Goosebumps erupted on every inch of Jason’s skin, accompanied by a wave of chills down his body. A wave of pressure constricted his chest, and suddenly he forgot how to breathe.He shut his eyes and began to take slow, deep breaths. In and Out. Inhale, Exhale. He repeated the pattern over and over, and all the while his grandfather’s voice rang in his head like an alarm. As he closed his eyes at that moment, it was as though he opened a door to his past memory that his grandfather’s voice brought back, and he could see it clearly.***Jason is just a boy; he doesn’t know how old he is, but he couldn’t be old enough to start school yet. That’s how young he was.He sees a familiar face—his mother’s. He’s looking at her through a cream in a door. She can’t see him, but he can see her. She’s arguing with someone in the room with her."Please, you can’t do this,” Abigail cries out.A box is thrown on the ground by someone; the door is covering the person’s face, but from what Jason hears
Franklin and Jason arrived at The Rustic Lantern, a small bar near the Elysian Syndicate. It was a quaint establishment with dim lighting and a cosy seating arrangement. What caught most patrons' eyes were the dozens of lanterns that hung from the ceiling.“This place is nice; do you come here often?” Jason asked as he took in the ambiance.“Only with co-workers that I like, so not very often,” Frank said, and Jason let out a small laugh.They ordered their drinks at the bar and then sat at one of the booths.“So I'm assuming that, like me, you don’t want to talk about what’s troubling you,” Frank said as they took their seats."No, I haven’t had enough alcohol for that just yet," Jason saidFranklin smiled. “My thoughts exactly. Cheers to that.” He lifted up the glass of water in front of him, then Jason lifted his, and they clinked their glasses together, the sound resonating in the air.“So then,” Frank started, then raised his glass of water and took a sip, “tell me about your mis
“You should’ve just minded your own business." The man growled, his voice menacing. He pointed the gun at Jason and then back at the boy. “This place is empty. I kill you both right here and throw your bodies in the river. It'll be days, maybe even months before anyone finds you. So you'd better do as I say, or I'll flip a coin and decide who dies first." He pointed the gun at Jason again. “Heads, you,” he pointed it at the child, causing him to flinch and shut his eyes. “Or tails, you.”Jason put his hands up slowly. "Okay, I'll do as you say, just put the gun down.”“Shut your mouth!” The man exclaimed in a firm tone, “I make the orders here, not you. Now go, walk to that van with us.” His voice was authoritative but a tad shaky, something Jason quickly picked up on.Jason’s eyes darted between the man and the boy. The boy's big hazel eyes were wide with fear, and he was trembling. “Please don't let him take me; I don't want to die,” the boy begged Jason, his voice barely above a wh
As Jason slowly regained consciousness, he groggily opened his eyes and was met with a blurry and hazy vision. He tried to lift his head, but a sharp pain shot through his skull, forcing him to lie back down.Jason snapped out of his dazed state once he remembered that there was a kid in the car who was also being kidnapped. With all the strength that he could muster, he sat up and leaned against something solid. Only then did he realise that he was in the trunk of a moving car.He looked to his side and saw that the child was already awake and staring at him with eyes full of fear.“I-” the child began to speak, but Jason quickly covered his mouth before he could make a sound.Jason pointed at the kidnapper who was driving the car, then pressed his finger to his lip. Silently telling the boy to remain quiet for their safety.The boy nodded and gave Jason a thumbs up, letting him know that he understood, so Jason removed his hand from the boy's mouth.Jason laid back down and gestured
“Looking for us?” The kidnapper sneered. Jason looked to the man’s side and saw Leonardo tied up. “You thought it would be easy to fool me, didn’t you?” The man laughed. Who’s the fool now?”“Get in the car!” He yelled and pressed the gun into Jason’s forehead. He cocked the gun. “And don’t try anything this time because this one’s loaded and I’m afraid to...”In a split second, Jason removed the unloaded gun from his pocket. With a swift, precise motion, he swung the gun upward, using the butt of the weapon, to strike the man with a resounding crack. The man’s grip on the gun loosened, and it clattered to the ground. He stumbled backward, his head reeling from the force of the blow.Wasting no time, Jason struck the man again, sending the man crumpling to the ground, unconscious.The first thing that Jason did was untie Leonardo, who seemed to be frozen by fear. Next, he covered his hand with a handkerchief and picked up the loaded gun. Then he searched the man’s pocket for his phon
Leonardo broke away from his parents and ran to Jason’s side, his parents watching him curiously.“Mom! Dad! Meet Jason; he's my new favourite superhero,” Leonardo exclaimed, causing his parents and Jason to smile.“And how's that, my love?” his mother asked.“Jason saved my life! When the evil man disguised as my bodyguard tried to take me away, Jason saw him and tried to call the emergency number, but the man caught Jason and smashed his phone on the floor. Then he pointed a gun at Jason, but he didn't even shake. You know what he did?” Leonardo asked his parents with enthusiasm.They looked at each other and then back at their son. “What did he do?” they asked simultaneously, fully invested.“He punched his eye like...BAM!.” Leonardo demonstrated the punch by lightly punching his own eye. “Even when the man knocked us out, once we woke up, Jason already had a plan.” Leonardo went on to explain Jason’s plan to his parents.He continued with the retelling, “Everything was going well
Jason got to the apartment building a few minutes before midnight. He showered, then went straight to Amelia’s front door.He stood there and knocked for five minutes.“Jesus better be standing on the other side of this door, because I don’t see why anyone would be knocking like this at this time,” he heard Amelia yell from inside her apartment.She opened the door, and her eyes widened slightly. “Jason? It’s midnight; what're you doing here?” She was clad in her pyjamas, and it looked like she had just woken up from a good night's sleep.Jason walked into the apartment and looked at Amelia apologetically. "Amelia, I’m so sorry to bother you at this time, but I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t important.”“What’s so important that you couldn’t say it on a phone call?" Amelia groaned and gently dragged the skin under her eyes with her palms.“Does a deal with the Spaniards sound important enough?” Jason said it proudly.Amelia looked at Jason, dazed, her mouth slightly ajar. “I’m sorry, I do
Jason gave the best presentation of the proposal that he could. He tackled their questions and concerns perfectly.Everyone sat in anticipation as Mr. Ponce De Leon and his financial advisors discussed.“One more question." Mr. Ponce De Leon said, “Your growth targets seem ambitious. What factors contribute to your confidence in achieving these milestones?”Jason cleared his throat before answering; he had been especially preparing for that question.“Our financial projections are based on thorough market research, demand forecasting, and input from industry experts. We've accounted for various scenarios and risk factors in our models to ensure realistic expectations. Additionally, the infusion of capital from our partnership with you will enable us to accelerate our growth trajectory and capitalise on emerging opportunities in the market.”Mr. Ponce de Leon and his advisors nodded, pleased by everything they had heard.“Thank you for addressing our concerns, Jason. After careful cons