You Kept Me Captivated (Part 5)

  I was in a deep sleep, because last night, I was lacking of energy. I mean, I encountered a bear and fought with it. I wasn't dreaming, but I could hear the birds were chirping outside of the cabin. I was too lazy to open my eyes, because I knew it was too early to wake up. Somehow, I was feeling comfortable with my sleep. The temperature had decreased by a few Celsius and it was relaxing. I fell asleep again and had this peculiar dream. In my dream, I was at a field and was chasing a rabbit. The rabbit was too fast and I couldn't catch up with it, so I stopped and watched it ran away. It reminded me of my childhood when I was at my grandma's house. There was a field and I loved to chase the rabbits there. Then, a bright light was blazing in front of my face and I was blinded by it. I squinted as I saw a figure in front of me with a rabbit in his embrace. I couldn't make out who it was and eventually he had done me a favor.

  However, that guy seemed to know me. He started calling my name. His voice echoed as if we were in a hall. I kept squinting my eyes to see who was that man and it wasn't helping at all. The light was scorching. "Annette..." he called me again. "Annette...! Annette! It's time... Annette! Wake up!" It was Scott who was waking me up. I opened my eyes slowly and my eyes and my thoughts were still blurry. And then, I realized. I realized where I was sleeping on at that time. My head was on Scott's lap.

  "Uh? Good morning?" said Scott.

  "Oh crap!" I quickly sat and covered my mouth. "Uh? Um? I didn't mean to..."

  "Don't go too hard on yourself. I'm good with it," said Scott. "Had a nice sleep?"

  "Yeah," I replied while nodding.

  "We're leaving now," explained Scott.

  Again? And I was worried if he brought me too far away from home. I didn't want to have another road trip anymore. I wondered if the waitress had made a call to the police. There might be a road block on the way to the place that Scott wanted to bring me. Fingers crossed. "Where are we going next?" I asked. If he would answer that. We stood up and I was still waiting for his answer, but he didn't even whisper a thing.

 He brought me outside of the cabin and unlocked the cuff on his hand. He was going to cuff me again in the car. He dragged me by pulling the handcuff along with me and opened the car's door. That day, he seemed emotionless, his face didn't show any emotion. Not even angry. I was about to ask him for his behavior on that day, but it would be awfully weird. As if I was his sister, and as if I was being caring for him. Click! The sound of the handcuff as soon as he locked it. "I'm sorry that I have to do this," he said. "Now get inside". I did what he asked me to do. Soon after that, we were moving again, and I was being haunted by millions of questions in my mind.

  We were on the road again. The sky was dark blue and the air was a bit damp. It was a little foggy because the weather was getting colder than the day before. Not much of cars were seen on the road. It wasn't a busy day at all. I assumed, there would be no road block. I guessed I had to be with him for a little longer. I wasn't feeling afraid any longer, I was just confused. We could only listen to the sound of the car's engine. We didn't talk much that day, and believe it or not, it was killing me. I knew that Scott had something on his mind but I couldn't figure out what it was. "Annette, can you turn on the radio for me?" asked Scott. "... Sure..." I replied. And I turned on the radio and it was playing an unknown (well for me it was) song from the 90's. Scott didn't enjoy it. However, he didn't ask me to turn it off. Instead, he let it be. 

  Suddenly, the song stopped.

  We interrupt this program to deliver a news about a young lady who had been kidnapped yesterday evening. Her name is Annette Frederick and she is 19-year-old with dark hair and estimated 5'7'' tall. The kidnapper is described to be tall and blonde and Caucasian and is driving a 1996 Volvo. Any information, please contact the authority. Your cooperation might help this helpless girl to return to her family. Thank you and God bless Annette Frederick. Back to you DJ.

  I was excited to know that the police was looking for me already. And I would be saved in no time. I was about to smile but I was afraid that Scott would see me. I looked at him and he didn't even feel bothered by the news. 

  "Looks like they are looking for you," said Scott.

  "... Yeah. Looks like they are," I replied.

  "Are you happy about it?"

  "... Um? Yes... I am happy about it"

  He smiled. Was I suppose to be worried by his smile? He put his hand on his head and drove the car single-handed. Why was he doing that?

  "I'm going to take you to a place where it all ended," said Scott grimly.

  "And... Where is... Where is that place?"

  He looked at me, with a frightful look. He grinned and said "Soon, you'll know". Earlier when I met him, I was terrified that he would kill me, and we were in the woods, I saw another person who was lonely and needed attention and I was no longer afraid to be with him. However, at that time, I saw another person who would do horrible things to me, and the fear had crept back into my mind. This person could not be trusted and I had made the biggest mistake of my life, which was trusting him even for a bit. My heart beat quickly, and as if it was digging out of my chest.

  I was praying hard to God so He would help me in this situation. I was desperate to escape and I missed my family a lot. Maybe soon I would meet my Fate. Scott was sending chill down my spine. I imagined Scott was holding a knife and stabbed me to death, and how he scooped the ground and buried me inside it. I could see his dark smile when he had killed me. He made a turn and the road was leading us to a hill. I tried to be positive but thinking of "another summer camp" didn't help me at all. There wouldn't be another camp on top of the hill. It was a perfect murdering spot. 

  The questions had been answered. A cemetery. I saw white and sturdy tombstones in a bright green field. "...a place where it all ended" I thought about Scott's line. From that moment, I knew he was talking about Death. Whose death!? Was it going to be mine!? I shook my head in disbelief and cried and begged for freedom at him.

  "Please Scott! Don't kill me!" I begged.

  "... Why? Are you afraid of Death?" he said. "You can't be afraid of Death. Sooner it will find you and take you. You can't escape it," he explained. From that moment, I knew that he was being serious.

  "No, please! I need my family! I'm not ready to die yet!"

  "When Death has come to you, you are all alone"

  He parked his car near a sign board which had rusted and hadn't been repaired for a long time. The grasses were already tall and bushy. People hadn't come to this place recently. He went out of the car and went to the graveyard. It seemed like he was looking for someone's grave. I was in the car alone, struggling to break the cuff off from the grab handle. "Somebody help me! Help!" I cried in the car, but it seemed impossible for someone to hear me. I knocked the window with my hand but ended having bruises on my fist. I was crying devastatingly. It was hopeless to escape. It was hopeless to live too.

  He had returned and opened up the door for me. "Where are you taking me!?" I demanded. I fought back when he was trying to pull me out of the car. I slapped him and I kicked him, but didn't work at all. Once again, he cuffed me on his hand. He dragged me to one of the graves and I was kneeing weakly on the ground. There was a black tombstone in front of me, and there was a name transcribed on it. "Theresa Harding. Daughter. Sister. Friend."

  "Say 'Hi' to her," said Scott.

  "What do you want from me!?" I cried.

  "Give her some respect"

  I didn't even say 'Hi' to that dead girl. It would be weird because I didn't know her at all. I assumed that she was one of his victim too. He crouched and stared blankly at the tombstone, and he took a quick glance at me and continued to stare at the tombstone again. He giggled and looked down on the ground. My eyes were red and soaked, and I felt strange for him to do that. What exactly did he want from me? Money? Pleasure of killing an innocent girl? "This was where it all ended," Scott finally spoke. 

  There was a huge maple tree, just beside the road, and Scott brought me under it. From there, I could see Theresa's grave clearly. "Sit," ordered Scott. Slowly and fearfully, I sat down and leaned over the big tree. My hand was still hanging up because Scott didn't sit down. He was still standing, and suddenly, he took out a key from his back pocket and he showed it to me.

  "You see this?" said Scott.

  "... It's.. A key..." I said while stuttering.

  I didn't know what was he going to do with the key, but suddenly he kneeled in front of me and took the handcuff and unlocked it, releasing my hand. I was shocked! I was totally confused, I didn't even know what was his intention towards me anymore, and the feeling was worse than death. He sat down and leaned just like I did. From there, he looked at Theresa's grave devastatingly.

  From the moment he released me, I was feeling like running away. Damn! I didn't know what kept me sitting there by his side. I didn't even making a budge to escape.

  "You can run if you want to," Scott made a very peculiar order.

  "Why... Why are you letting me go?" I asked.

  "This place was where it all ended, and once again, history will repeat itself," said Scott while looking down.

  Hesitatingly, I stood up and stared at him for the last time. He was giving me freedom, weird but true. I couldn't believe that I was finally free. However, was there any agenda? I walked backward slowly, just to make sure that he didn't follow me. I thought I was far enough, and I sprinted along the road. For seconds. I turned around and looked at the maple tree, and I could see him from there. His eyes and his body language, made it hard for me to leave. He didn't hurt me or threatened to kill me, he did, but once and he didn't do it. I wanted to know his story.

  I remembered what my counselor had always said, "First impression is a foolish act if you don't know the person yet". Maybe he wasn't a person that I thought he was. However, he did kidnap me and that was a crime. If I went back to him, and God knows where he would take me next. I turned around and tried to run again, but my feet were kind of glued to the road, and once again I looked at Scott. "I hate you, Annette! I really do," I whispered to myself. I walked back to Scott. I saw him sitting peacefully under the tree, and the scenario was noiseless. He kept staring at the grave, which probably he knew the deceased very much. I was standing a foot away from him, and suddenly he turned his head at me.

  "Why didn't you run?" he asked.

  "I'm not really sure why. Maybe because of you?" I explained.

  "Because of me? Why?"

  "Stupid isn't it? But yeah, I think that's the main reason why I didn't leave"

  I approached him and sat beside him. I was wondering what to ask and what to talk about with him. I wasn't a really good talker, but I was a very good listener. "Can you tell me more about yourself, Scott?" I asked. So he did tell me his life story.

  "I'm an orphan, and I barely had a friend. In the orphanage, I was the quiet one. I didn't talk, I didn't play. But somehow, during that summer camp, I felt free and I was forgetting that I had no family. After the summer camp, I returned to school and was broken, because they were my family and I got separated from them. It took me two years to get that thing off of my head and to move on with my life," he said. He regarded my eyes for some seconds. "You know what? I'm not suppose to tell you this. We'll stop here"

  "No! No! I'm listening! Please, I just want to know something about you. Anything!" I said.

  "What do you care? Huh? All of a sudden you are interested to know me. Before this you were dying to escape and now here you are, sitting beside me and listening to my life stories!"

  "Scott, please! I'm thinking differently about you now. And it doesn't make any sense but I think I'm starting to trust you!"

  "Tell that to the police! Whether I have you with me or not, I'll be going to jail soon! And my life will be miserable as it is now and you will be happy with your life so what difference does it make?" he was feeling furious. He glared at me with his angry look. "We're done here. And please go. I don't need you anymore. I wish you luck for returning home," he stood up and was about to leave me.

  I was still on the ground, watching him leave. It was all my fault for not letting him to have a chance to talk about himself. I wasn't going to give up, that wasn't what my heart was telling me to do. I stood up and yelled his name. However he was ignoring me. "Scott!" I tried again. "Scott, look at me!" He didn't respond and kept on walking to his car.

  "Theresa!" I yelled. He stopped. "Theresa! She would be so disappointed in you! Whoever she was to you, she would be downhearted to see you as a coward! You're a lonely guy who doesn't have anyone to talk to and when you do, you are backing off from me. She wanted you to live your life freely and now you're giving yourself up to the police and you have no idea how does it feel like to be imprisoned," I exclaimed. He turned his head to me and glared at me. I had pushed his button now and he almost reached his boiling point.

  "Don't you dare saying something that you don't know. Especially about Theresa," he warned me.

  "Yeah, yeah! Maybe I don't know you that well yet, but at least I know something now. You are a coward! A coward who is afraid to tell about his past and yet he is still kidnapping someone for no reason. I know what is your intention of kidnapping me! You're lonely and you need someone to talk to and when you do, you're thinking that you're making a big mistake. Well guess what? You are wrong!"

  "Stop it! I swear I'll kill you for this," demanded Scott. He was stamping towards me and I knew that I wasn't making a good decision.

  "Oh I'm tired of listening to your threat and I'm tired of you!" He was standing in front of me with his beastly look. I didn't feel afraid and yet, I was still continuing my speech. "You're keeping all your problem to yourself and it is killing you. I can see it in your eyes and I can feel it deep inside you! You're dying and you're giving up! If I were Theresa, I would be very devastated to see you in a situation like this. What a sad person you are"

  "I'm warning you again, don't speak of Theresa!"

  "Why? Why don't you want me to talk about Theresa? Does it bother you? We are standing in front of her grave and she might be seeing you like this in Heaven but does that bother you at all? And you are feeling irritated because I keep on mentioning her name? What kind of a sick joke are you? You are afraid to move on with your life without her. YOU ARE A COWARD!" I yelled.

  Later, I realized that I was on the ground, holding my cheek. He slapped me and I was petrified on the ground. My lips were bleeding and I had a bruise on my cheek. He was a really strong man. He saw my bleeding mouth and suddenly, and slowly he took the weight of his feet on the ground. I didn't do anything, not even moving. "I'm... I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry... I didn't... I didn't mean to hurt you,". He was doing his best to apologize to me. I knew that he was regretting it. His expression had changed. I couldn't believe my eyes, his eyes were watery and suddenly, a single drop of tear could be seen on his cheek. "She left me and... I'm all alone... My life... is Hell," he explained. I sympathized him. "I was such a control freak and I should have done something to stop her. And I will never get the chance to save her anymore. God! I have such guilt over her and I don't want to feel the same way to you," he explained. I crawled slowly to him and I put my hand on his shoulder. I had no idea on how to make him feel better. I knew that he regretted of hurting me earlier, and I thought he did the same thing to Theresa and he could never forgive himself for that. "It's okay. I'm okay. We are going to get through this. I promise," I told him. I wrapped my hands around him and I rested my head on his. It would sound insane, but this kidnapper wasn't bad. From deep inside of me, I knew that I would do him a favor for his future. I had my fingers crossed for it.

                                                          -TO BE CONTINUED-

You Kept Me Captivated (Part 4)

  We were definitely in the woods. There was a path leading to somewhere in it, and I was suspecting that Scott was taking me to the deepest part of it. In my mind, he could easily kill me without being heard. That moment, I was trembling. Could this be the end of my life? I was so scared until my tears were soaking my cheeks. And I could see Mum and Dad, Andrew, Annabelle and Marcia in my head. Somehow, I missed them so much and I was scared that I wouldn't have the chance to see them again. I loved them so much. The road was bumpy so I accidentally hit the bruised part of my forehead on the window. It was painful, so I held my head and moaned.
  "Are you okay?" asked Scott.
  "What do you care?" I grunted.
  Ahead, I saw a building, a cabin actually, an abandoned one. I was guessing he was bringing me to the cabin. But what for? The sky has already darken. and I could see the moon already. I guessed he wanted to stay for a night here. Was he crazy? Of course. He stopped his car not far from the cabin. He went out from the car and examined the place. There was a well, and a boat rack and also a sign board which the writing had faded. It must be an old camping site. The cabin was entirely made of strong woods and it had fireplace too.

  Scott returned to the car and opened the door for me. "Here we are," he said to me. And yes, of course, my right hand was still cuffed on the grab handle. I didn't respond to him. I was scared. Maybe this would be the end of me. He would kill me and dumped me into the well like they used to do on TV. Okay, Annette, be positive. "I'm feeling sticky. Don't you?" he asked me. What did he mean by that? He released me from the cuff and warned me "This place is dangerous. Wild animals are wandering in the dark, so running away won't be a wise act," he maybe had a point there. And yet, I was feeling like running away from him right now. Either being killed by him, or the animals. Okay, I was trapped. I had no choice but to follow him.

  He was holding my hand while walking through the bushes and the dark. How could he see in the dark? Suddenly, I heard something, and it wasn't an animal. It was soothing and calming. Waves. Maybe there was a lake ahead of us. And I was right, there was a lake. A huge lake to be exact. It wasn't dark there as the moonlight was so bright and beautiful. It was as if dawn. I saw a boat, roped by the jetty. We were approaching the boat. "You're not going for a swim, are you?" I said in fear. He looked at me and grinned "Better," he said.

  He untied the rope and asked me to get on the boat. "No, no! Of course not! I won't do such a thing!" I yelled at him. He glared at me once more, and I was feeling intimidated by his glare. "I said, get on the boat," he demanded. I had nothing to lose, so I took my first step into the boat, and then I sat down quietly, but terrified. He went on the boat and started rowing. I looked up in the sky, and I saw millions of stars glimmering in the galaxy. Too bad that was my final chance to enjoy such a beautiful panorama. We were now in the middle of the lake, and Scott had stopped rowing. Scott was staring at the stars too and he was amazed by them. I looked at him and he was totally mesmerized by the stars.
  "What do you have in mind?" asked Scott.
  "I don't know," I said. "My family. My best friends. Death, eventually"
  "You think that I'm going to kill you?" said Scott.
  "What else do you want from me then?"
  He silenced and stared at me. I could see that he had loneliness in his eyes. I turned my head away because I didn't like seeing him stared at me. My heart was pumping really fast at the moment. I was feeling so terrified. He kept staring at me, and I felt strange about it. "What are you staring at?" I asked. He didn't reply, but this time he looked into the water. Oh God, what was he going to do?
  "Stand up," he requested while standing up.
  "What?"
  "Stand up. A simple order," he said.
  I was hesitating but I did what he asked me to do. I was balancing myself because the boat was moving and shaking while I was standing up. "Take my hand," offered Scott. I took his hand and tried to balance myself again. And it worked. The boat didn't shake anymore. It was  balanced now. "Okay?" he said. I nodded while looking down. I didn't like him to look at me. "Take off your shoes, now," he ordered again. I didn't feel good about this. I didn't bend over to take off my shoes, instead, I was using my foot to do so. What was he going to do now? He kept on giving weird orders.

  Suddenly, he swung my hand to the left, bringing my body into the water! I was struggling to breathe and to keep myself floating on the surface of the water! I was gasping for air and tried to swim away, but which way should I swim to? He was laughing, and was making fun of me. Did he think that was fun? I almost drowned!
  "Are you having fun?" he asked while giggling.
  "Fun? Fun!? Do you think this is fun!? I almost drowned and you can still have a good laugh about it!?" I yelled at him.
  "I would save you if you were drowning you know?" he said.
  "Please bring me on the boat again. It's freezing in here!"
  "No can't do! I'm planning to join you in there"
  He stripped his singlet off and his jeans, leaving him in a pair of boxer. As soon as he did that, he dived into the lake and swam around. I held on the hull of the boat to keep myself floating and watched Scott swam in the lake. He was a good swimmer. And then he approached me, and suddenly went underneath, leaving me in suspense. There was no sound of him and it made me feel scared. Suddenly, I felt his hands were grabbing my legs and pulled me underwater. The shimmering light helped me to see Scott's face in the water. The scenery under the lake was so beautiful. I could see the weeds, and fishes and the glimmering stones. It was so amazing! Then, Scott pulled me up again to the surface, and both of us were gasping for air.
  "Having a good time now?" said Scott.
  "Yeah... Kind of..." I replied.
  Then, we went back on the boat, and was still panting. He took the paddles and rowed to the bank. As soon as we reached the bank, he picked up his clothes and my shoes. He left the boat untied and watched the boat being taken away by the waves. "Well, that's it for now. Bye bye boat," he said. He offered his hand again. And this time, without any fear or doubt, I grabbed it and we walked back to the cabin.

  He searched in the car for his bag, and he found it, he gave it to me. "There are some clothes I bought earlier this afternoon. Why don't you try it on? Since your clothes are wet now," he said. I took it and searched for clothes in the bag. And there was a long sleeved T-shirt and a tracksuit in it. It wasn't fashionable but at least I had something to wear.
  "This is all your fault you know? If you hadn't thrown me into the water, I wouldn't be this wet," I exclaimed.
  "Stop whining. We had fun back there right? Admit it!"
  "Well... True, but it was still weird. I was swimming with my kidnapper," I replied.
  "So then, we had created history. Now go at the back of the car and change. Promise that I won't look"
  Liar. He would take a peep if he had the chance. But, where else should I change? I went to the back of the car, and changed. Wait a minute. My hand wasn't cuffed and Scott wasn't looking. I thought this would be a right time for me to run away. However, I was scared because of the wandering wild animals. If I'd be more careful, I wouldn't encounter them. "Done?" yelled Scott. "Not yet!" I replied. Okay, this would be the brightest chance for me. Scott was such an idiot. I peeped at him and he was still looking away.

  I ran. I ran as fast as I could into the woods. I was searching for the road which we used to come here. "Hey! Come back!" shouted Scott as soon as he found out that I was running away from him. I ignored him and kept on running away. However, I couldn't find the road. So I just ran without looking back. If he got me again, I would be killed. I was running for five minutes, and I still couldn't find any road. And I was in the middle of the dark and couldn't see anything. So I rested my back on a tree and panted for air. I was tired, but I must kept on going before I got caught again. The woods was pitch dark, and was creepy. I could hear the sound of bats and wolves. I didn't have to worry about it because they sounded from afar.

  Suddenly, there was an entity in front of me. And I knew it was Scott. I was scared that he would kill me on the spot. I was crying because I felt like I was losing hope of living. "Oh Scott, please don't hurt me. I just want to live my life happily and I want to be with my family. Please don't kill me here! I just want to go home," I begged him. He was approaching me and I couldn't stop crying. However, his movement was strange, as if he was crawling or tottering or something, as if he was drunk. And I knew right that instance that that wasn't Scott, right after it stood up gallantly and roared. It was a bear! I couldn't believe my eyes and I was petrified by the roar. My body collapsed on the ground but I didn't fall unconscious. I was still looking at it! It was huge and seemed starving! Oh God, I was actually going to be killed by a bear!

  It was approaching me slowly, step by step and roared again. The roaring made me feel so horrified! Out of the blue, there was a fireball hurled to the bear. No, it wasn't a fireball. It was a torch. It seemed like a fireball because I was in the dark. It was Scott. He waved the torch to cast the bear away from there. However, the bear wasn't in the mood to surrender. It swung it paws to attack Scott, but Scott managed to dodge every single strike from the bear and performed a counter attack by pressing the torch against the bear's skin. The bear moaned in pain but it didn't mean that it had been defeated. It swept Scott's legs and forced him to drop himself on the ground. The bear was standing proudly in front of defeated Scott as if it was saying "I owned you humans". The bear had raised its paw to give Scott the fatal blow on his head. Suddenly, my brain and my body worked by itself. I picked up the torch which Scott accidentally dropped it from the fall and threw it directly on the bear's nose. It was moaning painfully and tried to extinguish the fire from its nose. It ran away afterwards, leaving us unhurt.
  "You saved me!" said Scott.
  "You did the same favor for me too! So we're even!" I replied.
  We walked to the cabin and I regretted for running away, unarmed, in the dark woods. I brought the torch too because Scott asked me to. Scott was mad. I could feel his anger. I was mad too because I couldn't find the way out. "After this, I'll cuff your hand to mine. So you won't run away again," said Scott. I was angry but I was too tired to fight back. So I shut myself up and kept on walking.

  Back at the cabin, he had cuffed my left hand to his right hand. So both of us were stuck together, and I couldn't run away any longer. I threw the torch into the fireplace as soon as Scott had put the kerosene and some firewood in it. The flame engulfed the woods in seconds. And the heat could be felt too. Both of us sat in front of the fireplace while leaning against the wall. I was tired, and so was Scott. He was no longer feeling angry. We could hear the snapping sound of the woods from the fireplace. Both of us didn't talk for a moment there.
  "Scott" I wanted to start a conversation.
  "Hmm?" he moaned.
  "Why are you bringing me here?" I asked with a low voice.
  "...Why are you so interested to know?" he replied.
  "Because you are kidnapping me"
  "I love it here..."
  "Why? What does it have to do with me?"
  "Because I want to share it with you"
  "But why?" I was looking directly into his eyes.
  He didn't answer and he looked away. I was expecting that too. He wasn't talkative. He talked when he wanted to. I gave up and sat quietly while looking at the fireplace. Somehow, the fire amused me.

  "Such a great memory..." suddenly he spoke.
  "I'm sorry?"
  "I'm an orphan. This place made me feel like I had a family," he said.
  "Oh... So you were lonely?"
  He nodded and continued but he didn't look at me. "I lived in an orphanage when I was little, and one day, Sister sent me here during Summer"
  "You have a sister?" I asked him.
  "No. She's my guardian. I called her Sister. She sent me here to meet more friends. I was ten years old back then. It was fun here. I loved my friends and the wardens. They were my family here. We ate together, swam together in the lake, played together, and slept together. For a month and a half Annette, I couldn't be more happier," he moved his head and looked at me. His hazel green eyes were shimmering and I could see my reflection in it. "I learned many things here. To cook, to swim, to paddle the boat, everything. Until one day, all of us had to leave the camp. The session had ended. We cried, yeah... But there was nothing we could do right?"
  "... Yeah... So what happened next?" suddenly I was interested to know more about Scott.
  "We said goodbye and from that day, we'd never seen each other again. We were kids and we had no cell phones or emails. Nothing. I miss them, a lot. That's why I brought you here with me. I want to relive the memories which I had with them here," he said. Once again, he turned his head away.

  I felt his loneliness at that moment. I thought, that was why he had kidnapped me. Not for money or sex. He just wanted to be accompanied. But why he had to do it wrongly? It didn't mean that I was feeling comfortable with him, I was still thinking a way to escape. I felt sorry for him, but at the same time, I was furious because he separated me with my family. I looked at the fire again, trying to calm myself down. I was too tired to be mad. "Scott? You can't do this okay? You can't force me to be with you. If you do it correctly, I'll understand but you're doing it wrongly, and it's against the law!" He didn't move at all. "Scott?" I shook his body slowly. He had fallen into a deep sleep already. I smiled. I had no explanation why did I smile. Suddenly, I just did. "Goodnight, Scott"

                                                            -TO BE CONTINUED-

You Kept Me Captivated (Part 3 - Marcia's Diary)

  I couldn't figure out on what to do. All I could do was screaming and crying. I knew that it wouldn't help my best friend, Annette, who was being dragged by a thug into his car. I was panicking and I couldn't think straight. People in the mall were just staring at me and thought that I was going mad. I felt like the ground was spinning underneath my feet, making me confused. Tears were soaking my face. And seriously, I looked like a crazy girl. Until a noble man came across me and asked me what was going on and asked me to calm down.

  "Miss! Miss! Please calm down and tell me what happen!" said the man.

  "Please! Please, someone help Annette!" I shouted.

  "Who's Annette. And what had happened to her?" He asked me.

  "Annette is being kidnapped by a man! Please you gotta help her!"

  The man's eyes were bulging as soon as he found out what was going on. He took out his phone and dialed '911'. He put his hand around me, just to calm me down. However, it wasn't helping at all. He spoke to the operator and briefly explained what had happened. "Calm down okay miss? The policemen are on their way here," said the man as soon as he hung up. He caressed my hair and waited for the policemen with me.

  Ten or fifteen minutes later, the policemen had arrived and interrogated me on the spot. They asked me for the man's appearances and what kind of car that he was using. I couldn't remember a thing about the man. What I'd seen that he was tall and was Caucasian. About the car, maybe it was Volvo or Toyota? Obviously, I was being useless at the moment.
  "We're wasting time here! I need to tell her mother about this!" I exclaimed.
  "Okay, do you have a vehicle? Can you take us there?" asked one of the policemen.
  I went to my car and started the engine and drove away from the mall. In my mind, I was scared to see her mother, wondering what to tell her about this, or would she be mad, or my relationship with the family would be ruined. Anything could happen. I didn't care. As long as Annette returns safely to her family. The policemen were following me from behind. I needed to be more helpful than I was earlier. What I remembered that the guy was tall and had scruffy hair. And I was quite sure that he was driving a Volvo.

  We had arrived to the Frederick's residence and I saw Annette's mother was watering the flowers in her yard. She seemed amused and happy with her flowers. However, I would deliver an unpleasant message to her. I went out of the car and called her name. She turned around and smiled at me. I couldn't help it, I cried as soon as she looked at me. Her expression had changed. I went closer to her and gave her a hug and she was confused, plus worried too. "What's wrong Marcia? Is everything alright? Where's Annette?" she asked me a question that I could barely answer. The policemen were approaching us and Anneliese were getting more concerned about the situation.
  "What is going on officer? Where's my daughter?" asked Anneliese.
  "Ma'am, we believe that your daughter has been kidnapped," explained one of the officers.
  I held on to Anneliese as strong as I could. I could feel that she was collapsing. Her knees went weak and suddenly, she was embracing me tightly and cried. "Oh my God, Annette!" she was whimpering. Her heart was totally fragmented.

  Three hours of disappointment, I couldn't help them. We were in the living room and a sketch artist was sitting in front of me while holding a sketch book and a pencil. And currently, the book was clear as if it was untouched, because I couldn't give any description on the man. Anneliese and Harrison were standing beside the fireplace and Anneliese was biting her nail impatiently. She must be disappointed in me. "This seems useless," I said to the sketch artist. I knew that I wasn't doing any help. Anneliese was covering her eyes and sighed in distress. "Okay, it's alright. We can figure out another way to help your friend. My team is working on the posters, so you have nothing to worry about it. We'll find her soon," explained the sketch artist. Anneliese was glaring at the sketch artist in disbelief. She was about to explode. I could see that from her eyes.
  "'You have nothing to worry about it'? What are you talking about? My daughter is with a psychopath and you're telling us there is nothing to worry about? How could you say that?" said Anneliese irritatingly.
  "Ma'am, we're doing our best to help your daughter. We are doing posters and examining the CCTV of the mall. We are also searching for her outside of the town. So all you have to do is calmly wait for the results," he explained.
  "No, I cannot be calmed until my daughter returns to me! Right now, you better make sure that every members of your team are doing their jobs perfectly!" shouted Anneliese.
  The sketch artist was staring at Anneliese, he couldn't say anything by now. "Yes ma'am. I'll make sure of that," he said approvingly.

  Suddenly, I remembered something. Annette had her phone with her. What if we made the call and negotiated with the kidnapper to let Annette go?
  "... She has a phone..." I whispered to myself.
  "I beg your pardon?" the sketch artist responded.
  "She has her phone with her! Maybe we could talk to the kidnapper and negotiate with him?"
  "So that the kidnapper will state the ransom and we'll pay him and he'll let Annette go!" said Anneliese in excitement.
  "No we can't do that! You will alert the kidnapper and force him to do something that you don't want him to do!" debated the sketch artist.
  "Like your team has done something that can be proud of! I'll call her this instance!" said Anneliese.
  "No! Don't do that! Stop her!" But it was too late. Anneliese had already dialed Annette's number and waited impatiently for the kidnapper to answer the phone. Suddenly, the call had been terminated and Anneliese wanted to try again, but this time, her phone had already been switched off. "No! No! No! Please don't do this!" yelled Anneliese. She was calling Annette over and over again which probably seemed impossible for the kidnapper to answer it. She was devastated. Harrison went closer to her and hugged her. He knew that they must rely on the authority from now on. There was nothing much they could do.

  Not long after that, Annette's brother and sister, Andrew and Annabelle, had arrived home. Andrew was anxious to know the progress of the investigation, and was disappointed when the policemen said they hadn't found anything yet. And suddenly, someone knocked the door. Annabelle opened the door and found two detectives and they flashed their FBI badges at her. "Good evening. I'm Detective Wong and this is my partner Detective Butler. We are here to help you with the finding. And hopefully you'll cooperate with us," explained Detective Wong. She was a detective with red-blood leather jacket and was Chinese oriented with short hair, and the other one was tall and muscular with a canvas coat.
  "Oh yes, we'll cooperate with you. Any information about my sister yet?" said Annabelle patiently.
  "We are still investigating..." suddenly, Detective Wong's phone rang and she picked it up. "Detective Wong," she said. She was nodding and focusing on the caller. Her eyes squinted and obviously she was having a good news. "Okay. Thanks for the information," she said and hung up "Good news, there was a call from a diner outside of town which is probably an hour and a half away from here and they mentioned that they have seen your sister with a man. They were having their meal there," explained Detective Wong. Annabelle's eyes were bulging in excitement. Finally we had received a news which we were waiting for a long time.

                                                             -TO BE CONTINUED-

You Kept Me Captivated (Part 2)

  I knew that I was in a moving vehicle. However, my head was spinning around and I felt like I had just been hit by a car. I felt so dizzy, and my eyes were blurry. I swore to God that I could smell a roasted chicken. And God I was starving to death! Then, I realized that my right hand was cuffed on the grab handle. Slowly, I regained my consciousness and looked at the road outside the window. I was at a highway but I couldn't figure which one was it. I slowly turned my head to the driver, the one who kidnapped me. He was pale blonde and had scruffy hair with hazel green eyes and hadn't shaved. He was wearing a stained white singlet and a pair of thorny jeans. He seemed like a homeless guy who had been in the streets for the rest of his life.

  "You have awaken," he said to me without even looking at me. His voice was manly but young, and seemed like he was twenty or above. "Who are you? And what do you want from me?" I spoke with a weak voice because I was hungry and had no energy for talking. He silenced and didn't respond to my question. He kept on driving without saying any word. I smelled the stench of a roasted chicken and my stomach was grumbling because of it. Maybe the guy had lunch while I was unconscious. He took a quick glance at me and touched my tummy. I was scared that he would do something painful to me, but I had no strength to fight back or even to cry. "Are you hungry?" he asked me with a low voice. Of course I was.

  There was a bag underneath his legs. He took out a plastic bag which flashed 'K-Mart' on it. He had been shopping too. Inside, there were three vanilla creamed bun which covers were colorful and had a picture of an animated elephant on it. I didn't care about the cuteness of the cover. I tore off the cover with my teeth since I didn't have enough hand to use. I wolfed down a bun in seconds because I was so hungry. Once more he searched into his bag and took out a bottle of water. I didn't really need it until the second bun. I coughed in pain because I was choking on it. "Whoa. Slow down there. Eat it slowly," he spoke again while I was drinking. I continued on eating the bun except this time, I took his advice on eating it slowly.
  "Please send me home. I don't want to be with you. I just got a job and my life is almost starting and I don't want you to end it. Please just let me go and I swear to God that I won't tell," I begged while having a mouth full.
  "No. I can't do that," for the first time, he replied. "I'm taking you with me"
  "I don't even know you! Sooner or later, the police will find you and take you to jail! Is that what you want, huh!?" I exclaimed.
  Once again, he silenced himself and kept on driving. That was the first time I yelled on a criminal and didn't get punched or slapped. Usually on TV, they do that to the victim if she's pissing him off. I was angry and scared at the same time. I was thinking a way of escaping which was almost impossible because I didn't know where to go. I wasn't familiar with this highway. He might had brought me away from the town.

  "Please let me go. I won't tell. I promise," I begged to him again. I knew that it would be the same answer, but I couldn't give up on this.
  "Scott"
  "I'm sorry?" might be his name. I knew that he was trying to change the subject.
  "I'm Scott. How about you?"
  "What? Do you think that this is Dr.Phil's show? You're kidnapping me! Don't you realize that!? This is not Barney and Friends!"
  Once again I'd yelled at him, but it seemed like he was a calm man. He didn't even try to get me mad, but I was feeling furious at him for taking me away. He tried to touch my hair and I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!" I exclaimed. He looked at me in disappointment and continued on driving.
  "I don't know what difference does it make or whether it will please you or not, but I'm Annette," I introduced myself.
  "Annette," he said. He was starting to be more creepier than before.
  "Scott? Why are you doing this to me?"
  "You will find out soon," he said. Suddenly, I got goosebumps all over my body. Was he trying to kill me? Or trying to rape me?
  "Where are we going then? May I know?"
  "Not now. Not yet"
  Suddenly, my phone rang. It was inside my pocket all the time. Scott looked at me as if he was worried about it. And I looked at him and my pocket, trying to figure out on how to answer the call. He shockingly stopped the car and pulled over at the sideways. Quickly, I took out my phone (thankfully he didn't cuff my left hand, and the phone was inside my left pocket), and he swiftly snatched my hand, and both of us were struggling to have the phone. "Let go off me!" I yelled at him, and continued to fight for the phone. "Give me the phone!" he yelled back at me. I'd seen a chance of punching him and I took it before I lost it. I punched him right in the face and he recovered so quickly and grabbed my hand again. Unfortunately, he won the fight and snatched my phone from my hand. I was panting and glared at him in anger.

  He looked at my phone and read the name of the person who was calling me. It was from my house. Someone, whether Dad or Mum had found out that I was being kidnapped. Marcia, you did a really good job! "Home," he said to me. "Maybe it is your mother, Annette," he continued. I didn't say a thing, hopefully he wouldn't throw my phone out of the window. He switched off the phone and squeezed it, unpleasantly. He threw my phone into his bag and started to drive again. "Fuck you, Scott!" I couldn't withstand my anger any longer. "You're going to the fucking Hell, and I will be fucking happy! Son of a bitch like you don't deserve to live in happiness! You fucking bastard!" And suddenly, I made a wrong decision which was pulling his hair. "Aaarrggh!" I screamed and shouted furiously. The car was going out of control as if it was being driven by a drunk man. Scott was screaming in pain and was trying to take control of his car again. The vehicles behind us were honking madly at us and the situation was completely chaotic. The car hit the steel divider and produced sparkling embers as the car was scratched by the divider.

  He managed to escape from my grasp and I tried to do it again. However, I didn't have the chance as he slapped me right in my left cheek and my head spun and landed hard on the window. It was painful but I didn't pass out. That was the most strongest slap I've ever had.
  "Stay there! If you do it again, I'll do something that will hurt you even more!" he threatened me.
  "Oh yeah? You are going to kill me either so what do I care? Huh! I'll fight 'til my last breath!" I was being stubborn.
  "Who said that I'm going to kill you!? Now stay!"
  "Sooner or later, you will! I don't trust you at all!"
  I was about to strike again, but suddenly, he took out his gun and pointed directly at my forehead. "STAY THERE!" he exclaimed. I could see that his hand was shivering. Maybe from the fear of killing me, or the fear of losing control of his car earlier. I was scared too. I mean, I didn't want him to plant a bullet in my brain, so that time, I surrendered. I sat quietly and was still glaring at him furiously. He put his gun down and focused on his driving again while panting for air.

  The sky was getting dark, and the sun was almost set. And I was still wondering where he would take me to. I was feeling a little bit exhausted from the fight, and a bit hungry. I ate only three pieces of bun and it wasn't enough. I needed a whole set of lunch. "I'm sorry for what I did earlier," he apologized to me. I was stunned by his words. He was a kidnapper, he shouldn't be apologizing to his victim? Should he? "I had too okay? You forced me to do it," he continued. Was he having a mental breakdown or something? He was actually apologizing to me! I looked at his face, and I saw a regretful look. Maybe he was regretting for what he did to me. I was confused. I didn't know how to tell him, but I had to before I passed out from hunger.
  "Scott?" he didn't answer me. "Scott, I'm... I'm hungry," I didn't care. He wasn't deaf anyway.
  "Hungry?" he paused. "There's a diner just a couple of miles from here.  But I don't know if I can trust you on this. You might scream for help in that diner"
  Okay, that was I would do too. But I needed to convince him that I wouldn't do such a thing. "Scott, I promise to you that I won't scream. Okay? I'm hungry. And it's killing me. Please?" I said. He looked at me and I made a sympathetic expression so that he could stop for a meal. "Okay. But if you scream, I will kill everyone in that diner. Including you, if I have to," he stated. I was pretty sure that I wouldn't be more care less about the people there. As far as I concerned, I wanted to escape.

  We had arrived at the diner, at the parking lot. "Remember, don't scream. Okay?" he mentioned. I nodded. He took off the cuff with a key and I held my right hand as it felt stiff. He got out from the car and took me with him afterwards. I was thinking a way of escaping before we entered the diner. Maybe I should run for it now. After I took my first step into the diner, I saw a mother with her child, and an old man with his old wife. I remembered what Scott said if I escaped, he would kill everyone in the diner. At that moment, I didn't have the heart to let the people in that diner die because of me. I would carry the guilt for my entire life. We sat quietly and waited for the waiter to come and take our orders.

  There was an African-American woman who strode towards us, with pink clothes and white apron. She seemed nice. As soon as she reached us, she took out her pen and her notebook. "Now, what would you like to have?" she asked us. Scott was looking at me, waiting for my order. "I'm not eating," said Scott. Both Scott and the waitress were staring at me.
  "But please bring the newspaper for me," continued Scott.
  "Sure do. Anything you like honey?" the waitress asked me again.
  "I'll have... Um? A cheese burger and a cup of soda please?" finally, I'd ordered.
  The waitress was writing my order while staring confusingly at me. "Are you okay honey?" all of a sudden, she asked me as if she knew what was happening to me. Scott was glaring at me, expecting my answers. I swore to God that I could hear his heart was beating fast, and the sound of him squeezing his hands really tight.
  "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just starving!" I said with a smile.
  "Really? Are you sure? What's with the bruise on your forehead?" she replied. Damn, she noticed my bruise from the blow earlier.
  "Oh! Silly me. I had an accident in the bathroom. I slipped and knocked my head on the wall. Accident happens you know?" I answered while giggling.
  "Okay, but be careful next time honey. Beautiful face like that doesn't deserve a bruise on it," she said and went to the kitchen to deliver my orders.

  Ten minutes later, my burger had arrived along with the newspaper that Scott asked for earlier. "Um? Can I have some ketchup please?" I ordered again. The waitress smiled at me and went to the cashier and took two sachets of ketchup for me. That gave me a bright idea, but I must be careful around Scott. I ate the burger slowly and only God knows how good it tasted like. And I was enjoying the food as if I had nothing to worry about. I took a sip of the soda and the cold sensation of the drink rejuvenated me. I'd gained a lot of energy from eating the burger. "You really like burger, don't you?" suddenly Scott talked to me. I nodded slowly while engulfing it. He grinned as soon as I'd nodded. Weird. He continued on reading the newspaper.

  I'd finished eating the burger but I didn't tell Scott about it. I had a plan. Hopefully it would work. I tore off the cover of the ketchup and slowly, I transcribed the word 'HELP' on the plate. Scott didn't notice it since he was focusing on reading the news. I covered the plate with a napkin, but carefully so it wouldn't ruin it.
  "Scott?" I called him. He stopped reading and looked at me. "I've finished. So we can go now"
  "Okay. Wait for me here. I'll go pay for the food," he said and stood up and walked to the cashier.
  After that, he returned to me and picked me up by my hand. The waitress went to our table as soon as we walked away from it. Hopefully she would get the message that I wrote on the plate. Outside, I kept on observing at the waitress through the window and suddenly, she looked at me with an unpleasant face, meaning she had read the message. I could read her lips and she was saying "Oh my God". And then she nodded agreeably. She would help me. Help would come soon.

                                                          -TO BE CONTINUED-

You Kept Me Captivated (Part 1)

  It was not typical for a teenage girl like me to stay at home and did nothing after graduated from high school. I wasn't lazy, it was just that, no one would ever want to employ me. I went to the local restaurant, bar, library, and even computer center to look for a job. They didn't even want to interview me. What they said was "I'll call you later". But they never did. So there I was, listening to my iPod while going on Facebook. I did this for like over 3 months, and I felt bored like Hell 'cause nothing interesting happened on Facebook. I mean, yeah, I got like 60-80 notifications and 20 and above friend requests for a day. It wasn't that intriguing because I was used to it. It was tiring, you know? People were flooding my wall by posting "Hey, how are you?" and "Hey, I miss you" and even "OMG! You're so pretty!", but it wasn't worth it at all because I didn't gain money from it. I got bored and annoyed by those people so I replied them by saying "LOL".

  God! It was so boring that day and I was wishing for something fascinating to happen on that day! So it did. My best friend called me. Her name is Marcia, and she has been my best friend since I was in 3rd Grade.
  "Hey Annette!" she said to me.
  "Hey, what's up?" I said. "And don't even think of asking me if I manage to get a job or something, 'cause I swear to God I'll rip off your hair if you do"
  "No I won't ask you that," she continued "Do you have that kind of strength to pull my hair off?"
  "No, but I will use a lawnmower if I have to. So why are you calling me?"
  "Hear this out, there is a new toy shop in the mall looking for employees. So do you think you want to go there and apply for it?"
  "What's the catch?" I asked her. I was being choosy for a moment there.
  "They said that they are willing to pay you four dollars per hour. Look, if you want to go there, you ring me okay? I'll join you too. I hate my current job right now. My boss is a pervert"
  "You've got to tell me everything that you've been through. And about that job, how about if we apply it today at noon?"
  "Sure, I'll be happy to. See you at 12 then"
  "Okay, bye"
  I hung up and felt so relieved, knowing that there was hope for me to get a job. But what I was worried that they would do the same thing too. Hopefully not because I was dying to turn over a new leaf. First, I needed to tell my parents about this job so that they could give me their support. My parents were the only people that I could talk to, other than Marcia. This would sound weird, but they are also my best friends.

  I saw my mother in the kitchen. She was flicking every pages in her cook book, wondering what to cook for lunch. She was a brunette, long hair and a thin body, and she didn't even look like in her forties. Well, maybe a bit but it wasn't that obvious. Her name is Anneliese Frederick. She didn't realize that I was standing stationary in front of her. Her thoughts were preoccupied from thinking about the recipe. "Mum?" I broke the silence. She looked at me and smiled and pushed her book away. It was weird but she told me before that she had to focus on the people who were about to speak to her. It would be very rude if she wasn't paying any attention on the speaker, that was what she told me.
  "Yes, Annette?" she spoke to me.
  "What are you doing?" I asked as if I didn't know what she was doing.
  "Oh, I was just thinking on what to cook next. Is there any problem?"
  "Marcia just called..." and I paused.
  "Oh, and?"
  "She asked me if I want to get a job at the new toy store at the mall today. So I was thinking, is this a good job for me?"
  "Well that's great! It's great for you. I mean, you've been looking all over the place to get one right? So why don't you give it a try and see how it turns out"
  I looked outside the windows, there was a mother and a child. She was holding her child's hand while walking down the pavement. They reminded me of my parents, my brother and my sister, and myself when I was a little girl. Somehow, I felt sad about it. And I suddenly produced a sad expression on my face. My mother noticed it and she was curious. "What's wrong honey? Don't you feel happy about this job opportunity?" she gently laid her hand on top of mine. I looked at her hand, which was still a young hand, but the aging process was obvious, and I held hers.
  "Mum? I'm starting a new life. And after I have some money to get myself to college, I'll be leaving you alone with dad. Won't you be lonely when I'm gone?" I said it calmly.
  She looked into my eyes with a happy-but-sad face. "Oh Annette. You've been a good daughter for us. Yes, I'll feel lonely. But at the same time, I'm feeling proud of you, and myself for doing a good job as a mother"
  I tried to smile but this was a bit painful for me. I mean, I would leave her for living a new life of my own. Was this how it felt to be a grown up?

  I was waiting for her to continue with her speeches. Suddenly, she stood up from her seat and went to the refrigerator and took off one of the pictures that she put on its door before. She looked at the pictures and she strolled towards me. She sat in front of me again, and showed me the picture. It was a picture of me with Andrew and Annabelle, my brother and my sister.
  "See this picture? See how little you were? The moment I took that picture, I imagined myself looking at three of you as adults. Having families of your own, being successful with your dream job. I saw all that in a second. And now, I can't believe myself that it is coming true. Andrew is a step away from being a lecturer, and Annabelle is now a wife of a great man. And now it's your turn. You are taking your steps towards all that. And I can't be more proud than I am now.
  "I know that it will be hard to live without you Annette, but it is something that I must face for your own sake. You must live your life to the fullest! The night you were born, I was praying to God, so that He will make you a better person in the future. And now He has answered my prayers. One day, when you've met your true love, the man of your life, you will feel the same way too. Remember what I said to you Annette. I want you to feel the same way for your children too," she ended her speech with tears.
  I looked at her, smiling weakly while looking back at me. I couldn't hold my tears too but I didn't want her to see me crying. So I smiled at her and said "I love you, mum"

  Suddenly, my father burst into the house by the front door while mumbling about his broken wrench. "Bah! Such a pain in the neck! You know that one of the sprinklers is busted, and I was about to fix it and suddenly my wrench is busted too!" His name is Harrison and he was a bit muscular and hadn't shaved for a while. After seeing my mother was in tears, he asked "Did I miss something?" Mum swept her face and shook her head. I stood up to avoid any sudden questions and told him about the job.
  "Dad! This afternoon, I'll apply for a job at the new toy store. And I can't wait to be an employee right now!" I exclaimed.
  "What? That's great for you! Good luck then! I'm wishing you for the best, Annette"
  I strode towards him and hugged him happily. Oh wow, it had been a while since the last time I hugged him. I was getting taller I guess because I could put my chin on his shoulder now. He was a tall man. That explained the height of my brother, Andrew. Truly, it was a very happy moment, but at the same time, it was sad because I was taking my steps towards adulthood.

  That afternoon, I was preparing myself to go to the shopping mall and apply for that job. I was getting my lipstick on, and did my hair neatly, and wore smartly for the walk-in interview. I wore my favorite gray knitted dress which was made by Mum during my sixteenth Thanksgiving. Suddenly, I heard honks outside of the house. Must be Marcia, she had arrived in time. So I went down the stairs and saw Mum in the living room. So I gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek and went outside. It was very exciting! I couldn't believe that I would finally get a job! I entered Marcia's car with a sweet smile on my face.
  "So, are you ready to go?" asked Marcia.
  "Hell yeah. Let's do it! Can't wait for it. Is my dress okay to you?" I said.
  "Yeah, it looks cute on you. So let's go. Don't wanna waste any time now"
  The car was moving. On the way to the mall, I talked to Marcia about what happened earlier. And she said her mother did the same thing the morning before graduation. I think that's what every mother will do when her children are taking their first steps towards adulthood. I guessed so.

  Thirty minutes later, I was standing in front of the toy store which had a 'Wanted' sign on the window. So I was guessing this job would be easy to get because they were lacking of employees. The toy store wasn't an ordinary toy store. It was a classic toy store with old but precious toys in it. Like an antique shop but for kids. So I went inside, looking for the manager of the store, and believe it or not, the cashier was also the manager. It was so sad to know that. That was why he was desperate. The manager was an old guy which probably in his late sixties with white hair and a bloated stomach  "Hello there! Looking for classic toys?" the old manager asked us. Better, we were trying to help you.
  "Um? Hello Mr...." I glanced at his name tag and it flashed the name Sanders. "...Sanders" I continued. "Both of us are looking for a job and we heard that this store needs employees. I was wondering maybe we could apply for a position at this store?"
  "Ah! Yes, yes! We need them very badly. Wait here," he said. He went into the office of the store and searched for files. I wondered that he was searching for application forms for us.
  I was wandering around the store. It was kind of amusing to see the toys were moving and making funny noises. There were stuff animals and dolls on the rack and they worth a fortune too. Old, but expensive. Suddenly Marcia called me and showed me a toy, which was very fun to play with. It was a miniature wind up Merry-Go-Round. I twisted the winder and the Merry-Go-Round started to spin and produce a beautiful melody with LED light on the horses's diamonds. I was enchanted by the toy. Seemed like I was a child who had fallen in love with a childish toy like that.

  "That is 1988's" the manager's voice startled both of us who were mesmerized by the toy. He was holding the forms. He was smiling and he looked like a kind old man with his smile.
  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." he didn't let me finished.
  "No, no. It's fine. I haven't seen any adolescences like you which have interests in old toys these day. Even the children nowadays have no interest of playing with these old toys," he told both of us. Sad, wasn't it?
  He handed us the forms and asked us to fill it up. We sat on the small chairs with a small table. Seemed like they were meant for children, or dwarfs. After filling it up, we handed the form back to Mr.Sanders. He smiled at us and said "Thank you Annette and Marcia. You can start tomorrow at 9am," he smiled while speaking to us. Wait... What? No interview?
  "Are you sure you don't have to interview us?" Marcia said in curiosity.
  "Why should I? You seem like a nice girl, plus since I'm the only employee around here and someone needs to be pressing buttons on this cash register"
  "Oh my God! Thank you so much Mr.Sanders! I really appreciate it! I do!"
  "You're welcome. Now go home and spread the story and take a lot of rest for tomorrow"
  We exited the store and babbled in excitement. We were planning to go shopping on our payday and hang out together. We were really happy at the moment. I called Mum to deliver the news and she was so happy for me. All of the excitement made us feeling thirsty and hungry.

  We were at the parking lot when suddenly Marcia realized that she had left her phone in the toy store. Hopefully the manager would be nice enough to keep it for her. Of course he would, he seemed like a nice old man too.
  "Okay, I'll retrieve my phone and after that, we'll be stopping at Starbucks okay? Wait for me here," she said to me.
  "No problem. Be quick okay? I'm hungry," I replied.
  "Okay. I'll be back soon"
  She ran into the mall and went to the toy store. I was left alone outside of the mall. It wasn't that hot. It was cloudy on that day. Lucky me or I'd be burned by the sun. I had waited for Marcia for ten minutes and she hadn't showed up. Damn! I was starving! Where was she? Had some chit chat with the store manager? I searched into my handbag and produced my phone. I called her and she picked up and said that she would reach me soon.

  Obliviously, someone was standing right behind me while I was on the phone with Marcia! Suddenly, I felt something was being pressed on my backbone. "Don't scream" It was a man. He was pointing a gun at me! I was feeling so scared but I must not show my fear to him. I must calmly negotiate with him. "Okay, I will cooperate. I'll give you my money, my phone, just please don't kill me okay?" He silenced and was still pointing the gun at my back. I was trying not to scream because he had warned me. He had been quiet for awhile and I was wondering what he was waiting for. "I don't need your money. Don't scream" What did he want with me then!? I was terrified when he said that he didn't want my money. Tears were rolling down my cheeks and I was completely engulfed by my fear. "Please don't hurt me, please? I'm begging you. I'll do whatever you want me to, okay?" Suddenly, I heard someone was calling my name at the entrance of the mall. It was Marcia.
  "Annette? Annette!" she yelled.
  "Help me!! Marcia help me!!"
  Suddenly, the man produced a white cloth and put it on my face. It was chloroform. I was struggling to escape, but he was embracing me strongly. I could hear that Marcia was shouting my name over and over again and cried for help. She couldn't do much of everything because she was terrified too. Slowly, I lost my consciousness and passed out. Marcia's voice had faded away and I couldn't see anything. And after that, I couldn't remember a thing. What would happen to me? Would I die that day? Would I be raped by the man? God knows. All I could do was praying, even though I was unconscious. I was praying to God that he wouldn't hurt me.

                                                         -TO BE CONTINUED-

A Demon's Child - Part 10 (Season Finale)

  After the gruesome incident at McKinley warehouse, Ellie and Flint had been rained by questions, interviews and tabloids. They couldn't live in peace. Everyone was asking them preposterous questions about the vicious murders and making defamations about them. The news were telling stories about them, every single thing was absolutely bashing them.
  "...gruesome murders that had been reported lately..."
  "...involving two students of McKinley High..."
  "...only suspects..."
  "...telling such a fairytale story about a demon..."
  "...a monster that murdered everybody..."
  "...assumed that they are on drugs..."
  "...absurd hallucination about a monster..."
  "..insolent children telling horrific story..."
  They couldn't live with it anymore. Those were just the news flash. Everyday they could see their names in local newspaper, making false conclusions about them. "DEMON HUNTERS ON DRUGS", "STUDENTS MURDERED PRINCIPAL", "AN UNBELIEVABLY FOOLISH FACT". Why couldn't they let Ellie and Flint live in peace? They had been through a lot of things and were saving the town, but was this how they repay for what Ellie and Flint had done? People were being cruel to them. So they had to move on.

  Ellie sat on the sofa, watching a news about her. She was feeling massively disappointed with the citizens of McKinley. For what she had accomplished, this was the prize for her. She knew that her life wouldn't be the same again. People would keep on ambushing her with absurd questions. That would take her sanity away, she could become crazy. When she returned to school, everyone was looking at her like she was a corrupted child who had use so many drugs and was hallucinating about the demon. She knew she was sober, even the blood test had proven that she was squeaky clean from drugs. She never touched them before. But what could she do? No one believed in her anymore. For them, Ellie was an unfortunate child.

  Flint thought it was time for him to move on. He had to protect Ellie from the citizens of McKinley. For all he cared about, Ellie must live in happiness. However, he knew that he wasn't doing a great job. Ellie always on the phone with him, almost everyday, crying about her new life. Flint couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to live with Ellie in happiness. Ellie had always been mocked and insulted by the bullies at school, and for the sake of Ellie, he fought with them, but he was the one that brought bruises back home. Ellie was touched to see Flint was willing to sacrifice himself for her. However, SHE couldn't watch him being tortured everyday.

  Detective Stone and Flint's grandparents had discuss about their problem and they had decided to move them away from McKinley, where it would be safe and peaceful. However, Ellie and Flint didn't agree with the plan. Ellie fought with her father because she didn't want to move away from Flint. She knew that she would be separated from Flint and only God knows when they would be meeting again. It was the same for Flint. His grandparents decided to give him away to a priest who they knew very well in New York. His late adopted mother was a nun, so they thought it would be better if Flint lived with a priest. At first, Flint refused, but to think again, Flint knew if they were separated, Ellie would get her life back and she would be happy. He knew that Ellie wouldn't have the heart to leave him and probably would be miserable without him, but he wanted her to be in peace from the people of McKinley. He decided to go on with his grandparents's plan.
  "You can't just go away, and act like this never happened before!" yelled Ellie at Flint.
  "Ellie! Listen! I can't stand from hearing and watching you cry almost everyday! And I can't let you be in sorrow! So I had to, Ellie! It is the only way that we can escape this," said Flint.
  "What? You think I'm not gonna suffer when you're gone? Like I'm not gonna be in sorrow when you're not there with me?"
  "At least you can live in peace! There's no other people who look at you like a crazy person! I don't want that to happen to you and I don't want this 'thing' to continue! We have to move away, Ellie. That's the best solution"
  "Then what happen if we don't see each other again? Sit there and live in peace?"
  "We will. We need to be patient until the day we'll see each other again. And I promise to you, I will wait for that day"
  Ellie couldn't hold her sadness. She hugged Flint and cried sorrowfully. She didn't have a heart to leave Flint. She needed Flint to be with her. "Don't worry, Ellie. We'll be together again, and I'm very sure after we do, we'll be happy again. But right now we have to sacrifice for each other. And I don't want to see you cry again. Promise to me that you wont cry again, okay?" said Flint coaxingly. Ellie nodded but her face was soaked in tears. Flint was right. They would be seeing each other again. All they need to do was to wait for that day.

  At the railway station, Det.Woods, Det.Stone, Ellie and Flint was waiting for the train patiently. The station was crowded with people, some of them were going to work and maybe some of them were going on a trip, but she doubt any of those people were escaping from tabloids except her and Flint. Suddenly, Det.Stone and Det.Woods took out a present for each of them. It was wrapped in a shiny wrapper and was dark blue and was kind of small as a size of a purse or a wallet. They thought it was a purse or a wallet.
  "Here, we have something for you before you go," said Det.Woods.
  "We thought you might need it now," said Det.Stone.
  "Thank you," said Ellie and Flint together.
  Ellie and Flint took their presents and were about to put it inside their travelling bags, but suddenly were stopped by both of the detectives.
  "Wait! Don't you want to know what's inside?" said Det.Stone.
  "We can open it when we have arrived," said Flint.
  "No! You have to get it opened now! You'll regret it if you don't," said Det.Woods.
  Ellie and Flint unwrapped the wrapper and produced a box which had a picture of a digital camera on it. It was a digital camera, obviously. They were surprised to see it and took out the camera from the box immediately. Ellie's was silver coloured and Flint's was dark blue. They were right, they needed it right at that moment.
  "We thought that you might want to take pictures of each other, so we bought you these," said Det.Woods.
  "Thank you! Thank you Olivia! Thank you dad!" said Ellie cheerfully.
  "How are we going to make it up to you?" said Flint merrily.
  "Get that thing fired up and keep on taking pictures!" said Det.Stone happily. "It has been loaded with batteries so you don't have to trouble yourself from buying the batteries here," he continued.
  Ellie and Flint turned on their cameras and viewed the surrounding on the LCD screen of the camera. It was absolutely clear and very sharp. Must be very expensive, they thought.
  "Hey Flint! Smile!" said Ellie. Flint stood stationary while pointing at his new camera and smiled sweetly. Ellie clicked on the button as soon as she got a better view of Flint.
  "Your turn," said Flint. Just like Flint, Ellie posed cutely with her new camera and smiled beautifully.
  Det.Stone and Det.Woods giggled as they watched the kids's act. Suddenly, an announcement was made, saying that a train to New York was arriving. Flint heard the announcement and suddenly, his mood changed.
  "Um? Ellie... That's my ride. I have to get across that bridge," said Flint.
  "Uh? Yeah sure. I'll see you later, okay Flint?" said Ellie calmly.
  "Yeah. You too Ellie. Good luck with your life"
  Ellie nodded. Every single cell in her body was telling her to not let Flint go off from her sight. However, she fought it. She had to let him go on with his life. She was confused, her heart beat was beating faster and she couldn't control her emotion, but she promised to Flint that she wouldn't cry again. She was biting her nail nervously. Flint was about to step on the stair of the bridge to get across. She stood there stationary and watched him from afar. "Flint!" screamed Ellie. Flint turned around and saw Ellie was running towards him. As soon as she reached him, she hugged him tightly and kissed him on the lips. Flint held her cheeks and locked his lips on Ellie's. It was both beautiful and saddest moment of their lives.

  Ellie let go of his face and stared at him in the eyes, so was Flint. Her heart beat was suddenly slowing down and she had fulfilled her wish. She smiled and continued to hug Flint tightly. "I love you, Flint, and I always do," said Ellie emotionally. Flint caressed her hair and touched her fluffy cheeks again. "I love you too, Ellie, and I always do," replied Flint romantically. They let go off each other. Flint gave Ellie a quick and final smooch and stared into her beautiful eyes once again. It was time for him to leave her. He went up the bridge and had crossed to the other side of the station. He waved at Ellie and Ellie replied him with a swift wave.

  Suddenly, her mind was playing all of her memories with Flint like videos on YouTube. The time she looked at Flint at the first time they met, the time she put her hand on Flint's hand in the cafe, the time he hugged her, the time he calmed her down at her house, the time he carried her on his back and much much more. It was absolutely beautiful and the most happiest moment in her life. She had found her one true love. Flint's train had arrived and he entered the train and sat near the window to look at Ellie for the final time. He put his hand on the window, and Ellie could see his sorrow. She wanted to faint, she wanted to die. She couldn't live without Flint. But she had to, for Flint and for herself. A minute had passed and the train had moved, inches by inches and finally sped up. Her eyes followed the train, looking at Flint until the train had disappeared from her sight. She dropped a single tear but she couldn't cry, feeling sad was enough. There was no need to cry. It was not the end, it was more like an ending of an episode. Another episode was awaiting and she hoped that one of them was an episode which she would be meeting Flint again. Flint had gone, but not forever. They would see each other again. They'd promised.

  4 years later, Ellie was 20 and was walking in her 5-inches heels on the street of New York. She worked there now. She was working as a secretary in a modelling agency. She was on the phone with her boss, asking her about the progress of the new upcoming modelling show in Los Angeles. She had given so many ideas to her boss, and her boss was impressed with her enthusiastic ideas. She then went into a yellow taxi, which was waiting for passenger. "6th Avenue please?" said Ellie to the taxi driver. The taxi driver nodded and started driving. "Okay, Mr.Luther. Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do sir. Okay sir. Good day sir," said Ellie. She then lay her head on the window, looking outside. Then, she looked into her Gucci handbag and produced a camera. She switched it on and looked at the picture of someone she loved so much. Flint Gordon, 4 years ago. She smiled alone and wished that she would meet him again.

  Flint was eating his sandwich in Beau goût, a French cafe. He was wearing a hooded jacket and a pair of light blue jeans. His hair was long and a face that hadn't been shaved for a while. Even though he sounded messy, he was loaded with money. If he wasn't he wouldn't be sitting in a French cafe. He looked into his jacket's pocket and took out a camera. He turned it on and browsed through pictures and finally stared at Ellie's picture. He smiled and hoped that they would meet again someday. He glanced at his wristwatch and it showed 3pm. "My God! I'm late!" he said. He went to the cashier and paid for his quick lunch. He then waited for a taxi but strangely, there was no taxi in sight. Suddenly, there was a taxi showed up from the corner and was approaching him. "Taxi!" he summoned. He noticed that there was a lady in the taxi, and he knew that the taxi wouldn't stop. Unexpectedly, it stopped, and the lady went out from the taxi while looking at her camera. Quickly, he held the door and accidentally knocked the lady's camera off from her grip. The camera made a snapping sound from the fall. Without looking, he apologized.
  "I'm so sorry! I'm very late!" said Flint.
  "It's okay. It's okay" said the lady.
  Flint went into the taxi and asked the driver to take him to the Central Park. They went off as soon as he told the driver his destination.

  Ellie was picking up her camera because a guy just knocked it off as soon as she dismounted from the taxi. She examined her camera, worried that it might be busted from the fall. She noticed that the camera accidentally snapped a picture of the guy who had ran into her. At first, she wanted to delete that anonymous picture, but suddenly... She recognized the man. She looked for the taxi, but it was no longer in sight. It had disappeared. "Flint..." she said slowly. It was Flint. She had bumped into him. So close for them to see each other again. However, she wasn't feeling worried. They might see each other again. Both of them lived in New York. They will meet again. One day...

                                                                   -THE END-

A Demon's Child - Part 9

  The final battle had begun, it was the moment that they had been waiting for. Unfortunately, they didn't plan the strategy that much. So they had to do everything that they could to kill the monster. They looked at each other, eagerly, wanting for this final battle to be ended sooner. They couldn't be possibly waiting even for a minute anymore, they couldn't waste any time. Now it was the time, to finish the evil.
  "Hide! You go there! And I will hide behind that forklift," commanded Flint.
  "Okay," said Ellie while running to the boxes.
  "And Ellie?"
  "Yes?"
  "Good luck..."
  "...You too Flint"
  Flint nodded. He ran and hid behind the forklift. There was a sound of footsteps outside. The demon must be on foot before started climbing again and leaping like a frog. They must be ready for this.

  The footsteps were closing in. They could hear that the footsteps were getting closer, and louder, and finally, stopped in front of the door where they went through before. Ellie was scared to see the demon's face again. At first, she noticed that she didn't breathe right. She must calm down and be brave. Like Flint told her in her dream. Wait a minute, Flint! She remembered that she shouldn't be afraid. She HAD to be brave. She had nothing to be scared of, knowing that Flint would always be there for her. And now, look at him, risking his own life to kill the demon with her. She shouldn't be afraid. Not now, and never again. She saw his determination to protect her from anything. That was why, she fell in love with him, her one true love. Remembering that made her fear to be flown away. She was no longer afraid of the demon.

  The front door creaked, something was going inside. Suddenly, Ellie stood up and walked away from her hiding spot and went in front of the door, just some feet away. "Ellie! What the hell are you doing!?" hissed Flint. Ellie ignored him. She was determined to kill the demon, not wanting to let it live even for a second. She knew that they were lacking of strategy and she knew she was doing something that was plain stupid, but she didn't care. She wanted it to stop. Flint, her father, and Judith had protected her. Now it was the time for her to protect herself and others.

  The door was slowly opened, making Ellie feeling so nervous because of the suspense. "Come on, bitch! Show yourself!" hissed Ellie. Flint was feeling worried about Ellie and he was confused, wondering what she was doing over there? Was she trying to kill herself? Or was she giving up already? By the look of her face, she wasn't surrendering. She was being brave and determined to kill the demon. He had to join her. He couldn't just sit there and let his girlfriend being killed. The door was fully opened, it was dark outside, they didn't see anything outside, leaving a great suspense in that warehouse. Suddenly, a man showed up with his gun was being drawn, followed by his woman partner. It was Det.Stone and Det.Woods.
  "DAD!? What the hell are you doing here!?" exclaimed Ellie.
  "ELLIE!? What the hell are YOU doing here!?" yelled Det.Stone.
  "I was going to fight a demon, which is probably on its way here right now, and I was expecting IT not YOU!"
  "A demon? What the crap are you talking about?"
  "See? See?? This is why I go alone with Flint, because we believe that there is something out there chasing us! But you didn't! You didn't believe even though I told you since Mr.William's incident!"
  Leaving Det.Stone and her daughter to quarrel, Det.Woods went to Flint to examine his status. "Are you okay?" said Det.Woods. Flint was focusing on their debate but was startled when Det.Woods asked him a question.
  "Um? I'm okay," replied Flint.
  "Are you hurt? What about your hand there?"
  "Yes, it's okay. I'm fine. Thank you"
  Det.Stone and Ellie were still quarreling. Seemed like none of them was giving up. Both of them wanted to win the debate.
  "Do you know that you are in a biggest trouble?" said Det.Stone.
  "The biggest trouble about this is that people don't believe in us! They should have seen it by themselves! But no, they think they are matured enough to believe at something crappy like this just like you did to me! I was almost murdered by it and now you're saying that you still don't believe me?" explained Ellie.
  "I'm struggling to save you from all those charges but you still pissing off with me? Well thank you Miss Appreciate!"
  "Ah! You should appreciate me more 'cause I am now going to stop that demon from murdering innocent people again! And now you're saying that I'm not appreciating what you're doing to me?"
  "Yes! You don't! I've been investigating about this whole massive carnage and I, myself, don't believe that it was a wolf which could do all this terrible thing!" Det.Stone took out some pictures in his jacket "See? I told you I'm investigating to save you!"
  Ellie observed one of the pictures thoroughly. She seemed interested with the picture. It was a picture of a body in a pub. However, she wasn't interested with the body, she was interested with what lay next to the body. It was shiny and made from pure steel. It was a necklace, which had emerald letters attached to it. The letters were 'JM'. She recognized that necklace instantly.
  "This... necklace... I know this necklace," whispered Ellie to herself.
  "I beg your pardon?" said Det.Stone.
  She had realized something. She knew instantly who was the human form of the demon. However, she couldn't believe with what she was seeing and thinking. However, she had to believe it because there was no time of denying.

  "STONE!!" screamed Det.Woods. Det.Stone and Ellie looked at Det.Woods. She seemed amazed by something because her eyes were bulging and her mouth was partially opened. Flint was pulling her hand just to take her away from there. She was pointing outside of the warehouse. And there it was. The demon was standing gallantly outside of the door with its tongue sticking out of its mouth. Det.Stone slowly put his hand on the holster, to take out his gun. He did that slowly just to make sure that he wouldn't astonish the monster. But the monster had crouched. It was getting ready to leap, maybe would take Det.Stone down first.
  "Run, Ellie," whispered Det.Stone.
  "What? I can't...!" said Ellie.
  "Run, Ellie! Run now!" screamed Det.Stone.
  All four of them started running. The demon was leaping faster than before, its movement made it almost invisible. It was too fast. Ellie knew what she had to do, but she was waiting for the right moment. The monster knocked down Det.Stone, forced him to be thrown on the wall. The monster had spread its claws and leapt toward him. With all the agility and skills, Det.Stone evaded and performed a counter-attack. He had kicked the monster out of his way and the monster was barely moved because its body was harden and heavy. Det.Stone couldn't believe that his kick couldn't hurt the monster. If the demon was a human, it would be smiling at him now. The demon used its huge paw to bash Det.Stone on his head, throwing him again into one of the boxes. It was about to finish him but suddenly there was a gun shot. Det.Woods shot the monster at the back of its shoulder. The monster turned around and stared at her. She continued to shoot at the demon which was twice her height and her size. It seemed that the monster couldn't be weaken by shooting at it. It was approaching Det.Woods with its spreading claws.

  Suddenly, the monster stopped, glaring at Det.Woods eyes which were filled with fears. Det.Woods couldn't move at that moment. The only thing she could do was staring at the demon. The demon raised its claw to kill Det.Woods. "Woohoo!! Yippekayyay!" It was Flint. He was driving a forklift with a single hand and was speeding towards the demon. He ran over the demon and slammed the demon into the wall. The demon was stuck and suddenly remained silenced. Flint immediately ran away after he ran over the demon. Det.Woods went to Det.Stone and helped him to get him on his feet. He was kind of dizzy from the hit.
  "Are you okay?"
  "Yeah, quite woozy," said Det.Stone while shaking his head.
  "Come on. We better make up of something to stop it"
  She brought him away from the demon, hoping that they would have time before the demon hunts them again.

  Ellie was inside a file room which had so many racks. She walked around to find something that could burn those alcohols in the boxes. Suddenly she heard a cry. A cry for help. "Help! Help I'm hurt!" the voice was coming from behind the rack. She searched for the voice and found Flint was bleeding badly on his stomach.
  "Oh my God, Flint! Are you alright!?" said Ellie.
  "Please! It hurts Ellie!"
  "Don't worry Flint! I'll get you out of here!"
  Ellie brought Flint out from the file room and head towards the storage room. She could use alcohols as pain killer for Flint. However as soon as she arrived at the storage room, she was terribly in shock to see Flint was running towards her. "Ellie! That's not me!" yelled Flint from afar. Then who was the one she was holding? She looked at the other Flint, and that was not Flint at all. It transformed once again into a demon. She dropped it and it was creaking and snapping like it was having a hard time to re-transform into a demon.
  "Come on! I know what to do!" said Ellie.
  "Get on those boxes!" commanded Flint.
  They climbed on those boxes until they reached the top. She knew what to do. And it was her only chance to kill the demon before the demon undergoes another metamorphosis. She remembered what the article said. Once the demon had grown a pair of wings, it would be too late to kill it. She must hurry before it's too late.

  Det.Stone and Det.Woods were waiting for the demon to show up again. This time they had their guns loaded. Maybe it didn't work before because only Det.Woods was shooting it alone. Now, they wanted to try shooting it together. The demon was searching for Ellie and Flint after finishing its transformation. It cancelled its plan after seeing Det.Stone and Det.Woods were waiting for it. It was coming closer to them. "Now!" yelled Det.Stone. Both of them started firing and those gun shots had echoed all over the place. However, it seemed that their plan didn't work. The demon kept on approaching and it couldn't be weaken by shooting it. "Damn it, Stone! It didn't work!" yelled Det.Woods while shooting. Up ahead, Ellie and Flint was waiting for the right moment for the monster to stand on the right spot. "Dad! Save a bullet! I need to use it!" yelled Ellie from above. Her father nodded. Flint and Ellie looked at each other and nodded to give a signal that it was time to drop off the load. "Push!" said Flint. They pushed the alcohol boxes from above and hit the monster below. They pushed another boxes which contained stuffed animals and electronic devices and crashed onto the monster once again. They climbed off the boxes and Ellie asked for his father's gun. "I know what to do dad. And it's time to finish all of this madness," said Ellie. Her father gave her his gun, putting Faith on his daughter.

  Ellie went closer to the rubble, which the demon lay underneath it. Alcohol sprayed and flowed on the floor, stuffed animals all over the place and electronic devices crushed and busted on the floor. Suddenly, the rubble moved, the monster re-appeared and had hurt badly from the damage. It was soaked in alcohol. The demon glared at Ellie angrily, like it was so desperate to kill her. Ellie glared at it too with a vicious expression. She pointed the gun at the demon. She must end this once and for all. "I know who you are. You have deceived me, lied to me, and made my life like hell. I know where did you come from, son of The Unnamed Demon. Now, it's time for you to go back to Hell," said Ellie. Suddenly she burst into tears "How could you!? I trusted you! I was there when you had problems! And as a payment, you make me feel miserable!?" The demon was speechless, it didn't make any roar or growl. Everyone was confused. Ellie could talk nicely to a demon? It was like she was motivating it. Ellie wiped her tears off of her face. "I'm so sorry. But I have to do this. For the sake of innocent people. And the ones you had killed. You must pay for what you've done" Silence, there was nothing to be heard. The demon had stopped from moving and Ellie was shaking and was nervous. "Judith Merriman!" screamed Ellie at the top of her lung. The demon roared and held its head after hearing its human's name. So it was Judith! To think back, it was rational. Judith knew about Mr.William's death while the other students knew about it a day later. And her body was never found when the demon had entered Ellie's house. Finally, her necklace was lying next to a dead body in the pub where Ellie and Flint was seeking for help. It was no coincidence.
  BANG ! ! !
  She had pulled the trigger. Once the bullet had hit the demon, flame was engulfing it. Everyone could smell the burning flesh. The demon roared and was struggling to get the fire extinguished. However, there was nothing it could do. It kept on burning until it lay still and died. It was over. It was finally over. Ellie closed her eyes and felt relieved. Flint went to Ellie and hugged her. Ellie cried on his chest and he watched the demon burned. He couldn't believe that demon was Judith too. But it was too late for denial. All of their hardwork, had finally paid off.

                                                          -TO BE CONTINUED-

A Demon's Child - Part 8

  Nurse Carson was a male nurse and was checking on a patient's status at the reception post. He examined it thoroughly and was on his way to the patient's ward. According to the status, the patient was recovering and didn't have to stay in the hospital any longer. He was going to announce it to the patient. However when he arrived at ward A-114, there was no one there. The bed had been made and it was tidy. "What the hell? Where is this Flint Gordon?". He entered the room to observe it and check if the patient was in the toilet.

  Tap! Tap! Tap!

  "Mr.Flint Gordon? Are you in there?" said the nurse. There was no answer. The toilet's door was not locked so he opened it and saw the toilet was still squeaky clean. He felt so strange. There was a cafeteria at the ground level but no one could ever go out from that level without a nurse's permission and supervision. He was a head nurse on that floor so he should know where the patient's whereabout.

  "Nurse Carson," a voice startled him from behind. He turned around and saw a girl with brown hair and green eyes. She had a bandage on her head and both of her palms. She was looking at him blankly.

  "Oh! Ellie Stone! Um? Do you know where Flint Gordon is? Your friend?" said Nurse Carson.

  "He must be wandering around, finding some fresh air"

  "But he needs to tell me first. If not I'll be dead!" said Nurse Carson.

  "That's okay. Flint wont leave me alone," said Ellie while closing the ward's door.

  Nurse Carson was confused to see Ellie's act. Was it necessarily to close the door? "Um? Why are you closing the door?" he asked.

  Ellie was closing in while strutting seductively towards Nurse Carson. "Oh, nothing important. Just want have a private time with you," said Ellie while getting her hand into Nurse Carson's uniform, touching his bare chest.

  "What are you doing?" asked Nurse Carson nervously.

  "Nothing. I'm just wanna smell your perfume," replied Ellie flirtatiously while digging her nose into Nurse Carson's neck.

  Nurse Carson felt the warmth of Ellie's breath. The he realized he couldn't go on with a patient. That would make him living on a street with a bowl in his hands. So he grabbed Ellie's hand and tossed it away from his chest.

  "Look you can't do this. I have something important to do. Now tell me again, where is Flint Gordon?" said Nurse Carson angrily.

  "Aww. Nurse Carson doesn't want to play with me? That's too bad"

  "You're wasting my time. I'll search for him by myself" He was approaching the door and was about to leave the ward. Suddenly, he felt that he was bound to something. Something was pulling him away from the door. It was a tongue and it had wrapped thickly around his neck. He couldn't breathe and barely had a voice to scream for help. The tongue forced him to look around and he saw Ellie Stone with a grim face while letting her tongue out to wrap his neck. Ellie lifted him into the air with her own tongue. Nurse Carson's mouth was widely opened, desperate for air, dying for help. For the last time, Nurse Carson saw that Ellie's eyes were changing colour into evil yellow.

  CRACK ! !

  His neck bone had been twisted and killed him immediately. Then, Ellie slammed his body onto the ground, making his other bones to snap like twigs. The tongue that had wrapped his neck was returning into her mouth. "I had so much fun playing with you, Nurse Carson. See you in Hell," said Ellie grimly.

  Detective Stone and Detective Woods were in the car, on their way to the hospital. Det.Stone was holding a  bag of Big Macs and French fries to give to Ellie and Flint in the hospital. Ellie loved Big Mac since she was little. Det.Stone remembered when Ellie cried because a dog stole her Big Mac and he had to buy another one for her. That was when Ellie was at age 7.

  "Harold? Is there something on your mind?" asked Det.Woods.

  "Oh, nothing. I just remembered that Ellie cried to me just because a dog stole her sandwich. She was 7," said Det.Stone.

  "Look at her now. Grown up and beautiful. You've done a great job raising her without Sherry, Harold. You're a great father"

  "She looks a lot like Sherry, Olivia. When I look at her face... I don't know. I think I'm looking at Sherry and I don't want to lose her. Never"

  "Don't worry Harold. We'll take care of her okay?"

  "Yeah, we better do. Oh God now I'm hating the chief. How could he?"

  "Don't worry about him. We'll take care of him. After all, we've been a great team since you and Sherry were dating back in the 90's. Such a..." she stopped as soon as she saw 2 police cars in front of the hospital and some of the men were wearing FBI jackets. "FBI? What the hell?" said Det.Woods.

  As soon as Det.Woods and Det.Stone arrived at the parking, they went out from the car and walked towards the FBI to ask why they were there.

  "I'm Detective Stone and this is Detective Woods. What the hell happened here?" said Det.Stone while flashing his card.

  "I'm not quite sure. They said one of the nurse has been killed in a ward. His neck was twisted. And there is a report saying that 2 of the patients had escaped from the hospital," said one of the FBI.

  "What!? Where is the location that the body was found?"

  "In ward A-114. We believe that the patient killed the nurse to escape. They had escaped by a 1994 Honda Civic which had been reported missing"

  "Ward A-114!?" That was where Flint was treated! And next to it was A-113, Ellie's ward!

  Det.Stone and Det.Woods rushed into the hospital and went to the reception post and met a nurse.

  "Det.Stone and Det.Woods. Can you show us the visual of the patients who had escaped?" said Det.Stone.

  "Yes, sure. Here you go," said the nurse kindly.

  Det.Stone observed the visual which showing the parking lot and he saw a 1994 Honda Civic was parked near the bushes. A minute after that, Ellie and Flint showed up on the screen. That was their biggest mistake ever. They forgot about the CCTV. "Oh Ellie. What have you done?"

  Ellie and Flint had just got out from the library and was on their way back to the Midnight Light Motel to get the car to run away again. They were discussing the plan to get the monster killed but somehow none of it was making a sense. The only problem was, they didn't know who was the demon's child. If they could get the name, it'd be easier. To burn the demon it would be so difficult because the demon was so agile. They could be killed before burning the demon. So they had to get the name to slow it down and burn it afterwards. They walked next to the electronic shop where TVs were displayed behind the glass. Suddenly, Ellie noticed that the TV was broadcasting a news.

  "Flint, wait," said Ellie.

  "What is it?" asked Flint.

  ...two of the McKinley Hospital patients have killed a nurse and escaped from the building. It is believed that they have escaped by using a 1994 Honda Civic. They are Ellie Stone and Flint Gordon, which are also the students of McKinley High. They were also spotted when their headmaster, Doug William had been killed brutally that evening...

  "Oh my God, Flint! That's us! We didn't kill that nurse!?" exclaimed Ellie.

  "We didn't! The demon did! It had tracked us down! That's great!" said Flint in excitement.

  "What do you mean by 'great'!? We are in the most wanted list right now!"

  "No! That will make our job easy now! But we must make a plan. That demon is coming to us now. In any time it will appear again. We must get ready for the final battle Ellie! It's our final hope to save all the people in this town!" explained Flint.

  "But..."

  "There's no 'but' Ellie. We almost there! Whether kill or be killed. But we have to go on foot by now. They have known about the car. The article said that the demon loves to live in a jungle. Do you know a jungle nearby here?"

  "Yes I do and I think I know where is the demon's nest is. There is an abandoned warehouse in that jungle. If it is not, then it is okay. The demon will soon track us and find us. That will give us time to make a plan to kill it"

  "Great! Show me the way and we'll make a plan on the way there, okay?" said Flint.

  They started walking and continued to plan a strategy. As soon as the walked by, the cashier from that electronic shop had peeked on them and made a call.

  "911 Emergency. How may I help you?"

  "I think I found the escapees of McKinley Hospital. They were standing right in front of my store"

  It was already night and Ellie was so hungry and tired from walking. She knew that they couldn't arrive in time if they walked. They need a transport. Ellie was squeezing her stomach with her hand. Flint was hungry too but he didn't show it in front of Ellie. He was shy. Both of them were exhausted but they couldn't waste a minute because they knew if they were a minute late, it'll be over for them and the citizens of McKinley. They had to get going.

  "Flint, I'm hungry. I've never been this starving before. My stomach hurts," said Ellie.

  "Hold on Ellie. I'm hungry too," persuaded Flint while putting his hand around Ellie.
  They kept on walking, exhaustedly. They couldn't do anything about it. They were in the middle of nowhere. However, they could see a jungle not from there. They just need to walk a little bit more, and probably hold on a little longer.
  "Ergh! I can't hold on Flint! My stomach hurts so badly!"
  Flint didn't know what to do. He couldn't let Ellie in pain. He felt sorry for her. She had gone through a lot of things. Just like him. He had an idea but he must withstand his pain.
  "Here, hop on my back," said Flint while ducking in front of Ellie.
  "What? No! Your hand! It'll be painful!" said Ellie worriedly.
  "You don't have to worry. I don't feel pain anymore. Not with you. Come on! Hop on! It'll be fun, Ellie!"
  Ellie was worried about his hand. But seeing him offering her to hop on his back was kind of sweet, she thought. For her, Flint was her true love, sacrificing himself for her happiness. "O... Okay." She climbed on his back and he continued to walk. "I can only hold your left leg 'cause, you know? My other hand is busted. Haha!" he said while laughing. Ellie smiled when she heard that Flint was laughing. He had a funny laugh. Ellie put her head on Flint's shoulder and whispered to him "Thank you Flint". Flint was so happy to hear that. At least that was what he could do to help Ellie at the moment. "Anything for you," said Flint. Ellie fell asleep on his shoulder. "Ellie?" whispered Flint. Ellie didn't answer as she were already asleep. Flint knew that she was exhausted. He smiled and whispered "Sleep well Ellie." He could feel her heart beat from his back. Slow and steady. He thanked to God that He had introduced him to Ellie. He remembered when he was asking her out, then Ellie held his hand, when they almost kissed at Ellie's house. It was a remarkable moment.

  He stared into the jungle. Dark and scary. There was a road in the jungle. It must be leading to the warehouse, just like Ellie told him. He went into the jungle, not knowing the danger that was awaiting him in there. He could hear the sound of an owl and crickets. It was pitch dark, the only thing that shone in the darkness was moonlight and fireflies. So he could see the road, but it was unclear. He could see a huge figure ahead of him, a building. Must be the warehouse. He kept on walking but slowly because he afraid that Ellie might be slipping off of him. However, it was a little too late to be worried. She had already awaken.
  "Flint, where are we?" asked Ellie sleepily.
  "Oh Ellie, you're awake. I'm in the jungle. Do you see the huge shadow there?" said Flint.
  Ellie was scrubbing her eyes, then she looked at the shadow that Flint had mentioned about. "What is that?"
  "We're here Ellie. That's the warehouse"
  "What? Drop me off here"
  "Why? Just a bit more"
  "No. You've been carrying me for so long. It's okay. I can walk from now on"
  Flint bowed down and Ellie dismounted from his back and repaired the crumples on her shirt. They continued to walk towards the warehouse. It was not far. Just a couple of steps left.

  It was huge. They stared at the warehouse for a minute. Not knowing what should they do now. Ellie tried to open the warehouse's door but it was locked from inside. Flint assumed that the door must be rusty. So maybe he could help with the door. "Ellie, stay back," said Flint. Then, he kicked on the door and the banging sound echoed through the forest. He kicked it continuously and the door produced a cracking sound. Suddenly, it was widely opened with a bang as the door hit the wall. Dust rained down on the floor and the warehouse was pitch dark. They couldn't see anything in there. So how they could find a switch to switch on the light? "Should we get in?" said Ellie. Should they?

  Flint looked around for power box and he saw one on the right. "Ellie! Follow me," said Flint. He went to the power box and opened it. There was a lever inside the box. He assumed that the lever was for the light. He lowered down the lever and he was right. The warehouse seemed to be alive and roaring for power. The light had shone the darkness inside the warehouse. "It worked!" said Ellie. "Lets go inside," she continued. Inside was huger than they thought, but filled with boxes and barrels. They went inside and observe the place thoroughly. The boxes are 10 years older than them, containing alcohol bottle and toys and electronic devices which were very old. She was wondering, how could the power can be turned on when the place was much older than they thought? It must be the power saver, she thought. Suddenly, they heard a roar outside. But it sounded different than before. It was coming from outside the jungle, the road which they had gone through before entering the jungle.
  "Did you hear that?" said Flint.
  "Clearly. Flint? I'm scared," said Ellie. Flint grabbed Ellie's hand and squeezed it just to make her feel calm.
  "It's okay. We'll make through this"
  They were awaiting for the monster to enter the warehouse, praying to God that He would give them strength to fight this demon. They were scared but they must withstand it. It was up to them now. The fate of mankind is in their hands.

  The final battle has begun. Who will win this battle? It was a battle between Humans and a Demon.

                                                           -TO BE CONTINUED-