Suddenly, a dim light squeezing through the warehouse door caught Rachel's attention. She was the only one who had noticed it since she was facing the exit. The light was as weak as the one that fireflies gave off. The next second, it was gone.
Having been tormented by Miranda, Rachel became more paranoid. Even the dim light rekindled her desire to survive. 'Am I imagining things now? Is there someone out there? If I scream for help, will someone come to my rescue? She is going to kill me anyway. So I might as well wait for an opportunity and give it a shot, ' she brooded.
Noticing that Rachel was slightly absentminded, Miranda was pissed off. Looking down at Rachel, she said superciliously, "You know what? I'm going to tape your mouth because you might not be able to endure the pain and cry out. Although I'm sure that no one will hear you in this remote place, to hear you make any noises will definitely upset me."
She then signaled to Danny to get her a scotch tape. Rachel somehow gathered up some courage and screamed for help in the direction of the door. "Help! Anyone! Help me!" she shouted. Panicked, Danny hurried to tape her mouth shut.
Even though Miranda and Danny didn't believe that anyone would show up, they still turned around to look at the door fearing that someone might ruin their plan. But the door remained shut. Silence filled the air. There was no doubt that no one could find them in this deserted place.
Rachel's actions reminded Miranda that she should take down the hostage right now, in case any emergency happened. Miranda picked up a fruit knife and approached Rachel slowly. As the sharp edge of the knife reflected a dazzling light in the darkness, Rachel shook her head with infinite trepidation. She wanted to move backward but she couldn't move an inch since terror had seized her. She tried to scream but to no avail for her mouth was taped. Closing her eyes, she accepted her fate as tears rushed down her cheeks.
At that moment, they heard a noise from outside. It sounded like someone was approaching. Surprise came upon them as a loud kick hit the door and it swung open. With a terrified expression, Miranda and Danny turned around to check what was going on. Before Danny could do anything to stop the intruder, the latter kicked him hard in the stomach and he fell on the ground. Miranda tightened her grip on the knife but that didn't help. It took the unexpected visitor less than half a minute to snatch the weapon from her hand.
Now empty-handed, Miranda was overwhelmed by tremendous fear. There was only one thought in her head—she needed to escape from that place as soon as possible. Ignoring Danny who still hadn't recovered from his shock, she ran swiftly towards the open door and never looked back. The door slammed with a loud thud, bringing Danny back to his senses. He jumped to his feet and made his escape.
Overjoyed on how things turned out, Rachel finally opened her eyes and lifted her head as Bernard came into her view. In her eyes, he was like a hero who appeared out of nowhere. His presence made her feel safe. She was overwhelmed with the joy of survival.
Rachel threw herself into Bernard's arms involuntarily. She cried her heart out to vent out all her fear and sadness. With a heartbroken look on his face, Bernard pulled her closer to his chest and caressed her hair in the hope of comforting her.
Had he come a minute later, he might not be able to see Rachel again. He felt relieved to come to her aid in time, otherwise, he would live with guilt and torment for the rest of his life. The thought that he might lose Rachel forever sent shivers down his spine. As he became aware that he now held her in his arms, his heart pumped rapidly. He felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.
After a long while, Rachel regained her composure. Looking bashful, she let go of Bernard, and looked up at him with gratitude in her eyes.
Bernard stared at the teary-eyed lady in front of him. Something about her still stirred up the surge of desire to have her under his protection. He wiped off the tear stains near her eyes, and unconsciously he lowered his head and kissed her.
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