Erfolg 8 stood inside the elevator, with each of its seven members. Erfolg 8 was the most accomplished police squadron ever; they were directly responsible for the downfall of notorious criminals around the world. Just recently, Erfolg 8 exposed a grand, evil scheme that involved the illegal harvesting of human organs. Not only did Erfolg 8 manage to expose the scheme, they put the mastermind behind the scheme into Death Row as well.

But the task that they were assigned to on that day was on another level of difficulty. Erfolg 8 was tasked to capture the Great Pretender, a criminal mastermind. The Great Pretender had always been under the police’s radar, but the police could never catch him. Why? It’s simple ; the police could not trace the true identity of who the Great Pretender was. 

The Great Pretender was a mysterious, cunning criminal. He was directly responsible for the deaths of multiple politicians around the country, but each politician was killed in a different manner. Some of the politician’s corpses were found on the sidewalks with blood splattered on the floor around their bodies, some corpses were without heads, and at some scenes, there were only bones left behind. However, every crime scene that involved the Great Pretender had one thing in common : at every scene, there was a clown mask left behind, as if he were challenging the police to find him quickly. 

Donovan breathed heavily under his black gas mask and the Kevlar vest that was strapped tightly to his chest.. He reminisced about the times that he shared with his now-deceased uncle, where they discussed several topics such as the current state of politics in the country. He reminisced about the times where his uncle helped him to complete his college assignments. He reminisced about the times where they drank coffee together at the local café. Donovan always enjoyed spending time with his uncle, and to him, his uncle was the closest relative that he ever had. 

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However, Donovan’s world came crumbling down once he found out about his uncle’s death. As soon as he heard the news, he rushed over to his uncle’s penthouse : and for the first time, he saw the clown mask. 

“Hey, everything alright?” Chloe asked. 

Donovan was suddenly brought back into reality. He turned towards his fellow squad member, and nodded in response. Chloe was Donovan’s best friend. She was there to help Donovan process his thoughts after the untimely passing of his uncle, and slowly Donovan developed feelings for her. 

The elevator came to a stop. Erfolg 8’s members looked at each other, and they knew that the mission was about to start. They carefully walked out of the elevator, and proceeded to move across the hallway. Bang! There was a loud noise inside the room at the other end of the hall ; Erfolg 8 speed-walked towards it. 

Slowly, Erfolg 8 crept into the room, but the noise had stopped. Suddenly, the dim lights turned dark, and Erfolg 8 realized in horror ; they were rats that walked right into a trap. 

Six gunshots rang across the hallway. One by one, the bodies of Donovan’s squad members slumped onto the cold floor. The lights turned back on again, and quickly, he rushed to where Chloe’s body was.

“Chloe!! Are you alive? Please, please don’t leave!!” Donovan shouted.

“Donovan… I won’t be alive for much longer. Please… just move on… you’re a strong man and that’s why… that’s why I love you,” Chloe replied, as she let out a weak smile. She passed away in Donovan’s embrace, and he screamed in anguish. 

  “My beloved nephew, what are you doing here?” 

Donovan felt himself pause. Slowly, he turned around. In front of him, there was a figure in a long, black coat, and the figure had the accursed clown mask on his face. The figure took his mask off, and Donovan collapsed in shock. 

How was his uncle alive? Donovan’s mind scrambled to find for answers. He had come to terms with the passing of his uncle, but now there he stood, right in front of Donovan.

“It’s unlike you to be so quiet, Donovan. Did you think I was dead?” Donovan’s uncle asked.  Donovan nodded, still in shock. 

“I wasn’t dead. I pretended to be.”