Chapter 3 THE ACCIDENT

Mia walked to where her car was parked, she noticed a black camry behind her. She felt tense because she hadn't seen such an occurrence. Mia's heart raced as she reached for her car key to get into the car. She immediately rolled up her windows, locked the car doors and started the engine. She pulled away with great speed but the black camry followed her.

Mia's heart raced as she took a sharp turn, trying to escape from the car, but the car kept on pacing in the speed. Mia's heart raced as she thought of her next move.

Suddenly, the black camry pulled alongside with a fast speed. The driver's window rolled down and a masked man glared at her, pointing a gun towards her "Back off Mia, this isn't your story."

Mia was drowned in fear, she bent down her head escaping the bullet. Her world went dark as her car crashed into a tree. She had to swerve to a vehicle that suddenly appeared in her lane, but it was too late.

The masked man saw what had happened so he fled the scene in a hurry with his accomplices.

Mia's head spun, she tried to move but a severe pain shot through her body.

Mia was seen in a very critical condition,she was rushed to the hospital. The police arrived at the scene where the accident had happened to make an investigation. Detective John recognizes Mia, he then rushes to tell the cop in charge.

"Hi! Detective John, you look tense. Is anything wrong?" Detective Charles said..

"Yes, that lady involved in an accident is the journalist? Detective John said, his heart racing like someone who escaped death.

"Who are you talking about?? Charles said in curiosity..

"That's Mia, the well known journalist" John said in a loud tone.

"What?? Mia!!! How did she end up there? I hope she's alright. Charles said, in a shocked tone....

Mia opened her eyes only to find out she's in a hospital. She turned around and saw Detective John by her side, his face etched with worry...

Mia, you've been in an accident. You've got some serious injuries, but you're going to be okay. The doctor assured me that.

Mia tried to speak, but her voice was barely heard. "I saw them, they attacked me."

"I know Mia, relax the police will take care of everything. The culprit will be arrested." John said with assurance in his voice.

Mia's eyes closed, her body responded to the pain medication. Detective John was there for her since she had no family or loved ones.

As she drifted in and out of consciousness, Mia's thoughts were filled with fragmented images: Emily's frightened face, the mysterious Black Camry, the sound of shattering glass, the gun pointed at her.. .

Suddenly, Mia's eyes snapped open. She remembered something crucial. "The documents...Emily gave me...they're in my bag..."

Detective John leaned in, his expression urgent. "Mia, where's your bag? We need those documents."

Mia's gaze fell upon her mangled car, wrapped around the tree trunk. "It's...it's in the car..."

Detective John rushed out of the room, leaving Mia to her thoughts. She knew she had to get better, for the sake of the story and for Emily's safety.

But as she lay there, a creeping sense of unease settled in. Had they gotten to her bag? Were the documents safe?

Detective John returned with a sigh of relief on his face. "We got the documents, Mia. They're safe."

Mia's eyes closed, a wave of relief washing over her. She knew she had to protect Emily and the story, no matter what.

As she drifted off to sleep, Detective John's voice whispered in her ear. "We'll get to the bottom of this, Mia. I promise."

The next morning, Mia woke up to find a familiar face by her bedside - her colleague Rachel.

"Mia, I'm so glad you're okay," Rachel said, her voice trembling. "We were all so worried about you."

Mia smiled weakly. "I'm fine, Rachel. Just a few bumps and bruises."

Rachel's expression turned serious. "Mia, we need to talk about the story. We can't let them silence you."

Mia's eyes locked onto Rachel's. "I know. We have to get the truth out there."

Rachel nodded, determination in her eyes. "We'll work remotely, get the story ready for publication. But we need to be careful, Mia. They're watching us."

Mia's grip on Rachel's hand tightened. "I know. But we can't back down now. We have to expose them."

Just then, Detective John entered the room, a somber look on his face. "Ladies, we have a problem. The documents you retrieved...they're encrypted. We can't access them."

Mia's heart sank. Without the documents, they had no proof, no story.

But Rachel's expression turned thoughtful. "I think I can help with that. I know someone who's good with encryption. Someone I trust."

Mia's eyes lit up with hope. "Who is it?"

Rachel smiled. "My childhood friend. His name is Alex, and he's a genius with codes."

Detective John raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, Rachel. We can't just bring in someone we don't know."

But Rachel was insistent. "I vouch for him, Detective. He's the only one who can help us now."

Mia nodded, making the decision. "Let's do it. We need those documents decrypted."

Rachel pulled out her phone and dialled a number. "I'll call Alex now. He'll meet us at the office."

As Rachel waited for Alex to arrive, Mia couldn't shake off the feeling that they were running out of time. The culprits could strike again, and next time, they might not be so lucky.

"He's on his way," Rachel said, hanging up.

Mia's mind raced with possibilities. Who was this Alex, and could they really trust him? What if he's among our enemies?

An hour later, Alex arrived . Rachel welcomed him, revealing a tall, lanky man with messy brown hair and thick-framed glasses.

"Alex, thanks for coming," Rachel said, ushering him in.

Alex nodded, his eyes scanning the room. "What's the situation?"

Rachel filled him in, handing over the encrypted documents. Alex's eyes lit up as he began working on his laptop.

Mia watched, fascinated, as his fingers flew across the keyboard. "This is some serious encryption," Alex muttered. "But I think I can crack it."

Detective John paced the room, his phone buzzing with updates from the investigation. "We need to move fast," he said. "The longer we take, the more danger we're in."

Alex nodded, not looking up. "Almost there...yes! I've got it."

The room fell silent as Alex opened the decrypted files. Mia's eyes scanned the documents, her heart racing with every revelation.

"It's worse than we thought," she whispered. "They're involved at the highest levels."

Rachel's face is set in determination. "We have to get this story out now."

But as they began making plans, a loud crash echoed from outside. The lights flickered, and the room plunged into darkness.