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1166 Words
Helen searched everywhere for Alina, calling out her name, but there was no sign of her. Fear tightened in her chest as panic consumed her. Without wasting another second, she rushed back to the car, her hands trembling as she ordered the driver to head straight to Alina’s house.
The drive felt like an eternity. Helen’s heart pounded rapidly, her breath coming out shaky and uneven. What if something bad had happened to Alina? The thought gnawed at her, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t push away the terrifying images flooding her mind. What made it worse was knowing that Alina didn’t know her way around. How could she have wandered off alone?
Finally, after what felt like forever, they finally arrived. Helen didn’t wait for the driver to stop fully before throwing the door open and sprinting inside.
“Helen, what happened? Where’s Alina?” Mrs. Cole demanded, rushing forward as Helen burst into the living room, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“What’s wrong, Helen? Why are you crying?” Mr. Cole’s voice came from the stairs as he quickly descended, his face etched with worry.
“It’s… Alina… I… I can’t…. ” Helen stammered, choking on her words, her sobs making it hard to breathe.
“Calm down, Helen,” Mr. Cole urged, though his own voice trembled, his breath growing uneven. “Take a deep breath and tell us, where’s Alina?”
Helen’s knees nearly gave out as she finally screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of fear.
“I don’t know… but I think Alina has been kidnapped!”
...........
Alina slowly opened her eyes as a ray of sunlight peeked through the slightly opened window. She blinked several times, her mind foggy, until reality hit her like a punch to the gut. She remembered sitting at the beach, waiting for Helen to return with cotton candy. Then suddenly, someone had covered her nose with a cloth drenched in something strong, stealing her consciousness away. Now, she was here in a place unknown.
Her heart raced as her eyes darted around the dimly lit room, searching for an escape. The air felt heavy, thick with dread.
Then, footsteps echoed in the distance. Slow. Steady. Getting closer.
Moments later, a man appeared, towering over her. His cold, predatory eyes locked on her like a cat about to pounce on its prey. A chill shot through her entire body, every hair standing on end.
“Well, well,” the man said in a deep, chilling voice. “Looks like I’ve got myself a pretty little thing.”
Alina stared at him in terror, her breath uneven. Why am I here? What does he want? She had only a few months left to live; all she wanted was to spend them happily with her family, not like this. Not tied to a chair, not in pain.
“Please,” she stammered, her voice trembling, “what do you want from me?”
Instead of answering, the man let out a cruel, mocking laugh. “How could someone with such a pretty face be so foolish?” he sneered. “What do you think kidnappers want when they take someone? I want money, a large sum of it. I’ll call your parents and demand the ransom. They have five hours to pay… or else I’ll make sure you regret being born before I end your life.” His eyes glinted with malice as he added darkly, “And I won’t be the only one having fun before that happens.”
Alina felt her heart plummet. Death itself didn’t scare her anymore, she knew it was coming soon. But this? This horrific end wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to pass peacefully, surrounded by love, not in pain and fear. Tears blurred her vision as she glanced around desperately for a way out, but there was none. Even if there had been, her wrists were tied tight against the chair, leaving her helpless.
The man smirked and walked over to a table where a phone lay. “Call your parents’ number,” he ordered coldly.
Alina stayed silent, staring at him with pleading eyes, hoping that somehow, deep down, he might let her go. But his gaze was merciless, his heart seemingly made of stone.
“Oh, you don’t want to talk?” His voice turned darker, dangerous. “Fine. I’ll start making you scream for a different reason.” He set the phone down and began moving toward her.
“No! I’ll call it!” Alina cried out frantically. She quickly recited the number, trembling all over, as the man dialed.
Seconds later, the line connected.
“Hello?” Mr. Cole’s voice came from the other end.
“Who am I?” The kidnapper’s tone was calm, chilling. “I’m the one who has your daughter.”
Mr. Cole froze, his stomach dropping. Only he, his wife, and Helen knew Alina had gone missing; they hadn't informed the police. Sweat formed on his forehead as panic overtook him.
“What do you want from my daughter?” he asked, his voice trembling.
“Nothing much,” the man replied casually. “Just a little money. Ten billion dollars. You have five hours to get it ready, or you won’t like what I’ll do to your daughter.”
“What?!” Mr. Cole almost shouted. “Ten billion? Where do you expect me to find that kind of money? Even as a successful businessman, that’s impossible! Please, I beg you, don’t hurt her. We’ll give you what we can, but lower the amount!”
Before he could say more, Mrs. Cole snatched the phone, tears streaming down her face. “Please,” she pleaded, her voice breaking. “Don’t harm our daughter. We’ll do everything we can to get you the money. Just don’t hurt her.”
The man laughed darkly. “That’s the spirit. Daddy you need to find a way to save your daughter.” He was about to hang up when Mrs. Cole quickly added, “Please, let us speak to her! We need to know she’s alive!”
The man hesitated, then slowly walked over to Alina, holding the phone near her lips.
“M-Mum…” Alina whimpered, her voice shaky and weak.
Mrs. Cole sobbed loudly, clutching the phone like it was her lifeline. Why can’t my baby have just a little peace? she thought bitterly. She’s already fighting for her life every day, and now this?
“Alina, sweetheart,” Mrs. Cole said through her sobs, “nothing will happen to you. I promise we’re coming to get you from that monster.”
Before Alina could speak again, the man yanked the phone away. “Enough with the family reunion,” he said coldly. “Five hours. Get me my money. And don’t even think about involving the police unless you want your daughter’s corpse delivered to your doorstep.”
With that, he ended the call.
- Writer
