Seven hours to doom
1391 Words
Olivia sits frozen, her gaze fixed on the wall, her phone still pressed to her ear. Suddenly, the phone beeps loudly, shrill and inconsistent, indicating that the call had been cut off. She brought the phone away from her ears and her eyes landed on the screen which after a few seconds went blank.
Her hands start to shake and her lips tremble. Tears fill her eyes but she hurriedly blink them off but they keep coming, spilling down her cheeks.
“No… no…” she whispers.
She stood up, her legs wobbly. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for something to exert her frustrations on before her gaze moved to the phone which she was clutching tightly in her hand.
She threw the phone with force and it landed on the white-colored king size bed, then bounced thrice before it landed on the floor.
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” She screamed, her hand tugging at her hair in anger and frustration and when she brought her hand to her face, she saw strands of her hair which made her drop her hands beside her in defeat before settling back on the bed.
Her mind is a jumble of self blame and regret as she brings her knee closer to her chest before wiping her face with her palms.
“s**t…” she exhaled.
Then, she laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling blankly. Every breath felt like a reminder of her failures.
‘I should have gone to Italy… I shouldn't have come here… Lisa was kidnapped because of me… What do I tell her mom and dad?... What should I tell aunt Chloe?...’
Her mind wandered hundred miles a minute and she's ridden with self blame. Her skin crawled with the sensation of being unclean, like a layer of grime had settled on her. She felt like trash.
She stared blankly at the wall for a long time and then suddenly, she burst out laughing. She laughed and laughed before grabbing her stomach as if to stop herself from laughing.
“Mehn… my life is a mess.” She mused amidst fist of laughter before her gaze hardened again.
She stood up and moved to the other side of the bed where her phone fell. She bent and grabbed it, then tapped it twice. Her screen was cracked, a long line running across its surface. With a sigh, she unlocked it with her face and moved to a mirror on the side of the bed, sat down, then dialed Lisa's number again.
The phone rang for some minutes before entering voicemail. She dialed it again before it was finally picked.
“Hello mister” She started.
“Can you give the phone to my friend”
“No.” Enzo's cold voice answered which made Olivia burst into laughter again.
“You said I took a measly five million but to let me go scott free with the ‘measly five million’ is a problem. You want me bah?”
“Mmm?” Enzo answered but Olivia only continued, not caring if it's a confirmation or a question.
“I have my conditions.” She said, standing up from the mirror and walking towards the door.
“Shoot.”
“Shoot?! No! Wait!”
He let out a sigh from the other side.
“Start.”
Olivia's heart which had almost leapt out of her throat calmed a little before she started again.
“Since you want me, I will only come if you release Lisa.” She tried to bargain.
The cold voice let out a cold laugh before saying coldly.
“You are not ready.”
The beep of the phone signaled to Olivia that the call had been cut off again.
She dropped the phone and used her hands to cover her face.
“gorrdds.”
“I'm starting to think my life's a cautionary tale… ‘Don’t be like Olivia kids. She's a total disaster.’ if only Lisa's mom had known…” She cried then stood up.
She moved to another room; Lisa's walk-in closet and drew out her bag which stood at a corner in the room.
“Who wouldn't want a friend like me who gets their loved ones kidnapped?” She hissed, tears starting to fall from her face.
‘Should I tell Hiro? Her mom? No no no.’ She contemplated for a long time before running back to the bed to pick up her phone.
Right at that time, her phone rang and she hurriedly picked it up when she saw that it's Lisa's number.
Now, a gruff voice, different from Enzo's, sounded from the other side.
“We will release your friend…”
The man's words made Olivia release a breath of relief.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank-”
“But you have only seven hours to be on your way.” The man added and the phone let out a beep again signaling that the call had been cut off.
Olivia dropped the phone on the bed and slipped to the floor, her knee hit the tiled floor and she placed her head on the bed.
“Gawd…” she whispered amidst exhales.
“What's the worst that could happen?”
_ _ _
Olivia paced in front of the door, her footsteps muted and her eyes fixed intently on the door handle, willing it to turn, willing the door to swing open.
She paused, her weight moving to one sock-covered feet to another. She glanced at the ornate wall clock before rushing at the couch to grab her phone. She checked the time on her phone and checked the time on the clock before she moved back to the door again.
She dipped her phone into her short cargo pants pocket and cracked her knuckles in anticipation. Suddenly, the door swung open and a disheveled Lisa strutted in.
“Liiiilyyyyyyyyy…” Olivia cried, hurrying to Lisa to hug her.
Lisa's hair which she'd packed in a ponytail looks like a mess and her clothes look rough.
“What happened?” She asked, dragging Lisa to the couch before sitting her down.
“I'm soooo sorry. I'm sorry I made you go through that. I'm sorry.” She cried as she bent down near Lisa's feet and grabbed her fingers.
“I'm so sorry, i didn't know-”
“Hushhh.”
Lisa burst into laughter before standing up and dragged the crying Olivia to her feet, then she pushed her on the couch. She lifted her skirt and placed her left knee on the couch, then sat on it, faced Olivia and grabbed her fingers.
“I had the best day todayyyy.” She started, shaking Olivia's hand wildly and Olivia can only gaze at her, eyes wide in surprise.
“So, I went to the company and signed the attendance and everything. So when I was coming back, that's when I was ‘taken’.” She quoted the last part in the air.
“Taken?” Olivia asked, then her face fell and she brought her palms to her face in disappointment.
“Yesss! Taken! Like, do you get? I need to tick my bucket listtttt! I got kidnapped by. a.fucking. mafia!”
“They are sooo hot.” She said, fanning her face and Olivia only answered with a hiss then slapped Lisa's thigh.
“b***h!” She cried.
“Do you even realize how worried I was, not knowing you derived some sort of twisted pleasure in it. This is not a romance novel Lily. Guns! They use guns! Real life guns!” She said, and threw her fist into the air at the last part before standing up.
She glanced back at Lisa who's fanning her face as if she can't endure the heat of what she'd encountered.
“I'm going to Italy tomorrow.” She stated.
“Wahhhh? Take me along.”
“Wait for your next kidnap attempt, maybe you should try to get into trouble like me…” Olivia said dismissively, making her way towards the room.
“Buh, wait!” Lisa called out.
“Won't you go see your mother before that? You know it's gon’ be long and all that…”
“I only have seven hours Lisa, I don't care.” She stated, then stepped into the room.
- Writer
