I stared at it for a couple of minutes as the memory flashed in the back of my mind.
"There you go" Sarah said as she put a small USB in my palm before we were leaving the mansion. I stare at her with confusion.
"What's in it?" I asked as I twisted it between my fingers.
"All of the videos from our adventures. Well - not all of them but Ryan and I made a compilation for your birthday. I couldn't wait for that long. So, I decided to give it to you the moment it was finished" she said causing my heart to warm up and break at the same time.
I smiled weakly "I know you'll get sad after watching this but hey! It was the best time the three of us in our lives. Watch this and don't pity yourself for how things are now. I'm sure in a few years you'll get the life you were robbed of by fate" she paused for a minute and said "It has the whole almost arrest thing back in Malaysia in it too"
I looked up at her with a teary gaze and faked a gasp "Oh no!" I chuckle my voice broke a little.
I hug her tightly and say "What if things do go back the way they were and I don't want that anymore?" I pull away and found Rhys and Alex leaning against his car talking. They both stared at Sarah and I before I caught them.
"It's your choice if you want to or not. Only yours. If you don't want the old life and are satisfied with the current one in the future? Your choice. Don't think that just because things are back the way they were. You are not obliged to go back to it" I nod in agreement and sniff back tears.
"Are you gonna watch this?" She added with nervousness.
"Of course! Of course I will!" I say as I hug her again.
Right now I stand before the television screen debating to turn the video on or not.
Stupid thoughts.
Stupid memories.
Stupid reality.
I sigh before clicking the video on. It was night time and I was alone.
It was Mrs Holt's fashion show tonight so, Rhys was attending that and I decided to have some time for myself.
The video played and my heart clenched with nostalgia. The video was of Sarah and I. Both of us were running with our hands entwined together as we laughed admiring the streets of Rome.
It was 2013, mid of July. We had just finished our third semester. Ryan, Sarah and I were the trio travelling in the summer. Sometimes Ridge would tag along too.
I noticed how happy the girl with red hair who admired the stone walls of the ancient city like Rome. Who thought that this was it. This was her life.
Ever had this feeling, when you drift off into your thoughts so much that everything just turns quite and all you hear are the smallest things? Just now I was in that haze, the sound of the wind hitting the glass windows mellowed into the living room. The lights were turned off and the television only lightened the room.
Suddenly, the temperature of the room turned chilly and I snapped out of my trance and looked up at the TV. The video still played and I cursed out loud because I missed some of it. Reversing it back to the moment I wanted it to be I pressed play and watched it again.
I laughed at the funny moments. At our rebel behaviours.
My mind kept going back to the fact that how the temperature of the room fell.
A chill ran through my spine as my eye caught a fading glimpse of a looming shadow on the wall. Fear bellowed throughout my body as I turned the TV off and walked towards the window which was closed moments ago. Was now opened, becoming the source of the sudden coldness in the thin air.
The shadow was of the tree branches that seemed sharper than before.
Gripping onto my cane I leaned to the window as chilly wind kissed my skin. I squinted my eyes at the entrance of the banglow. The lights of the small office were on but no one was there.
My bare feet met with some debris on the floor. Finding it inscrutable to have it on the floor, I knelt down and touched the dirt.
My eyes widened as I saw the shape the dirt made.
A shoe.
Multiple steps were printed on the wooden floor, fading into the maze of the house. A sudden crash was heard following with a loud curse. Curse of a voice I've never heard before.
A sound of someone sushing the other, an intruder was in the house.
Following the voice I slowly moved towards it, the voices were coming from the foyer. I hoped that the sound of my cane didn't startle them.
"I think someone is at home" a man said with a whisper to the other "Then go check who it is and bring then to me" the other replied.
As strong I was, but this time quivered with fear. Long gone was the girl who had just sent a man to a hospital.
Who was under the influence of the booze
Right.
"No one should be here" I tried not the gasp at the closeness of the voice. As if the man was just a few feet away from me.
I took a set back in hurry, just to go find a hiding place. And call the police or Rhys. Just somebody for help.
But a large hand gripped my bicep and dragged me towards them. A cry for help escaped my mouth but it stopped as the haunting face of a man who was possibly going to kill me tonight came into my view.
"Well, well, well look what I have here Ricky" he said as his awful hot breath fell on my face making me scrunch my face with disgust.
Another man dressed in black came from the drawing room of the banglow with a Tiffany Crystal in his hands with a sickening smile.
"Who is she?" He said with a thick accent. Cloths covered both of their faces and only showed their eyes.
I struggled to get out of the man's grip but his hand only tightened, making me wince in pain.
"You shouldn't be here" my captor said in a gruff tone. I looked at him, knowing that resentment itched on my face and said "Neither should you"
"Let me go" I said with gritted teeth hoping that my voice showed no fear.
But it did.
❤
In the dim lights of the kitchen, both of the intruders stood in front of me with a guns dangling in their hands. According to them if I moved they would kill me in cold blood.
My heart hammered against my chest with fright. My face had been drained of colour and my voice talked with an unfamiliar croak "This is a heist" I said as I put my hands in my pockets.
Where my phone was.
Remembering the password from my memory, my fingers moved on their own on the muscle memory.
I was lucky because my phone's system was silent or the clicking of the lock would have been heard in the awfully chill silence.
"We know that, tell us where is the expensive shit" the taller one said, my fingers were just touching the screen. My phone let out a little vibration that only I could hear indicating me that a call was going to someone.
"And for the tenth time you have asked me that and I have answered you before that I don't know where the "expensive shit" is! I may live in this house but I don't know where are the things" my shoulders were getting tired now. Standing in the farthestcorner of the kitchen, visible to my captors, who had sinister embedded in their eyes.
I looked to my left and calculated the time it would take me to get to my room, it was in the hallway.
I couldn't make a run for it but at least I could try.
Die trying.
Both of them were busy in their own talk.
In a blur of panic and hesitation. I took my shot, I heaved myself forward in the birth of sheer terror. Afraid of what might happen if I fail. If it weren't for my lame leg, I could be the fastest person alive.
The intruders attention diverted towards me as I wasted no time looking at them and only focused on buying time for myself.
Just as my hand closed around the railing of the ramp the sound of a gunshot echoed. I felt the bullet hit my cane and then ricochet to a wall. My legs could barely hold me, which caused me to fall on the cold hard floor. A whimper left my mouth when my head hit first.
Even though the cane had saved me but it flew out of my grip and disappeared in the dim shadows.
I heard them laugh "Didn't we tell you? Move or you will die? I guess for all the trouble you have caused us. We'll have to k-" his words stopped in midway.
The sirens of police cars were faint from here but with the horror in their eyes showed their inexperience in escaping but here they were threatening a victim who had sabotaged their heist.
"Let's go Ricky. They'll catch us" the one with a small built said with a quivering voice.
"What about the girl?" "Ricky" asked he looked at me and then back at his boss. He took something out of his pocket, there was a furious banging on the door. Someone was trying to open it.
He barged towards me with a cloth "Well knock her out then" he said, before putting it on my mouth, despite of my protest.
"No!" My voice came out hoarse as the chemicals made their way to my lungs, blurring my vision.
Until I was gone.
Rhys
I stood by the bar with an Old Fashioned in my hand with Alex. My mother's fashion show was a success and this was the after party.
"The models here are fine as fuck! Can your mom hook me up with one of them?" He asked making me roll my eyes.
"Why? Are girls becoming immune to your charms? Or maybe they just realised how blind they were to hook up with you in the first place" he punched my arm as I laughed out loud. Constantly being under the gaze of women was making me sick. They always circled around me like vultures and snakes.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and Avery's name flashed on it. I checked the time and found out it was only midnight. But why would she be up this late?
I picked it up and put it next to my ear without even saying hello. After some silence I heard a male voice "We know that, tell us where the expensive shit is?" There was shuffling on the other line and worry crept inside of me.
I asked Alex to call the cops ad send them to my house this instant. We both marched out of the hall into the parking lot. I put the phone on speaker when Avery's voice was no where to be heard and just two men were talking to each other.
"They are on their way, Rhys" Alex informed me and I started the engine. And started to drive out.
I didn't dare talk into the phone because I knew she was calling to get help not get caught by her captors.
There a sound of a gunshot followed by a feminine whimper making me go in shock instead of stopping I drove as fast as I could not caring if any patrol car would stop me.
Now I couldn't hear the voices anymore just faint whimpering of Avery. My heart was beating so fast with fear.
I had reached my banglow and found the police cars also driving in.
I parked the car in front of my house and sprinted towards the main door. On my way here I found one of the police cars standing but the gate office. My security was down.
I banged on the door but an officer pushed me away causing me to stumble on my feet. Sweat trickled down my forehead and heat radiated from me.
What if they killed her?
Was I going to meet with a dead corpse?
I hadn't even noticed Alex's presence beside me, he noted my shock and yelled "What is taking so long damn it! Open the door!"
"Sir we're almost there" the officer replied as the door clicked and I ran inside.