At that moment, my terror was beyond words. Imagine how anyone could cope with the fact that, in less than half an hour, three vibrant lives had been snuffed out like candles in the wind.
The screen flickered in the darkness, the barking of a dog echoing in the background.
Hannah's voice came through, "Looks like she's on the move, boss. Should we call the cops?"
Ronan pondered for a moment, "Someone will have called it by now!"
He glanced at me and came over, enveloping me in his arms with a gentle whisper, "She won't get far. Don't be scared!"
My body was shivering uncontrollably. The thought of holding my son after what had happened was chilling to the bone.
Suddenly, Hannah exclaimed, "She's actually taking a bath?!"
I quickly wriggled out of Ronan's embrace, curiosity drawing my eyes to the screen.
In the pitch-black night, a sinister figure was splashing water from a rushing river onto herself with relentless vigor!
It took a good twenty minutes before she crossed the river and vanished into the darkness.
A voice from the screen said, "I'm on her trail, I'll report back soon!"
And with that, the screen went dead.
"She must be going for Carl; why else would she clean up like that?" Ronan's voice was firm, "We'll hear about the kid soon. If all goes well, we'll have him back by dawn."
He turned to me, his voice soft, "Try to get some rest, we've got to pick up Carl later."
I was still trembling, too terrified to even think about closing my eyes.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here," Ronan said, as if reading my mind, his hand gently stroking my back. The warmth from his palm strangely comforted me.
As the sky turned a pale gray, news finally arrived. Ronan immediately answered the call on speakerphone, "Boss, the target is in a nunnery at Emerald Mist Peak. Locals say there's just one old nun there. Both paths up the mountain are blocked!"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)