C6 WHERE IS JOHN?

Elizabeth prepared the meal for dinner. They waited for John to come back but it was an hour already, still, no John arrived at home.

“Ahm.. I guess John will not come home at this hour already.”, said Elizabeth.

“Where did he go?”, replied Edmund.

“Huh.. This brother of mine is like a ghost. Sometimes, we can’t understand what he’s up to.”, replied Alexa.

While everyone is talking, Kiesha slowly woke up from sleep.

“Mother? Is my brother home already?”, asked Kiesha.

“No dear. He’s not yet arrived.”, replied her father.

“What? I’m afraid something’s wrong with him father. Come on! Let’s find John!”, she replied.

“Relax dear. Just stay calm. I guess you’re okay now?”, replied Edmund.

“No! I’m not alright. Please let’s find brother.”, she replied.

“Kiesha, listen. We just pray that your brother is safe now. It’s late in the evening already. We can’t just go along the road. Don’t worry we’ll find John while you, you will be focusing in school. Just promise it to us. Okay?”, replied Elizabeth.

“Okay mother. I’m just getting worried now. I suspect that John is missing.”, replied Kiesha.

“Just stop it Kiesha. Everything will be fine. Why are you all worried? We did not even know that John will arrive today. He just surprised us.”, replied Alexa positively.

“But, how I looked at him this afternoon made me more frustrated.”, replied Kiesha.

“Stop thinking negatively Kiesha. We’ll pray for your brother’s safety.”, replied Edmund.

“Okay everyone, relax. I know we can get through with this. But let’s eat first because we need strength for today, tomorrow and for the following months. Kiesha dear, think positively. Just think of your upcoming graduation and I’m sure your brother will be very proud of you.”, replied Elizabeth.

“Thanks mother. I will.”, replied Kiesha.

The family ate together with a moment of silence until Kiesha finished her food first and placed the plate in the basin. She went immediately at her bed and fall asleep. Sunday morning came. The Jones family were still asleep. Until 8 am in the morning strikes when Kiesha woke up first. She prayed before fixing her pillow. She went outside of the house and looked somewhere else until she reached the roadside. She was standing near the store and eventually asked the owner inside if someone has found John yesterday looking for a medicine.

“Hello, good morning. Is anybody here?”, asked Kiesha.

“Hi Kiesha. Good morning. What’s yours?”, replied the store owner.

“Ahm.. Sorry but I won’t buy anything. I would only like to ask, have you seen my brother yesterday looking for a medicine?”, she asked.

“Oh, sorry dear but our store was closed yesterday. I haven’t seen him because we’re on a vacation. Why are you asking? By the way, I haven’t seen him for a very long time huh.”, replied the owner.

“Actually, John came home yesterday and it’s a bit surprise for us. But I am worried because he escaped again without any information, at least we keep on track on him. He’s gone again.”, replied Kiesha.

“Really?”, said the owner.

“Yeah. Now I am wondering where he is.”, she replied.

“Don’t worry dear. Your brother will come back soon. By the way, your graduation is fast approaching. I would like to congratulate you for your hard work despite your family’s current status right now. You still be able to send yourself to school. I am proud of you.”, replied the store owner.

“Wow. Thank you Ma’am.”, replied Kiesha.

“Ahm.. Here take this. Our breakfast meal this morning. It’s delicious. You should try it with you family Kiesha.”, said the owner.

“Oh, thank you Ma’am. This is such a big blessing for us. Happy Sunday!”, replied Kiesha.

“Have a blessed Sunday Kiesha and to your family. Bye for now, we’re heading to church.”, replied the owner.

Kiesha went back at home happily bringing the food with her.

“What’s that dear?”, asked her mother.

“Oh good morning mother. It’s a blessing from our neighbor the one who owned the store located at the corner of the road.”, she replied.

“Really? Wow thank you. Have you been grateful to her?”, asked Elizabeth.

“Of course mother. I thanked her.”, she replied.

“By the way, what brought you outside?”, asked Elizabeth.

“Actually, I am searching for brother. I asked the store owner if he noticed John yesterday. But their store was closed. Nobody knows about him. I am more and more worried mother.”, she replied.

“Oh dear.. I know we are all worried. But worrying can’t help us to go on with our daily tasks. I know your brother is also doing his job this time to provide and help your father and sister. We’ll just wait or maybe we’ll schedule an appointment to the Police by tomorrow.”, replied Elizabeth.

“I want to join mother.”, replied Kiesha.

“But you should be in school.”, replied her mother.

“Dear, please listen. We want you to be more brave. So please have the courage to fight for your studies.”, added her mother.

“Of course mother.”, replied Kiesha as she sighs.

Kiesha was still restless while thinking about his brother.

“How’s brother now? Oh God, please have mercy.”, she whispered as she looked at the bright sky.

On the other side, John was been kidnapped by unknown men. He fell into a trap. He doesn’t know who these men are. His hands are tied with a rough rope which caused her hands to tremble. He woke up in a dark room. Suddenly, a man with his subordinates came over to his sight. It was already late evening when he woke up.

“Where am I?”, asked John.

“Where are you? Oh, should you not greet me first?”, asked the man.

“Who are you? My family! Where is my family! I need to talk to them!”, cried John.

“Stop shouting John!”, yelled the man.

“Hey you, hold his both arms and punched him as you can!”, commanded the man.

John was punched at both sides of his face by the men until his face bleeds and his body was full of bruises. From his eyes, all over his face until the parts of his legs were bleeding. John could not any longer move.

“Pl-e-a-s-e…”, he pleaded.

“That’s enough!”, said the man.

“Hey you! Don’t you still recognize me huh?”, added the man.

“B-o-s-s J?...”, replied John shockingly.

John’s eyes are full of bruises only the sclera of his both eyes are being noticed.

“Oh why are you scared?”, asked his boss.

“W-h-y? What have I d-o-n-e?...”, asked John.

“Oh so you forgot uh. Did Anton called you yesterday?”, asked his boss.

“Y-e-a-h..”, he replied.

“But I told him I was in my family. I did not escape from my job. I actually missed my family, since we haven’t seen them in a month. So please have pity on me..”, he pleaded.

“Yes, Anton told me but I don’t like people who will not see me if ever I have commands right away. What should I do then? You did not obey my rule yesterday. You did not kidnap any teenager girl. What if I’ll sell your younger sister to a daddy huh? How would you feel being betrayed my John.. Hhahahahaa!”, exclaimed his boss.

John was shocked of what will happen if he will disobey his boss for the second time. He rushed to his boss and kneeled down upon him.

“Oh please! Please! Give me another chance. I will now obey you even though I can’t be with my family for how many months. Even though I can’t attend my younger sister’s graduation. I’ll kidnap many girls as long as you want it and sell them online. Please Master! Please!!”, he cried.

“Oh, poor boy. But since I’m good, uhm.. Yeah right. I’ll give you another chance. If you will make me feel dismayed again, Oh John, don’t you dare see your younger sister again!”, yelled his boss as his large eyes looked at him.

“Tie him up in a chair and be sure that you will not give him food. Just leave this man alone!”, added the man.

The men tied him up in a chair. They tied him on the hands, feet and stuffed a cloth in his mouth. They locked John into the dark room and did not give him food 2 days already.

“Oh I’m starving.”, he murmured.

Suddenly, someone opened the door.

“John?”, said Anton.

He immediately get the cloth from John’s mouth so that he would be able to talk.

“You bastard! What did you do huh? What did you tell Boss J? Why this happened to me?”, asked John.

“Hey body, listen. I don’t know. He just commanded me to call you for an important meeting but you did not respond to me immediately. So I told him that you can’t come because you missed your family and you want to attend your younger sister’s graduation right?”, explained Anton.

“This is all your fault! You idiot!”, cried John.

Because of you, my younger sister will be in trouble!”, replied John.

“What? Why?”, asked Anton.

“Our boss knew that I have a younger sister because you told him that I am attending my sister’s graduation next month.”, replied John.

“What should I do? To be a liar in front of him? What do you want me to tell him? That you will attend yesterday’s meeting but you will be late? I knew since then that you won’t attend so I decided to tell him everything. I only told him what you have just said.”, replied Anton.

“Please John. I don’t want a fight now. Here, take this food. Eat it so that you will have strength to escape this gateway.”, added Anton.

“I told you I don’t want that!”, shouted Anton.

The men heard a noise and went rushing in their master’s place to tell it.

“Oh gosh.. John.. Don’t shout. We will be caught.”, replied Anton.

“I don’t care. I want to escape in this messy situation!”, replied John.

The men went through the room with their master.

“What’s this Anton? Why are you here? Do you want John to escape from here huh?”, asked their boss angrily.

“No. I mean I just give him food to eat.”, replied Anton.

“And who told you that? I’m gonna kill you right now. You disobeyed my rule you freak!”, yelled the boss.

“But I don’t know about it. Someone just told me that John is here and is hungry.”, he replied.

“Please Boss J. I have a wife and a baby. Please give me a chance. Don’t kill me please!!”, pleaded Anton.

“But their boss grabbed a revolver gun from his pocket and immediately shoot Anton with hesitation.

“Boss! No!”, screamed John.

But Anton fell on the floor. His head was bleeding.

John saw it and he was surprised. Anton died in front of him. He can’t even help Anton to plead from their boss.

“Anton!!”, screamed John.

“What now? Stop screaming!”, yelled his boss.

“Or else, you will be the next target. That’s just good for him. That’s the thing I want to do to those people who will disobey me! You, all of you! Watch out! Hhahaahaa!!”, laughed their boss.

The boss and his subordinates went back when John suddenly shouted.

“You don’t have a conscience. Don’t you?”, said John.

The boss stepped backward and moved closer to John.

“Ohh.. What did you just say, John? Are you not afraid of me huh?”, said the boss while holding John’s neck.

“Do you really want me to kill you or your sister?”, replied the man.

“Stop involving my sister in here. She’s innocent!”, he replied.

“So? Stop me from killing Anton! Anyway, he’s dead now. I’m relieved from that freak.”, he replied.

“What about his family? His wife? His baby?”, asked John.

“I don’t know. I’ll kill them too if only I wanted to.”, he replied.

“You’re such a killer!”, replied John.

“Yeah, I know. You will be next if I ever I am not satisfied how you handle the job. Alright?”, he replied as he patted John’s back.

“Stop! Don’t touch me, idiot!”, replied John.

The men held his arms and punched him on the face.

“Stop it, stop it. That’s enough boys.”, said their boss.

“But he just mocked you boss.”, replied one of his men.

“I said enough. Let’s go now!”, replied their boss.

“Hey, wait! Don’t leave me here. How about Anton? Don’t leave us here.”, yelled John.

The group went outside and locked the doors.

John was really scared about what happened.

“Oh Anton, my body. I am sorry for not helping you lately. I am too really surprised about it. What should I do? What should I tell about your wife and your baby?”, he whispered.

He hugged his body and cried loudly. He stayed 3 days already from the day he was kidnapped. The foul smell of Anton’s dead body covered the whole room. John was weak already and becoming thin. He hasn’t eaten food for 3 days already nor he was drinking water. John was lying down on the floor looking at Anton’s body. He cried through out the day. John’s family was already worried about him since they haven’t seen him for days already.

“Dear? Edmund? I’m missing our son. I don’t know but we have to maybe asked for help?”, said Elizabeth.

“Help from where and from whom?”, replied Edmund.

“To the Police Station.”, she replied.

“Alright, fine.”, replied Edmund.

A Tuesday morning came. Kiesha was still sad about the situation of his brother.

“Why did he left immediately? He told me to wait for him because he will buy a medicine for me. But it just happened he did not come back. How foolish of him.”, whispered Kiesha.

Kiesha left home at 6:00 am in the morning to head her way to school.

“Mother, father, Alexa, I’ll go ahead. Bye.”, said Kiesha.

“Hey wait sis! You’re bread snack.”, said Alexa.

“Oh thank you.”, replied Kiesha.

“Mother, are you going to the Police Station today?”, asked Kiesha.

“Yes dear. We will go there.”, replied Elizabeth.

“How about me? I want to be with you.”, replied Kiesha.

“Kiesha, what did we just tell you yesterday? We want you to focus on your studies. We will soon update you when you arrive home. For now, just focus on the school’s preparation for graduation and thank you again for making us proud. I know your brother was also proud with you. You know that.”, replied his father.

Kiesha nodded and started to pedal his bicycle. Suddenly, she cried in tears.

“Kiesha! Dear! Just don’t worry. It will be okay soon.”, added her mother.

Kiesha heard the words came from her mother’s mouth. She then started to act bravely that everything will go smoothly. But she can’t control herself from crying silently.

“I miss brother so much. I want a complete family. I want all of us to be complete. But I think my brother has important things to do that’s why he will just leave without reminding us that he’s leaving right away. Where does really my brother go?”, whispered Kiesha.

In spur of moment, a fast ambulance passed by. It started to scare Kiesha and think about John.

“I hope not.”, she said.