Chapter 4
1120 Words
Right after I finished checking out of the hospital, I could already feel my memory slipping away faster by the minute.
I could not even remember my own phone number anymore.
I let out a heavy sigh, flagged down a cab, and headed back to the villa to grab my things.
By this point, I had nothing left to want. All I wanted was to find a quiet corner to start over, before I forgot everything completely.
I pushed the front door open, and the living room was completely empty.
My stuff was still scattered all over the floor.
I had just crouched down to pick up a fallen photo frame when footsteps crept up silently behind me.
A pungent handkerchief slammed over my mouth and nose, held tight by a hard, unyielding hand.
I fought and twisted with every bit of strength I had, but blackness swallowed me in seconds.
When I finally came to, I was tied tight to a thick wooden pillar.
A rag was stuffed deep in my mouth, and I could not make a single sound.
Soft, muffled sobs drifted from somewhere beside me.
I turned my head, and there, tied to another pillar right across from me, was Clara.
Clara let out a muffled grunt through the gag.
The second she saw I was awake, she twisted wildly in her bonds, tears streaming down her face in hot, heavy floods.
I dragged my gaze away from her and scanned the room around me.
That was when I caught the sound of the kidnappers joking and laughing a little ways away.
One of them said, "That Brooks dude lost it the second he heard his precious girl was here. His voice went all shaky. He said he would bring the cash straight over and begged us not to lay a finger on her."
Right on their words, the screech of tires cut through the silence outside.
The factory's rusted iron gate crashed open with a loud clang.
Jasper burst through the doorway, a black leather suitcase clutched in his hand.
His hair stuck up in messy tangles, his face was twisted with raw, brutal rage.
Clara screamed, "Jasper! Save me!" as her whole body shook with terror and she sobbed for help.
Jasper hurled the leather suitcase straight at the kidnappers and said, "The money is all here. Let them go."
The tall, lanky kidnapper flipped the case open, counted the stacks inside with a quick glance, and gave a satisfied nod.
Instead of letting us go right away, he pulled out a sharp dagger and sauntered over to stand between Clara and me.
He said, "Mr. Brooks, the money adds up, but my boys and I still got a sour taste in our mouths over what you did."
He prodded the tip of his blade first at Clara, then flicked it to point straight at me.
"When you fired us back in the day, you did not leave us a single scrap of mercy," he continued. "Today, we are going to return the favor and let you make a choice."
He bared his teeth in a cruel grin.
"Only one of these two walks out of here with you. Who is it going to be?"
The air in the room went solid, instantly.
Jasper froze solid in his tracks, his face draining of every last drop of color until it was bone-white.
He stared blankly at me, his lips trembling, but not a single sound slipped out.
Clara dissolved into even harder sobs. "Jasper, you promised you would always protect me..."
I remained quiet, my eyes fixed on Jasper.
My heart beat slow, each slow thrum sending a tight, prickling ache spreading through my chest.
I could not believe I was still hoping.
I already knew what his answer would be, but I still clung to that tiny, desperate sliver of hope.
Suddenly, I was thrown back to the day the avalanche hit.
Amidst that roaring blizzard of snow, he had thrown himself without a single hesitation to shield me under his body.
Chunks of ice crashed down onto his back, his whole body shook with agony, but he only held me tighter against him.
Back then, we had even been fighting over some stupid, petty little thing.
But he had said to me, "Iris, if you die, who am I going to bicker with?"
Yet right now, as I stared at him through blurry, tear-filled eyes, I knew I would never get that unwavering choice from him again.
Jasper's Adam's apple bobbed up and down a few times.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke, his voice rough and parched.
"Iris," he said.
Slowly, he added, "I have already got men posted outside waiting to move in."
His voice trembled, each word wrenched out of him like it hurt just to speak.
"Do not panic. I will get you out of here, I promise."
I slumped against the pillar, completely drained, and hot tears streamed down my face.
The second the ropes came off Clara, she stumbled forward and threw herself straight into Jasper's arms.
Jasper held her tight, but his gaze slipped over her shoulder, locking silently with mine.
Suddenly, shadows burst out from the dark corners of the warehouse, lunging straight for the kidnappers, and the whole place exploded into chaos.
The lanky lead kidnapper ripped a heavy metal rod out from inside the briefcase.
He gathered every last bit of his strength and charged straight at me, swinging hard.
Jasper roared, his eyes bloodshot, "Watch out!"
Searing agony exploded at the back of my skull, and the whole world started spinning wildly.
I crumpled to the ground, my entire body shaking uncontrollably from the searing pain.
Blood gushed out in thick, warm waves, soaking through my clothes and spreading dark red across the concrete floor.
Someone lifted me into their arms, their hands shaking so badly I could feel it.
I forced my heavy eyelids open, just a c***k.
Blurred through the haze, I could make out a deathly pale face, eyes so red they looked like they were streaming with tears.
He was talking, his lips opening and closing over and over.
But I could not hear a single word. All that filled my ears was a constant, loud buzzing roar.
Throbbing waves of pain washed over me from the back of my head, one after another.
Slowly, all the shouting and commotion faded away, until everything went completely silent and blank.
I stared up at him, my mind empty and confused.
With the last scrap of strength I had left, I parted my lips and breathed out a faint, wobbly question.
"Who... are you?" I asked.
- Writer
