C365 One Kill

At the Mooney Residence, the two cars slowly approached the main entrance. The headlights swept across the driveway before both vehicles finally came to a stop. Georgia and Mary had been waiting outside for them. They had been standing there for a long time, watching the road and hoping that the next car they saw would contain Alicia. The moment they realized that neither Alicia nor Sarah was with them, their expressions immediately changed.

Mary stepped forward. "What happened?" Georgia looked from Mark to Quinton, then to me. "Where is Alicia?" Nobody answered immediately. The silence itself was enough to make both women afraid. Mark slowly opened his car door and stepped out. He looked exhausted. His face was pale, and his eyes carried the weight of everything we had witnessed at the warehouse. Without saying a word, he walked toward the house. I followed behind him. Quinton came next. Georgia and Mary hurried after us. Inside the living room, Peter was already waiting. He had been sitting on the sofa, anxiously waiting for news.

The moment he saw us enter without Alicia, he stood up. "Son..." His voice trembled. "Did you find my granddaughter?" Mark stopped. For a moment, he couldn't bring himself to answer. Then he slowly shook his head. "No." Mary immediately covered her mouth. Georgia's eyes filled with tears. The two women began crying again. Peter's expression became serious. "What happened?" Mark looked toward me. "Mike." I looked at him. "Go upstairs and fetch the diary." I immediately understood. The diary contained Victor's number. I nodded. "I'll get it." Without wasting another second, I rushed upstairs.

Behind me, Mark turned back toward the family. Everyone was staring at him. Waiting. Hoping. Terrified of what he was about to say. Mark finally took a deep breath. "When we arrived at the warehouse, Sarah had already been released." Peter's eyes widened. "So Sarah was really there?" Mark nodded. "She managed to contact her family. She told us that Alicia exchanged herself for Sarah's life." Mary began crying again. "My poor child..." Mark continued. "Sarah survived. She managed to get back to the city." He paused. "And she went into labour."

Peter immediately looked toward the others. "So Sarah is safe?" "Yes." Peter released a small breath. But the relief lasted only a moment. His face tightened again. "And Alicia?" Mark lowered his head. "That's the problem." The room became silent. Peter stared at him. "What happened to Alicia?" Mark slowly shook his head. "We don't know." Mary's tears became heavier. Georgia held her chest as though the words had physically hurt her. Peter's hands tightened around the edge of the sofa. "How can you not know?" Mark looked at him. "When we entered the warehouse, Jack was already dead."

Peter frowned. "Dead?" "Yes." Mark paused. "He had been shot in the head." The room fell completely silent. Everyone stared at him. "Then..." Georgia whispered, "who killed him?" Mark shook his head. "We don't know." At that moment, I returned downstairs carrying the diary. I walked directly toward Mark and handed it to him. "Here." Mark took it. Mary immediately looked at Quinton. "Husband... what does all this mean?" Quinton spoke. "When we arrived, Jack was already dead. There was also a blood trail leading from the warehouse."

Mary's expression changed. "Blood?" I nodded slowly. "Yes." My voice cracked. "We followed it outside, but it stopped at the road." Mary covered her mouth. "So Alicia..." I couldn't finish the sentence. Mark continued for me. "I examined the wound myself." He looked around the room. "The bullet came from a distance." Peter frowned. "A sniper?" Mark nodded. "A sniper." Quinton slowly sat down. "So whoever killed Jack wasn't there to attack Alicia." Mark shook his head. "That's what we believe." Peter stared at him for several seconds. Then something seemed to occur to him. "Could it have been..." He paused. "The Gupta family?"

Everyone looked at him. My heart immediately tightened. I nodded slowly. "That's what I was thinking." Peter looked at me. "Why?" I swallowed. "Alicia told us about those candles." "The ancestral candles." Peter remained silent. Mark nodded. "Which means they could have tracked her." Peter's eyes widened. "So you believe the Gupta family arrived before you?" "I don't know," Mark answered honestly. "But it's possible." Mary suddenly began crying again. "What if they were too late?" Nobody answered. The question hung heavily in the room. What if they had arrived after Jack had already killed Alicia? What if the blood belonged to her? What if they found her too late?

I looked down. My tears finally broke free. "My wife..." My voice barely came out. "My child..." I wiped my face, but the tears continued. Mark looked at me. He understood. He was a father too. He knew what it meant to fear losing someone you loved. Mark opened the diary and found Victor's number. He dialed. Everyone became quiet. The phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times. Nobody answered. Mark waited. Still nothing. He ended the call. Then tried again. The same thing happened. He tried a third time. Still no answer. Mark slowly lowered the phone. "The number is ringing." Peter stepped closer. "But nobody is answering?" Mark shook his head. "No."

Peter immediately said, "Then go there." Mark looked at him. "Now?" "Yes." Mark shook his head. "It's already late." He looked toward me. "Mike doesn't remember the exact route." Everyone looked at me. Mark continued. "But perhaps tomorrow, when it's daylight, he'll remember some of the landmarks." I nodded slowly. "I'll try." I wiped my eyes. "I'll go upstairs and try to remember everything." Without waiting for anyone to respond, I turned and rushed upstairs. The moment I entered the bedroom and closed the door behind me, I finally allowed myself to break down. There was nobody watching me. Nobody I needed to reassure. Nobody I needed to pretend to be strong for.

I sat on the edge of the bed. Tears rolled down my face. My mind immediately returned to Alicia. Her smile. Her voice. The way she always tried to appear stronger than she actually felt. She had always wanted to learn how to fight. She had always insisted that she would not remain helpless. And now... She had actually exchanged herself for Sarah. She had walked into danger knowing exactly what could happen to her. I lowered my head. "Wife..." My voice trembled. "Please be safe." I clenched my fists. "I don't care what happens to me." "Just come back." I looked toward the empty side of the bed. "I really won't know how to live without you."

The words broke me again. I lay down, but sleep refused to come. I turned to one side. Then the other. I closed my eyes. Opened them again. Every time I tried to sleep, I saw Jack's corpse in that warehouse. I saw the blood. I immediately sat up again. "No..." I whispered. "She's alive." "I know she's alive." "She has to live." "She can't leave me like this." But deep down, fear remained. Meanwhile. Far away from the city, the taxi driver was still waiting. He was standing in front of Alicia's car. At first, he had expected her to return quickly. But minutes became an hour. Then another. The night became colder.

He kept looking around. There was nobody. He waited a little longer. Still nothing. Eventually, the cold became unbearable. He walked toward Alicia's car. He whispered "what If I just steal this car and disappear." He shook his head. "But I am registered as Taxi driver my personal details are in my car." He tried the door. To his surprise, it opened. He looked around once more before getting inside. "I'll wait here." He closed the door. The warmth inside the vehicle was better than standing outside. He sat in the driver's seat. Minutes passed. His eyes became heavier. Eventually, exhaustion overcame him. He fell asleep. Still... Nobody came.

Inside the Gupta residence, the night was much quieter. Alicia finally opened her eyes. For several seconds, she didn't understand what had happened. She stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. Her breathing was slow. Then she remembered. The warehouse. Jack. The gunshot. Sarah. She immediately looked around. Nobody was in the room. Alicia slowly lowered her hand toward her stomach. "My child..." Her voice was barely a whisper. She waited. There was no movement. Her stomach was flat. Panic immediately entered her heart. "My baby..." She tried to sit up. Pain shot through her shoulder. She winced. "Ah..." She fell back against the pillow.

For several seconds she remained still. Then she tried again. This time, she managed to sit upright. She placed both feet on the floor. Her body felt weak. She stood. For a moment, her legs couldn't support her. She fell back onto the bed. Alicia closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Come on." She tried again. Slowly... Carefully... This time she succeeded. She took one step. Then another. Her hand remained against the wall for support. Eventually, she reached the door. She opened it. The moment she stepped outside, she heard laughter. Alicia looked up. Victor was standing nearby. And in his arms was a tiny baby. Alicia froze.

Her eyes widened. Victor immediately smiled. "My child." Alicia stared at the baby. Then at Victor. "Grandpa..." Everyone turned toward her. Victor's smile grew even wider. "You are awake." He carefully raised the baby slightly. "Look." "Your son." Alicia's mouth fell open. "My..." She couldn't finish. Victor laughed. "You gave birth to a healthy baby boy." Alicia stared at him in disbelief. "But..." She touched her stomach. "I had only just started my eighth month." Victor smiled. "That doesn't matter now." "The important thing is that he is alive and healthy." Alicia slowly approached. Her eyes filled with tears.

She looked at the tiny face. A mixture of fear, relief, and happiness overwhelmed her. "He's so small." Victor chuckled. "Yes." "But he is strong." Alicia smiled faintly. Then Victor asked, "Did you and your husband already choose a name?" Alicia became quiet. For a moment, she simply stared at the baby. Then a memory returned. Mike. A conversation they had once shared. The name he had mentioned. Alicia's smile slowly grew. "We wanted to call him Emmanuel." She looked at Victor. "Is that a good name for a boy?" Victor laughed. "Of course." "I know many grown men named Emmanuel." He looked down at the baby. "Emmanuel is a good name."

Alicia smiled. "Then that's his name." She reached toward him. "Emmanuel." Her voice became emotional. "My little Emmanuel." She looked genuinely happy. Then something suddenly occurred to her. "My phone." She looked around. "Grandpa, where is my phone?" Victor's smile faded slightly. He turned toward Angus. "Angus?" Angus the Hammer shook his head. "She didn't have it when we arrived." Alicia's expression changed. "You don't have it?" Angus the Hammer shook his head again. "No, Madam."

Alicia looked worried. "Then where is it?" He immediately straightened. "I'll check the car." He turned toward the door. Alicia watched him leave. She didn't know it yet, but that phone had become extremely important. Because while her family in the city was desperately trying to find her... They still believed she was missing.