YOU MESSED WITH THE WRONG GUY "Why does this case matter so much to you?" she had asked him. "I will let you know when we meet one of these days." She didn't want to be an alarmist but she felt strongly that something was awfully wrong somewhere. ***Caleb woke again and the undulating movement had ceased. Maybe they were now on land, he assumed. But he was feeling pressed and thirsty at the same time. He started to move his body violently. He could hear hushed voices from nearby and wanted to attract their attention. After what seemed like forever, someone tore open what looked like a door but was concealed with a blind and the brightness nearly blinded his eyes. He had gotten accustomed to the darkness. He blinked and tried to see who it was. The person was short and stoutly built, his face was covered with a mask and his head wrapped with a headgear. Caleb imagined he was sneering at him because he saw his mouth moving. He tried to speak but the only sound that came out wa

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HIM... José took the bread out of the cupboard and fetched water in a glass from a running tap in the kitchen and carried it to the room. He met a motionless Caleb lying on the floor with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. He dropped the bread and glass of water on the floor and rushed over to squat at his side. "What are you doing, rich kid?" he slapped him on the shoulder. But Caleb didn't stir. He crossed his body to the other side and shook him in the head, he didn't respond still. "Listen, if this is a joke, cut the crap already. Wake up!" When he lifted his head from the floor, he found something black recoiling from the side of his neck where he had pierced him. He brought out his penknife and swatted it. The knife got stuck to its body. When he looked closely, behold, it was a snake. That's when José let out a scream to alert the others. A black snake sting was usually dangerous and he didn't know how long ago the guy had been bitten before he pa

FINDING A LEADThe inspector turned to his colleague when the call ended."What do you think?""I believe she's telling the truth.""So where do we check next?""Let's go to the hospital she was receiving treatment and interrogate her colleagues," Anderson suggested. "Maybe they heard something or know something.""You know, that's a brilliant idea, Juan," he patted his younger colleague on the shoulder. "If the young man in question rode off somewhere to go and see 'a friend', and the doctor implied we should do everything to find 'her friend', that can only mean one thing...""She's the friend he was going to see that night!" Juan completed the statement."Viola!" the inspector whistled with a snap of his finger.They got to the hospital and started looking around. That night when Caleb rode to the hospital on his power bike, he parked it under the canopy that serves as an extension of the hospital at the Accident and Emergency unit instead of the main parking lot. The reason was t

GIVE THEM THE MONEY "What have you done to him, please?" "Nothing yet. But if you don't cooperate with me, well, I can't tell you what the outcome might be." "Please tell me where he is." "Wrong request. You should rather ask what price it will take to see him again." "Oh my God!" Adriana yelped. "Is he being kidnapped?" "50 billion dollars!" José said and ended the call. Then switched off the phone. Fabian gave him a high-five. "That was brilliantly done," he beamed. José grinned. "I am a boss in my own right," he boasted. "Indeed you are," Fab agreed. *** Inside Lord Dezani's chambers, Abhi closed the door and kept the tray containing the tea and cookies on the mini-dining table. Lord Dezani was sitting with his back leaning against the soft sofa in the sitting room. "I believe I don't need to explain the reason I couldn't talk freely back there." Abhi nodded, "I understand, sir." "And I also like to think I can trust you." "With my life," he swore. That was the firs

THE ESCAPE PLAN INTERRUPTED "I know you don't know me, but my name is Fabian. I am one of those who captured you from the hospital that night. But like yourself, I'm a victim of circumstance. So I'm going to help you if you promise to also help me." Caleb didn't fully understand but he nodded. "Tell me what the deal is about." "Promise me you will help me before I proceed." He was calculating his chances. He didn't know who to trust these days, let alone a criminal whose intention was shrouded in mystery. "What kind of help do you need?" "I want to be free. I had dreams and aspirations before I ended up in this mess," he said and flung his arms sideways. Caleb looked around the dirty room they were staying in to talk, it wasn't any different from the one he was kept in. Only that this one had a bed with an old dirty bed sheet covering it, two bundles of rags tied in a spherical form each that served as pillows, and a ceiling fan. The door and window blinds were the same colour.