I feel my fear sucking the air out of me. If I have to see myself in the mirror, I must already be as pale as death’s shade. Zed glances at me worriedly, but his expression is worse than mine. I know very well that he’s not scared for himself but us. Every minute that ticks by feels like taking away some years from my life.
“Where are we now?” Mitch asks, her eyes moving around fast. She’s as scared as me!
“We’re going uphill,” says Zed. He looks now at Ella, who is now fast asleep due to the sedative that Mitch administered to her. Because of my fear, I didn’t even notice before that an intravenous solution was dripping above her.
“Will the baby be alright?” He’s sleeping soundly on the stroller beside the stretcher. I can’t help noticing how Ella has prepared for this.
“She must be. I have been able to prepare her needs ahead.”
The ambulance then skids to a turn. Mitch and I hurriedly peer through the slits of the curtains and see that we’re entering a wide gate. Zed also peeks out, perhaps looking for an opportunity to jump from the ambulance and escape.
The façade of a mansion-like house greets our eyes. Built with a modern design, it looks massive and luxurious. But somehow, the surrounding looks eerie.
“Who’s house is this?” Mitch asks. I can already see the rise and fall of her chest.
“How would I know? Maybe, this will be our luxurious grave.”
Mitch throws me a frown. “Watch your tongue, Ara! It’s never funny.”
The ambulance finally pulls over, and soon the door opens. Mr. D stands at the side, throwing us a sharp gaze. I scan my eyes around until my eyes fall on the gate. Scary thoughts instantly play in my mind, imagining those cars in the hospital entering the premises.
“Go out before the people start coming in!” Zed says, moving his eyes around us.
“People?”
Mr. D scoffs. “I’m just choosing a quieter place to stage the drama.”
“You, moron! What kind of drama are you talking about?”
“I just had fun, haven’t you noticed? Among those people outside the hospital are James and his people. I only showed them I had their target, then led them to this place. Can’t you see? The breeze here is fresher than the air in the hospital that carries millions of bacteria.”
“You’re one of a kind, Mr. D. My heart is already jumping out in fear, and you are talking like you’re in a movie?”
“Isn’t it fun?”
Suddenly, the sound of several footsteps coming in our direction robs our attention. I look up, and see men and women in blue scrub suits. I turn to Zed, and his frown meets my gaze.
“Mr. Ramos!”
The frown on Zed’s face gets uglier. “Why are you here?”
Watching them makes me realize they are the mobile medical team Zed hires to go with him and Ella.
“We receive an order to come here because Miss Ella is coming over,” one of the team speaks up. Looking at the stethoscope hanging around her neck, I presume she is the team doctor.
Zed then turns to Mr. D. The latter looks back at him with drooping eyes as though he is getting bored.
“Go, take Ella inside!”
The team moves fast and soon transports Ella towards the house. Mitch hurries to go after them, so I also run after them. But then, I remember Zed. So I scramble to my feet and dash back toward Zed. They stand facing each other like lions preparing to tear one another. Zed’s eyes are as sharp as an eagle’s, ready to pounce his prey. And the intensity of his gaze is as lethal as the newly-sharpened dagger.
“I’m giving you the chance to escape from James forever,” Mr. D’s voice is low, but he stresses every syllable of the words he emphasizes.
Zed looks at him with glints of suspicion in his eyes. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“Because you let me earn a living. You bought my paintings.”
“Don’t play jokes with me. Do you think I’m buying your tactics?”
“I’m not selling them.”
I may be scared to death, but watching the eccentric and his exact opposite arguing can’t help me from giggling.
“I’m serious, Dennis. I know very well that you want to crush me into pieces. Do you think I didn’t know that you were the one providing Maezy with those photos of Yen and me in the car?”
“You’re half as brilliant as me.”
“I have recorded your attempt to kill me through an accident a few hours ago. And I have reported the pieces of evidence on how you killed my father.”
He frowns for a second but composes himself again quickly. “You talk a lot. I said I’m giving you a chance to be free.”
I glance around, and I can’t see how Zed will escape. We are in an open space, and we have no idea how many men lurk in the corners. For Zed to run away by walls or the gate is like committing a stupid suicide.
It’s not hard to go against my intuition that Mr. D could have his people surrounding this place. He brings us here for no other reason than to trap Zed. And his encouragement of Zed to run away is just a lie. We are on his territory, and he has the advantage while Zed is on the losing side.
“I won’t run away. I’ll fight face to face!” I give Zed a thumbs up. I steal glances at the ambulance, preparing to get the chance to sneak off into the driver’s seat. The non-leveled door edges show that Mr. D hasn’t locked it. I can slam the gate open with its bumper once I get the chance.
Before I lift my eyes to see Mr. D’s reaction, the gate opens again, and cars after cars enter the gate.
“Here comes Mr. James Mori!” exclaims Mr. D, placing his right hand akimbo. I follow his eyes, and they fall on the first car, which is as heavily tinted as Monster.
With the innate reflex commanding me, I suddenly drag Zed inside! A bright idea springs into my mind, and I’m glad God has given me this eleventh-hour wisdom. We have to take Ella as a hostage until Zed’s troop reaches us!