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4. Escape

Archer felt the entire world spin and it took him a lot of energy to not collapse before his lifeless body.

"Hey, you. Move." One of the guards pushed him forward, forcing him to get walking.

Archer had no idea how he made it out of the mourning hall. His body had turned cold as if he had been plunged into ice water. He felt terrible and the previous night's incident started flooding into his mind like a river.

He recalled the burning charcoal, the suffocation, the feeling of helplessness, and the electric shock that had rendered him incapacitated and unconscious before death embraced him.

"What are you talking about?" He heard a familiar voice speak somewhere nearby and his head snapped in the direction hopefully.

"Arrange for a press meet after the funeral is over. We will not be meeting anyone before that."

Archer heard Cade speak and his eyes lit up. 'Yes, Cade and Brendon. How could I forget about them? They can help me.'

With that thought, he ran towards Cade who had just ended his call and was about to make his way back to the mourning hall.

"Cade," he shouted, his voice unbelievably loud in the silent hall. Everyone turned to him, including Cade and Brenden.

"Cade, it's me." Archer ran as fast as he could before finally stopping before his friend.

"Who are you?" Cade questioned, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "I don't remember permitting you inside the mourning hall. How did you get inside?"

"Cade, it's me, Archer," Archer said, his smile stretching wide in joy. His friends would help him. Yes, they would help him find out who killed him.

"Listen, are you a die-hard fan of Archer's? You aren't allowed here today. The public is allowed to see him only tomorrow. Leave before I ask the guards to throw you out," Cade warned.

"Cade, I'm Archer, your friend. Listen to me. I was killed."

"What's happening? What's the commotion about?" Brenden came to them immediately when he saw the people inside looking at his friend and the stranger weirdly.

"Brenden, I'm Archer." Archer held Brenden's hand, almost grasping it tight as he tried to convince them of his identity.

"Is he Archer's fan?" Brenden frowned and pulled back his hand.

"Must be. He doesn't seem to be someone from the list of people allowed here today."

"Cade, Brenden, please trust me. I am Archer, your friend. I was killed yesterday. Somebody tried to kill me using charcoal..."

"Guards..." Cade shouted, now done entertaining him. The man before him seemed more like a madman who had come to the funeral hall to destroy the peace.

"Cade, Brenden, listen to me. I am Archer." Archer didn't have the chance to speak further. The guards approached him, forcing him to stop speaking.

"Throw this lunatic out. He must have slipped inside when we weren't alert," Cade ordered and the guards started dragging him out instantly.

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"Cade, Brenden, trust me, please. I'm Archer. I was killed. Someone use charcoal briquettes...." Archer couldn't finish his words. He was hurled out of the building as if he was some trash and he crashed to the ground heavily. The guards then closed the door after him, leaving him to face the crowd outside on his own.

"Who the heck is that?" The crowd went silent before murmurs erupted and some of the creative ones even started to cook up a story - one in which he was a lunatic fan who wanted to see his favorite actor one last time but instead was caught and thrown out.

The crowd exploded in anger and they rushed forward to attack him. How dare he, a mere fan, try to disturb the peace of their beloved actor? At least, let the great actor rest in peace. They thought.

The guards outside the funeral hall didn't interfere and the crowd went berserk as they attacked him.

Archer was still shouting for his friends when he was beaten out of nowhere. He was trashed black and blue until he started bleeding. Only when the crowd became completely unruly did the security interfered and he was allowed to have his moment of peace.

However, by then, he was already beaten until his face was beyond recognizable. For the first time in his life, Archer understood how merciless the crowd could be. Although he had seen the might and power of an angry mob, it was, however, his first experience and he couldn't help but be scared.

Realizing that it wasn't the time to be bold and seek his own death, he escaped from the place as quickly as possible.

However, Archer was unlucky. Even when he had slipped away from the crowd, he was followed by some die-hard fans who wanted to beat him some more.

"Catch him. Isn't he the one?" one of the women in the group shouted and the others started chasing him, forcing Archer to break out into a full-fledged escape marathon.

'What the hell! They are some super crazy fans,' he thought as he ran desperately. However, with the huge crowd obstructing him, he couldn't escape much and soon he was close to being caught until a hand pulled him towards an alley hidden behind a large truck.

"Are you out of your mind, Archie? What were you doing?" Logan reprimanded, his words coming out as pants. "Do you have an idea how worried I was? How could you leave me alone?"

Logan bent down and held his knees as he breathed heavily. "And what happened to your face? Why do you look like a bashed potato?"

Archer's lips twitched in dismay at the reference and he gave him an annoyed look.

"What?" Logan was taken aback and stood straight immediately, staring at his friend in confusion. "Why are you looking at me that way? Is there something on my face?" He even touched his face to check.

"Where did that crazy man go? He must be hiding somewhere." Archer heard someone shout and realized the group hadn't given up on looking for him. If he were to leave the alley, he was bound to be drubbed until he lost a tooth or two.

'I need to think of something. I need to..." Archer's gaze shifted to Logan instantly who was fanning himself by flapping his shirt collar.

Sensing a strong gaze on him, Logan raised his head and was rendered speechless to see how his friend was looking at him.

"Why are you staring at me wickedly? What evil plan is cooking in your head?" Logan was suspicious of him. The way his friend was looking at him told him he was about to be pushed to handle imminent danger.

"How far is your car from here?"

"Huh?" Logan looked at him stupidly.

"Where have you parked your car?"

"A few meters down the main road. Why?"

"Then, cover me."

"What?" Logan didn't understand what he was saying. It was as if he was listening to an astrophysics lecture. Nothing went into his head.

"Let's go." Archer didn't explain further and looked in the direction he had come from.

"Archie, you're scaring me. What are you doing?" Logan started to follow him when Archer began walking. But his mouth didn't stop even for a moment.

"I'm hiding from a group of people. Help me evade them safely." Archer disclosed and peeped out from the corner, looking for the people waiting to attack him.

"Who? Archie, what did you do? Wait a minute! Did you do something you shouldn't have?" Logan questioned, his mind starting to run wild.

"When I step out, a group of people might attack me. Try to stop them as much as possible," Archer ignored his questions and instructed. When the shore was clear and there was no visible risk to his life, he stepped out of the alley, compelling Logan to follow him.

"Archie, I'm scared. What if..."

"Catch him," a woman hollered, and immediately after a mob appeared out of nowhere.

Archer had no choice but to ditch the man who was walking slower than a snail and sprinted for his life while Logan was left to bear the brunt of the crowd.