JINX

EPISODE 25

"What's going— how did you get in here!? We could get in trouble if they see us here!" Melissa asks the moment she realizes that the three guys are in a hurry.

"We're getting out of here, Melissa. So how about you save your questions later if you want to be out here alive?" Blake asks sarcastically, not wanting to hear any more questions. For him, it's only a representation of stupidity when she's ostensively watching them in a scramble, with only their minds focused on it and no time to entertain any more questions.

"We're what!?" Melissa and Chris ask in unison as Blake groans in frustration, not wanting the response he got, the same reaction to the movies he has watched in any genre.

"Listen, guys. Can we only do less talking and more moving our butts off because we certainly have no time left?" Blake exclaims, showing signs that he's panicking. Miguel noticed that, making him approach him as he rests his hand on his shoulder.

"Blake?" He asks as he noticed how tense his muscles are.

"Miguel, we don't—" He's about to remind him about hurrying up when he feels a hand rests on his shoulder that made him cur his words. He surprisingly then looks at the hand on top of his shoulder for a few seconds before lifting his gaze to meet Miguel's concerned eyes.

"Breathe. . ." Miguel says as he sincerely returns the gaze into Blake's eyes that shows fear and anxiety. But then, Blake scoffs as he pushes Miguel's hand away.

"I'm breathing, Miguel. Obviously. . . And can we please move now!?" He says and is about to walk into the door when Miguel stops him by resting his hand on his shoulder once again. Chris and Melissa watch from behind as they try to figure out what Miguel's intention is.

"You're panicking, and I want you to please breathe, even just for five seconds."

"What are you—"

"Just please don't argue with me and do as I say. I don't want you feeling anxious with the process the way I feel more worried. You're stronger than you think, and you can handle this. And if there's someone who should be stronger between us, that's you. . . And I can't bear the two of us feeling disturbed. Okay?" Miguel says in one breath. He pauses for a second as he wanted for Blake to process everything he just said.

"Simply breathe for me, Blake. Because I believe in you."

On the other hand, Kyle can see the cell where Ash is staying. She's all alone in there since her roommate Tyler just got baptized after surrendering his identity. Another reason is that, since Ash and Miguel argued earlier, she prefers to stay alone in a cell to the pain she's feeling.

Kyle looks on both sides to check if someone is spying on him. When the coast is clear, he agreed on unlocking the door in the most silent way he could perform. When Kyle hears the ticking sound produced by the padlock and the key, Kyle twists it and exhales in a victory because Kyle managed to open the door without creating an amount of noise enough to disturb anyone. As Kyle pushes the door open, he's about to take a step forward to make himself in when he flinches by the person who decided to talk.

"Did you steal the keys because Mister Miguel told you so? Did she sent you here so you could talk to ms in his regard?"

It was Ash. Although she asked in a very polite and almost fading voice, it is still enough for Kyle to feel the shock. He quickly opens the flashlight and directed it inside in search of Ash.

"Jesus Christ, Ash! You could have at least clear your throat first before talking!" He lectures as he makes himself inside.

"Well, would it make a difference if I clear its throat, or I decided to keep silent and wait for you to use your flashlight and directed it into me?" She asks as she stretches her palm out to cover the ray of light. "And can you please direct that to another direction? It stings the eyes, you know."

"I'm sorry. . ." he says as he directs it lower and marches towards her, still talking. "Maybe there will be, or there won't be changed, but at least, my reaction would be less exaggerated!" Kyle explains as he noticed Ash's dark circles below her eyes.

"And to answer your question, I did come here not only because Miguel sent me, but because we are leaving."

"What do you mean?" Ash asks but then when a small grin starts to form into Kyle's lips, her eyes shine with hope and excitement. "No way. . . For real?" She asks as she quickly jumps out of bed.

"Yes. . . So, how about we get out of here real quick?" And without hesitation, Ash hops on his back as Kyle firmly wraps both of his hands around her thigh to keep them locked into both sides.

As they step out of the cell, Kyle relocks the door as they make their way into the direction where Miguel says they should take. As Kyle rushes his way into the first door, Ash starts to feel that something is wrong.

"Hey, Kyle?" She asks in a whisper. Kyle turns to his shoulder for a split second before shifting his full attention back into the hallway.

"Yes?" He managed to ask.

"When you guys decided to split and free the others, have you had an encounter with either one of the guards or not?" She asks, knowing that her gut is telling her that something is about to happen next and that they won't be liking it. Kyle then chuckles before answering.

"Of course not! They're already asleep! And besides, we are all like ninjas for moving fast with less noise." He responds without any stop that makes Ash feel her thumping heart starts to palpitate at a fast pace.

Ash didn't say another word, not wanting to doubt them. She wanted to trust them, especially Miguel, with who she became friends with. He understands her, and Ash is happy with it. And trusting him and the others is the only thing she could do if she wanted to retain the faith that she almost gave up with.

According to the plan, they would see each other in the parking lot. And as soon as Kyle opens the door, leading them into the parking space, the rest of the victims are there.

"Sh*t, Kyle! What the f*ck took you so long!? I thought they already noticed you since your move too loud." Blake greets in a very sarcastic but anxious tone at the same time. They hug each other tightly as Ash and Miguel stare at each other for a second before Kyle runs into Miguel, that he quickly averts his gaze off the kid.

"You okay?" He asks as Miguel feels butterflies in her stomach. That made him look on the side for a few seconds to distract his feelings before smiling back at him.

"I'm fine. . .Thank you, Kyle." He says as he gives his shoulder a light squeeze. They start to asks the other hove have they've been as they wait for the mastermind of the plan. Soon, the door swings open as they got a bit alarmed but sigh in solace when they see Mister Valentine and Joseff come out of the door.

"Why did you come here so late? We waited for like five minutes!" Blake frustratingly asks as he approaches Joseff and hugs him. Joseff's eyes are wide open to see them, also having the same reaction to what is going on.

"Why are they here, Mister Valentine?" He raises the question after returning the hug to Blake. But as soon as Mister Valentine decides to answer, the door swings open again, making the rest panic. They don't know who else is coming; now the headcount is complete.

But to their dismay and shock—

"Mister Clock!?"

•••

"They're escaping. . . Just like what we've always predicted, Pastor Roman," Ruther says as his eyes are glued into the screen as he watches them fly away from the parking space. Aside from the CCTV cameras that Mister Valentine already manipulated, they come prepared as they installed hidden cameras that connect to the screen. Pastor Roman sits comfortably in his dominating black, and gray Oculus Chair fixed on his office's far edge. Pastor Roman holds a glass of Johnnie Walker as he rests his hand on both sides of the chair, and his back leans backward to relax.

"What should we do next?" Ruther asks as he turns to his boss, with folded hands around his chest. Pastor Roman is not panicking at all even if he should be alarmed by this. . . But this scenario is never new to him anymore. He's even delighted that this day has come.

‘Because this is where the fun starts.’ He says to himself before sipping into his glass before standing up. Pastor Roman makes his way into his glass window as he folds one arm around his torso; his other hand lifts his glass of branded alcohol as his elbows rest on his folded arm.

"I've been looking forward to this day, Ruther. And you always know what happens next." He days before retaking a drink. He groans at how strong the alcohol is, but tolerable heat for him to enjoy it into his throat.

Suddenly, as the room starts to fill with silence, two of his men come knocking violently into his door. Ruther didn't hesitate to open the door. The two men steps inside, holding their guns and other weapons.

"Patron, les prisonniers se sont échappés!" [Boss, the prisoners have escaped!] The taller one exclaims after realizing what the reeving the car is all about. "Qu'allons-nous faire ensuite, patron?" [What are we going to do next, boss?]

Pastor Roman retakes a sip as he's starting to obsess with the taste of the alcohol in his tongue. After that, he turns into his shoulder to talk.

"Nous attendrons." [We wait.] He shortly replies that makes the two men infuriate.

"Mais patron, ils ont pris l'un des fourgons! Et ils pourraient aller n'importe où si nous ne les suivons pas maintenant!" [But boss, they took one of the vans! And they could get anywhere if we don't follow them now!] The other one complains, but all the pastor did is raise a finger, pointing upwards. Ruther is indeed silent, as he pays attention to every word they're saying. He's not fluent in French, but he knows that he can understand some. And he is willing to learn.

"Ne t'inquiète pas maintenant, mon enfant. Car bientôt, votre faim de chair et de sang viendra. NOTRE DIEU ne nous laissera plus jamais souffrir car vos mains seront l'instrument pour nettoyer leurs âmes. Notre Dieu nous a choisis pour une raison, et c'est notre but. . . Alors, on attend encore un peu." [Don't worry now, my child. For soon, your hunger for flesh and blood will come. OUR GOD will never let us suffer any longer because your hands will be the instrument to cleansing their souls. Our God chose us for a reason, and this is our purpose. . . So, we wait for a little longer.]

He explains before turning fully to face them. He places his glass on his table as he sits again in the expensive and intimidating-looking chair he calls light. He then leans forward as he rests both elbows on top of his table, fingers intertwining. The two men look at each other with lust to kill once again but at the same time, puzzled as to why they have to wait any longer. Just then, as Ruther decides to act like he does not hear their conversation, Pastor Roman snaps his attention into his.

"Ruther?" He asks that made him turn to him immediately. With a bit of uncertainty, he gulps in fear to witness his aura changed.

"Y-yes, Pastor?" He asks as he pushes his glasses back up that are slowly sliding down from his nose. With a grin on his face, he replies.

"Set the alarm for me, will you?" He asks as Ruther pulls out the mobile phone from his shoulder bag. As soon as he clicks the open button, the lock screen immediately hunts him as it brings him back to the reason why he ended up there. He didn't talk, but he also didn't let his emotions unleash his own darkness. . . At least, not right now.

With a heavy heart, he closes his eyes secretly before sliding his phone open. He starts to look for the timer app that took him a split second to look for it. When he clicks the app open, he lifts his gaze to meet Pastor Roman's features, whose eyes look in such emptiness even if the room seems to be crowded.

"What should I do with this, Pastor?" He asks with such curiosity. That made the pastor flinch back to reality as he didn't let the smirk get away from his lips.

"We give them a headstart. And when that timer is up, then it is time for us to play the JINX." He pauses as he positions his hands in a praying posture. He then closes his eyes as he leans his forehead into his hands.

"Because this time, I'll be in charge."