Jacob's anger was escalating as he kept her seized by the neck. His eyes were gradually becoming red, and his hand was tightening around her veins. At the same time, Sheila's face was turning purple and her eyes looked like they were about to pop out. Everyone was stunned by the scene, unable to react in any way. No one dared to stop him; no one even dared to say a word.
When she was on the verge of suffocation, Jacob finally loosened his grip and threw her on the ground in disgust as if he was throwing garbage.
Sheila gasped like a fish out of water and then coughed heavily.
"Who dares to laugh? I will have you wither just like her!" Jacob stretched out his arm and grabbed the handkerchief handed over by Sam. He wiped his hands with it and directed his sight towards Sheila adding,"And you... "
Sheila, who was still trying to breathe on the ground, reflexively quivered at his hateful look. She immediately tried to gather her thoughts and began begging for mercy with her hoarse voice,"Mr. Jacob... I am sorry. I was wrong; please forgive me... "
Jacob casually dropped the handkerchief on the ground, as he was staring into her eyes. He was angry but more so panicked. He kept blaming Sheila,"Emily was sitting right at your table, and you could not take care of her..." Then on an even more desperate tone, he continued,"Damn it! Keep looking! And if you can't find her yourself, then all of you go; either you find her... or you can all disappear together."
The other employees began resenting Sheila as well. If she hadn't treated Emily like that in the first place, Emily might have not left the table. If they had known this would happen, they wouldn't have let her out of their sight no matter what.
A few hours later
Confused, Emily's gaze kept hovering over Jack who was lying on the ground unconscious. She was trying hard to get a grip on reality, but the shock they had been through was making it hard.
She slowly reached out to touch his face. His warm but faint nasal breath gently brushed her fingers as she tried to open his eyelids.
"Jack, wake up. Are you trying to pull a prank on me like the last time? I know you like to do that," Emily stated hoping she was right.
This time, however, he wasn't pretending.
Suddenly a noise echoed through the air. As it got closer, it sounded more and more like a voice, but Emily couldn't take the chance. She couldn't risk running into another beast. Instinctively, she dragged Jack as best as she could, wanting to hide farther into the bushes.
A flashlight beam protruded through the parted grass not very far away. Emily started discerning a number of human voices coming from the light.
Her breath stopped for half a second, partly because of the newly-found hope and partly because she needed to quiet down her loud breathing so she could hear the others. Pushing through the severe pain in her ankle, she forced herself to stand up. With all the strength she had left, Emily shouted,"Is anyone there? Someone's hurt here! Help, please!"
As soon as she finished her words, a sound of rapid footsteps headed in her direction, and then a bright flashlight lit up her face.
"Miss Emily!" called out the person holding the light. It's Miss Emily! Hey! She's here!"
However, the pain from standing on her leg combined with the excitement of being found took a toll on her. Emily's vision quickly turned blurry and she immediately blacked out.
A few shakes and light cheek slaps later, she opened her eyes and was greeted by a familiar scent and a warm embrace. She would recognize Jacob's perfume from a mile away, even with eyes closed. She didn't want to move.
Jacob squeezed her against his chest so tightly, as if this was the only way to release the panic and worry in his heart.
Sam, who had followed him along, kept reminding him,"Mr. Jacob... the way you're holding her is a bit too tight. She just fainted a minute ago. She might suffocate... Sir? Sir!"
Jacob eventually came to his senses after Sam's last warning. He immediately loosened his hold, but Emily was already without air. It seemed that she was about to lose consciousness again. So without hesitation, Jacob pressed his lips against hers, and lend her some of his air.
Emily opened her eyes once more and attempted to whisper,"H..he... Sa.. save him... " Those words took all her energy away, and she could no longer stay awake. Her body sunk limp into Jacob's arms.
Jacob nervously felt her pulse. Once he realized it was still stable, he calmed down and sighed in relief. He turned his sight over to Jack, who was also lying on the ground unconscious, and his eyes turned unresponsive to light.
Later that evening, Emily woke up to a bright white ceiling with molding carved in exquisite patterns. Immediately she began coughing,"Ahm... ahm"
"You're awake!" remarked a voice to her side. Turning her head, she noticed Jacob tending to her on the side of the bed. He raised a cup of warm water to her lips gently requesting,"Drink this."
Emily lifted herself higher on her pillow, resting her back against it, and drank the water obediently. After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally decided to ask,"So... How is Jack?"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Call That Changed Her Entire Life