Sarah sighs as she puts down the last bottle of soda she has drunk for the day. She decides to make a cup of coffee for herself just to unwind from another hectic day serving crazy customers at the bar when she begins to hear strange voices from the living room. "My drunk father is at it again," she thought in her mind as she slid the night robe over her shoulders. She turns around and gives her sister Olivia a quick look. Olivia had complained of a slight headache before sleeping; the noise in the living room is not just going to help the situation. Sarah couldn't stop her feet from moving in the direction the noise came from, but as she approached the living room, her feet came to a halt, witnessing the scene in front of her!
Her house has been evaded by goons, and her drunk father, Jonah, has been surrounded by them, each of them pointing short rifles at him. There were four in total, or so she thought, all dressed in black suits and black ties. By their dressing, one would easily detect that they are professionals in their job, the position she sees her father is a very compromising one.
"Dad!"
Sarah couldn't help but scream; this drew the attention of these dangerous men to her. Her body froze the minute they turned their heads to face her. Their piercing gazes swept over her body, stripping her naked. Their gaze is intentional and burning with rage. Sarah decided in her heart to fight the goons, but the determination to hurt and the greed in their eyes stopped her from taking any further steps—a wrong step and a wrong move. That's what it would take to wipe her family off the surface of the earth forever.
"Sarah! Go back to your room!" Jonah instructed, Sarah eyes trailing down at him. His head is bleeding from one side, and from the look of things, he seemed to understand the intentions of these hungry-looking monsters who didn't even make any attempt to hide it behind their clothes, even though their deep stares were already making Sarah uncomfortable, she sensed the helplessness in her father's voice as he pleaded with her to return to her room. Jonah was helpless at that point, and so was Sarah. Her entire body was completely frozen, preventing her from moving backward or forward.
Like a flash, one of the goons kicked Jonah hard in the stomach; he yelled for pain, and so Sarah immediately retaliated. Her body jerked towards Jonah as he squeezed himself and wiggled in pain. She pushes herself past the couch and kneels beside Jonah.
"Dad, are you alright?" She inquired in a shaky voice.
Despite the fact that Jonah had always brought shame to the family, Sarah didn't want him to die. Her mother passed away on her seventeenth birthday, and since then she has taken up the responsibility of taking care of her sister's tuition fees from the stipends she makes working on numerous shifts at the bar. The only thing their dad provides them is two horrible meals per day, which Sarah never really appreciated until this very moment.
"I'm fine," says Jonah as he struggles to speak as normally as possible.
"Now, Sarah, go back into your room and be with your sister," Jonah ordered Sarah again.
but even after receiving the order for the second time, Sarah couldn't muster the courage to lift her feet. She couldn't leave him there all by himself.
"How can I even leave him with these human-eating monsters?" she thought in her mind.
"Aha! Jonah, you didn't tell us you have such valuable property in your house!"
One of the goons said this with his eyes affixed to Sarah's partially exposed cleavage. Sarah traced his eyes to where he had his focus and immediately adjusted her robe. From the side of her eyes, she could see one of the men lick his cracked lip. She hurriedly sat beside her wounded father, her hand gripping tight on his arm. Just then, she heard approaching footsteps from the inner corridor leading to the sitting room. Her heartbeat suddenly changed rhythm.
'What's going on here?" Olivia asked. Her voice was innocent and full of confusion.
The men traced their eyes from Olivia to Sarah and roared in a chorus of laughter. Sarah was lost and confused, but the monsters understood the joke.
Olivia didn't wait for her father or sister to call her; she rushed forward and buried her head in Sarah's chest. Realising they were now in big trouble, Sarah blinked her tears back in. This was not the time to whine. She chinned up. Someone had to be brave; someone had to do it. Sarah has learned over the years that crying never really solves anything; rather, it makes the situation worse, and she is determined not to give in to their demands. She gulped the thick lump that had formed in her throat, watching the men laugh at their own joke.
Just then, a deep, authoritative, and masculine voice rang out from the end of the hall.
"Silence all of you!." These four words were all it took to shut those monsters up. And for a moment, Sarah forgot the words she was going to spew out as her attention was drawn directly to the man whose command was enough to transform these so-called tigers into puppies. They all hastily move aside, making a little passage for the man whom she assumes is their boss. He took short steps forward, stopping right in front of the table before them. He placed one leg on the table and searched his pocket for a cigar and lighter. He placed the cigar in his mouth slowly and lit it while his eyes were still focused on all three of them at once. Sarah was too occupied with fighting his men to even notice him sitting on the couch. She felt the extra gaze the moment she stepped into the living room, but she was soaked in fear, trying to figure out how many eyes were watching her. This man was taller than the other four men, and he was dressed differently from them. He had a hat resting on his head and a pair of grey suits fitting perfectly on his sleek body. He seems to be in his late twenties, a perfect fit for his age. He took a long drag of his cigarette and puffed clouds of smoke from his mouth and nose into their faces. Sarah and Olivia choked at the smell of wood mixed with mint. His deep green eyes penetrated their very souls. His gaze hypnotised them as he approached them with quick, authoritative steps; they were surrounded by cold, ear-piercing silence. The silence became so unbearable that Sarah wished someone would speak up and break it. He stopped directly in front of Sarah; she rose to her feet, and both girls helped their bleeding father do the same.
"We might be poor, but we definitely do not belong to the feet of any mortal man!". she said in her mind.
They stood in front of him, and he kept staring at Sarah. She tried to maintain the gaze fight, fixing her eyes directly on his, but when his eyes seemingly got tired of scanning her, he turned to Jonah.
"I want my money," he demanded in a harsh tone. As the words fell on Sarah's ears, she realised they came for their money, not goons, like she had thought earlier. She knows her father is so into drinking and gambling, but she had no idea that he could be indebted to such deadly people.
"I promise I will pay; please give me some more time," Jonah begged.
"What is my name?" the man asked. His voice was deep and dark.
Bobby-Bobby Duke," Jonah stuttered the reply.
"I promise you, I will pay you back. Just give me some more...
Hush! The man cut him off with his last words.
" Is my money ready, Yes or no?" he asked, retrieving a pistol from his inner breast pocket and placing it on Jonah's forehead.
"No," Jonah replied, his voice quivering and his entire body shaking. Sarah does not blame her father for shivering in front of these men. Who wouldn't shiver? To an extent, she is surprised she hasn't peed on herself just yet. Their personalities screamed danger and harm. She couldn't be more frightened.
"Say it louder," Bobby said, hitting Jonah with the edge of the gun.
"No, No", Jonah screamed loud enough for the man to hear.
"Then you already know that when I pay you a visit, I do not leave empty-handed. Hmm?"
Jonah only nodded his head in a sharp response.
"Then give me back the money you owe me, plus interest; only then will I and my men let you go." He sighed. - "I have a lot of things to do with my money," Bobby added.
ignoring Sarah as though he had not just scanned her bare skin with his eyes.
"I am broke," Jonah whimpered.
"Oh! Jonah, we all know you're always broke." Bobby stated: Sarah's heart clenched at the sight of her dad sobbing like a newborn baby. Her heart shattered and broke into more pieces than she could count.
"You can go ahead and search my home; take anything you find valuable enough to repay a cent of the debt that I owe you; I promise to run around for the remainder." Said Jonah
"Anything?" Bobby asked in a wicked tone.
"Yes, anything". Jonah replied.
"How about her?" Bobby pointed at Sarah. Her eyes widened as he grabbed her wrist.