The call
1346 Words
Leila’s POV
I could have swore I heard wrongly, for a second my whole life flashed right in my eyes. I couldn’t seem to place a finger on the event that just unfolded. My life was crumbling right there and now.
I had just finished long hours of surgery when I retired to the doctor's corner to take a quick nap before getting back to work. My fingers ached so badly, I silently wished they could be replaced with brand new ones. Then my phone rang, it was my mother. I hadn’t had time to reach out to her since the start of the day as work had been really hectic.
She does this all the time, checking up on me at every given opportunity like I was a child that couldn’t look after myself.
“I’m so sorry mum, I ought to have called but work had been a lot today just…”
I was interrupted by her trembling voice.
“Leila, listen to me. Wherever you are, I need you to go into hiding. Go somewhere far, far away from here.”
“What do you mean mum? Are you alright? What is going on?”
“They found me, they already broke into the house. It’s only a matter of time before they find you. Please Leila, run. I beg you.”
“They broke into the house? Who are they? Mum please, you are driving me crazy. You know what, hang in there, I will be on my way home and I’m calling the police right away.”
“No, please don’t come home. This is beyond the police. I’m sorry I kept you in the dark all this while but all your answers are inside locker 317, at the central station.”
“Answers? What the hell are you saying?”
I stood abruptly. At this point, I was already losing my mind.
“I’m sorry Leila, I failed to protect you. Promise me you will be safe. The password to the—”
A sudden loud bang interrupted her. It sounded like a door being forced open.
I couldn't make out what she was saying anymore. Then I heard her scream. “Let go of me!”
“Mum! Mum!” My head spun as chaos erupted from the other end of the line.
“Let go of my mother, please! I will—” The call ended.
For several seconds, I couldn't breathe. The room seemed to tilt beneath me. This wasn't happening. My fingers trembled violently as I redialed her number.
Once, twice, the third time still straight to voicemail. The cold robotic voice on the other end nearly shattered what little composure I had left.
"Please leave a message after the tone." I ended the call immediately. This wasn’t happening, all my life Laurel has been my support system, my best friend. My dad died even before I was born, since then she had shouldered my responsibility alone. I had always swore jokingly that I would willingly die for her if need be. Now, here I was helpless when something terrible was happening to my mother.
Despite my mother’s warning without giving it to much thought, I hurriedly dialed the emergency security number and reported how I just got an alarming call from home, they requested for the home address which I gave them. I grabbed my coat and rushed out of the hospital. “Dr. Moon!” Someone called after me. I ignored them, nothing and no one mattered.
By the time I got to the parking lot, my lungs felt like they were burning out. My pulse hammered against my ears as I sprinted through the parking lot. Rain had started falling, cold droplets struck my face.
My hands were shaking so badly I nearly dropped the keys. Several thoughts clouded my mind but nothing made sense at all, Laurel's screams kept replaying endlessly inside my head as I jumped into my car. The drive home was a blur of red lights, reckless turns and prayers I wasn't even aware I was saying.
Please be okay, Please let me be overreacting. I begged beneath my breath. My mother's voice replayed repeatedly in my mind.
They found me. Go into hiding. A locker and how she had failed to protect me. Protect me from what exactly? And who were they?
Nothing made sense. Laurel Moon wasn't the type to panic. My mother was one to be calm under pressure. In my twenty-five years of existence, I have witnessed her handle very sensitive situations calmly with her head high.
If she sounded terrified, then whatever was happening was real and more could be coming. I finally turned into our street and immediately knew something was wrong.
Several neighbors stood outside their homes. A police vehicle was parked near the driveway. Yellow tape stretched across part of the property.
My heart stopped.
I slammed on the brakes before the car had fully parked and bolted toward the house.
"No!"
The front door hung loosely from its hinges. One side completely splintered.
I rushed inside.
The sight nearly brought me to my knees.
Everything was destroyed, furniture overturned, drawers emptied. Glass shattered across the floor, books ripped apart. Cabinets broken open.
It looked less like a burglary and more like a tornado had specifically chosen our house as its target.
"Mum!" My voice echoed through the devastation.
No answer. I searched every room, but there wasn’t any sign of Laurel. Only destruction. I felt panic tightening around my throat.
But then a scent hit me right in the hallway towards her room. Metallic strong smell of blood and fear. My head snapped, the smell seemed so vivid it was almost tangible as if it were right beside me. For a brief moment I could almost picture what had happened.
Flashes of violence and struggle, then the sensation disappeared as quickly as it came. I pressed a hand against my temple.
What was that? A sharp and intense headache followed immediately. I squeezed my eyes shut.
Not now, not one of my episodes. Footsteps approached behind me.
"Miss Moon?" I turned, trying as much as I could to pull myself together.
A police officer stood nearby holding a notebook.
“I’m officer Ranz, you were the one who put a call across to the emergency unit, right.”
“Yes.” I responded.
"We need you to answer a few questions." I swallowed hard. They asked and I told them how scared she had sounded on the phone and how I heard screams, leaving out the locker and the sensitive part of the conversation. At this point, I didn’t know who or who not to trust.
"Did you find her?" I asked. The officer hesitated, which answered my question.
"No." The word hit harder than I expected.
"We've searched the property. There's no indication of where they may have taken her."
"They?" I asked quickly. "You think she was abducted?" As if the evidence right before me hasn't said it all.
The officer exchanged a glance with his partner. "The scene suggests forced entry. Whoever entered knew what they were doing."
Professionals, the realization chilled me. This wasn't random. They came specifically for her.
"Did the security cameras catch anything?" I asked.
The officer shook his head.
"All disabled."
"Wow! What about fingerprints?" I asked frustrated.
"Nothing useful."
My stomach dropped.
"The neighbors?"
"Nobody saw anything."
The uncertainty in his voice revealed just how unusual the situation was. Almost as if whoever had done this had planned every detail beforehand. I looked around the wreckage once more.
Every answer only created more questions. Who would abduct a commoner? What secret had my mother been hiding? And why had she spent the final moments of our conversation apologizing and asking that I stay safe?
The officers continued their investigation for hours but yet by nightfall they had nothing. No leads, no witnesses.
It was as though Laurel Moon had simply vanished, Eventually the police left. The house fell into absolute silence.
- Writer
