? Or the sound could have come from another room. We still have three rooms on the second floor! — Follow me!

  In just three or four minutes, they checked the remaining rooms. But here too, they found no one.

  — Listen to me! — the soldier said sternly — You stay here, no one is allowed to enter or leave the hotel until we return! Do you understand me?

  Nusyer nodded. They stepped outside. Once he was sure that the soldier had left the hotel premises, the concierge finally relaxed. He was overwhelmed by conflicting emotions. On one hand, he was incredibly relieved that John had not been found, and proud of himself for managing to keep his panic in check. On the other hand, he understood that he had gotten himself into a serious game, and it could all end very badly. He instinctively felt that he had made the right choice, but his mind resisted the disruption of his usual way of life.

  He had never experienced anything like this in his life. In Nusiere's soul, it was as if a bird had settled, a bird of freedom. Suddenly, he realized that there was another side to life, completely different from the familiar grayness and apathy he had known. A life filled with colors, joy, and absolute freedom of action. In that moment, all his patterns, imposed by society and the harsh environment of his country, shattered. He even felt as though he had grown taller; everything around him seemed small and insignificant. He suddenly gained a new perspective on the world.

  Returning to reality, he hurried to find John. His true desire was to see once again the cause of his new experiences, but his mind kept resisting and screaming, "I hope I never see him again, and that this all ends before it goes too far!" In any case, he needed to check the hotel and try to locate John. First of all, he went up to the second floor, to room twelve. Nussier carefully opened the door and saw John sitting on the bed, as if nothing were wrong.

  — Well, you really did it! — exclaimed John, seeing his savior — You came up with an amazing story! From the part about my escape towards the mosque to the distraction when that damn window started acting on its own! — John laughed as he shared his impressions. — You're really clever! And you handled it like a champ! I'm impressed!

  John clapped his hands loudly several times. Nussier immediately softened at the flattering words from his counterpart. He was rarely praised for anything, let alone for any displays of intellect and character.

  — But how did you... where did you hide? — The soldier examined every inch of the room, genuinely perplexed, Nussier thought.

  — Ah! Nonsense! An old trick. I call it "the unsuccessful lover" — John laughed, revealing his bright white, even teeth.

  — A loser lover?! What does that mean?

  — Since you're asking, it means you're a loyal husband! By the way, do you have a family?

  — Yes. But I don't understand. Tell me!

  — Ah, buddy... It's simple! When I realized that one of the soldiers would be searching the room, I started looking for a place he was unlikely to check. But in this "luxurious suite," there’s less furniture than there are bushes on your streets. So the only place I could hide was outside the room... Do you have any cigarettes?

  — No. I don't smoke — Nussier replied automatically.

  — Such a pity... Opening the window, I realized that no one would notice me from the street. The "panoramic view" from this room ends just three meters away, hitting the wall of another building — John continued to belittle the hotel. — I braced myself and waited for you to finish checking room thirteen. As soon as you started to open the door, I grabbed the window sill from the outside. I hung there until you were done. When the soldier heard the sound of the window opening, I thought, "That's it, I'm done for!" But you — you were brilliant! You managed to turn the situation around.

  — I knew it! — Nussier exclaimed joyfully, admiring his own cleverness. — I realized right away that you were there! Good job! Alright, we don't have much time; they'll be back at the hotel soon. We need to move to a more secluded place. Is there one?

  — You can come to my place.

  — It's dangerous. They will definitely come there first.

  Nusyer swallowed hard, imagining the soldiers turning everything upside down in his house. And what would he say to his wife?! He couldn't go home.

  — You can get to the port; I have a friend working there who can help you hide for a while. It's very crowded and full of white people like you. You can blend in with the crowd.

  — Alright. But you need to stay at your post to avoid raising any suspicions. How will I find your friend?

  — I can call him from the reception. He is the site manager, and he has a phone in the office. The main thing is that he is not busy with loading.

  — Great! Let's hurry! And also: I need to make an international call. Is that possible?

  One narrow escape down, a few thousand miles to go. John’s luck is holding for now, but in this world, luck has a habit of running out just when things get interesting.

  If you're enjoying the ride, don't forget to Rate and Follow. It helps the algorithm find more souls to throw into the Paradox.

  See you in the next one.