James Patterson

PRIVATE BERLIN

Rewritten by:

Rowisha Ramadhin

Anne van Doeland

MATTIE ARRIVED WITH the forensic team at the slaughterhouse in the evening. They came to take more samples of the blood all around the place when they heard someone knocking under the ground. The whole team started searching for the entrance to the basement, but they couldn't find it. They searched everywhere but there was no progress, so they called the special technician of Private to bring them the top secret equipment to find the entrance to the basement. When the technician arrived they started immediately and in seconds they found it, but it was covered with cement so it was difficult to get in. They digged the hole in the ground out but it was so tinny that only the assistant and Mattie fitted in. Mattie choose to get in because she was the bravest of all, but when Mattie was down she got the biggest shock of her life. Everywhere she looked were bones, it was like a graveyard under the ground. In the corner she heard someone breathing and crying in silence. At first she was afraid to get any closer because she didn't know what to expect. All she could think about was if Chris was still alive, so that thought gave her courage to get closer.

At first she couldn't recognize the person who was sitting in front of her, the person had gotten very tin and was looking dried out, also she couldn't see it because it was very dark in there. When she finally realized that the person who was sitting right in front her was Chris she screamed out of happiness and tears fell everywhere. She ran towards him, but at the same moment Chris screamed:" NO, don't come closer, I am a ticking time bomb, when I move everything will explode. Please for your own safety get the hell out of here.'' Mattie started crying and screamed for help. Then she ran back to the hole in the ceiling and said to Chris that she would get him out safe as soon as possible. The minute she got out she told everything to the team, and demanded that everyone had to leave the building so that the bombing squad could get in and do their work. After 30 minutes full of stress the bombing squad finally arrived and hurried to Chris to get him safe. For the whole team it was nervous wracking, but especially for Mattie because she prayed to have the love of her life back into her life and to the life of her son, who loved Chris very much.

After 3 hours the bombing squad got out, Chris was carried out by one of the members of the bombing squad. They brought Chris immediately to the hospital where they checked his health condition. His condition was really bad, he was underfed and his skin was dried out. After a few hours Mattie realized she didn't call auntie C and Nicky to tell them the good news that they found Chris and that they are safe.

Mattie went back home from a very stressful day, she hasn't seen her bed and her family for days. When she came home auntie C already prepared food and there stood an ice cold beer on the table for her. She told everyone what happened to Chris and that he was in the hospital recovering from his injuries. Nicky run joyfully into his mother's arms after he heard the great news about Chris. The rest of the evening the three of them spend together with lots of fun and laughter. At 10 o'clock Mattie peacefully fell asleep knowing Chris was safe.

The next morning auntie C was preparing food so they could bring it to Chris in the afternoon. At 12 o'clock Mattie, auntie C, Niklas and Socrates arrived at the hospital. They asked in which room Chris was staying, they walked past several rooms when they finally arrived at Chris's. At that moment they got the biggest shock of their life's, the bed was empty and the window open. Mattie was starting to cry along with Niklas, then all of a sudden the toilet door opened, in the door opening stood Chris laughing and said: 'Why are you two crying I'm right here'. At that moment Nicky run into Chris's arm and hugged him very tight. After that Mattie followed as well.

After lots off tears and hugs they ate the food that auntie C had prepared, then auntie C and Nicky left the room so that Mattie and Chris could have some time alone. Mattie asked if he was ready to tell her what happened in the slaughterhouse. Chris started to cry and told that the place has a lot of memories for him about the time he couldn't tell Mattie, and wasn't ready to tell about. Mattie hold his hand and told him that everything was going to be fine. Chris told her that someone was trying to kill him, but he couldn't see his face because he was wearing a mask, but he did recognize the clicking sound that he was making with his mouth. It sounded like the sound he heard almost thirty years ago. That sound frightened him. The only thing that Chris told Mattie was the name of the killer: Falk, the son of the owner of the slaughterhouse.

When Mattie got home she reported everything she knew to Burkhart, she told him that there was a secret hidden in the slaughterhouse and that the name of the killer was Falk. After the conversation with Burkhart Mattie started making dinner, when someone knocked on the door. When she opened the door there was standing an old man with a cane in the hallway. The man asked where he could find a supermarket, Mattie thought it was odd but told the man there was a store on the corner off the street. When the man walked away he made a clicking sound with his mouth. At that moment Mattie knew she was standing right in front of the killer. She ran after him but at the time she got out of the building the man was nowhere to be found.

Mattie walked back to her apartment with a sad face, the thought of being so near to the killer and not be able to catch him made her sick. After the incident the food tasted like nothing and the only thing she could think about was going to bed early. It was eight o'clock, when Mattie woke up from a strange noise in the living room, when she entered the room she saw Niklas and auntie C coming in. They came back with lots of groceries. The moment Nicky saw his mother, he ran to her and gave a big hug.

The next morning Mattie went early to hospital to see Chris. Chris was sleeping when Mattie got into the room. Chris was sleeping in peace; the only thing Mattie could do was watch him. It was 11 o'clock when Chris woke up, when he saw Mattie he started smiling. They were eating when Chris started telling about his past. The story that he couldn't tell her a while ago. When he was young , he and several other children with their mothers were escorted to the slaughterhouse, in the building they were separated in different rooms. Mothers were tortured in front of their children, they needed to tell their secrets and after that they were killed in front of the little children. The minute Mattie heard the story, she started to cry. Chris told more: 'I and 5 others were rescued before they could kill us. We were brought to the orphan Centre. When we turned 16 we all left the place, and started a new life, but if we told someone what happened in the slaughterhouse we would get killed'.

When Mattie left the hospital later that evening she saw someone standing in the corner, the person has wearing a mask, just like Chris said, it was the person who stood for her door the other day, the killer. Then the killer ran away. Mattie sprinted to get the him, but it was too late the person had disappeared, again. She went back in the hospital to ask if she could see the camera's around the building but right at the place where the person stood there were no camera's. Disappointed she went back home, she definitely wanted to get the killer, she won't let a psychopath like him walk around.

Later that day she called Burkhart to tell what happened after she walked out of the hospital and to ask if he or the team found anything, he said that they found some important papers that might help to find the other 5 orphans. She said goodnight to Niklas and Auntie C and immediately went to the office, she wanted to be sure that the other 5 orphans were safe.

When she arrived at the office everyone asked how Chris's condition was, she told them that he is getting better but he still needs a lot of rest. Burkhart said that he would go visit him the next day.

Mattie put on her gloves so she could hold the important documents. They were hard to read because it looked like they were rescued from a fire. Mattie asked Burkhart were they found these documents, he said they found the documents in a box in the slaughterhouse, along with a lot of other documents and photo albums, it looked like some stole them from archives. Mattie took one of the photo albums. She looked at a photo where a men stood with 5 other women's: she screamed out of shock and said: 'that's him, he is it, the killer.'

The team took the photo and putted it under the face detector, and after a couple of minutes they found a name: Matthias Falk. Also they found an address that directed to an art gallery in the middle of the center. With all the man they got, they went to the address. From the outside it looked abandoned, but the inside looked brand new. All the walls were filled with all kind of masks who looked like the devil. Mattie started looking closer for clues when she found a hidden door behind a painting, on the painting there stood 6 children on the countryside. She carefully puts the painting away and opened the door. There was a room full of pictures, clothes and jewels. There were 6 pictures with dates on them, Mattie had the feeling that that were the dates that they would get killed. Under Chris's picture there stood 2-12-2014, todays date.

They ceiled the place and hurried to the hospital. On the way to the hospital there were lots of accidents, Mattie started doubting if they will be there on time. After 20 minutes they finally arrived at the hospital. On their way they called the Cripto to inform them about the situation that was going on in the hospital right now. When Mattie arrived everyone was already evacuated. They were running past several corridors when they heard the first gunshot. They started running faster to the room where Chris was staying when they heard a big noise and after that a second gunshot.

I walked through the hallways to room 2221, I could see the door and felt my adrenaline getting higher. Finally, my plan was going to start, I walked faster and faster. I opened the door and was he lying right in front of me when he opened his eyes. To my own surprise Chris was holding a gun and pointed it at me. Then he shot in my leg, I felt on the ground. I begged for mercy but I was too late, Chris fired the second bullet right through my head.

Mattie walked in to the room, she saw someone lying on the ground in a pool of blood. She walked to Chris who was shaking and still holding the gun. Mattie said: "You are safe now.'' And gave him a hug. Together they walked out of the building, both relieved that the threat was gone.