Panic surged through her as she sensed the nefarious aura emitting from them. She began to piece up the fragment of the odd phenomenon, but the dire question was, what do they want? They certainly don’t seem friendly.
She frantically attempted to start her car again but the creaking sound deterred her escape. She turned back to check on Ivy.
Behold, she was sound asleep.
“IVY! IVY WAKE UP!” She bellowed, her scream piercing the air before it abruptly cut off. She turned her gaze to the incoming threat; her eyes widened as the dark shadow loomed closer, its presence shoving her mind into tumult.
“Ivy!” She jumped to the back seat, grabbing her phone; her hands quivered as it slid on the sleek screen. She tried to unlock her phone but she couldn’t get her own password right.
A plunk sound made her heart skip a beat. She accidentally tossed her phone due to fright; she looked downward to find it, but there was no clear view in her car.
“Shit.” She cursed silently. Her own desire at the moment was to get help anyhow she could.
Her eyes caught Ivy’s phone lying beside her; there wasn’t enough time to search for hers so she unlocked her phone, as it was just a simple password of six letters.
*Dearme.*
Calling the police was not an option because of the time constraint.
Quickly strolling through Ivy’s contact list, the contact name ‘HUBBY’ was on display.
As she tapped on the call screen, the sound of a door clicking made her jolt in fear, dropping the phone to the ground. Two malevolent-looking guys dressed in black burst into her car.
Her instincts took over, “HELP! HELP, IVY WAKE UP KIDNAP BUD….” Her voice was quickly silenced, but under the muffle, she continued to cry out in hopes that her voice will be heard.
“Uuuelp, kukk…”
A soft handkerchief covered her nose; instantly she drifted off to unconsciousness.
One of the men opened the door to the passenger’s seat and wrapped Ivy in a body bag.
The other did the same to Susan and carried them out of the car. They flung them into their car and drove off, while Susan’s car parked on the road with flat tires.
They stopped at an old abandoned church, a once sacred place with half of the building collapsed, leaving the other half in ruins.
“What should we do with her?” One asked the other, lifting Susan on his shoulder.
“Dump her here; she will hardly find her way back.” The other instructed, tapping on the steering wheel. “Be quick, we have less than an hour to finish this.”
The other man ran inside the building and hurled Susan to the ground and returned to the car.
“Did you take off the bag?” The other questioned, with a scowl on his face.
He reluctantly went back inside and freed Susan from the suffocation and ran back to the car. “Done, let’s go.”
****
Inside a luxurious villa located at Azure Hill Estate, Zack was gracefully sipping his wine with his legs crossed, enjoying the fruity flavor of expensive liquor.
“Sir, would you like to have dessert?” Xavier bowed his head as he spoke, avoiding eye contact with his master.
Zack waved his hand dismissively and continued with his elegant imbibe.
While he lifted his glass to take another sip, his phone rang, but that didn’t distract him from his buzz.
Only when he downed what was left in the glass did he answer the call.
“What is it?” His voice was hoarse, with no ounce of gentleness.
“Sir, I have scheduled the conference call with the team to discuss the project timeline. Would you like me to add any specific agenda items?” Bryan’s voice sounded on the other end.
Zack glanced at his wristwatch; he arrived at the villa not long ago and hadn’t changed out of his suit, and it was almost midnight.
“No, remind me again tomorrow and don’t forget to prepare a report on the company’s quarterly performance. Walk me through the highlights at the end of the conference.” He ordered and hung up, standing up from the sofa.
“Xavier….”
Xavier appeared in less than five seconds. “Yes, sir, it’s ready.”
Zack strolled to his room, taking off his green suit and tossing it on his bed; he was halfway taking off his vest before his phone rang. Assuming it was Bryan, he slowly picked it up from the bedside table and answered the call. The discordant background made him take the phone away from his ears.
He attempted to hang up due to the noise from the other end but stopped when a hollower note sounded.
“HELP! HELP, IVY WAKE UP KIDNAP BUD…….”
He looked at the caller ID. ‘WIFEY’
His eyebrows knitted, staring at his phone as he couldn’t recognize the voice. “Hello, who is this.”
It was undoubtedly not his wife’s voice, but the number was hers.
“…” The line was still connected, but no other sound came. He disconnected the line and called back. It kept ringing with no answer.
‘Help, help Ivy wake up, you kidnap bud…’ He recalled those convoluted utterances from the caller. It must have been a clue.
Whatever it was, it didn’t seem pleasant.
‘Kidnap’ – ‘was Ivy kidnapped?’ His mind began to process the clue; then he decided to confirm his doubt by dialing Edmond’s number.
‘The number you’ve dialed is switched off.’
His heart beat irregularly as he dialed the number again. It was the same result.
He quickly strapped his vest; his hand wavered as he fastened the buttons. His mind was clouded with twirling emotions at the moment, daunting his sentiments.
He swiftly grabbed his car keys and scurried out of his room, almost bumping into Xavier.
“Sir, is there a problem?” The middle-aged man had never seen his master in a panic state since the day he was employed. Zack ran past him, completely ignoring him.
“Sir. Sir!” He called after him, walking to the exit; Zack’s frenzy caused him concern; he could only pray silently on his behalf.
Zack got into his car in a rush; he even accidentally dropped the key a few times while trying to start the car. Finally, he started the car and drove off. He dialed Bryan’s number, and fortunately, he hadn’t gone to sleep yet.
“Hello, Bryan, I need you to call Chief Rudolf immediately; my wife has been kidnapped, and I need his help to locate her. Please tell him it’s urgent; I need him to mobilize his team quickly. Also, ask him to call me back on my phone as soon as possible.” He instructed, desperation evident in his voice.