It was just after five o’clock in the evening when Alpha Derrick decided to call Mona. She was already on her way home after meeting with her friend.
Mona had just gotten into the taxi when her phone began to ring. She looked down, and her eyes lit up when she saw who was calling.
“Hello!” she answered, her voice full of excitement.
“Yes, Mona. Where are you right now?” Alpha Derrick asked, his voice steady. He could hear the faint hum of a car engine in the background and wanted to know where she was.
“I just left Tonia’s apartment! I’m heading back to the house now,” she replied with a smile.
“Okay, good. Is tomorrow the best time for us to meet?” His tone suddenly became serious.
Mona sensed something in his voice and asked cautiously, “Yes… but why?”
“I’ve tracked down Kimberly’s friends. I know where they are.”
“Really? Where are they?” Mona asked eagerly, her curiosity piqued.
“It’s a long story. I’ll explain everything when we meet in person,” Alpha Derrick said, sounding a bit secretive.
Mona thought for a moment and then asked, “Instead of going home, should I come to your place?”
“No, don’t come. We’ll meet tomorrow morning. We’ll go to the location together, okay?”
“Alright. I’ll let you know once I’m home,” Mona agreed reluctantly.
“Okay,” Alpha Derrick said before the call ended.
Mona couldn’t contain her happiness. She felt like the luckiest person alive. The news about Hannah and Louis filled her with hope. She needed this opportunity to prove herself and win back her father’s trust.
Mona had been the one to suggest kidnapping Hannah and Louis. At first, it was just a plan to scare Kimberly, to make her panic for a day or two before releasing her friends.
But things had escalated, and now she was determined to use this situation to her advantage.
She tucked her phone back into her bag, her smile growing wider as she imagined the moment she’d confront Kimberly. Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.
—
**Kimberly’s POV**
It was around six o’clock when my dad finally came home. The moment I heard his car, I rushed to the door, eager to see him.
“Hey, Dad! Welcome back!” I hugged him tightly, relieved that he was finally here.
“Kimberly,” he said, his voice heavy. “I found out where Hannah and Louis are. We need to go see them tomorrow morning.”
I froze. “What? Why can’t we go right now? What’s wrong?” I could tell something was off by the way he looked at me.
“They’re in a dangerous place. We can’t go at night. It’s safer to wait until daylight,” he explained, his eyes full of concern.
“Alright, Dad,” I agreed, though my heart was racing.
The address he had received earlier seemed to match the one I got in the mysterious message. A cold shiver ran down my spine as I tried to process it all.
I hoped Hannah and Louis were okay, but something inside me whispered that things were far worse than I imagined.
I slowly made my way back into the house, silently praying for my friends’ safety.
—
**The Basement 1 AM**
In the dead of night, around one in the morning, a shadowy figure dressed entirely in black approached the basement door.
Hannah and Louis, who had been drifting in and out of sleep, jolted awake at the soft click of the door. Their hearts raced as they watched the door creak open.
A person, holding a flashlight, slipped inside. The figure was different from the people who had been guarding them before. Something about this person made them uneasy.
“Who are you?” Hannah cried out, her voice trembling as she clung to Louis.
“Shhh!” The stranger pressed a finger to their lips, motioning for Hannah to be quiet. “I’m here to help you escape,” the person whispered.
The voice was odd, neither clearly male nor female. Hannah and Louis exchanged confused glances. They couldn’t tell who this stranger was or if they could be trusted.
“We’re not going anywhere!” Louis said firmly, tightening his grip on Hannah’s hand. “We don’t trust you.”
“If you don’t leave tonight, you’ll both be dead by tomorrow. You have two choices: come with me now or stay and die.” The stranger’s voice was low but urgent.
“And how do we know you’re telling the truth?” Louis challenged again. “For all we know, you could be here to kill us.”
The stranger sighed, sounding frustrated. “Why are you being so stubborn? I’m trying to save your lives, and you don’t even believe me!”
Meanwhile, in another room, Gilbert, one of the kidnappers, was asleep in front of the security monitor. The noise from the basement woke him up.
He glanced at the screen and saw the stranger talking to the hostages. His eyes widened.
“Hey, wake up!” Gilbert shook Joey and the others awake, pointing at the monitor. “Look at this!”
Joey grabbed his gun and cursed under his breath. “Who the hell is that?”
“I don’t know, but they’re trying to free the hostages,” Gilbert said as he grabbed his own weapon.
Joey barked orders, “Listen up! Make sure those hostages stay alive. Kill anyone else. Got it?”
The men nodded, their faces grim. They filed out of the room, guns in hand, ready to stop whatever was happening in the basement.
—
Back in the basement, the stranger grew more desperate. “Hannah, Louis, now isn’t the time to argue. They’re coming for you. Let’s get out of here, and we’ll figure out the rest later.”
Hearing their names startled them, but it also reassured them. Louis looked at Hannah. “Let’s go, Hannah. I think we can trust this person.”
“What? Are you sure?” Hannah asked, pulling back. “What if it’s a trap?”
“Do you really want to stay here and find out?” Louis urged.
Before Hannah could protest, the stranger scooped her up and threw her over their shoulder. Louis followed closely behind as they made their way to the door.
Just as they stepped out of the basement, a voice from behind them yelled, “Stop right there!”