[“ THE MADAM TOLD HIM THAT YOU TRIED TO RAPE HER! SIR CESAR WAS SO MAD HE ASKED HIS MEN TO ABDUCT YOUR FAMILY RIGHT NOW!”]
Problem after problem.
Xavier hadn’t solved how he would deal with the survivor in the back seat of the car, and now, another trouble aroused.
“The madam s-said that I tried to r-rape her?”
It’s laughable. Horribly laughable. It’s freaking funny how that woman can ruin his life through a simple lie.
Was it because she felt ashamed? Her pride was crushed? She wanted to get her revenge?
None of these is reasonable to put someone in danger!
As the seconds passed by, Xavier was sinking little by little into reality. The madam’s lie would get him and his family killed.
He shook his head and began to murmur his desperate pleas.
“No. Not my wife. Not my son,” he murmured with a voice that was like a turbulent ocean.
He looked down on the dim car and searched for the phone he had dropped before. Just for that moment, Xavier forgot about the cadaver bag on the back seat.
His mind only focused on how he and his family could survive this situation.
And then, a voice which was as desperate as his, spoke to him.
“Help.”
It was that single word that made him stop.
He looked back, there at the slightly moving bag.
“Who’s there? H-Help me. Help me…”
People were born with the intent of longing to live. And sometimes, those who are in the same situation can develop a mutual understanding with each other. Just like what Xavier felt towards the man in the cadaver bag.
Clenching the phone in his hand, Xavier turned against the bag.
He dialed his wife’s number and nervously waited for her to answer the phone.
[“The number you’ve dialed is out of service. Please call again.”]
“Oh come on!”
[“The number you’ve dialed is out of service. Please call again.”]
“Bridgette, answer the phone!”
[“The number you’ve dialed is out of service. Please call again.”]
When he heard the AI’s voice on the line for the third time, Xavier felt like crying. He dialed the number again and again, but the result remained the same!
“F*ck!” he cursed as he slammed his hand on the steering wheel.
If he couldn’t contact his family anymore, he was certain that Cesar’s men had caught them already.
What will they do to his wife and son? Where did they put them?
Finding answers to these questions made him feel like standing at the edge of the cliff. He knew right then that he had to go back.
He might not convince the boss to believe him. But at least, he would have the chance to save his family and let them escape.
Xavier started the engine of the car. Nodding his head as he swallowed repeatedly, he glanced at the cadaver bag in the back seat of the car.
‘Let’s see if one of us is lucky tonight,’ Xavier thought before he drove the car.
When he turned the wheels back, the loud hissing of the car tires squealed on the empty road.
The corpse delivery time is 6pm to 8pm. It is because the police patrol roams the road from 9pm onwards.
While driving, Xavier looked at the time in the car.
7:36 pm.
He carefully parked at the side of the dark and empty road. Xavier hopped down from the car and looked around.
As expected, there is no CCTV around the place. After taking this road for a year, Xavier memorized which places have cameras and which places have none.
‘There are no cameras here but the police always take this route,’ he thought.
He opened the door of the back seat and looked at the cadaver bag.
Xavier swallowed dry saliva repeatedly before he carefully carried the heavy bag.
Wincing, Xavier succeeded in putting the bag on the roadside.
While catching his breath, he stared at the bag and pressed his lips into one thin line.
If the boss finds out about this, the boss will kill Xavier.
‘But if the boss believes the Madam, I will die too,’ Xavier laughed at this.
At least, if they really killed him, he set a trap that would unfold the hideous secret of the mansion.
“I won’t go down alone,” Xavier murmured.
He raised his hand and reached for the zipper. Then, he unzipped the bag. He couldn’t see the face of the man because it was dark. But Xavier could feel his faint breathing.
‘He’s really alive.’
Xavier was about to unzip it all down, but he saw the red and blue light from afar.
It is a police vehicle.
In a hurry, Xavier looked at the man in the bag.
“L-Listen,” he stuttered. “I don’t know if you can hear me or not. But let me tell you this.”
He took a deep breath before detaching his mouth again.
“The police are coming to save you.”
“Hmmm,” the man groaned in pain.
Xavier looked back at the police car. It’s coming closer and closer.
“Live. Live and survive!”
He stood up and was about to go back to the car when someone held his wrist from behind.
“Haaah!” Xavier gasped as he looked back at the man in the cadaver bag.
The bloody hands held him tightly, as if telling him to stay there.
Xavier’s knees gave in with the blood on his sight. He saw down on the muddy grass field with wide open eyes that cannot shut.
“Name,” the bloody man whispered to Xavier. “Your name.”
Xavier glanced at the police car. He removed the hand away from his wrist and crawled backward.
Feeling the pounding of his heart, Xavier stood up and stumbled towards the car. He held the doorknob and when he opened the door, Xavier murmured his name.
“Xavier Green.”
“...”
“If you are asking for my name to know your benefactor, then don’t bother. I might also die tonight.”
He entered the car and drove away.
Xavier wasn’t sure why he shared his name with the survivor.
‘Maybe I want someone to remember the last good deed that I will do in my life,’ Xavier thought.
Xavier went back to the mansion.
As soon as he hopped from the car, Frederick dashed towards him.
“Why did you come back?! You idiot!” Frederick shouted at him. “Didn’t I tell you that Sir Cesar would kill you?!”
Trembling, Xavier held Frederick’s shoulder.
“My f-family. I couldn’t contact them anymore. D-Did the boss bring them h-here?” he asked in terror. “Where are they?!”
“T-That…” Frederick murmured. “About that I already…”
“Xavier is here!” shouted the men who found the two in the mansion’s garden.
In an instant, Frederick and Xavier were surrounded by Cesar’s men.
Xavier looked around. All of them wear guns on their waist. Even if he fights back, he has no chance of winning.
‘There’s no escape,’ Xavier thought as his blood ran cold. He knew this would like to happen if he came back and he readied himself. But preparations were futile.
The racing heat and shivering of his body could tell the whole story.
“Xavier Green!”
A man’s scream pierced the air.
From the dark shadows of the trees, crows flew up in the sky.
Under the moonlight, shadows overlapped behind Xavier. Two men pushed him down to the ground, and his knees fell hard.
“Argh,” Xavier grunted in pain.
As his eyes stood downward, he saw a pair of shoes and heels traversing in front of him.
When he lifted his head, sweat gathered at the tip of his chin. A gray handgun welcomed his sight, and the gun’s muzzle pecked on his forehead.
“How audacious of you to come back with your own feet,” Cesar said in a throaty tone while aiming the gun straight at Xavier’s head.
Staring at the gun, Xavier felt the rising tide of fear. The chill of haze began to crystallize as he looked at Cesar and Lewelyn, who were standing behind her husband.
‘That evil and cunning woman,’ Xavier cursed inwardly, while glaring at the Madam of the house.
“This man! This is the man who tried to rape me!” Lewelyn shouted while pointing at Xavier. She covered her eyes and sobbed loudly as if she was traumatized just by seeing the rapist’s face.
“...hah.”
An abrupt scoff squeezed out from behind Xavier’s clenched teeth. On the back of his hands, lines of blue popped. His blood was riled by Lewelyn’s accusation.
It was all a lie.
The two of them know what really happened inside her room. Lewelyn asked him to be her lover, but she got rejected. So why would she do that?
Because she felt ashamed?
Eager to know the answer, Xavier peered straight to Lewelyn. A hint of a sneer flashed on the lady’s lips, and no one saw it except Xavier. He knew it right then that Lewelyn was determined to ruin his life from the moment he declined her offer.
“This is not true,” Xavier defended while shaking his head. “I never covet your woman, Sir!” “Lies!” Lewelyn screamed while crying hysterically. “Y-You forced yourself inside my room and confessed that you liked me. When I rejected you, you threatened me and tried to hold me!” “No!” Xavier declined. “I never d…” Xavier stopped when Cesar pinned the gun muzzle onto his forehead. Click. There was a clicking sound as Cesar put the gun’s hammer down. After that, every sound was muted. Xavier could only hear the loud beating of his heart. “Are you saying that my wife who was crying so hard is lying to me?!” Cesar shouted. “I… won’t dare lie to y…”“SHUT THE **** UP!Xavier’s shoulders tensed. From the beginning, he was never given the chance to explain himself, and everything was decided. Whatever the truth is, Xavier will be punished by Cesar. No one would listen to a lowly and powerless driver. “You touched something which isn’t yours, young man,” Cesar said while grinding his t
In the empty street of McKenly, a van quietly made its way. McKenly is a ghost town, and it’s been years since people left the place. Many feared visiting, especially at night because of the rumors that ghosts have appeared recently in this area. However, for criminals, this is the perfect pathway to use for transferring dead bodies. “This place is scary,” John, who was sitting in the passenger seat, complained. “It seems that any time, a ghost will appear. They said this town was cursed. If you bring a corpse here, then the corpse will haunt you forever.” The driver, Bradport, laughed so hard while driving. “Are you telling me that Xavier will stand up and eat us? Stop being a wimp. That won’t ever happen.” Taking a deep breath, John looked behind the van and stared at the corpse inside the cadaver bag. Clutching the seat belt, John stared at the road again. Certainly, the curse of the town is just a rumor. But tonight something will happen that can make everyone believe it mi
Xavier woke up on a soft sheet as a streak of sunlight trickled in through the window. Slowly and reluctantly, he opened his eyes. He blinked several times to clear the hazy vision as he scrutinized his surroundings in confusion. And then, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. He was in a room that was the size of his apartment, and on a bed that was as big as a studio, with extremely expensive-looking furniture all around. ‘What happened? Where am I?’ Last night, he woke up in a van. He killed the men who were supposed to deliver his body in the 53rd warehouse. Then, he drove the van in order to escape and find his wife and son. ‘But after that, what happened?’ He closed his eyes and tried to recall last night’s event. When he was driving the van, he felt a throbbing pain that he thought his head would crack open. Xavier held his head with one hand, while the other held the steering wheel tightly. Dizzy, the surroundings turned blurry. He thought it would be better to stop
Criminals. To be a criminal, one had to go against the rules. The first time will make you regret it. The second will make you think twice. The third time might be thrilling. But at 4th, 5th, 6th… you will stop counting anymore. Xavier went against a rule. But he stuck at first, which is the level of regrets. Because not all criminals were born as one. Sometimes, it happened because you had no choice. To eat. To live. To survive. Those are the essentials of life. Therefore, when Xavier was looking at the members of the Mafia, who bowed their heads in front of him, he doubted if he was still in phase one of being a criminal. Driving for the corpse is his first. Killing goes for the second. But deceiving the mafia members might be for infinite numbers. One thing is for sure, Xavier did not feel the thrill of being in this crazy situation. ‘I am the Mafia boss?’ The boss of the criminals?’ Xavier asked himself. He wanted to shake his head and deny that this was his realit
The sun set to the west. Xavier stayed in the room all day while thinking of a way to get out of here. When he stood up and looked outside the window, he was surprised that there were no men guarding the gate anymore! Even if it was weird that everyone suddenly disappeared when nightfall came, Xavier could not let this chance pass by. It’s now or never. Carefully, he tiptoed towards the door and gently twisted the doorknob. The wooden door creaked as he pushed it open. He peeked outside and saw the empty hallway. ‘Maybe, the Mafia boss wanted to be alone at night,’ he guessed. As quiet as a mouse, Xavier exited the room and closed the door. He used the same path he took before and arrived at the balcony. It’s empty either. The deafening silence echoed in the surroundings like a scary melody. There was only one light to brighten the huge hall, which made the place eerie. Xavier gulped dry saliva and suppressed the fear. He took a deep breath before he walked down the stairway.
When Xavier opened his eyes, he found himself in a dim place. His feet and hands were tied on the wood chair. No matter how much he tried to get out, it was futile. Breathing heavily, he looked North. He saw a man approaching on his side. Step. Step. Finally, under the lighting, he saw the man with droopy eyes which were darkly shaded. It was Gian, the underboss of the Harbor Black Mafia. Gian was holding a piece of paper as he stood in front of Xavier. “Xavier Green,” Gian read the contents in the paper. “Graduated of business management in Harvard University. Married and a father of a 9-year-old boy. You have million dollars debt from the loan shark and to pay for that, you are working as a driver.” With Cheshire grin, Gian stared at Xavier. “So far, this is the information I got regarding you.” He showed the paper in his hand which contained Xavier’s photo. “Your picture and your face right now are very different.” “I already told you that before!” Xavier shouted. “That m
Mario Scoffer used an abandoned factory located in the middle of the woods as his hiding place for his illegal business.The place was littered with broken glass and empty beer bottles and there was smoke everywhere from the men staying inside.In the corner, Mario was sitting on an empty container while counting the money he collected from the borrowers who paid their debts for today.“Seventy-six, seventy-seven, seventy-eight. That’s it?” Mario looked at his men after counting the money above the old-looking wooden table.The men flinched in fear at Mario’s stare.“This is less than last week. What happened?”No one answered.Mario slammed the desk hard.Bam!That was when one answered the question.“It is because one of the borrowers did not pay this week,” he reported.“Who? Who the hell skipped paying?!” Mario demanded.Afraid to utter the name, the man clutched his hands together. “X-Xavi…”He couldn’t finish his words because Mario threw a bottle of beer on his head.“Ahhh!” th
“I heard there was a man who owes you $2.5 million. I am paying his debts.” Mario could not understand why someone suddenly came here to pay the Green’s debts. Even if he looked closely at the man, he doesn’t not resemble Xavier. It also impossible for him to imagine that the poor family has connection with a scary looking guys like them. Above all, no normal person would bring a million dollars with in in cash. And so, as Mario stared at the masked-man, he wondered, 'Who is this crazy rich bastard?' As Mario remained unresponsive, impatient man uttered, "Why aren't you answering?" “I am s-sorry,” Mario apologized. He squinted his eyes to him as if trying his best to recognize his face which was hiding under the disguise. Yet he had no idea. "I was just... surprised," Mario added in a slow pace. "May I know your relationship with that pathetic loser?" Pathetic loser. It sounded natural coming from Mario. Because people who couldn't pay their debts and who had to be on their