Chapter 34: Chapter 34



Annabelle's POV

Faking one's own death wasn't as easy as I thought.

Nothing prepares you for that. Not even a shit ton of training. Nothing prepares you for the anxiety, the fear, the uncertainty of starting anew. These few days had been shitty for me but deep down I knew I had it better than my dad. At least am still breathing.

Rita came into the room with a knowing look plastered on her face.

"You ready to die?" She asks, coming to sit beside me on the bed. I gave her a heavy sigh before responding.

"Are you ever?" I replied with a grimace. She patted my back lightly, understanding smearing her face. She and Izzy had been nothing but supportive to me ever since this nightmare began. For once I could agree with my father's choice of friends for me. Funny that the first time we ever agreed on something, it occurred when he no longer existed.

"Get up, we have to leave now. Everything is set and ready for execution." Rita said, standing up from the bed and offering me her hands. I took it and balanced myself on my feet.

We stepped out into the living room to find a very busy Izzy, she was busy ordering some poor innocent soul on the phone, barking commands like it was her birthright. A small smile played across my lips. She turned as we approached her.

"Do you remember the drill?" She asked me, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah," I said, my voice, wreaked. "Get into the car, drive for a distance, run into the preset truck that would be waiting for me at the other end of the street."

"Perfect. You'll be fine baby, you are the best I know."

Yeah right, the best indeed. I didn't bother responding or reacting to Izzy. I just picked up the backpack that had all the equipment I'd need to escape the collision and stepped out the door.

For me to be successful, I had to enter the lion's den. I could only hope I come out alive.

*******"""""*******

Charles POV

I drove like a mad man, the only person on my mind, Annabelle. I had to get to her hotel, I had to find out if she was okay, I had to save her.

Lord!

Was I cursed or something? How could the one good thing that had ever come into my life disappear moments before I could ever get to know her? Ever since I was a child, my life had been full of pain. Now that I had finally gotten a taste of happiness, how could the universe take it away from me?

I was so deep in thoughts, worry and self-pity that I didn't notice the lone tear seeping from the corner of my eyes and into my cheeks.

Fuck!

Lord please, I have never asked you for anything before. But if you could just save Annabelle, let her be safe, let her be safe lord.

I swiped the corner of my cheeks with my palm and pressed down on the gas, increasing the velocity. I needed to find Annabelle now!

I speed into the street adjacent to the hotel, and as I headed for its gates, a figure caught my attention. My heart leapt beneath my chest and I automatically pressed the break. The car screeched to an abrupt stop and I jumped out of the car and headed for the figure.

"Annabelle?" I yelled. Running towards her. She turned to face me for a moment, a masked look on her face. For a split second, I had hoped she'd run into my arms in joy. But instead, she turned her face away from me and got into a vehicle that was parked by the side of the road.

I ran towards her, desperate to get her to talk to me. Why has she ignored me? She had seen me for sure. So why had she just turned her back to me?

What was going on?

I increased the tempo of my strides, intent on getting to her before she drove off. I was close, just a few feet away from her when she got into the car and slammed the door shut.

Oh, no! She was going to leave me.

As I attempted to run in front of the car, she turned on the ignition and everything happened all at once. One minute I was screaming her name to stop and the next I was flying backwards through the air. The force of the explosion carrying me a few feet away from the car. I landed with a thump on the ground, my ears ringing. The explosion had been loud and unexpected.

I wobbled to my feet, trying to make my way to the burning car, to Annabelle, trying to wiggle my way through the dust and smoke and screaming people as they either rushed towards or away from the car.

"Annabelle!" I screamed in agony, my voice raw.

I could hear sirens of both police cars and the fire service as they approached the scene but I didn't care. I had to get her out, I had to save her. She can't be dead, she just can't be. My mind refused to believe she was gone. I staggered towards the burning car, intent on bringing Annabelle out alive, but then a hand grabbed me around and waist and away from the car.

I kicked and groaned, and yelled for him to let me go. But he wasn't having any of that.

"You are bleeding sir. You need medical attention. Please calm down." I heard the man say from behind me. I pushed him away from me and turned around to face him. He was a policeman. His face was knotted in concern as he stared at me.

"Please, get into the ambulance so you can be treated. I'll ask you a few questions after you've been patched up okay?" I shook my head, pointing towards the burning car.

"Please, I have to save her, I can't just let her die, I can't." As I spoke, tears flowed down my eyes, temporarily blinding my vision.

"Son, nothing could have survived that explosion. I'm sorry." The police officer replied sadly.

"No, that's not true, that's not--"  My voice became slurred. I couldn't continue speaking because suddenly, my head felt heavy, I began feeling dizzy and my eyes were blurry. I slumped backwards and rested against a body, which apparently, had been standing behind me without me knowing.

Another man joined him, and each man supporting me with their arms on either side of me guided me towards an ambulance. But before we could get to our destination, we were intercepted by two beautiful ladies, who looked like medical staff.

"This way please," one of them said, directing us away from the van we were headed to and towards another one that was parked beside it.

"Quickly please, he's losing blood." The second lady added.

The men quickly dragged me into the van and laid me down on a stretcher. Then they stepped out and the door was shut. Immediately, the van pulled out of the scene and began moving.

The ladies stayed on the opposite side beside me. One tore my shirt and the other began placing aesthetic on my open cut. I looked up at them and something hit me. I had seen these ladies before. Both of them to be precise. I tried to remember where I had seen them. They saw me looking at them and smiled at each other as if they knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Remember us?" The one attending to my arm asked with a smirk on her lips.

Fear gripped me and I tried to stand up. But the other lady that was fixing my drip placed her arms on my shoulder, keeping me in place.

"Relax, we are on your side." She said, concern on her face. She at least looked more trusting than her second.

"Who are you guys?" I managed to ask as I watched the scary lady pick up a syringe and filled it with a suspicious-looking liquid.

"You really can't remember us, Charles?" She asked with a frown, "Elevator? Kitchen?"

Then it hit me. My meeting in Abuja. The ladies in the elevator. What the fuck were they doing here? What twisted game was playing out. I opened my mouth to say something but then I felt the syringe been pressed into my arms.

"He remembers us now." The other lady, the less scary one said as she knocked on the driver side of the van. "Come out, it's time for me to take your place."

"Is he okay?" The driver said right before I felt the van pull to a stop. That voice. Maybe I was dreaming. My eyes were already beginning to close when a figure bent over me.

"You are going to be okay Charles, I promise." The figure said.

As my eyes fluttered to a close, I couldn't help but mutter in recognition.

Annabelle...